London's stocks were mostly higher at Friday midday amid gloomy economic data which could boost expectations for interest rate cuts.The FTSE 100 index rose 52.48 points, 0.6%, at 8,201.52. The FTSE 250 climbed 170.72 points, 0.8%, at 20,520.41, and the AIM All-Share gained 4.33 points, 0.6%, at 730.07.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.6% at 824.79, the Cboe UK 250 was up 1.1% at 17,998.02, and the Cboe Sma

Consolidation is a growing theme across the investment trust sector against a backdrop of stubbornly-wide NAV (net asset value) discounts and increasing pressure on sub-scale funds.2024 is already a record year for M&A (mergers and acquisitions) in a sector which has just seen the eleventh such deal announced, the value-oriented Invesco Asia Trust (IAT) planning to combine with Asia Dragon Trust (

Gold has had a great year. Spot prices hit another all-time high (30 October) of $2,781 per ounce, based on Bloomberg data, chalking up 35% gains so far in 2024, having broken through the $2,600 level in September for the very first time.That trumps global equities, based on the FTSE World Index's 18% returns, and even high-flying tech firms have struggled to keep pace, based on the 27% year-to-da

Stocks in London climbed higher at the close on Friday, while the pound rebounded, amid renewed hopes of faster rate cuts in the US following a jobs report.The FTSE 100 index closed up 67.05 points, or 0.8%, at 8,177.15. The FTSE 250 ended up 90.78 points, or 0.5%, at 20,479.74, and the AIM All-Share closed up 1.90 points, 0.3%, at 739.00.For the week, the FTSE 100 was down 0.9%, the FTSE 250 was

CEO appointed from withinDan Finley transformed DebenhamsMike Ashley may yet flex his musclesChallenged online fashion retailer Boohoo (BOO:AIM) has shunned major shareholder Frasers' (FRAS) demand to install Mike Ashley as CEO and appointed internal candidate Dan Finley as its new boss instead.Finley has been running Boohoo's fast-growing online department store Debenhams since 2022 and replaces

Stocks in London were mostly lower at Friday midday, while the FTSE 250 turned to the red after Close Brothers shares fell as it announced it will appeal a court judgement to the UK Supreme Court.The FTSE 100 index traded down 10.40 points, 0.1%, at 8,258.98. The FTSE 250 was down 15.67 points, or 0.1%, at 20,774.88, and the AIM All-Share shed 1.80 points, 0.3%, at 723.85.The Cboe UK 100 was down

The FTSE 100 made a bright start on Thursday, looking to break a four-day losing run, supported by well received earnings.The advance in London follows weak trading on Wall Street, where pre-US election and interest rate nerves hit stocks.The FTSE 100 index traded up 55.66 points, 0.7%, at 8,314.30. The FTSE 250 was up 25.76 points, or 0.1%, at 20,855.69, and the AIM All-Share added 1.40 points, 0

Stocks in London were lacking direction by Tuesday's close, but managed to claw back lost ground form earlier in the day, as the International Monetary Fund took a brighter view of the UK's prospects.The FTSE 100 index closed down 11.70 points, or 0.1%, at 8,306.54. The FTSE 250 ended up 43.05 points, or 0.2%, at 20,949.65, and the AIM All-Share lost 0.79 of a point, 0.1%, at 734.16.The Cboe UK 10

London's FTSE 100 was in the red during midday trade on Monday, returning the morning's gains as optimism fuelled by China's interest rate cuts ebbed.There was some sparkle in commodity markets from gold, however. Oil prices also climbed, supporting Shell and BP, which rose 1.1% and 1.9%.The FTSE 100 index went into the afternoon in a tepid fashion, despite the heavyweight oil majors rising. The l

European markets were lifted on Thursday as the European Central Bank enacted its second consecutive rate cut following cool inflation prints from the eurozone.The FTSE 100 index closed up 56.06 points, or 0.7%, at 8,385.13. The FTSE 250 ended up 121.42 points, or 0.6%, at 21,100.92, while the AIM All-Share closed up 2.96 points, 0.4%, at 742.39.The Cboe UK 100 ended up 0.7% at 840.03, the Cboe UK

London's blue chips faded after a bright start to trade in the red at midday on Thursday, ahead of US inflation data later in the session.The FTSE 100 had made a positive start, before some pre-US data nerves kicked in.The more tepid trade in Europe came despite equities in China ending the day in the green on supportive measures from the nation's central bank. The Shanghai Composite rose 1.3%, of

Stocks in London closed lower on Tuesday, as miners and financials slipped after a stimulus-driven rally in China ran out of steam.The FTSE 100 index closed down 113.01 points, 1.4%, to 8,190.61. The FTSE 250 ended down 222.01 points, 1.1%, at 20,631.20, and the AIM All-Share closed down 3.54 points, 0.5%, at 735.07.The Cboe UK 100 fell 1.3% to 820.18, the Cboe UK 250 closed down 1.0% at 18,108.31

The FTSE 100 closed higher in London on Tuesday, as miners enjoyed a boost from stimulus efforts in China, while mid-caps retreated from earlier in the day following US data.The FTSE 100 index closed up 23.05 points, or 0.3%, at 8,282.76. The FTSE 250 ended down 75.00 points, or 0.4%, at 20,770.12, and the AIM All-Share closed down 1.52 points, 0.2%, at 742.80.The Cboe UK 100 ended up 0.3% at 828.

European stocks pushed higher early Tuesday on growing belief that the US Federal Reserve will lower interest rates by 50 basis points on Wednesday.'Either the Federal Reserve doves are going seriously ahead of themselves, or there will be a big disappointment when the Fed will announce its policy decision tomorrow. Or... the Fed will align with the market and give investors want they want, to avo

1H cash generation up 19%Cash surplus £3.5 billionInterim dividend up 2.5%Investors appeared less than wowed by the first-half update from pensions and savings provider Phoenix (PHNX) despite the group posting double-digit growth in cash generation and raising its interim dividend.The shares dropped 15p or 2.5% to 562p making Phoenix the worst performer on the FTSE 100 to kick off the week.

Foresight Solar Fund (FSFL) 93.5pMarket cap: £533 millionOver 2023, infrastructure funds were among the worst performers in the investment trust universe as higher rates made assets like bonds and cash relatively more attractive. Caught up in the wider renewable infrastructure trusts de-rating was the Foresight Solar Fund (FSFL), a sustainability-focused vehicle invested in solar and battery st

Stocks in London retreated on Friday, though ended the week as a whole higher, while gold notched a new record and sterling gained strength.The FTSE 100 index closed down 35.94 points, 0.4%, at 8,311.41. The FTSE 250 ended down 45.25 points, 0.2%, at 21,048.91, and the AIM All-Share closed down 0.52 of a point, 0.1%, at 774.27.For the week, the FTSE 100 ended 1.8% higher, the FTSE 250 gained 2.1%

There is a phrase in business ? 'shrink to greatness' ? meaning companies selling or demerging assets and focusing on what they do best.You might call it streamlining, others might say it is an admission that the previous strategy did not work and the company was too bloated.This trend is firmly in motion across the UK stock market with nine companies in the FTSE 100 either in the middle of shrink

Revenue fall smaller than fearedHealthy rise in year-end order bookCompany eyes return to growth in 2025Housebuilder Bellway (BWY) suffered a 30% slump in housing completions during the year to 31 July 2024, one marred by more expensive mortgages, property market softness as well as significant build-cost inflation.Yet shares in the Newcastle-headquartered builder bounced 3% higher to £27.32 as i

CrowdStrike (CRWD;NASDAQ) $258.81Market cap: $63 billionIt's been a rough couple of weeks for CrowdStrike (CRWD:NASDAQ) after what some have called the world's biggest IT outage caused banks, hospitals, and airports to 'go dark'. The question for investors now is that following the more than 30% share price crash, is the stock worth buying?Shares believes the answer is Yes, but investors who do so