Stocks in London remained in the red at midday on Monday, trimming a year-to-date gain which already fell short of loftier progress in US stocks.The FTSE 100 index traded down 15.85 points, 0.2%, at 8,133.93. The FTSE 250 was down 62.74 points, 0.3%, at 20,425.91, and the AIM All-Share was up just 0.34 of a point at 715.53.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.1% at 815.90, the Cboe UK 250 down 0.2% at 17,88

Apple and AMEX lift BerkshireFisher's tech holdings pay offAs we enter the final trading days of 2024 and tot up how our personal investments have done over the course of the year, analysts at CMC Markets (CMCX) have been looking at how the 'gurus' such as Warren Buffett have fared ahead of the release of their year-end 13-F filings.For the record, every US-domiciled fund with more than $100 milli

Share prices in London started lower on Friday after the two-day Christmas break, as investors dissected initial readings on the strength of holiday sales and the weekly reading on US employment.Out on Boxing Day, US seasonally adjusted initial jobless claims were 219,000 in the week that ended this past Saturday, down 1,000 from the previously week's unrevised total of 220,000, the US Department

UK high street enduringLow ticket leisure a winnerValue retail showing resilienceMany have sounded the death knell for the UK high street, notably during the Covid crisis as retail trends shifted towards online shopping. Yet, the high street has endured amid the consumer's persistent demand for physical retail.And despite many high street stocks successfully adapting to this evolving retail market

17% premium to undisturbed share priceIntelligent Ultrasound has struggled to growSimulation Business is 'particularly attractive'Yet another unloved UK company has agreed to a takeover by an overseas buyer, further deleting the ranks of firms listed on the London stock market.The latest name to throw in the towel is Intelligent Ultrasound (IUG:AIM), an ultrasound AI software and simulation minnow

Few doubt that 2025 will be another huge year for AI, but when looking for interesting investment opportunities, investors can sometimes allow details to obscure the bigger picture. In our view, Alphabet (GOOG:NASDAQ) remains an outstanding growth business with strong AI levers to pull, currently trading a large discount to other 'Magnificent Seven' stocks.This valuation gap will, we believe, narr

Central banks have been the focus of the market's attention for the last few weeks, and by the time Shares is published the Federal Reserve will already have met to decide on interest rate cuts.The consensus is for another 0.25% cut this week to 4.5%, but bets on the extent to which US rates will fall have been pared back sharply in recent months and expectations for Fed policy in 2025 are much le

Credit/debit card firm has $3.9 billion of previous scheme to investS&P 500 companies on track for record buybacks yearMastercard shares have rallied 26% in 2024The board of Mastercard (MA:NYSE) has approved a new share buyback scheme worth $12 billion of its Class A shares, about 1.3% of its total share capital.Mastercard, one half of the world's debit and credit card duopoly with Visa (V:NYSE),

The UK stock market has performed robustly over the past year, with several companies standing out significantly. In this article, we will examine the top-performing large-cap, mid-cap, and small-cap stocks of 2024, dissected across four different market valuation categories.£5 BILLION+ MARKET CAPAfter a stellar 2023, aeronautical engineer Rolls-Royce (RR.) has once again rallied hard during 2024

UK indices slipped into the red on Tuesday as the London exodus continues, with Ashtead unveiling plans to shift its primary listing to the US.The FTSE 100 index closed down 71.72 points, 0.9%, at 8,280.36. The FTSE 250 ended down 75.33 points, 0.4%, at 20,973.94, and the AIM All-Share shed 3.28 points, 0.4%, at 737.57.The Cboe UK 100 ended down 0.8% at 831.35, the Cboe UK 250 closed down 0.5% at

£57 million write downLurch into lossFull-year revenue guidance unchangedFirst-half results from online greeting cards-to-gifting platform Moonpig (MOON) were solid enough, with revenue up 3.8% to £158 million as growth in the namesake brand offset a decline at Netherlands-based arm Greetz.Robust cash generation and rapid deleveraging gave Moonpig the confidence to announce an inaugural interim

Blue-chips in London, Paris and Frankfurt were in the red midday Tuesday, as investors fretted over the outlook for China's economy after some less-than-stellar data.'Chinese exports grew at a slower pace in November versus October, and imports shrank. That doesn't install much confidence about Beijing's efforts to get the country back on top. The prospect of higher tariffs on Chinese goods export

Stock prices in Europe opened in the red on Tuesday as the FTSE 100 faded amid a softer start for miners.Mining firms climbed on Monday amid hopes of a China economic bounce back next year, but returned some progress on Tuesday. Anglo American was 2.2% lower, Glencore fell 2.1% and Antofagasta lost 2.0%.The FTSE 100 index traded down 38.21 points, 0.5%, at 8,313.87. The FTSE 250 was up 87.63 point

The FTSE 100 closed up on Monday, boosted by blue-chip oil firms responding positively to the ousting of long-standing Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad.The FTSE 100 index closed up 43.47 points, 0.5%, at 8,352.08. The FTSE 250 ended down 9.73 points at 21,049.27, and the AIM All-Share closed up 2.63 points, 0.4%, at 740.85.The Cboe UK 100 ended up 0.5% at 838.25, the Cboe UK 250 closed up 0.1% at 18,5

The UK's main indices were mixed at midday on Friday as shares in FTSE 100 water suppliers fell amid analyst downgrades.The FTSE 100 index fell 6.69 points, 0.1%, at 8,342.69. The FTSE 250 rose 37.00 points, 0.2%, at 21,038.06, and the AIM All-Share climbed 1.31 points, 0.2%, at 738.23.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.1% at 837.74, the Cboe UK 250 was up 0.3% at 18,540.25, and the Cboe Small Companies r

The FTSE 100 index closed up on Thursday, with AstraZeneca shares rising on US FDA approval of its Imfinzi treatment.Also on Thursday, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer promised a 'relentless focus on delivering for working people' ahead of a major speech setting out targets to measure progress on his government's plans.AJ Bell's Danni Hewson noted: 'The prime minister today said that households will

Still some way off 2021's 450p IPO (initial public offering) price, Moonpig's (MOON) shares have rallied 63.5% to 248.9p year-to-date amid debt reduction progress and some reassuring trading updates as it puts the unwind of the Covid sales bump in the rear-view mirror.More recently, the stock surged following a well-received capital markets day (16 October), where the online greeting cards-to-gift

In last week's magazine, Shares focused on the methods by which leading fund managers identify genuine long-term growth opportunities, covering everything from the need for a growth mindset to bottom-up stock picking and the need to factor in top-down considerations.Now we turn the spotlight on the regional markets, themes and stocks which have some of the market's most admired investors salivatin

With US stocks trading close to all-time highs, valuations looking stretched and one of the narrowest markets on record, this could be an opportune moment to consider adding some defensive qualities to your portfolio through capital preservation funds and trusts.These products aim to protect your capital during periods of heightened volatility and equity market drawdowns as well as growing capital

Indices in London ended the session in the green on a mixed day for retailers on Black Friday as US equities pushed higher in a shortened trading session.The FTSE 100 index rose 6.08 points, 0.1%, at 8,287.30. The FTSE 250 climbed 8.79 points, at 20,771.57, and the AIM All-Share firmed 1.58 points, 0.2%, at 732.49.For the week, the FTSE 100 rose 0.3%, the FTSE 250 advanced 0.9% and the AIM All-Sha