Chemring executives sell sharesEasyJet finance head sells stockImperial chief executive lightens upThe week before Christmas was a busy one for the boards of several UK firms as they offloaded shares ahead of the holidays.At defence contractor Chemring (CHG), chief executive Michael Ord and two other directors sold a total of 274,000 shares at 315p each on 18 December raising just shy of £800,000

London stocks closed higher on Tuesday's shortened trading day, buoyed by gains in the retail and mining sectors, while Windward surged 42% following a takeover bid from FTV VIII LP.The FTSE 100 index closed up 34.27 points, 0.4%, at 8,136.99. The FTSE 250 ended up 152.42 points, 0.8%, at 20,571.51, and the AIM All-Share closed up 4.96 points, 0.7%, at 717.40.The Cboe UK 100 ended up 0.5% at 816.2

UK equities suffered on US exposure as they closed lower on Thursday amid the Bank of England holding interest rates, but warning of 'heightened uncertainty'.UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer pleaded for patience over his drive to improve living standards, warning it 'will take some time' for people to feel the benefits.Starmer hopes changes to planning rules, reforms to regulations and the use of te

Let's not beat around the bush, January is an awful month. You've just spent a packet on Christmas, your favourite clothes are inexplicably tight, and your efforts to work off a little holiday weight in the gym are hampered by everyone else trying to do exactly the same thing.It's against this backdrop of seasonal wretchedness that HMRC stations its deadline for filling in a tax return, just in ca

1. Tariffs: President-elect Donald Trump has indicated he will impose new tariffs on three of America's leading trading partners. He plans to sign an executive order placing 25% tariffs on goods imported from Canada and Mexico on day one of his presidency, with an additional 10% on goods from China. This is on top of earlier plans for 60% tariffs on China and 10%-20% on all other imports to the Un

FTSE mining stocks on Wednesday were boosted by an uptick in gold prices while the Nasdaq Composite hit an all-time high, topping 20,000 for the first time.A jump in the gold price boosted Endeavour Mining and Fresnillo, while Lloyds Banking Group climbed as the Supreme Court agreed to an appeal brought by motor finance companies regarding car loans.The FTSE 100 index closed up 21.26 points, 0.3%,

Blue-chip stocks in London, Paris and Frankfurt opened lower on Wednesday ahead of a Canadian interest rate decision and consumer price index inflation data from the US.The FTSE 100 index traded down 27.16 points, 0.3%, at 8,253.20. The FTSE 250 was down 79.67 points, 0.4%, at 20,894.27, and the AIM All-Share was down 0.58 of a point, 0.1%, at 736.99.The Cboe UK 100 was 0.4% lower at 828.28, the C

European stocks opened in the green at the start of the week, boosted by an announcement from China's top leadership which aims to aid the Asian nation's shaky economy.The FTSE 100 index traded up 26.17 points, 0.3%, at 8,334.78. The FTSE 250 was up 36.75 points, 0.2%, at 21,095.75, and the AIM All-Share was up 2.55 points, 0.4%, at 740.77.The Cboe UK 100 was 0.4% higher at 837.24, the Cboe UK 250

In October foreign institutional investors pulled an estimated $11.5 billion from Indian stocks as one of the world's top performing markets of recent years hit a bit of a speed bump.Up until that point, small and mid-cap stocks had performed particularly strongly during the latest leg of the Indian rally, so Shares has canvassed some UK-based fund managers which focus on this area of the market t

European indices had a mixed finish on Wednesday in the face of French political uncertainty while British Airway's owner IAG rallied on analyst support.The FTSE 100 index fell 23.60 points, 0.3%, at 8,335.81. The FTSE 250 ended up 112.41 points, 0.5%, at 21,005.15, and the AIM All-Share rose 3.13 points, 0.4%, at 738.22.The Cboe UK 100 ended down 0.4% at 836.98, the Cboe UK 250 advanced 0.6% at 1

MS Galleon wants change at the topCTD deal 'detrimental' to shareholdersTopps outperforming weak marketMS Galleon, the major shareholder in Topps Tiles (TPT), has called for the tile retailer to overhaul its senior management and strategy following what it describes as a series of 'costly blunders'.Shares in Topps Tiles cheapened 2.25% to 39.1p on the news, with investors concerned a boardroom bat

Stocks in London trod water at the start of a week, though moves were more pronounced in Asia and Paris.The CAC 40 in Paris has French political uncertainty and a plunge in Stellantis shares hanging over it. Asian stocks climbed after decent China data.The FTSE 100 index fell just 1.40 points to 8,285.90. It goes into the final month of 2024 with a roughly 7% year-to-date gain.The FTSE 250 nudged

Stocks in London were mixed around midday on Thursday, although a burst of takeover action provided some energy to a quiet trading day due to a public holiday in New York.Renewi said it would be minded to accept a bid from Macquarie, which came back to the negotiating table after walking away more than a year ago. Direct Line rebuffed an Aviva tilt, however. Loungers agreed to a private equity bid

In a previous article you say that someone taking income from a defined benefit pension could still contribute to their SIPP up to the level of their earnings. Does this mean that the money purchase annual allowance of £10,000 applies only if you take taxable income from a defined contribution scheme and not from a defined benefit scheme?Similarly, if I have two defined contribution schemes and t

Blue-chips in London traded in the green around midday on Thursday, as the escalating conflict in Ukraine pushed oil and gold prices higher.The FTSE 100 index added 25.97 points, 0.3%, at 8,111.04. The FTSE 250 lost 45.77 points, 0.2%, at 20,198.99, and the AIM All-Share rose 2.00 points, 0.3%, at 724.34.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.3% at 815.30, the Cboe UK 250 was down 0.2% at 17,701.10, and the Cbo

European equities were mostly in the red on Thursday morning amid a threat of higher for longer interest rates, following a lofty UK inflation reading and a caution against turbocharged US easing from a Federal Reserve official.The FTSE 100 index added just 0.40 of a point at 8,085.47. The FTSE 250 lost just 7.21 points at 20,237.55, and the AIM All-Share rose 3.18 points, 0.4%, at 725.52.The Cboe

If it seems as though each week brings news of yet another takeover offer for a UK firm, the actual figures from the ONS (Office for National Statistics) are quite mind-boggling.Aside from the number of listed companies being bought, either by 'inward' investors or domestic buyers, hundreds of privately-owned firms are being snapped up every quarter.If you are in a position where a company you own

SDI (SDI:AIM) 58pMarket cap: £60.6 millionThe past couple of years have seen many a growth grenade tossed at SDI (SDI:AIM) yet the company has stuck to its largely successful knitting and we expect its fortunes to significantly improve through 2025. A casual glance at the share price chart might put a quick end to investors' research into this small cap business, but that's a mistake, in our view

It's been a prosperous time to have invested in the markets. Each one of the major share indices around the world has delivered a positive total return over the past 12 months, factoring in share price performance and dividends.At the top end, the US has returned 32.5% as measured by the S&P 500 index; Japan's Nikkei 225 index has returned 15.3%; and even 'unloved' UK has lined investors' pockets

After nearly 25 years of ups and downs on the stock market, compound semiconductor wafer supplier IQE (IQE:AIM) is at a real low point.The shares are trading at their lowest level in more than 15 years, after the company announced it would look to raise £15 million from its largest shareholder Lombard Odier as it carries out a strategic review from which one of the options is putting its Taiwan o