Stock prices in London closed lower on Tuesday, with the FTSE 100 dragged down by hits to index heavies, BP and Shell, on the back of declining oil prices, as well as BT.The FTSE 100 index closed down 83.62 points, 1.0%, at 8,273.32. The FTSE 250 ended down 171.32 points, 0.8%, at 20,986.15, and the AIM All-Share closed down 2.55 points, 0.3%, at 774.04.The Cboe UK 100 ended down 1.1% at 826.27, t

Firms stick to deal scheduleBarratt waives CMA concernMarket sentiment improvingHousebuilder Barratt Developments (BDEV) announced it would finalise the acquisition of smaller rival Redrow (RDW) and form a new company, Barratt Redrow, by the end of this week in spite of regulatory concerns.Barratt shares gained 6p or 1.2% to 542p while Redrow shares gained 20p or 2.6% to 780p. MERGER ON TRA

As is often the case in times of stock market volatility, parts of the financial eco-system which previously hadn't received a great deal of attention are suddenly catapulted into the mainstream.This time it's the carry trade, specifically in yen, which is drawing the attention of investors. Effectively a carry trade means borrowing money in one place where interest rates are low and using it to i

Stock markets across the globe have just emerged from a short, sharp shock, with the sell-off on 5 August one of the worst days in years as investors mull the frightening thought that the US economy is slowing and could be sent spinning into recession.Combined with the impact of the unwinding in the yen 'carry trade' discussed in this explainer and some stretched valuations and you had the recipe

New £185 million contract win9% rise in half-year dividend to 3.8p per shareSelected by Rolls Royce as a construction partnerShares in Balfour Beatty (BBY) fell more than 3% to 394p in morning trading as the infrastructure group reported a widely expected rise in revenue for the first half of the year.However this news failed to excite investors who took the opportunity to cash in on a recent 52-

Insurer beats consensus againUK general insurance strongCommitted to returning capitalMaybe it is a measure of just how much chief executive Amanda Blanc has achieved since taking the helm at insurance giant Aviva (AV.) that its 'excellent' first-half results were greeted with a yawn rather than fireworks.The shares, which have gained 27% in the past year compared with a 10% rise in the FTSE 100,

A disastrous start to the week for the US market, as some poor corporate results, weak US economic data and the unwinding of the yen carry trade conspired to drag stocks lower, was gradually wiped out as the week went on.<img src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/keg6i/full.png" alt="" data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/keg6i/full.png">&amp

Budapest-based low-cost airline Wizz Air (WIZZ) posted (1 August) a slight increase in revenue to €1.26 billion for the quarter to the end of June, but higher operating and finance costs plus a foreign exchange loss sent it into deficit for the period.The shares slumped as much as 380p or 20%, the most since the early days of the pandemic, as investors headed for the exits.The airline cut its

Investors looking to pin the blame for the sudden panic in markets might wonder whether US chip firm Intel's (INTC:NASDAQ) decision to lay off staff and cut spending, triggering a 26% fall in the share price on 2 August, was the trigger for the broad sell-off.While Intel may have played a part, the root cause of the market's current malaise is the unwinding of the 'carry trade' involving the Japan

Stock prices in Europe were in the green at midday Wednesday, as investors were more confident ahead of New York's open, following the global sell-off on Monday.The FTSE 100 index was up 79.14 points, 1.0%, at 8,105.83. The FTSE 250 was up 177.17 points, 0.9%, at 20,544.87, and the AIM All-Share was up 4.56 points, 0.6%, at 764.23.The Cboe UK 100 was up 1.1% at 809.12, the Cboe UK 250 was up 1.0%

Stock prices in London were higher at midday Tuesday, amid good news for the UK's construction sector, as investors await the performance of stocks in New York.Markets across the globe took a hit on Monday, with investors digesting last week's economic data from the US.The FTSE 100 index was up 9.13 points, 0.1%, at 8,017.36. The FTSE 250 was up 84.80 points, 0.4%, at 20,321.54, and the AIM All-Sh

Stock prices in Europe recovered on Thursday morning, following the Nikkei 225 into the green after a global sell-off sparked by recession fears in the US.The FTSE 100 index opened up 26.91 points, 0.3%, at 8,035.14. The FTSE 250 was up 129.57 points, 0.6%, at 20,366.31, and the AIM All-Share was up 8.52 points, 1.1%, at 757.14.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.4% at 802.13, the Cboe UK 250 was up 0.7% at

Stock prices stumbled in London on Monday, echoing the risk-averse mood of global equities peers.European investors did not have to look far to find reasons to be cautious, as Friday's sell-off persisted into the new week.The FTSE 100 index closed down 166.48 points, 2.0%, at 8,008.23. The FTSE 250 dropped 589.61 points, 2.8%, at 20,236.74, and the AIM All-Share closed down 22.65 points, 2.9%, at

Stocks in London took a hit on Friday, with New York also plummeting, after a slew of poor US economic data.The FTSE 100 index closed down 108.65 points, 1.3%, at 8,174.71. The FTSE 250 ended down 632.88 points, 3.0%, at 20,826.35, and the AIM All-Share closed down 11.81 points, 1.5%, at 771.27.Friday's fall meant London's blue-chip index ended a volatile week 1.3% worse off.The Cboe UK 100 ended

European stocks traded lower at midday on Friday as weak US data sparked concerns that growth in the world's largest economy could be slowing.The FTSE 100 index was down 34.90 points, 0.4%, at 8,248.46. The FTSE 250 was 358.17 points, 1.7%, at 21,101.06, and the AIM All-Share was down 5.27 points, 0.7%, at 777.81.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.4%, the Cboe UK 250 was down 1.2% at 18,461.00, and the Cb

THIS IS AN ADVERTISING FEATURE Gabriel Sacks, Co-Manager, abrdn Asia Focus plcTrawl the internet for Indonesia's most famous tourist attractions and the chances are you will soon be linked to a Komodo dragon. At least for faint-hearted visitors, whether such a creature truly qualifies as an "attraction" could be a moot point.Komodo dragons are the largest lizards on Earth. Males can grow to near

AJ Bell's latest Manager versus Machine report paints an alarming picture for active managers, who are struggling to beat tracker funds on performance and are losing hands down when it comes to attracting investors' money.The report looks at the performance of active funds across seven key equity sectors and compares them to the average passive fund in each sector (see table). Only 35% of active e

I am earning above the £50,000 tax threshold and want to pay money into a SIPP to avoid paying 40% tax. I also have existing shares and want to avoid paying dividend tax so am also keen to put these into a SIPP.Can I transfer existing shares into a SIPP using 'Bed & SIPP' and also claim tax relief? Or do I need to put cash into the SIPP from my bank account in order to claim tax relief?'Another r

Whatever the occasion, audience, or setting, I'm always asked the same question: how have I balanced being a mother of nine with a big City career?Looking back, especially over those years when my children were very young, it's hard to fathom it myself ? but certain things have helped, both practically and emotionally. I hope that some of those lessons learned might be of help to other mothers ? a

Stock prices in London closed predominantly higher on Monday, joining European peers in a relatively upbeat finish, following news that US President Joe Biden will not stand for re-election.Amongst individual stocks, airlines slid after Ryanair's warning. Rentokil led the FTSE 100 higher, though, after former BT boss eyed a bid to take over the pest control firm.The FTSE 100 index closed up 43.06