London's FTSE 100 ended largely flat on Friday, after an afternoon recovery ensured it outperformed European peers, which continued to struggle amid tariff worries.The dollar faded after softer-than-anticipated US nonfarm payrolls, meanwhile.The FTSE 100 index closed down just 2.96 points at 8,679.88. The FTSE 250 fell 29.95 points, 0.2%, at 20,129.12, and the AIM All-Share rose 1.77 points, 0.3%,

Operating profit beats forecastsSolvency and dividend betterShares drop 14% in active tradingJust to prove that sometimes, even if you know in advance a company is going to deliver good news, you don't know how the market will react, investors in FTSE 250 retirement savings specialist Just Group (JUST) will be wondering why the shares have tumbled when the firm beat estimates.As of mid-morning Jus

Stock prices in London, Paris and Frankfurt opened lower on Friday morning, while Goodwin on the FTSE 250 shined, while Just Group dived.The FTSE 100 index opened down 38.81 points, 0.5%, at 8,644.03. The FTSE 250 was down 174.78 points, 0.9%, at 19,984.29, and the AIM All-Share was down 2.19 points, 0.3%, at 690.27.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.6% at 865.19, the Cboe UK 250 was down 1.1% at 17,373.6

The FTSE 100 lagged European peers on Thursday, after a perceived 'hawkish' rate cut by the European Central Bank drove the euro higher.Dan Coatsworth, investment analyst at AJ Bell said there wasn't any bad news to cause a minor sell-off.'It's just one of those days where investors reassessed their portfolios given the uncertain economic and geopolitical backdrop,' he noted.The FTSE 100 index end

Blue chip stocks in London and Paris were lower at midday Thursday, but up a notch in Frankfurt amid hopes of big investments from the incoming German government.The European Central Bank 'is expected to cut rates having been given a freer hand as inflationary pressures have eased,' AJ Bell's Russ Mould noted.The FTSE 100 index was down 82.84 points, 1.0%, at 8,673.00. The FTSE 250 was down 33.31

Full-year profit at top end of rangeComfortable with 2025 consensus£500 million annual cash flow targetSports betting and gaming group Entain (ENT) delivered full-year profit at the top end of the guided range and said it was comfortable with consensus forecasts for 2025, which was enough to give the shares a 3% pop to 764.4p.The shares are up by around a tenth so far in 2025 versus a 5% advance

2024 sales and earnings up 11%Shares were flat year-to-dateWarning on costs and marginsOn the surface, today's full-year results from FTSE 250 private hospital operator Spire Healthcare (SPI) looked fine, but investors spied one or two things they clearly didn't like and sent the shares sharply lower from the open.By mid-morning the stock was trading 36p or 16% lower at 188p, having earlier hit th

Stock prices in London opened mix on Thursday, ahead of a UK construction reading that is expected to show a decelerated fall in activity for February, while investors await US trade data.The FTSE 100 index opened down 19.42 points, 0.2%, at 8,736.42. The FTSE 250 was up 65.74 points, 0.3%, at 20,193.47, and the AIM All-Share was up 3.26 points, 0.5%, at 693.74.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.2% at 875

A quirk of the system means that families can pay £36,000 into a tax-free account for their child in one year ? far exceeding the usual £9,000 annual Junior ISA limit. A clash between how the rules differ between Child Trust Funds and Junior ISAs, plus the generous £9,000 annual allowance per child, means that parents can exploit the loophole to save a huge amount of money in 12 months, or les

Nike (NKE:NYSE) $79.43Market cap: $117.5 billionPatient investors seeking a high-quality, progressive dividend-paying company with one of the globe's most iconic brands should buy Nike (NKE:NYSE), the lately-unloved sportswear giant trading at a discount to its own history with the shares down 20% over one year and 10% over five.Despite its recent struggles, Shares believes this is an opportune m

Three recent interventions by the Trump administration are having a major impact on financial markets.First, plans for a cryptocurrency strategic reserve were announced, helping to light a fire under Bitcoin and other digital assets.Those gains were soon erased however when, against hopes of a last-minute reprieve, 25% tariffs were introduced on Canada and Mexico along with a 10% levy on Chinese g

Just over five years ago the stock market began to react in earnest to news of the Covid pandemic.The sell-off was short and sharp, with a modest recovery from the lows in the spring followed by sharper gains in November 2020 after AstraZeneca (AZN) made a vaccine breakthrough.However, a large number of UK stocks are still trading below the levels they were at by the close of trading on 21 Februar

UK engineering business Spirax (SPX) is expected to deliver mid-single digit organic revenue growth for 2024 when it announces results on 11 March.As a reminder, the company (once known as Spirax-Sarco Engineering) is a FTSE 100 constituent focused on steam, thermal electric and niche pumping solutions, across a wide range of end-markets. After a period in the doldrums which has seen the shares dr

Investing in tech stocks has been making money for ordinary investors for years. Since the internet emerged in the early 1990s, the broadly drawn tech space has consistently delivered market-beating growth in revenues and profits and dominated share price returns.It is no coincidence that aside from Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B:NYSE), all of the trillion-dollar companies (currently s

I have read some press reports about the Government getting rid of cash ISAs. I have an old one of these which I took out a few years ago, but I would like to take out a new one with a fixed interest rate. I want to do this before the end of the tax year in case something happens.I also have an investment ISA that I have been paying about £3,000 into for the last five years.Am I able to take out

Shares in Rolls-Royce (RR.) surged to a new 52-week high of 792p (3 March) as the aero-engine maker continued to impress investors with its post-pandemic turnaround.Under the helm of chief executive Tufan Erginbilgic, who was appointed in January 2023, the company has made a steady recovery and recently report stronger-than-forecast full year results.On 27 February, the Derby-headquartered company

Elon Musk and Tesla (TSLA:NASDAQ) optimists in the analyst community appear to be pinning hopes on AI, robotaxis and robotics to reverse the negative mood surrounding the stock in recent months.Since peaking at an all-time high close to $480 in mid-December 2024, shares in the electric car firm have lost more than 40% of their value, a plunge that has wiped more than half a trillion dollars off th

European stocks were mixed on Wednesday, as the FTSE 100 eased slightly despite a boost for miners from higher metal prices and hints some sectors may be left out of US tariffs.The FTSE 100 index ended down 3.16 points at 8,755.84. The FTSE 250 climbed 177.23 points, 0.9%, at 20,127.73, and the AIM All-Share gained 3.61 points, 0.5%, at 690.48.The Cboe UK 100 ended up 0.3% at 877.63, the Cboe UK 2

Stock prices in Europe were mostly higher on Wednesday midday, with higher-risk and economically sensitive sectors benefiting from a risk-on sentiment among investors.'European and Asian markets were on the front foot on Wednesday amid hopes that Donald Trump might partially wind back tariffs if deals could be struck with Canada and Mexico,' commented AJ Bell's Russ Mould. 'Investors are looking f

Full year profit ahead of expectationsStrong trading across core business and licensingBuilds on strong first halfFantasy games and miniatures retailer Games Workshop (GAW) rolled the equivalent of double-six on Wednesday (5 March) after confidently forecasting full year pre-tax profit to the end of May will be ahead of expectations.The shares jumped as much as 8% to top the FTSE 100, notching up