Stock prices in London were mostly higher midday Wednesday, with water utilities among those leading the charge, before investors look across the pond for the Federal Reserve interest rate decision later.The FTSE 100 index added 27.29 points, 0.3%, at 8,561.16. The FTSE 250 was up 114.30 points, 0.6%, at 20,702.81, and the AIM All-Share lost just 0.14 of a point at 715.18.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.

Out of nowhere the market for weight loss drugs has become one of the most exciting investment themes in the last two years, rivalling investor enthusiasm for AI.There is good reason for the excitement. Rod Wong, managing partner at RTW Biotech Opportunities (RTW) fund describes the development of obesity drugs as the biggest ever financial opportunity in healthcare.That is because obesity is the

US surgeon-general calls for warning labelsCancer link underappreciatedShares in beer, wine and spirit-makers under pressureInvestors in a selection of alcohol stocks are nursing portfolio hangovers following the US surgeon-general's call (3 January) for more prominent warning labels on alcoholic drinks to raise awareness of their link to cancer.Alcohol stocks sank on both sides of the Atlantic on

Sales weakness persistsDeflation to impact profitsFurther £200 million buyback announcedRenowned for its resilience, outsourcing business Bunzl (BNZL) said it expects to deliver a 'strong' year-on-year adjusted operating profit increase for the year ending 31 December 2024 in the face of an uncertain economic backdrop.So why were shares in the distribution and services business the FTSE 100's big

VT Argonaut Absolute Return Fund(B79NKW0) 356.4pFunds under management: £212 millionWith stock markets trading close to highs, rising geopolitical risks and uncertainties over a Trump administration, investors are understandably concerned about increasing stock market volatility.A great way of playing both the upside and downside potential is to invest in the VT Argonaut Absolute Return Fund (B79

There is a huge body of academic work highlighting behavioural biases which consistently trip-up investors' supposedly rational thinking. In this article we look at seven big sins of investing, with some examples and insights on how to avoid them.A lot of the credit for these principles goes to Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky who collaborated in the 1960s to research apparent anomalies and contra

China drops subsidy plans on imported EU brandyPernod Ricard and Remy Cointreau surgePernod reports inline full yearFrench spirits companies Pernod Ricard (RI:EPA) and Remy Cointreau (RCO:EPA) received a shot in the arm on Thursday, rising as much as 8% and 12% respectively after the Chinese authorities decided not to impose a provisional anti-dumping subsidy on imported brandy from the European

The recent escalation between Israel and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah offered the latest reminder of what a tinderbox the Middle East is right now and the implications that has for oil prices.The black stuff moved back through $80 per barrel after a period of weakness, offering a reminder of why forecasting oil prices is often a fool's errand.Nonetheless, there are plenty of professionals who

Stock prices in London were mostly lower at midday Wednesday, with the FTSE 100 mildly in the green as annual consumer price inflation remained flat in June, while services inflation was viewed as too high for comfort.Meanwhile, in political news, Labour presented a 'packed' legislative agenda in the annual King's Speech, focused on improving living standards by driving economic growth, the first

Tie-up to 'mutually enhance' operationsTHG offloads luxury brands to FrasersFirst external Frasers Plus partnershipShares in Mike Ashley-controlled retail conglomerate Frasers (FRAS) firmed 3.2% to 898p on news it had forged a 'multi-year' partnership with e-commerce innovator THG (THG).The payments and logistics tie-up should 'mutually enhance' the retail operations of both companies and will inc

Equities in London traded mixed at the start of the week, with some US tech sector nerves hurting sentiment, with eyes turning to elections in the UK and France as polling day edges ever closer.The FTSE 100 index traded 7.66 points higher, 0.1%, at 8,245.38. The FTSE 250 was down 50.12 points, 0.3%, at 20,392.23, though the AIM All-Share fell 0.41 of a point, 0.1%, at 772.16.The Cboe UK 100 rose 0

THIS IS AN ADVERTISING FEATURE Ben Ritchie and Rebecca Maclean, Co-managers, Dunedin Income Growth Investment Trust plcIn the March budget, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt brought out a series of measures designed to revive the flagging fortunes of the UK stock market. He sought to draw investors back with a UK ISA, and measures for institutional investors. The broad principle of looking to bring in add

Stock prices in London opened higher on Wednesday, beating Asian peers which trended lower over night, and following a flatter session in the US.The FTSE 100 index opened up 34.20 points, 0.4%, at 8,347.87. The FTSE 250 was up 30.83 points, 0.2%, at 20,443.91, and the AIM All-Share was up 1.94 points, 0.3%, at 778.36.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.4% at 833.39, the Cboe UK 250 was up 0.3% at 17,713.33,

Organic sales grow 2%Tough annual comparisonPositive read for BurberryGlobal luxury goods leader LVMH (MC:EPA) eked out a small increase in first-quarter revenue against strong comparable sales in the same period last year, sending its shares up 3% to ?807 and temporarily arresting the downtrend of the past month.Growth was the weakest since the rebound from the pandemic in early 2021, held back b

While the relentless advances in Nvidia (NVDA:NASDAQ), Bitcoin and US equities continue to grab most of the headlines (and that is not forgetting new all-time highs for headline stock indices in France, Germany, Taiwan, Australia and Japan), one asset is outstripping them all so far in 2024 ? and that is cocoa. Futures prices for the commodity have melted up by almost 150% this year alone, to a ne

The world of fantasy is clearly having a moment. The rise of ?romantasy? authors like Sarah J Maas, who has been a big part of UK publishing outfit Bloomsbury?s (BMY) recent success, have taken the genre out of its previous male-dominated realm to a whole new audience.Bloomsbury?s surging sales and the ongoing phenomenon that is Games Workshop (GAW) are two examples on the UK market which show the

Rewind to 2020, five years on from the landmark Paris Agreement to combat climate change, and aside from the pandemic the big stories in markets were the ?climate emergency? and the ?energy transition?.Although the Glasgow COP26 conference had to be postponed until 2021 due to Covid, there was no shortage of high-profile events from Manchester?s virtual four-day Green Summit to the WEF (World Econ

Post-Christmas updates from the industry demonstrate that not all luxury goods companies are created equal, with sector players experiencing contrasting fortunes as the post-pandemic boom normalises and well-heeled shoppers prove more selective.On 25 January, the world?s largest luxury goods group LVMH (MC:EPA) confounded investors? gloomy expectations by delivering better-than-expected fourth qua

Growth re-accelerates in Q4Drinks division serves up positive surpriseLVMH issues confident 2024 outlookShares in LVMH (MC:EPA) leapt 10% after the world's largest luxury goods group confounded investors? gloomy expectations by delivering better-than-expected fourth quarter organic sales growth of 10%, sending shares in rivals Hermes (RMS:EPA), Richemont (CFR:SWX) and Burberry (BRBY) higher on the

There were several trends in the UK stock market this year which, if you managed to identify them, served you well.Most obviously, although it may not have seemed it at the index level, large-cap stocks generally performed better than small- and mid-caps, although for the lucky few the small-cap space has been rife with takeover activity.In terms of sectors, aerospace and defence topped the FTSE 3