London's FTSE 100 ended lower, while the pound struggled after hawkish comments from a Bank of England policymaker were outweighed by a blockbuster US jobs report, which boosted the odds of a smaller 25 basis point cut at the next Federal Reserve meeting.'The September employment report was much stronger than expected, with job growth blowing past expectations, the unemployment rate declining and

Stocks in London were mixed during midday trade on Friday, with the FTSE underperforming its European equivalents, in anticipation of critical data on US jobs.The FTSE 100 index was down 36.14 points, 0.4%, at 8,246.38. The FTSE 250 was up 53.28 points, 0.3%, at 20,793.34, and the AIM All-Share was up 2.11 points, 0.3%, at 735.95.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.4% at 825.03, the Cboe UK 250 was up 0.5%

After September's boom, US stocks have gone limp into early October with investor's troubled by escalating aggression in the Middle East, pushing oil prices to their biggest increases in nearly a year.At the same time, mixed economic data offered little firm clue as to the future of the Federal Reserve's easing cycle after Fed Chair Jerome Powell hinted the central bank is not in a rush to rapidly

Stocks in London were making little progress on Friday morning, as the market awaited the key catalyst of the afternoon's US nonfarm payroll data.'Today's jobs data will be very important in providing a final conclusion to the week's so far stronger-than-expected US jobs figures,' comments Swissquote's Ipek Ozkardeskaya. 'The US economy is expected to have added near 147,000 new nonfarm jobs in Se

Stocks in London slipped into the red by the close on Thursday, as worries about escalations in the Middle East conflict sapped risk appetite.London's FTSE 100 was spared the steeper falls seen by its European equivalents, however. This was thanks to some dovish comments from the Bank of England, strong results from Tesco, and the index's general defensive positioning.The FTSE 100 index closed dow

Dovish remarks from Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey helped to boost the FTSE 100's housebuilders on Thursday at midday, while grocers rose following a strong interim showing from Tesco.The FTSE 100 index was up 21.96, 0.3%, at 8,312.82. The FTSE 250 was down 18.71 points, 0.1%, at 20,765.07, and the AIM All-Share was down 0.26 of a point at 734.04.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.2% at 831.77, the

Stock prices in London were mixed on Thursday morning after Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey hinted at a more aggressive path for interest rate cuts, while also showing concern over the situation in the Middle East.Escalating tensions between Iran, Israel and militant Lebanese group Hezbollah continue to affect commodity prices.In an interview with the Guardian, Bailey said he was watching d

On 24 September, the PBOC (People's Bank of China) unveiled a major stimulus package to support economic growth, promote the expansion of consumption and investment and throw a lifeline to struggling industries and sectors.The central bank also announced a 800-billion-yuan ($114 billion) lending pool to help fund managers, insurers and brokers buy more stocks and initiate share buybacks.China's st

Supermarket Income REIT (SUPR) 76pGain to date: 0%We suggested investing in the company in late March on the basis income was rising due to strong sales at supermarkets and the shares were yielding 8% with the dividend fully covered by earnings.While zero returns isn't quite what we'd hoped for, in the meantime investors have received two interim payments of 1.515p per share, one in mid-May and on

Lifetime ISAs have gained popularity, with an additional £732 million being deposited into these accounts last year, according to government data.Recent data reveals a 43% increase in contributions to Lifetime ISAs in 2022/23. The total savings reached a record £2.4 billion that year, nearly double the amount contributed three years ago. Additionally, the average contribution per account has ris

The US Federal Reserve is cutting interest rates for the first time since the pandemic-poleaxed year of 2020 in a welcome (and necessary) affirmation of the equity markets' bullish narrative that inflation will cool, the American and Western economies will enjoy a soft landing (if they suffer any landing at all) and central banks will ease policy as a result.This cheaper credit will, in turn, supp

Blue Whale Growth (BD6PG78) 236.07p Fund size: £1.1 billionWhen most UK retail investors think about funds that invest in high-quality businesses, Terry Smith's Fundsmith Equity (B41YBW7) will likely be the first name that springs to mind. It's had its rough patches, but it has overall been an exceptional performer for its investors over the years, returning roughly 15% a year since its launch in

As Sabuhi Gard covers in a piece of news analysis this week, China-related stocks and funds are flying thanks to Beijing's announcement of a big stimulus package.However, there is one industry with ties to the world's second largest economy which is very much not joining in the party ? the car manufacturers.On 30 September, Stellantis (STLAM:BIT) ? one of the biggest European car producers compris

As the leadership of the market has become ever more concentrated on just a handful of stocks there has been increasing interest in getting equal-weighted exposure to the markets.But what does this mean and what are the pros and cons of products which adopt such an approach? An equal-weighted index is one where all the constituents have the same weighting, unlike most indices which are weighted by

The UK manufacturing sector remained in 'expansionary' territory for a fifth month running in September with a reading of 51.5 on the S&P Global UK PMI (purchasing managers' index).A figure above 50 indicates an expansion in activity while a figure below 50 represents a contraction.Both output and new orders continued to rise, particularly in consumer and intermediate goods, with the domestic econ

In a sign UK companies are in a mood to see off overseas predators, Rightmove (RMV) has successfully batted off interest from Rupert Murdoch-backed rival REA Group (REA:ASX).The latter says it will no longer pursue the online UK property portal after having its fourth offer rejected.Rightmove shares reacted negatively to the news on the day (30 September), falling 8% to 613p, though year-to-date t

The GYM Group (GYM) 157pGain to date: 14%Gym operator GYM Group (GYM)is showing good gains since we identified the low-cost gym specialist as an attractive risk/reward investment opportunity on 18 August. We noted the business has got itself back into shape and appears to be building strong momentum with consistent like-for-like sales growth and rising site yields amid an acceleration of new site

Greggs (GRG)Buy at £29.79Market Cap: £3 billionBack in July we flagged food-on-the-go purveyor Greggs (GRG) as a mid-cap 'star' thanks to its ability to consistently grow its earnings at a double-digit rate and its attractive valuation. The shares have put on a couple of pounds in the last couple of months, and although sales in July and August were slightly slower than expected, most likely due

Stocks in London ended mixed on Wednesday, but the FTSE 100 held on to finish in the green, despite oil prices tailing off and trade in mainland Europe being slightly less convincing.The FTSE 100 index ended up 14.21 points, 0.2%, at 8,290.86. The FTSE 250 closed 130.92 points lower, 0.6%, at 20,783.78, and the AIM All-Share shed 2.50 points, 0.3%, at 734.30.The Cboe UK 100 ended 0.1% higher at 82

Stock prices in London were mostly lower but the FTSE 100 was held up by rising oil prices following Iran's attack on Israel, as investors await US unemployment data.The FTSE 100 index was up 6.31 points, or 0.1%, at 8,282.58. The FTSE 250 was down 147.04 points, or 0.7%, at 20,767.66, and the AIM All-Share was down 2.58 points, or 0.4%, at 734.22.The Cboe UK 100 was up slightly at 828.88, the Cbo