An increasingly tense geopolitical backdrop knocked European stocks on Tuesday, while the pound continued to struggle ahead of Wednesday's UK inflation print.The FTSE 100 index ended down 10.30 points, 0.1%, at 8,099.02. The FTSE 250 rose 32.21 points, 0.2%, at 20,427.62, and the AIM All-Share faded 3.32 points, 0.5%, at 724.23.The Cboe UK 100 ended flat at 814.55, the Cboe UK 250 rose 0.1% to 17,

London's FTSE 100 jumped on Wednesday, massively outperforming European peers, as a deceleration in UK inflation pushed equities higher, but sent the pound hurtling below the $1.30 mark.The FTSE 100 index closed up 79.79 points, or 1.0%, at 8,329.07. The FTSE 250 ended up 185.06 points, or 0.9%, at 20,979.50, while the AIM All-Share closed up 5.57 points, 0.8%, at 739.43.The Cboe UK 100 ended up 0

Tomorrow (11 October) sees the release of third-quarter earnings from JPMorgan Chase (JPM:NYSE), America's biggest bank by market cap and the 12th-largest company in the S&P 500 index. With a market value of $445 billion and annual revenue of around $130 billion, which includes investment banking, corporate lending, retail banking and credit cards, the firm has become a bellwether for the US econo

This is the third and final part of our mini-series on portfolio construction where we discuss some key life milestones and how they can impact investment plans and portfolios.Managing a portfolio of investments should be a dynamic process which evolves with changing life circumstances, goals, age, and risk appetite.Your early 20s are often associated with significant changes to financial and pers

Stocks in London closed in the green on Friday, as Chinese stimulus measures continued to give equities a boost.The FTSE 100 index ended up 35.85 points, 0.4%, at 8,320.76. The FTSE 250 closed up 230.12 points, 1.1%, at 21,240.56, and the AIM All-Share added 4.00 points, 0.5%, at 745.65.For the week, the FTSE 100 rose 1.1%, the FTSE 250 added 2.0%. The AIM was unmoved from this time last week.The

European stocks were in the green at Friday midday after a slew of fiscal stimulus measures from China, and as investors await key US inflation data which is crucial in the Federal Reserve's interest rate decisions.The core personal consumption index remains traders' main focus going into Friday afternoon, and is expected to remain unchanged at 0.2% on a monthly basis with a small annual uptick fr

With rate cuts now in the rear-view mirror, and with the US market trading at an all-time price high at the end of last week, attention is likely to turn to corporate earnings to make sure we aren't overpaying for stocks at this point.Forecasts for S&P 500 earnings have been gently drifting down all year, which is perfectly normal as analysts routinely start the year on too optimistic a note and e

Stocks in London closed in the green on Thursday, fired up by Fed-prompted highs despite a more guarded outlook on rate cuts from the Bank of England.The FTSE 100 index rose 75.04 points, or 0.9%, at 8,328.72. The FTSE 250 ended up 327.40 points, 1.6%, at 21,162.71, and the AIM All-Share gained 5.52 points, or 0.7%, at 748.08.The Cboe UK 100 rose 0.9% to 833.99, the Cboe UK 250 advanced 1.5% to 18

Stocks were higher across the UK and Europe at midday on Tuesday, as the US Federal Reserve looks increasingly likely to cut interest rates by half a percentage point.The FTSE 100 index added 62.68 points, 0.8%, at 8,341.12. The FTSE 250 rose 106.27 points, 0.5%, at 21,035.86, and the AIM All-Share added 0.38 of a point, 0.1%, at 744.12.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.8% at 834.51, the Cboe UK 250 rose 0

Some years ago, a UK technology supplier listed in London was quietly acquired by defence contractor BAE Systems (BA.). The £538 million buyout price was small, yet Detica, as it was called, had developed a reputation for providing its services to international militaries and intelligence communities, including GCHQ, the UK's national intelligence centre.The nature of its hush-hush work often put

At the end of last year the market was pricing in 1.7% worth of US rate cuts for 2024 but here we are in late August and the Federal Reserve is yet to pull the trigger, largely due to stickier-than-expected inflation.However, after a series of false dawns, we may finally be approaching the point where the Fed acts, with a rate cut widely expected on 18 September. The debate largely centres on whet

Stocks in London ended the week higher on Friday, while unambiguously dovish remarks from US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell propelled the pound to a 29-month high against the dollar.'The time has come for policy to adjust. The direction of travel is clear, and the timing and pace of rate cuts will depend on incoming data, the evolving outlook, and the balance of risks,' Powell said in a speec

European stocks were higher going into Friday afternoon, as investors focused on potential clues about future monetary policy from both sides of the Atlantic.The Jackson Hole meeting will see both Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and and Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey speak on Friday.In other news, energy bills are set to increase by almost £150 after Ofgem raised its price cap, in bad

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

Stock prices in London were in the green on Wednesday morning, after Office for National Statistics data showed that while the rise in consumer prices accelerated, it was softer than anticipated.The FTSE 100 index opened 50.47 points, or 0.6%, at 8,285.28. The FTSE 250 was up 129.38 points, 0.6%, at 20,874.28, and the AIM All-Share was up 1.62 points, or 0.2%, at 769.60.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.8%

24.5% stake bought from Altice UKBT a minority shareholder in Bharti AirtelShares up 20% over past yearBT (BT.A) shares rose over 6% to 139p in morning trading as investors welcomed the news leading Indian business group Bharti Global has bought a 24.5% stake in the telecoms giant from Altice UK.Altice UK is part of French billionaire Patrick Drahi's telecommunications group Altice, which accordin

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

Stocks in London made a soggy start on Tuesday, with miners dragging the blue-chip FTSE 100 lower, although Compass bucked the weaker trend.The FTSE 100 index traded down 30.93 points, or 0.4%, at 8,167.85. The FTSE 250 was down 25.12 points, 0.1%, at 21,113.56, while the AIM All-Share was down 1.55 points, 0.2%, at 781.69.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.4% at 815.65, the Cboe UK 250 was 0.2% lower at

Stock prices in Europe were higher on Tuesday afternoon, ahead of a US retail sales reading, while stocks in the UK were up after data showed grocery price inflation eased in June.The FTSE 100 index was up 32.94 points, or 0.4%, at 8,175.52. The FTSE 250 was 132.88 points, or 0.7%, at 20,292.77, and the AIM All-Share was up 2.01 points, or 0.3%, at 776.94.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.4% at 814.27, the

Equities on both sides of the Atlantic registered record highs on Wednesday, as a slowdown in US inflation prompted stocks to move higher as Federal Reserve interest rate cut hopes strengthened.Aside from the US data, there was a slew of M&A developments threatening to steal some of the spotlight in London. The owner of the Royal Mail backed a possible bid, while Wood Group said no to a suitor aga