London stocks ended higher on Friday, and the FTSE 100 index rose to a new peak as the pound traded lower after tepid UK data.The FTSE 100 index jumped 113.32 points, 1.4%, at 8,505.22. It had earlier reached a new intra-day high of 8,533.43.The FTSE 250 ended 69.72 points higher, 0.3%, at 20,597.42, and the AIM All-Share advanced 1.76 points, 0.3%, at 719.07.For the week, the FTSE 100 added 3.1%,

The FTSE 100 reached a new all-time high on Friday, with stocks comfortably in the green at midday, after sound fourth quarter growth data from China, which beat the consensus.The FTSE 100 index was up 99.25 points, 1.2%, at 8,491.24. It had earlier reached a new intra-day high of 8,496.42.The FTSE 250 was 36.40 points higher, 0.2%, at 20,564.10, and the AIM All-Share advanced 1.87 points, 0.3%, a

Order intake up 10.1%Profits to be first-half weightedManagement cautious on strength of consumerSofa seller DFS Furniture (DFS) enjoyed better-than-forecast orders in the half to 29 December 2024 that included the Christmas run-in.As a result, DFS expects to deliver first-half pre-tax profits in the £16 million to £17 million range, nearly double the £9 million delivered last year.Yet despite

Americas hit by weak seasonal salesSome big customers in difficultyOther customers delaying ordersIt was a dark day for shareholders in celebration products maker IG Design (IGR:AIM) after the firm warned full-year earnings would be 'significantly below' current market forecasts due to problems in its Americas division.The shares lost 86p or more than 60% to 56p, wiping out £80 million of market

There's been a lot of talk about American exceptionalism, and it has undoubtedly helped deliver a strong run for US markets over the past year, but macro data continues to set a tone of confusion. US CPI inflation data over the past week was OK, but core CPI got slightly better, and this discrepancy does little for clarity.It begs the question of how long the stock market run can last and whether

Stock prices in London, Paris and Frankfurt were higher on Friday morning despite underperforming UK retail sales, with miners boosting the FTSE 100 on the back of economic growth data from China.UK retail sales volumes decreased 0.3% month-on-month in December, worsening from 0.1% growth in November and falling far short of the FXStreet-cited market consensus of 0.4% growth.On an annual basis, re

European equities ended higher on Thursday, supported by strong corporate updates, while the pound struggled on soft UK economic data.US interest rate optimism continued to lift the mood after Wednesday's inflation reading, and one Federal Reserve official said rate cuts can come if the data continues to play ball.The FTSE 100 index shot up 90.77 points, 1.1%, at 8,391.90. The large-cap benchmark

Stock prices in London, Paris and Frankfurt were higher at midday Thursday, as investors await US weekly jobless claims data.UK gross domestic product edged up 0.1% in November, underperforming against the FXStreet-cited market consensus of 0.2% growth.Prime Minister Keir Starmer told broadcasters during a visit to Ukraine that the government would be 'unrelenting' in its pursuit of economic growt

Expects full year 2024 revenue growth of 18%Shares up 101% over the past yearNorth America bookings up 26%Shares in Trustpilot (TRST) were up more than 16% to 320p in morning trading as the online reviews and analytics platform said it is expecting to report revenue of $211 million for full year 2024, a rise of 18% compared to $176 million last year.Adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxat

Growth slows in Q2Profits seen 'within the range' of expectationsDigital growing as share of salesHomewares retailer Dunelm (DNLM) said it delivered 'solid' sales growth in the first half to 28 December 2024, with sofas, dining chairs and coffee tables selling particularly well and digital sales penetration buoyed by strong Click and Collect sales.However, shares in the cushions-to-curtains seller

MIGO Opportunities (MIGO) 352pMarket cap: £71.25 millionDiscount to NAV: 4%With many investment trusts trading at deep discounts to NAV (net asset value), a great way to exploit the potential for discounts to narrow is by investing in specialist closed-end fund investor MIGO Opportunities Trust (MIGO).The company has a unique mandate within the sector aimed at exploiting pricing inefficiencies at

Exchange-traded funds are typically used to track indices like the FTSE 100 but there is a burgeoning list of products which look to tap different themes and even investment styles.This universe was recently added to with the launch of some new ETFs which look to track quality stocks.WHAT ARE THE NEW PRODUCTS?State Street Global Advisors is the name behind these two fresh additions ? SPDR S&P Dev

The wildfires which seemingly came out of nowhere and have devastated large communities in the Los Angeles area, destroying more than ten thousand properties, are reckoned to have caused total damage approaching $250 billion according to forecasting service Accuweather.That would be equal to around 4% of California's annual GDP and would make this one of the costliest natural disasters in US histo

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

The latest trading update from Greggs (GRG) saw the shares sink to a 52-week low.Greggs said seasonal lines like its Festive Bake, the all-new Festive flatbread and Gingerbread latte were in high demand, while it opened a record 226 new shops in 2024.So, what went wrong for the UK's favourite food-on-the-go purveyor?Despite solid sales, which hit the historic milestone of £2 billion for the first

American novelist Ernest Hemmingway coined the phrase 'gradually then suddenly' in his 1926 Novel The Sun also Rises, and that seems an appropriate description of investor's reaction to rising bond yields.UK 10-year bond yields sit just shy of 5% compared with close to 4% in the middle of October, to reach their highest level since October 2007, on the eve of the financial crisis. This is higher t

Oil prices have hit a six-month high amid cold weather and new US sanctions on Russian sales of crude.This is not entirely bad news for the FTSE 100 given the heavy weighting of oil giants BP (BP.) and Shell (SHEL) in the index, but not for nothing is oil known as a tax on economic growth.Higher prices are likely to feed into higher inflation, which will only reinforce assumptions about interest r

The number of companies on London's AIM market worth more than £1 billion has hit a nine-year low. A mere six stocks were worth more than £1 billion at the end of November 2024 compared with 30 at the end of 2021.From those 30 companies and excluding those still worth more than £1 billion, seven have disappeared through takeovers, three have moved to the Main Market, and the rest have fallen be

The normally sleepy world of investment trusts received a wake-up call just before Christmas with the publication (18 December 2024) of a shareholder letter by activist investor Saba Capital Management calling for change at no fewer than seven well-known funds.Set up by hedge fund manager Boaz Weinstein, Saba has a history of successfully instigating change, and while critics argue its proposals a

Stock prices in London surged on Wednesday, with a sharp jump for the FTSE 250 allowing the UK-focused index to eat into some of its hefty loss so far in 2025.A favourable UK inflation reading calmed some bond markets and swung the pendulum in favour of a Bank of England rate cut at the central bank's next meeting.In addition, earnings from US banks were well-received, adding to the positive mood