European stocks were mixed on Tuesday midday, while New York stocks are set for a slight recovery after a hefty sell off on Monday.The FTSE 100 index traded down 24.55 points, 0.3%, at 8,575.67.London's large-cap index is on track for a sixth decline on-the-spin, its worst streak since it fell every trading day from August 30, up to and including September 6. It is up 4.9% so far this year despite

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

No investment style works year in, year out and even Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway (BRKA:NYSE) has fallow spells in its history. Indeed, the so-called Sage of Omaha freely acknowledges this in his latest Letter to Shareholders, when he notes: 'During the 2019-23 period, I have used the words "mistake" or "error" 16 times in my letters to you.'Such humility is commendable, especially as some

TR Property (TRY) 300pMarket cap: £955 millionThere seems no doubt valuations in the European commercial property sector have stopped falling and in some cases have been rising in recent months, but the recovery is uneven with demand for higher-quality assets outstripping that for lesser-quality ones.However, allocating part of your portfolio to property by stock picking or even choosing a REIT (

Investors naturally put a lot of effort into identifying winning investments to stay ahead of the game, but less appreciated is the idea of steering clear of laggards.For fund investors this is where the Evelyn Partners Investment Management Spot the Dog biannual report comes in.The report's aim is to compare fund performance on an apples-to-apples basis against an appropriate benchmark to identif

I am getting concerned about the changes to inheritance tax on pensions.I am 78 years old, and my wife is 68. We have two grown up children with families of their own. My wife is in good health, whereas I have the usual sort of challenges befitting my age.Our total estate is worth about £900,000, including the house. I get a company pension payment every month, that should pass onto my wife when

Blue chip stock prices in London, Paris and Frankfurt were comfortably in the green at Wednesday midday, with Lloyds up after it received higher price targets from Deutsche Bank Research and Barclays.In UK news, the defence secretary has suggested the real-terms increase in defence spending year-on-year will be only around half the £13.4 billion figure cited by the prime minister.John Healey said

London's blue chip index underperformed against its peers in Paris and Frankfurt on Thursday morning, hurt by a handful of its large names going ex-dividend, though Centrica and Lloyds Banking Group were on the up in early dealings.The FTSE 100 index fell 31.04 points, 0.4%, at 8,681.49. The FTSE 250 rose 33.24 points, 0.2%, at 20,741.03, and the AIM All-Share rose 3.43 points, 0.5%, at 722.86.The

AJ Bell's Money Matters campaign aims to help all women feel good about their financial futures whatever their age and this is one of a series of articles targeted to help women at different points in their lives.Your 20s is a time of discovery, of freedom and of huge change. It's also a decade that comes with a slew of new demands on your finances which is why many of you may think that even the

London stocks fell on Wednesday as Trump's tariff threats hit markets, UK inflation surprised on the upside, and Glencore slumped after weak results and hints it may abandon its London listing.The FTSE 100 index closed down 54.20 points, 0.6%, at 8,712.53. The FTSE 250 ended down 173.77 points, 0.8%, at 20,707.79, while the AIM All-Share closed down 5.09 points, 0.7%, at 719.43.The Cboe UK 100 end

Stocks in Europe were mixed on Tuesday afternoon, with London's blue chip index boosted by miners and defence as talks between the US and Russia continue, though the pound surrendered some earlier progress as the Bank of England governor warned on tepid economic growth.The FTSE 100 index rose 14.82 points, 0.2%, at 8,782.83. The FTSE 250 fell 34.80 points, 0.2%, at 20,903.88, and the AIM All-Share

Video games retailer struggling to adapt to fast changing marketFinancial performance has suffered badlyGameStop could join likes of Tesla and Block with crypto investmentsThe old MicroStrategy, now called simply Strategy (MSTR:NASDAQ) following a splashy rebrand on 5 February, has enjoyed such success over the past year that its cryptocurrency playbook was bound to gather mimics.GameStop (GME:NYS

Stock prices in London and Frankfurt opened in the red on Friday, as investors prepare for eurozone economic data and digest another tariff plan from the US president.In London, NatWest faced some selling pressure despite better-than-expected results. Hermes boosted Paris, keeping the CAC 40 in the green.The FTSE 100 index fell 30.67 points, 0.4%, at 8,734.05. The FTSE 250 added just 2.35 points a

London's FTSE 100 was lower early Thursday, hurt by the likes of BAT, Barclays, Unilever and oil majors, but European peers confidently moved higher on hopes of a Russia-Ukraine peace deal.Barclays fell despite reporting improved earnings. Unilever announced listing plans for its ice cream unit, meanwhile.The FTSE 100 index traded down 45.80 points, 0.5%, at 8,761.64. The FTSE 250 was up 42.78 poi

You often hear the word 'defensive' applied to certain stocks and sectors, but what does it mean and can buying 'defensive' stocks really help your performance as an investor?In a word, yes, because they dial down some of the risk which is inherent in markets because they tend not to be very volatile unlike most 'cyclical' or 'growth' stocks, but it's how you use them which matters.Defensive stock

I have been interested to read recent commentary on the proposals to extend IHT (inheritance tax) to pensions. One point caught my attention which was the reference to a 90% effective tax rate. I'm pretty certain my estate would fall in that category, but could you explain the 90% calculation, please?My situation is I have no direct descendants, only a nephew, niece and great-nephew and I am singl

Imagine going for a night out in a busy pub, and when the time comes to use the loo, you leave your phone and wallet on the table unguarded. You wouldn't. Yet your online data is, in theory, just as exposed.Don't panic, fortunately, most of your information is secured by the clever digital locks and latches of cybersecurity, be that your personal banking details, your Facebook identity, or your Am

London stocks were mixed on Tuesday prior to the FTSE 100 closing near a record-high, after Fed Chair Jerome Powell reiterated that the US central bank is in 'no hurry' to lower interest rates.The FTSE 100 index closed up 9.59 points, 0.1%, at 8,777.39. It had earlier hit a new all-time high of 8,789.58.The FTSE 250 ended down 66.56 points, 0.3%, at 20,919.72, and the AIM All-Share closed down jus

Deal creates £3.4 billion income giantBrings increased scale and liquiditySector's fourth-lowest ongoing chargeConsolidation is a growing theme across the investment trust sector against a backdrop of stubbornly-wide NAV (net asset value) discounts, increasing pressure on sub-scale funds and shareholder activism, and yet another intriguing combination has just been announced.JPMorgan Global Growt

Stock prices in London opened mixed on a relatively calm Friday, but FTSE 100 constituent Legal & General rose as it announced it will return an extra £1 billion to shareholders.Trade war tensions initially kept a lid on stocks at the start of the week, but the equity market then grew in confidence and the FTSE 100 hit its best-ever level.The blue-chip index traded down just 2.16 points at 8,725.