London's blue chip index was up milder than its peers in Paris and Frankfurt at Monday midday, as UK service sector growth for December was softer than anticipated.As well as Monday's composite and services PMI readings, the first full trading week of 2025 has various jobs data releases from the US culminating in Friday's nonfarm payrolls.More than half of UK companies plan to raise prices by earl

Fourth year of underperformanceConsumer brand exposure reducedTrain optimistic for better future returnsVeteran fund manager Nick Train, manager of the well-followed Finsbury Growth & Income Trust (FGT), insisted he is more enthused by the company's prospects than at 'any time this century', despite the company reporting a fourth consecutive year of underperformance versus the benchmark.Chairman S

Warren Buffett is often thought of as a value investor, yet what he actually looks for is companies with 'economic moats' or a sustainable competitive advantage over their competitors.'When you have a wonderful business, it's like having an economic castle, but the nature of capitalism is people want to come in and take your castle, so what you need is a castle with some durable competitive advant

Stock prices in London were mixed at midday Wednesday, amid cautious optimism from the UK housebuilding sector, as eyes are set on upcoming US consumer price inflation data.'US inflation figures will be closely watched this afternoon, with expectations for the cost of living to have edged higher,' commented AJ Bell's Russ Mould. 'The consensus is for the annual rate of inflation to move from 2.4%

Funds can often be in vogue with investors thanks to a big-name manager or a past reputation, but just how well-earned is the popularity of the UK's most popular funds and investment trusts?In this article we've taken a look at the performance of a select group of funds which regularly feature among the most bought and most widely-held in the market to judge whether they are truly delivering the g

European share prices started lower on Tuesday, after a positive close in New York led into a mixed performance for Asian stock markets.On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed up 0.5% on Monday, the S&P 500 up 0.3%, and the Nasdaq Composite up 0.4%.Positive bank earnings gave the market a boost, and US investors also took confidence from a further indication from the US Federal Res

'Quality investing' is the style pursued by the world's most famous investor Warren Buffett and Terry Smith, arguably the best-known British fund manager who runs the five-star Morningstar-rated Fundsmith Equity (B41YBW7) and consistently favours quality firms. Quality investing has generated strong long-run returns for its practitioners, including Buffett, but how do the leading fund managers off

A feature of the recent recovery in stock markets has been the leadership role played by large-caps. This represents a reversal of a longer-term trend, particularly in the UK, of medium-sized businesses setting the pace.As the charts show, year-to-date the FTSE 250 has lagged behind the FTSE 100 while in the US the Russell 2000 (made up of the 2000 smallest companies in the broad-based Russell 300

Experian and Imperial Brands pushed the FTSE 100 to an all-time high on Wednesday morning, with London stocks up at midday ahead of this afternoon?s US consumer price reading.The FTSE 100 index was up 21.63 points, 0.3%, at 8,449.76. The FTSE 100 hit a new record of 8,474.41 earlier.The FTSE 250 was up 86.51 points, 0.4%, at 20,705.03, and the AIM All-Share was up 0.28 of a point at 790.01.The Cbo

Full year tops expectations2025 organic growth of 6% to 8% on expanded marginDividend increased by 7%Global data services specialist Experian (EXPN) notched-up a new high and led the FTSE gainers after revealing full year revenue growth at the top end of expectations and a strong outlook.The shares jumped 7% to £37.75 taking gains over the last 12-months to 35%, handsomely outperforming the blue-

This feature explores spin-offs or de-mergers, looking at the rationale for them and how they have performed, and asks if they can be a promising hunting ground for investors.One of the UK?s largest recent spin-offs was GSK?s (GSK) demerger of its consumer healthcare division in 2022.GSK reportedly rebuffed a £50 billion offer from personal goods giant Unilever (ULVR) to buy the division, named H

By his own admission, Nick Train, manager of Finsbury Growth & Income (FGT), isn?t one for nostalgia, whether that is reflecting on past glories or the ?melancholy fact? as he puts it that the popular investment trust has underperformed the FTSE All-Share index for the last three years.Moving into 2024, the trust has again lagged the benchmark with a share price return of -1.9% in January against

The end of the tax year is fast approaching and with it the opportunity to maximise your £20,000 ISA allowance for the year.In this article we have identified six names from a list of some of the most consistent funds and fund managers in the UK which could be a good fit for your tax wrapper. While we have aimed for a balance across different investment styles and asset classes this is not intend

Shares in global data services specialist Experian (EXPN) are on a roll after the firm reported another strong set of results lifted by strong global demand.In November, the group reported a 5% increase in revenue on an organic basis to $3.42 billion for the six months ending 30 September 2023 driven by demand at both its B2B (business-to-business) and consumer divisions.It also announced its firs

Experian COO sells over £7 million worth of sharesYouGov directors? cash in on robust performanceChemring CEO sells just over 192,000 sharesAfter a 33% rally since the end of October 2023, is Experian?s (EXPN) chief operating officer (COO) Craig Boundy simply skimming some profit from his stake, or is this something more meaningful?The executive of the global data company sold 226,166 shares this

Third quarter revenue growth ?top end?2024 organic revenue guidance increasedLatin America the standout performerGlobal information services group Experian (EXPN) delivered solid third-quarter revenue growth of 9%, towards the top end of its forecast range.On an organic basis in constant currencies, revenue was 6% higher compared with a year ago. Investors welcomed the positive update, sending the

Software firm beats estimatesShare buyback an added positiveStock tops FTSE 100 gainersFinance and payroll software firm Sage (SGE) pleased investors not just with its better-than-expected annual results but with a surprise share buyback on top of the raised dividend.Sage shares topped the FTSE 100 leader board with an advance of 8% to a new lifetime high of £10.76. STRONG ORGANIC GROWTHFo

London?s FTSE 100 extended its win streak to three days on Wednesday, on the back of more favourable inflation data, this time from the UK, possibly bringing forward the tantalising prospect of interest rate cuts.Gains for stocks in London were largely broad-based. Interest rate sensitive sectors such as housebuilding property investment shone. Banks, whose net interest margins were once the benef

London?s FTSE 100, which only registered a more underwhelming gain compared to continental peers after a US inflation slowdown on Tuesday, was back in form on Wednesday after similarly favourable data from the UK.Retail and property led the way, as an easing of inflation pressure in the UK has lifted hopes that the Bank of England has enacted its last rate hike and will not need to keep bank rates

48% rise in pre-tax profitShares gain over 5% The future is bright says analystShares in global data services specialist Experian (EXPN) were up more than 5% this morning to £28.23, making them the biggest gainers on the blue-chip FTSE 100 index, after the company said its first-half performance was in line with guidance. The information services group reported a 5% increase in revenue on