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

Stocks in Europe made little headway on Thursday, as all eyes remained on the Jackson Hole symposium, where the market will hear from central bankers including US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.The FTSE 100 index closed up 4.57 points, 0.1%, at 8,288.00. The FTSE 250 ended down 82.49 points, 0.4%, at 21,104.70, and the AIM All-Share closed down 2.08 points, 0.3%, at 774.73.The Cboe UK 100 end

Stock prices were higher in London, Paris and Frankfurt on Thursday, while the UK got a boost in a flash purchasing managers' index reading, ahead of weekly US jobless data.The FTSE 100 index was up 11.79 points, 0.1%, at 8,295.22. The FTSE 250 was down 18.70 points, 0.1%, at 21,168.49, and the AIM All-Share was down 0.54 points, 0.1%, at 776.27.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.2% at 829.44, the Cboe UK 2

Q2 like-for-likes up 2.4%Full year profit guide maintainedOutlook caution limits gainsShares in JD Sports Fashion (JD.) jumped 6% to 136p after the trainers-to-tracksuits purveyor reported improved second quarter sales and reiterated full year guidance for 6% to 9% organic growth and adjusted pre-tax profit in the £955 million to £1.035 billion range.This came as a relief to investors given the

Stock prices in Europe were mildly higher on Thursday morning, as investors await the start of the Jackson Hole conference on Thursday which could indicate clues on the trajectory of US interest rates.Amongst individual stocks, JD Sports Fashion saw its shares jump, after updating shareholders on its second quarter growth. Eckoh also took some of the spotlight, after receiving a takeover offer fro

Lululemon Athletica (LULU:NASDAQ) $260.3Market cap: $31.2 billionA 50% year-to-date drawdown at Canadian athleisure company Lululemon Athletica (LULU:NASDAQ) presents a buying opportunity for investors who love to snap up quality merchandise at a discount.Until recently, Lululemon, which sells clothing and footwear for yoga, running and training, was a stock market darling admired for its record

The FTSE 100 finished higher in London on Wednesday, but took a back seat to mid-caps, ahead of the next set of minutes from the Federal Open Market Committee.The FTSE 100 index closed up 10.11 points, 0.1%, at 8,283.43. The FTSE 250 ended up 201.04 points, 1.0%, at 21,187.19, and the AIM All-Share closed up 2.77 points, 0.4%, at 776.81.The Cboe UK 100 ended up 0.2% at 827.64, the Cboe UK 250 clos

FY24 operating profit forecast cutFY25 profit now seen below FY24Firm blames 'interest rate uncertainty'The UK's leading for-rent developer and operator Watkin Jones (WJG:AIM) dropped a massive clanger with its trading update for the full year to September which included a warning for 2025 earnings.The shares were crushed, losing 15p or 29% to 36p on volume of more than four million shares by 9am

Drug gets US regulatory fast-trackSecond-phase trials planned for H2Significant need for new treatmentsGlobal biopharma company GSK (GSK) said it had received US Breakthrough Therapy Designation for its investigational antibody-drug to treat patients with extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer.GSK shares dipped 13p or 0.8% to £15.86 on a weak day for UK stocks generally. WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

London indices closed higher on Monday with mining stocks benefitting from rising gold prices while aerospace & defence manufacturers waned.The FTSE 100 index closed up 45.53 points, 0.6%, at 8,356.94. The FTSE 250 ended up 108.56 points, 0.5%, at 21,157.47, and the AIM All-Share closed up 2.32 points, 0.3%, at 776.59.The Cboe UK 100 ended up 0.6% at 835.35, the Cboe UK 250 closed up 0.7% at 18,55

Stock prices in London were mixed at Midday Monday, with fintech Plus500 in the FTSE 250 enjoyed a boost after reporting a profit rise and a share buyback programme.The FTSE 100 index was down just 3.61 points at 8,307.80. The FTSE 250 was up 22.16 points, 0.1%, at 21,071.07, and the AIM All-Share was down 1.43 points, 0.2%, at 775.70.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.1% at 829.91, the Cboe UK 250 was up

Starbucks soars on Mr Fixit appointmentWalmart impressesVictoria's not so secret new CEOWorries about a widespread US bear market or recession have proved short-lived and tech stocks have been the real winners over the past week on Wall Street with investors piling back in to names they know and trust. Think Nvidia (NVDA:NASDAQ), Micron Technology (MU:NASDAQ), Broadcom (AVGO:NASDAQ), who have led

Tate & Lyle (TATE) 645pMarket cap: £2.5 billionInvestors have soured on Tate & Lyle (TATE) since the global ingredients group announced the $1.8 billion (£1.4 billion) acquisition of 'mouthfeel' specialist CP Kelco in June.The food producer's shares have fallen more than 20% from May's 831.5p five-year high on concerns over price and integration risk, since large acquisitions have an unfortun

Cambridge-based Raspberry Pi (RPI), the designer and maker of low-cost computing equipment, announced the release this week of Pico 2, a new single-board computer built on RP2350, its new secure microcontroller platform.The new microcontroller offers faster processors, more memory, better interfacing and new security features, and like its predecessor professional customers will be able to integra

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 the UK, France and Germany were higher at midday Wednesday as investors await a US consumer price inflation print, after UK CPI inflation was reported higher.The FTSE 100 index was up 28.63 points, or 0.4%, at 8,263.86. The FTSE 250 was up 114.24 points, or 0.6%, at 20,858.32, and the AIM All-Share was up 1.10 points, or 0.1%, at 769.08.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.5% at 826.01, the Cb

Stocks in London were higher at midday Monday, as investors sighed relief from a weeks of ups and downs, ahead of unemployment data from the UK and key inflation data from the US.The FTSE 100 index was up 37.76 points, 0.5%, at 8,205.86. The FTSE 250 was up 55.52 points, 0.3%, at 20,680.70, and the AIM All-Share was up 1.82 points, 0.2%, at 768.06.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.4% at 819.96, the Cboe UK

The FTSE 100 ended a stormy week in calmer fashion after data allayed fears of an impending economic slowdown.After the turmoil following last week's US nonfarm payrolls print, this week closed on a more muted note than it had started. Lower-than-expected US jobless claims on Thursday, and robust US services PMIs earlier in the week, helped to quell anxiety that the US economy had weakened more ra

Revenue fall smaller than fearedHealthy rise in year-end order bookCompany eyes return to growth in 2025Housebuilder Bellway (BWY) suffered a 30% slump in housing completions during the year to 31 July 2024, one marred by more expensive mortgages, property market softness as well as significant build-cost inflation.Yet shares in the Newcastle-headquartered builder bounced 3% higher to £27.32 as i

European stocks were higher on Friday morning, with mid-cap housebuilder Bellway on the rise, as data from the US on Thursday offered some relief for investors.A below-expected US nonfarm payrolls report for July on Friday last week set off a global sell-off in markets, but the weekly initial jobless claims report on Thursday provided reassurance.In the week ending August 3, the advance figure for