Good start to financial yearTravel delivering strong growthHigh Street arm continues to struggleHaving kick-started an auction process for its ailing High Street division earlier in the week, WH Smith (SMWH) was in demand with investors again as the retailer reported soaring sales at its Travel division over the Golden Quarter.The FTSE 250 company's shares rallied 6.6% to £12.69 on an update that

London's blue-chips made modest gains Tuesday, supported by defensive sectors, while global sentiment remained cautious amid worries over potential US tariffs on imports.The FTSE 100 index ended up 30.16 points, 0.4%, at 8,533.87. The FTSE 250 jumped 219.01 points, 1.1%, at 20,588.51, and the AIM All-Share rose 3.93 points, 0.6%, at 715.32.The Cboe UK 100 ended up 0.4% at 855.97 on Tuesday, the Cb

London's blue-chip index outperformed peers in Paris and Frankfurt on Tuesday morning, the day after US tech stocks took a dive on fears of competition in China.The likes of Nvidia, which slumped 17% overnight, were hurt by the emergence of DeepSeek in the artificial intelligence space. The Nasdaq Composite shed 3.1% on Monday. Nasdaq futures are currently 0.3% higher, the index looking set to rec

London's key index closed Monday in the green amid a broad US tech sell-off which saw Nvidia holders unsettled by the progress of Chinese technology firm Deepseek.The FTSE 100 index ended up just 1.36 points at 8,503.71. The FTSE 250 lost 148.55 points, 0.7%, at 20,369.50, and the AIM All-Share fell 3.66 points, 0.50%, at 711.39.The Cboe UK 100 ended up slightly at 852.40 on Monday, the Cboe UK 25

Blue chip indices in Europe were lower on Monday midday, while investor eyes are also stateside, as tech stocks tumble in response to China's DeepSeek AI chatbot gaining popularity.The FTSE 100 index traded down 27.06 points, 0.3%, at 8,475.29. The FTSE 250 was down 127.27 points, 0.6%, at 20,390.78, and the AIM All-Share was down 4.30 points, 0.6%, at 710.75.The Cboe UK 100 was 0.3% lower at 849.

Blue-chips in Europe opened lower on Monday morning, in nervy trade before eyes turn to central bank meetings and earnings from Meta, Microsoft, Apple and Tesla this week.The FTSE 100 index opened down 35.39 points, 0.4%, at 8,467.81. The FTSE 250 was down 115.54 points, 0.6%, at 20,402.51, and the AIM All-Share was down 3.52 points, 0.5%, at 711.53.The Cboe UK 100 was 0.4% lower at 848.73, the Cb

Blue-chip stocks in London advanced on Thursday, as housebuilders buoyed the FTSE 100 index despite jitters from retailers after poor updates.The FTSE 100 index rose 20.07 points, 0.2%, at 8,565.20. It earlier set a new intra-day high of 8,572.51.The FTSE 250 lost 59.91 points, 0.3%, at 20,520.39, and the AIM All-Share ended down just 0.14 of a point at 720.86.The Cboe UK 100 rose 0.3% at 859.10,

Shares gain 7% to 316p in early tradingAdjusted pre-tax profit of £15.6 million expected for the yearRobust performance in core foams businessShares in Zotefoams (ZTF) gained 7% to 316p in morning trading as the speciality chemicals maker said it expects to report a 16% rise in full year revenue to £147.8 million for the year ending 31 December, helped by a strong fourth-quarter performance.The

Stock prices in London were mostly lower at midday on Thursday, ahead of US jobless figures, while the European Central Bank's next rate call due next Thursday is getting closer.'The FTSE 100's strong start to 2025 is starting to lose some momentum,' commented AJ Bell's Russ Mould, adding: 'In London, retailers were on the back foot with some recent measures of UK consumer confidence suggesting th

The Treasury Committee made a recent call for evidence on the future of the Lifetime ISA, which has got everyone talking. They're asking big questions, like whether the account needs a bit of a makeover, some tweaks, or even if it should be scrapped entirely. With more than 750,000 people putting nearly £1.9 billion into Lifetime ISAs in the 2022/23 tax year, it's clear this account is popular.

The world's second largest cruise operator Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL:NYSE) is expected to release its fourth quarter and full year 2024 earnings before the market opens on 28 January.Analysts expect the US cruise operator to report a profit of $1.49 per share up 19.2% from $1.25 per share in the same quarter a year ago.Royal Caribbean third quarter 2024 performance exceeded expectations driven

Investors will be hoping for another serving of positive news when resilient beverages business AG Barr (BAG) delivers its trading update for the year ended 25 January 2025 on 28 January. However, cooling UK consumer confidence since the Budget combined with recent cold weather suggests guidance upgrades are unlikely.The FTSE 250 firm, whose brands include Irn-Bru, Rubicon and Boost, is rebuilding

CT Private Equity Trust (CTPE) 482pMarket cap: £348.2 millionDiscount to NAV: 28.6%Companies are staying private for longer, yet retail investors struggle to access the rapid earnings growth on offer in the unlisted space, which is where private equity trusts play a vital role.Private equity has a role as part of a well-diversified portfolio, since it has outperformed other major asset classes ov

As we predicted a fortnight ago, US banks enjoyed strong revenue growth in the fourth quarter of 2024 helped by elevated levels of trading in stocks and bonds as well as higher investment banking fees as companies took advantage of low borrowing costs and buoyant stock markets to raise fresh capital.Given the sharp rise in the KBW Nasdaq Bank index over the last year, and gains of around 50% for b

With most of the big names in the retail sector having reported we can get a decent picture of how the sector fared in the run-up to and during the festive period. A weak trading backdrop for non-food retail in October and November, before Santa delivered a return to growth in December, a month that also witnessed a notable shift to online sales according to the latest data (17 January) from The O

Mega cap tech earnings will kick-off next week and cloud computing growth, AI applications, profit margins and regulations will be key pointers. Big tech has been crucial in driving US markets higher in recent years and so setting a positive tone for the year ahead will be crucial.The so-called 'Magnificent Seven' stocks ? Alphabet (GOOG:NASDAQ), Amazon (AMZN:NASDAQ), Apple (AAPL:NASDAQ), Meta Pla

The FTSE 100 fell slightly on Wednesday, as international earners put pressure on the index and as easyJet sank on a 'woolly' update.The FTSE 100 index fell just 3.16 points at 8,545.13. The FTSE 250 lost 15.43 points, 0.1%, at 20,580.30, and the AIM All-Share ended up 1.89 points, 0.3%, at 721.00.The Cboe UK 100 lost 0.1% at 856.60, the Cboe UK 250 fell 0.2% at 17,962.96, and the Cboe Small Compa

Netflix added record 19 million subscribers Shares set to surpass $1,000 for the first timeLive sports proving a winnerShares in Netflix (NFLX:NASDAQ) soared more than 14% to $997 in after hours trading on 21 January after the global streaming giant revealed it added a record 19 million new subscribers in the fourth quarter.That meant the company finished 2024 with 302 million subscribers, up 15%

Key UK indices closed in the green on Tuesday as Trump's stance on tariffs appeared to shift to a more moderate position and UK unemployment rose above expectations.The FTSE 100 index rose 27.75 points, 0.3%, at 8,548.29, just shy of a new intra-day high of 8,550.41.The FTSE 250 ended 108.99 points higher, 0.5%, at 20,595.73, and the AIM All-Share rose 0.82 of a point, 0.1%, at 719.11.The Cboe UK

95% of FY25 revenue secured£20 million buyback from todayMarshalls update disappointsShares in FTSE 250 infrastructure group Kier (KIE) gained after their recent setback as the company revealed it had 'traded well' in the six months to December and was launching a small buyback programme.The stock price gained 7p or 5% to 145p, continuing its rebound from the 130p level of a week ago. GOOD