European equities ended higher on Thursday, with the FTSE 100 and DAX 40 achieving record highs, the former boosted by a dovish tilt to the latest Bank of England decision.Across the Atlantic, weaker US labour data hurt the dollar, amid the expectation that a cooler jobs market could presage an eventual rate cut by the BoE?s US counterpart.At its May meeting, the BoE?s Monetary Policy Committee vo

London?s FTSE 100 was lower on Monday, with underwhelming corporate earnings and some caution ahead of a major day on the UK fiscal calendar keeping a lid on enthusiasm.There was some impetus from M&A news among smaller listed companies in London.The pound was also on the up, with Dutch bank ING predicting sterling could edge close to the $1.26 mark should there be a ?risk-positive environment? fo

Stock prices in London closed firmly in the red on Thursday, as markets nervously eyed flaring tensions in the Middle East and the prospect of interest rates staying higher for longer in the world's largest economy.The FTSE 100 index closed down 88.47 points, 1.2%, at 7,499.53. The FTSE 250 ended down 190.32 points, 1.1%, at 17,213.14, and the AIM All-Share closed down 1.56 points, 0.2%, at 683.24

While the new-build property market may be going through something of a slump at the moment, anyone who has looked at the private rented sector of late will know rents are only going one way - up.Recent updates from estate agents Belvoir (BLV:AIM) and Foxtons (FOXT) have highlighted both the strength of the rental market and the significant under-supply of prime properties.With housing starts aver

Hawkish comments from Federal Reserve and European Central Bank officials and a robust UK inflation suggest more rate hikes could be on the cards, keeping a lid on stock markets on Wednesday.Blue-chip equities in Europe had a decent afternoon on Wednesday, helping large-cap benchmarks in Paris and Frankfurt end in the green. Share price declines for miners weighed on the FTSE 100, however.The FTSE

Stocks in London finished largely higher on Monday, while the FTSE 100 ended in the red, hurt by a disappointing growth outlook from China which knocked its mining stocks.The FTSE 100 index closed down 17.32 points, 0.2%, at 7,929.79. The FTSE 250 closed up 138.34 points, 0.7%, at 20,064.11, and the AIM All-Share closed up just 0.34 of a point, at 865.31.The Cboe UK 100 ended down 0.3% at 793.30,

Big mining stocks in London were giving back gains made last week, sending the FTSE 100 index lower at midday on Monday.The FTSE 100 index was down 37.28 points, or 0.5%, at 7,909.83, while the FTSE 250 was up points 30.01 points, or 0.2%, at 19,955.78. The AIM All-Share was down 2.34 points, or 0.3%, at 862.63.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.5% at 791.60, the Cboe UK 250 was flat at 17,495.79, and the

London stocks got off to a slow start to the week early Monday, ahead of a full week of UK company earnings and US central bank commentary.Indices were mixed. The FTSE 100 index opened down 2.38 points at 7,944.73, amid strength in the pound. The FTSE 250 was up 26.01, 0.1%, at 19,951.78 and the AIM All-Share was down 2.27 points, 0.3%, at 862.70.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.1% at 795.12, the Cboe U

AdmiralInvestors are hoping the insurer doesn't deliver the scale of bad news served up by Direct LineOver the past year, a nasty profit warning by Direct Line (DLG), the cancellation of its dividend and suspension of a share buyback programme have put the shivers into anyone holding shares in the general insurance sector. The company was hit by a rise in claims and an increase in costs associated

Amid mixed earnings for UK-listed companies and downbeat data for the UK economy, stocks in London closed in the red on Wednesday.The FTSE 100 index closed down 12.49 points, or 0.2% at 7,744.87 on Wednesday. The FTSE 250 ended down 51.27 points, or 0.3%, at 19,804.04. The AIM All-Share closed down 2.69 points, or 0.3%, at 860.78.The Cboe UK 100 ended down 0.3% at 774.19, the Cboe UK 250 closed do

Using data from Stockopedia, Shares has searched for the companies with the best earnings upgrades for this year and next over the last month.We also noted their performance over the same period to see how much the upgrades had lifted the share prices, and the evidence is clear: all else being equal, upgrades tend to lead to outperformance.Top of this month's list is 'challenger' gas, electricity

Shares in housing-related stocks had already been weak this year in anticipation of a property market slowdown, but new data showing an actual decline in UK house prices and a warning from housebuilder Persimmon (PSN) about a rise in cancellations and a reset of its dividend policy have caused more unease among investors.According to Halifax average UK house prices fell by 0.4% between September a

The mood was risk-on at the start of the new week, with US interest rate hike expectations calming ahead of the Federal Reserve's meeting later this month.Ahead of this comes the European Central Bank, which on Thursday is set to raise interest rates in the eurozone for the first time since 2011.The FTSE 100 was up 87.47 points, or 1.2%, at 7,246.48 early Monday. The FTSE 250 index climbed 150.16

Stocks in London were enjoying a broad-based rally on Monday morning, with optimism stemming from China easing its tight virus-related restrictions, while on the domestic front Countryside Partnerships lifted the FTSE 250 following a second offer from Inclusive Capital Partners.The FTSE 100 index was up 22.87 points, or 0.3%, at 7,608.33 early Monday. The mid-cap FTSE 250 index was up 227.02 point

According to the Nationwide building society, the average selling price of houses in the UK hit a record £254,822 this month, up more than 10% on the same month last year and the biggest price increase since 2006.Demand has remained surprisingly strong in the final quarter of the year following the tapering of the stamp duty holiday at the end of September, with average prices now 16% above pre-p

UK stocks retraced early losses on Thursday afternoon, helped by a strong opening in US markets with the benchmark FTSE 100 index closing flat at 7,249.US stocks gained despite third quarter GDP coming in below expectations at 2%, the lowest annualised growth reading since the pandemic and below trend growth prior to the pandemic.Markets brushed off the headline data as the cause of the miss was r

FTSE remained in negative territory on Thursday lunchtime dragged down by weakness in oil shares after Royal Dutch Shell (RDSB) missed earnings forecasts and Brent Crude prices dropped almost 2% to $82.30 a barrel.At 12pm the FTSE 100 index of leading shares was down 0.3% at 7,230.The European Central Bank is due to update the market on its interest rate policy and economic outlook over lunchtime.

Despite gains for index heavyweights including Lloyds Banking (LLOY) and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), the FTSE fell on Thursday due to negative movements from both Royal Dutch Shell (RDSB) and HSBC (HSBA).The blue chip benchmark traded 0.36% lower at 7,227.24 points on a busy day of corporate results.The European Central Bank was set to update the market later in the day and investors will be looking fo

London's FTSE 100 rallied for the second successive day following Monday's correction, climbing on hopes that central banks might maintain support for the global economy for longer given rising Covid infections as well as a number of positive corporate updates.By the close, the blue chip benchmark finished 1.7% higher at 6,998.28 points, its recovery from a tough start to the week supported by a s

London's FTSE 100 was in recovery mode on Wednesday after the recent big sell-off, gaining as several companies reported positive results. By midday, the blue chip benchmark was up 1.6% to 6,990.22 points.UK shares were buoyed as official figures showed the Government borrowed less than expected with the budget deficit coming in at £69.5 billion in the three months to June, helped by the reopenin