Aviva director buys £484,000 sharesBalfour Beatty CEO buys £129,696 sharesCakebox CEO Sukh Chamdal ups stakeT Neil Morrison, non-executive director at life insurer Aviva (AV.) has bought 100,000 shares at 484p for a total value of £484,000 on 25 June.Over the past year Aviva shares have gained 23%.Morrison's move comes after the life insurer reported a strong set of results for the first quarte

London's FTSE 100 made a decent start to the final trading day of the quarter, and cooler-than-expected US data could offer it impetus for further gains.The blue-chip benchmark in Paris struggled, however, as pre-election nerves kicked in.The US data is released at 1330 BST. The core personal consumption expenditures inflation gauge is expected to have faded to 2.6% in May, from 2.8% in April, acc

Stocks in London headed lower going into Thursday afternoon, with investors adopting a 'cautious' approach ahead of Friday's US inflation data.The FTSE 100 index traded 23.26 points lower, 0.3%, at 8,202.07. The FTSE 250 fell just 7.08 points at 20,291.02, while the AIM All-Share fell 3.08 points, 0.4%, at 762.84.The Cboe UK 100 fell 0.3% to 815.91, the Cboe UK 250 lost 0.1% at 17,654.85, and the

For all of its current challenges, China's economy is still the second largest in the world, trailing that of only America. According to data from the International Monetary Fund, Chinese GDP had from $1.2 trillion in 2000 to almost $18 trillion in 2023 (and thus as big as Germany, Japan, India, the UK and Brazil combined). That is a compound annual growth rate of 12.4%.Yet for all of this phenome

Equities in London traded mixed at the start of the week, with some US tech sector nerves hurting sentiment, with eyes turning to elections in the UK and France as polling day edges ever closer.The FTSE 100 index traded 7.66 points higher, 0.1%, at 8,245.38. The FTSE 250 was down 50.12 points, 0.3%, at 20,392.23, though the AIM All-Share fell 0.41 of a point, 0.1%, at 772.16.The Cboe UK 100 rose 0

First-quarter sales pleaseProfit outlook confirmedGaining share with FinestThe UK's largest grocery chain by both market value and market share, Tesco (TSCO), reiterated the full-year targets it set a couple of months ago as it published a solid first-quarter trading update.The shares edged up 4p or 1.4% to 307p as analysts and investors digested the detail of the update. STRONG SALES GROWT

Stock prices in London fell on midday Tuesday, as investors digested the rising UK unemployment rate, a day before the next interest rate decision by the Fed in the US.The FTSE 100 index was down 61.69 points, 0.8%, at 8,166.79. The FTSE 250 was down 49.29 points, 0.2%, at 20,396.75, and the AIM All-Share was down 2.35 points, 0.3%, at 785.93.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.7% at 814.50, the Cboe UK 25

Stock prices in London opened higher on Tuesday as investors became focused on the upcoming US Federal Reserve's interest rate decision, after shares fell Monday following the EU election.The FTSE 100 index opened up 11.92 points, 0.1%, at 8,240.40. The FTSE 250 was up 65.24 points, 0.3%, at 20,511.28, and the AIM All-Share was up 0.08 of a point at 788.36.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.2% at 821.56, th

Stock prices in Europe were lower at midday Monday, as investors digested the results of the EU election, which saw a rise in support for right-wing parties.The FTSE 100 index was down 23.67 points, 0.3%, at 8,221.70. The FTSE 250 was down 66.99 points, 0.3%, at 20,488.38, and the AIM All-Share was down 4.26 points, 0.5%, at 789.27.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.3% at 819.76, the Cboe UK 250 was down

Stocks in London fell on Friday at midday despite a positive outlook from the CBI for the UK economy, ahead of a US jobs report reading.The FTSE 100 index was down 47.62 points, 0.6%, at 8,237.71. The FTSE 250 was down 105.46 points, 0.5%, at 20,610.42, and the AIM All-Share was down 2.27 points, 0.3%, at 794.27.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.6% at 821.06, the Cboe UK 250 was down 0.6% at 18,031.68, a

Annual results beat expectationsTurnaround plan yielding resultsImproving sales trajectoryShares in N Brown (BWNG:AIM) rallied 18% to 17.6p after the online clothing and footwear retailer behind the JD Williams, Simply Be and Jacamo brands returned to statutory pre-tax profit and claimed it was positioned for 'sustainable growth' amid demonstrable progress with its multi-year turnaround strategy.T

There's no doubt the shock departure of a star fund manager or well-followed stock picker is a red flag, but there are various reasons why successful portfolio managers choose to leave their investment management firm and therefore their funds.And, as with most aspects of investing, there are no hard and fast rules about what investors should do when their fund manager ups sticks. Much depends on

Retail bellwether Marks & Spencer's (MKS) latest results (22 May) suggest the food, fashion and furniture seller has embarked on the turnaround which has been long in the making with many false dawns down the years.Shares in the FTSE 100 retailer are at a fresh five-year high of 300p following the delivery of forecast-beating full-year figures and a first final dividend since 2019. Yet despite the

Stock prices in London were in the red on a rather calm Wednesday morning, with Royal Mail owner IDS, and Foresight Sustainable Forestry boosted by takeovers.In the FTSE 250, Royal Mail owner IDS agreed to a takeover by a Daniel Kretinsky-led group. Meanwhile, Foresight Sustainable Forestry shares shot up, after Averon Park said it will buy the firm for £167 million.The FTSE 100 index opened down

Stock prices in London were mixed on Tuesday morning, while supermarkets rose as the BRC-NielsenIQ shop price index slowed to its lowest annual rate of increase since November 2021.The FTSE 100 index opened down 9.41 points, or 0.1%, at 8,307.61. The FTSE 250 was up 40.63 points, or 0.2%, at 20,811.44, and the AIM All-Share was up 1.38 points, or 0.2%, at 811.17.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.1% at 82

Investors in London showed confidence on Monday, with stocks closing up on hopes on interest rate cuts being around the corner.The FTSE 100 index closed up 3.94 points at 8,424.20. The FTSE 250 ended up 123.43 points, 0.6%, at 20,873.33, and the AIM All-Share closed up 15.92 points, 2.0%, at 809.94.The Cboe UK 100 ended up 0.1% at 840.87, the Cboe UK 250 closed up 0.6% at 18,250.48, and the Cboe S

Stock prices in London were higher at midday on Monday as gold hit a record high ahead of a UK inflation reading later in the week which will be essential for interest rate cut hopes.Amongst individual stocks, gold miner Fresnillo was the top performer of the morning on the FTSE 100 index, climbing with hopes of interest rate cuts. In the FTSE 250 index, Kainos jumped thanks to an increase in its

Stocks in London started the week strongly on Monday, as hopes of a US interest rate cut lifted equities, gold and kept the pound supported around the $1.27 mark.The FTSE 100 index opened up 21.60 points, 0.3%, at 8,441.86. The FTSE 250 was up 84.15 points, 0.4%, at 20,834.05. The AIM All-Share surged 13.56 points, 1.7%, at 807.58, getting a boost from possible M&A at Keywords Studios, one of the

Blue-chip stocks in Europe and New York struggled on Friday, though there was some impetus from a surge in the gold price, while base metals also shone.That gave a lift to mining stocks in London, though the FTSE 100 still ended lower, making a weekly loss.The FTSE 100 index ended down 18.39 points, 0.2%, at 8,420.26. The FTSE 250 closed down 72.94 points, 0.4%, at 20,749.90, and the AIM All-Share

Stocks in London and Europe were down at midday on Friday, following a steady eurozone inflation reading from Eurostat for April, with Land Securities and GSK among the largest fallers on the FTSE 100.The FTSE 100 index was down 31.84 points, 0.4%, at 8,406.81. The FTSE 250 was down 117.22 points, 0.6%, at 20,705.62, and the AIM All-Share was down 0.98 of a point, 0.1%, at 791.52.The Cboe UK 100 w