The FTSE 100 joined European peers in the red on Wednesday, while the US hit new highs following Donald Trump's win in the presidential election.The FTSE 100 index closed down 5.71 points, or 0.1%, at 8,166.68. It had earlier hit an intra-day high of 8,301.78.The FTSE 250 ended up 76.66 points, 0.4%, at 20,446.70, and the AIM All-Share rose 2.75 points, 0.3%, at 739.04.The Cboe UK 100 ended slight

Stock prices in London were mostly lower but the FTSE 100 was held up by rising oil prices following Iran's attack on Israel, as investors await US unemployment data.The FTSE 100 index was up 6.31 points, or 0.1%, at 8,282.58. The FTSE 250 was down 147.04 points, or 0.7%, at 20,767.66, and the AIM All-Share was down 2.58 points, or 0.4%, at 734.22.The Cboe UK 100 was up slightly at 828.88, the Cbo

Successful AIM float priced at 39pGives investors access to fast growing marketGenAI analytics could reach $10 billion by 2032IPOs (initial public offerings) have been thin on the ground in 2024, so it is encouraging to see GenAI (GNIP:AIM) successfully list its shares today at 39p, giving the generative artificial intelligence analytic services company a market capitalisation of £6.83 million.In

London's FTSE 100 was in the green on Wednesday morning while the FTSE 250 was down a notch, as the market was cautious of repercussions of further conflict in the Middle East.The FTSE 100 index opened up 28.91 points, or 0.3%, at 8,305.56. The FTSE 250 was down just 0.13 points at 20,914.57, and the AIM All-Share was up 0.60 points, or 0.1%, at 737.40.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.4% at 831.60, the Cb

We start the review on a positive note with the news of two small-cap IPOs (initial public offers), one in the healthcare space and one in the red-hot AI (artificial intelligence) space.Having sold its governance, risk and compliance software business to private equity earlier this year and returned £225 million to shareholders via a buyback and special dividend, business services group Marlowe (

All along, the US Federal Reserve has maintained the economic data hasn't justified cutting rates early and risking letting the inflation genie back out of the bottle.Even though inflation is close to ? and by some measures already below ? its 2% medium-term target, and by keeping rates at 5.5% it is risking breaking something in the economy or the financial system, the Fed has been fixated on the

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

At the centre of the current boom in generative AI (artificial intelligence) is chip maker Nvidia (NVDA:NASDAQ).It designs some of the fastest computer chips in the world which are needed to run data hungry LLMs (large language models) capable of understanding natural language.Readers may be familiar with Nvidia's historical link to the gaming industry, but less familiar with the US giant's connec

Last week?s ECB (European Central Bank) meeting passed pretty much as predicted with no change in any of its three benchmark interest rates despite mounting evidence of an economic slowdown and falling inflation in continental Europe.The news was well received in the bond market, which doesn?t like surprises, and expectations for a cut have been pushed out to June.Beyond that, however, the ECB wil

Ever since the inflation genie was let out of the bottle in 2021, the market has been obsessed with how quickly it can be brought back under control and back within central bank targets. On at least one measure, US inflation may already be within the 2% limit targeted by the Federal Reserve.The Fed?s preferred measure of inflation is core PCE (personal consumptionexpenditure) ? which strips out th

There is no question the dominant theme in stock markets last year was AI (artificial intelligence), in particular generative AI.In an interview with Time magazine last June, Sam Altman ? the former chief executive of OpenAI, whose ChatGPT product has been at the forefront of the AI trend ? said he believes the technology will ?transform the way people work and the way people learn. It?s going to

The FTSE 100 outperformed as European stocks struggled on underwhelming China trade data, as eyes turn to words from more US central bankers, after one pushed back on softer interest rate expectations on Monday.The FTSE 100 succumbed to share price declines from miners and oil. Though insurers and retail prevented the blue-chip index from suffering a deeper fall.The FTSE 100 index was down just 2.

London's FTSE 100 opened a touch lower on Tuesday, with gains for Primark owner Associated British Foods and Sports Direct operator Frasers Group offset by declines in oil stocks, miners and RS Group.The mood in equities was subdued, with some hawkish words from a US central banker unnerving investors.Over in Zurich, UBS shares rose despite a swing to loss after it said it has 'stabilized Credit S

When debating what kind of portfolio is going to be best suited to an environment of 'higher-for-longer' interest rates, looking at past periods of high rates provides a partial guide.In the UK interest rates were high and stayed high pretty much from the start of the 1960s all the way through to 1990 and during that period not only were rates in double digits but so was inflation. The difference

There are two questions being asked by every investor. When are interest rates around the world going to stop rising and what happens to stock markets when they do?No-one knows for sure when rates will peak, but what we can say is there are two different scenarios which could cause central banks to stop raising. As for what happens to markets next, that depends on which of the two scenarios unfold

London's FTSE 100 made a fast start to the new year, thought it was shaping up to be a slower day in New York, with stocks there falling after the first hurdle following a poor US PMI reading.Housebuilders led the way among London blue-chips, though leisure stocks fell as the sector deals with rail strike action at the start of the year. Elsewhere, Cineworld was in focus again, and AIM-listed GENi

Stock markets were starting 2023 positively despite multiple reminders of the economic challenges facing the world this year, while the pound was faring less well, falling below $1.20.The FTSE 100 index was up 115.51 points, 1.6%, at 7,567.26 midday Tuesday in London. The FTSE 250 was up 290.58 points, 1.5%, at 19,143.58, and the AIM All-Share was up 5.98 points, 0.7%, at 837.31.The Cboe UK 100 wa

The summer holiday season is upon us, and those who are brave enough to be risking travel disruption in search of more exotic climes will no doubt be thinking about what reading material to pack for whiling away the hours on the beach, or in the airport departure lounge.An engrossing bestseller will often be the order of the day, but if you don't want to switch your brain off entirely, and would l

The announcement that Netflix (NFLX:NASDAQ) is to offer a cheaper ad-supported option to subscribers came as no surprise to anyone.Even as far back as 2011 there was pressure on the streaming giant to find a way to make more money in a bid to cover growing costs for content. It held firm and with a little help from lockdowns enjoyed a pandemic boom which saw subscriber numbers soar.But all good th

In the weeks before Aston Martin's (AML) stock market listing four years ago Andy Palmer, who was CEO at the time, told investors the company didn't make cars, it made dreams.Well, the dream has become something of nightmare with the value of shares down 93% since their peak in October 2018.The company's latest set of results did little to calm jitters. Pre-tax losses in the first quarter nearly t