UK stocks were down at midday in London on Friday as concerns about the state of the economy persisted off the back of sluggish retail sales figures.In Europe, pharmaceuticals heavyweight Novo Nordisk plummeted 18% in Copenhagen after disappointing data for its weight loss drug CagriSema.The product is seen as a rival to Eli Lilly's Mounjaro and Zepbound obesity treatments. In premarket trading in

The biotechnology sector should be a major beneficiary of an ageing world population and strained government health budgets as companies develop new drugs to treat chronic diseases.After underperforming the major indices since the end of the pandemic, the NBI (Nasdaq Biotechnology Index) offers great relative value and the prospect of superior earnings growth.The sector trades at a 18% PE (price t

- Two positive European Medicines Agency reviews- RSV market to reach $5bn, HIV injectables market £26bn- Shares gain 1.7%Shares in global biopharma firm GSK (GSK) got a shot in the arm on Friday after the company said the EMA (European Medicines Agency) had accepted a marketing authorisation application for the company's RSV vaccine candidate and validated an application for its long-acting HIV

For all the troubles it has endured in recent years Ted Baker (TED) is still seen as a brand with some value based on the news US private equity firm Sycamore is weighting up a potential takeover of the clothing retailer.Ted Baker, once something of a stock market darling, has struggled in recent times. The fall from grace started with accusations of inappropriate behaviour levelled at founder Ray

The FTSE 100 index was down 0.6% at 6,444 points early on Monday, pulled lower by its largest constituent AstraZeneca (AZN) whose shares lost 2.4% t0 £82.30, and a report by finance industry body TheCityUK which warned that the surge in corporate debt was unsustainable.AstraZeneca shares fell after press reports over the weekend that it had approached US pharmaceutical firm Gilead Sciences (GILD)

Investors have piled into bonds in 2019 at the expense of equities, with more than £8bn inflows into UK bond funds and over £4bn flowing out of equity funds in the first eight months of the year according to the Investment Association. Data from the US show similar patterns.This might be caused by investors responding to fears about a slowing global economy amid fractious trade talks between the

Here are six ideas from the funds space to give your portfolio a healthy New Year boost. They can help to diversify your portfolio as you can access multiple companies or other assets via single products. We've also added another idea as a fund to watch.While our main feature this week looks at stocks to add to your ISA, we appreciate that not everyone wants the risk of buying individual companies

An increasing number of UK companies are using share buyback programmes to bolster confidence and improve shareholder returns.A recent example is HSBC (HSBA), which said that it would buy back up to $2.5 billion of its shares in the second half after announcing a drop in profits for the first six months of the year.Shares in HSBC rose strongly after the details were made public on August 3 and the

The chief executive and finance director of drug giant GlaxoSmithKline's (GSK) have sold approximately £1.5 million of shares in the FTSE 100 company to pay tax bills linked to a bonus payment.Andrew Witty and Simon Dingemans were among a large number of directors who received stock awarded as part of a performance scheme. The awards were based on delivering value to shareholders, simplifying the

Fears that drug prices in the US could be capped have proved enough to scare investors into dumping healthcare stocks in recent weeks.Billions of dollars have been wiped off drug companies' valuations and the benchmark Nasdaq Biotechnology Index is down 13.4% to 3,231 points since presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton said she would take on 'outrageous' price gouging in the industry (21 Sep). This

Investors seeking exposure to the world's largest and most diverse equity market, yet concerned by the prospect of rising rates across the pond, might entrust money to an actively-managed fund with a proven record of beating its benchmark. A name that fits the bill is the Felix Wintle-managed Neptune US Opportunities (GB00B7K9LQ88) fund, a focused portfolio of 50 North American companies with a mi

Getting a drug or medicine from under a microscope in a science lab and onto a doctor's prescription pad is not for investors with a low appetite for risk or those looking to get rich quick. The rewards for companies developing the next wonder drug could be high. Their work may create products generating $1 billion of revenue a year, but these development phase companies also carry huge risks.It t

FTSE 100 drug maker Shire's (SHP) attempt at buying US rare disease specialist Baxalta (BXLT:NYSE) is the latest example of how large cap pharmaceutical M&A strategy is changing.Companies are shunning big mergers that come with a broad array of assets in favour of more targeted acquisitions. The price tags may still be very large, but the suitors are focused on buying specific assets and not picki

Exchange traded funds (ETFs) which invest in quality growth stocks seem a good bet for investors who want to grow their money over the long term, but the different methods used to determine quality means choosing between products is far from easy.Quality factor ETFs have emerged as part of the trend towards 'smart beta' products, which are essentially a hybrid between traditional index-tracking ET

Several changes are afoot at International Biotechnology Trust (IBT) since Shares last sat down with management seven months ago. It's not just the weighting of its portfolio that is different, but the biotech fund's management have stepped up their efforts to monitor the market before making decisions on which companies to back.The quoted investments team, led by Carl Harald Janson, are spending

There is more to healthcare than bottles of pills and tablets. While the rewards offered by companies that bring new drugs to market can be high, investors could reduce exposure to the huge development risks by backing technologies or services that seek to meet the medical demand from the world's ageing population.Rising longevity and increasing instances of lifestyle diseases, such as diabetes, h

After an in-depth scouring of the market Shares takes a look at some of the most popular UK funds. Our team will now determine if their popularity is warranted and if investors should consider buying these funds now.Our tables have been compiled from sources including Barclays Stockbrokers, Hargreaves Lansdown (HL.), TD Direct Investing platforms, AJ Bell Youinvest, trade body The Association of I

There was a time when the path to success in the pharmaceutical industry was straightforward: Invent it, prove it's safe and more effective than anything else on the market, then sell it and sit back while the cash rolls in. Today the need to quickly replace revenues lost to generic competition and a desire to reduce the huge risk of a drug failing in the three-phase clinical trials are changing t

Using animal tissue to replace warn-out or damaged body parts and cannabis to tackle cancer are some of the innovations biotechs are developing to meet growing global demand for new and improved healthcare treatments. Indeed, rising longevity in the West will create longer queues in doctors' surgeries for some years to come, while larger pay packets mean those in the emerging markets can now affor

The demographics driving healthcare are strong but there is more than one way to tap the expected growth in demand. Certain drugs can generate billions in revenues, but backing a new medical device would not only require less investment but could also face less rigorous clinical trials, improving the chances of it reaching the market.Developers are working to develop new drugs and technologies, su