Here's a sentence you won't read very often: the annuity market witnessed a significant boom in the last tax year. Data from the FCA shows annuity sales rose by almost 40% in 2023/24, marking a sharp reversal in fortunes. Ever since pension freedoms were introduced in 2015, annuities have been shunned in favour of more flexible ways of drawing a pension.But rising interest rates have led to a sur

Adjusted profits down 65.7%Final dividend passedMarket growth 'could soon return'Indebted sofa seller DFS Furniture (DFS) lurched into loss for the year to June 2024 and passed the final dividend following a year marred by weak spending on big ticket items and Red Sea supply disruption.Yet shares in the clear UK living room furniture leader ticked up 2.5% to 117.8p in early dealings on Wednesday t

Stock prices in Europe were in the red on Friday morning, despite the upbeat mood in New York after the Federal Reserve's 50 basis point rate cut earlier this week.The FTSE 100 index fell 36.33 points, 0.4%, at 8,292.39. The index is up around 0.2% so far this week. The FTSE 250 shed 86.37 points, 0.4%, at 21,076.34, and the AIM All-Share slipped 1.29 points, 0.2%, at 746.79.The Cboe UK 100 fell 0

AJ Bell's Money Matters campaign was launched three years ago with the aim of helping women navigate the massive gender investment gap.This is the first in a series of articles looking at the particular challenges women face at different stages in their financial lives.You might think that by the time you reach your 70s most of your life's financial decisions are behind you, but actually this deca

TRUSTPILOT (TRST) 222pGain to date: 38%Market cap: £931 millionWith more and more of us buying stuff online, is it any wonder that we are increasingly reaching out to fellow consumers for their seal of approval (or gripes) about products and services, and that's great news for reviews business Trustpilot (TRST).The platform now hosts more than 300 million consumer reviews of products and services

Anniversaries are often an opportunity to take stock so the Shares team has had a look at the best performing shares, funds and investment trusts since the magazine's first issue in September 1999.Read on to discover the identity of the top performers and find out names we think will continue to impress in the years to come and those where we think the good times might be over. But first, Ian Conw

Stocks in London ended the week in the green, as the possibility of a 50-basis point cut from the Federal Reserve was increasingly priced in by the markets.The FTSE 100 index rose 32.12 points, or 0.4%, at 8,273.09. The FTSE 250 ended up 199.60 points, 1.0%, at 20,895.37, and the AIM All-Share firmed 3.87 points, or 0.5%, at 745.23.For the week, the FTSE 100 rose 1.1%, the FTSE 250 climbed 2.0% an

Equities were higher during midday trade on Friday, as mining stocks continued to climb, tracking the strength of gold amid a pull-back of the dollar.The FTSE 100 index climbed 19.03 points, 0.2%, at 8,260.00. The FTSE 250 was up 138.55 points, 0.7%, at 20,834.33, and the AIM All-Share rose 2.61 points, 0.4%, at 743.97.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.3% at 826.32, the Cboe UK 250 rose 0.7% to 18,356.40,

Berenberg sees upside to new 270p targetStock up nearly 40% since Shares said buyStrong growth underpinning market optimismWith more and more of us buying stuff online, it's no wonder that we are increasingly reaching out to fellow consumers for their seal of approval (or gripes) about products and services, and that's great news for reviews business Trustpilot (TRST).The platform now hosts more t

Stocks in London drifted lower by the close on Thursday, as more weak US jobs data tested nerves ahead of Friday's nonfarm payrolls data.The FTSE 100 index closed down 27.89 points, 0.3%, at 8,241.71. The FTSE 250 ended down 46.11 points, 0.2%, at 20,762.50, and the AIM All-Share closed down 0.54 of a point, 0.1%, at 759.12.The Cboe UK 100 ended down 0.2% at 825.08, the Cboe UK 250 closed up 0.2%

Entain (ENT) 630.4pMarket Cap: £4.13 billionInvesting in the gambling sector may not be everybody's cup of tea but we believe embattled sports betting and gambling firm Entain (ENT) has become so unloved and neglected that the upside potential now comfortably outweighs the downside risks. With several activist investors on the share register pushing for change, rumours of private equity interes

Anyone lucky enough to have enjoyed a long summer holiday and focused on the beach rather than their portfolio might not have noticed the recent jolt in global stock markets.While the second half of July was a miserable time markets amid fears of a US recession, the scale of the subsequent rebound has been remarkable.Glance at your portfolio now and you might only see a small dent. There is certai

It's now three years since the cost of living crisis began to grip the nation. In August 2021, CPI inflation jumped to 3.2%, up from 2% in July of that year. It then climbed all the way up to a peak of 11.1% in October 2022 before gradually, and painfully, falling back to current levels.Consumers are undoubtedly still finding things hard after such a big price shock, but the worst now looks firmly

On 1 August the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee made a 5-4 decision to kickstart its rate-cutting cycle. A 25 basis point reduction in the base rate to 5% marking The Old Lady of Threadneedle Street's first cut since March 2020.This means cash savings rates are heading in one direction, down. And the lower-than-expected jump in UK inflation reported on 14 August only boosted market exp

Starbucks soars on Mr Fixit appointmentWalmart impressesVictoria's not so secret new CEOWorries about a widespread US bear market or recession have proved short-lived and tech stocks have been the real winners over the past week on Wall Street with investors piling back in to names they know and trust. Think Nvidia (NVDA:NASDAQ), Micron Technology (MU:NASDAQ), Broadcom (AVGO:NASDAQ), who have led

Stock prices in London opened mixed on Thursday while European counterparts were in the green, amid news that the UK economy flatlined monthly in June amid investor caution before the general election in July.The FTSE 100 index opened up 8.31 points, or 0.1%, at 8,289.36. The FTSE 250 was down 41.98 points, or 0.2%, at 20,910.54, and the AIM All-Share was down 0.87 points, or 0.1%, at 770.64.The C

A series of recent announcements from Western brands and businesses have revealed how tough they are finding life in China.While some of this is linked to the uneven performance of the world's largest economy, shifting consumer habits and trends are also at play.On 6 August, Holiday Inn owner InterContinental Hotels (IHG) reported business in China had declined 7% in the second quarter after an 2.

Stock prices in London closed up on Tuesday after a hopeful US producer price inflation print left investors reassured ahead of further key readings on Wednesday.The FTSE 100 index closed up 24.98 points, 0.3%, at 8,235.23. The FTSE 250 ended up 66.89 points, 0.3%, at 20,744.08, and the AIM All-Share closed up 0.99 of a point, 0.1%, at 767.98.The Cboe UK 100 ended up 0.3% at 822.29, the Cboe UK 25

Shares in aero engine-maker Rolls-Royce (RR.) bolted 11% to 500p on 1 August, the first time in their history they have touched that milestone, after the firm posted forecast-beating first-half results and raised its full-year outlook.A 14% operating margin and 13.8% return on capital employed are testament to chief executive Tufan Erginbilgic's 'tough love' approach to optimising the firm's comme

With the UK economy seemingly headed for a 'soft landing' and interest rates set to fall at some point this year, more adventurous investors will be looking to add a little more risk to their portfolios.Given the UK market, and the mid-cap space in particular, is widely acknowledged to be cheap, the passive option would be to buy a mid-cap ETF (exchange-traded fund) such as the iShares FTSE 250 (M