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

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

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

First half EBITDA up 24%£300 million buyback initiated2024 earnings seen 'top end'Drax (DRX) shares powered up 12.5% to a 52-week high of 636p after the renewable energy generator delivered strong first-half results, issued a positive full-year outlook and said it would shortly begin a £300 million share buyback.Investors were wowed by Drax's smoking-hot results for the half to 30 June, which sh

Stocks in Europe were mostly lower on Wednesday morning, ahead of a eurozone consumer price inflation reading and the King's Speech.The FTSE 100 index opened down 10.32 points, or 0.1%, at 8,155.17. The FTSE 250 was down 55.59 points, or 0.3%, at 21,159.81, and the AIM All-Share was up 0.71 points, or 0.1%, at 787.79.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.2% at 813.97, the Cboe UK 250 was down 0.1% at 18,451.

Stocks in Europe failed to hold early gains on Monday, closing lower, as investors assessed the implications of an expected political gridlock in France.The FTSE 100 index ended down 10.44 points, 0.1%, at 8,193.49. The FTSE 250 rose 11.67 points, 0.1%, at 20,798.32, and the AIM All-Share edged up 0.77 of a point, 0.1%, to 775.16.The Cboe UK 100 ended up 0.1% at 816.60, the Cboe UK 250 closed down

New delivery hub will go live in 2027Relief rally after bad news on CanadaOcado shares down 53% year-to-dateShares in Ocado (OCDO) were up nearly 6% to 346p as the online grocery retailer said it planned to build a third CFC (customer fulfilment centre) in Kuki-Miyashiro prefecture in Japan.The new CFC will go live in 2027 and will be developed with hypermarket group AEON (8267:TYO). SIGN O

On 23 May, power network operator National Grid (NG.) announced a bumper £7 billion fundraise to help finance a five-year £60 billion investment plan.Known as a 'rights issue', the exercise involves shareholders making a decision whether or not to buy discounted shares in the group.As is the case for most major rights issues, National Grid's fundraise is fully underwritten by banks, in this case

Since spearheading the so-called gig economy over the past decade, Uber Technologies (UBER:NYSE) has emerged as a volatile investment.Having whipped up a frenzy among investors with valuation pitches of up to $120 billion ahead of its 2019 IPO (initial public offering), bigger even than Facebook's $104 billion 2012 float. In the end, its debut was a disaster, the $45 stock plunging on day-one to c

London's FTSE 100 closed higher on Friday, though stocks in New York struggled, taking little confidence from a key US inflation gauge producing no scares.The FTSE 100 index ended up 44.33 points, 0.5%, at 8,275.38. The FTSE 250 ended up 59.25 points, 0.3%, at 20,730.12, and the AIM All-Share closed up 3.10 points, 0.4%, at 805.79.For the week, the FTSE 100 lost 0.5%, the FTSE 250 fell 0.2%, while

Stock prices in London ended lower on Friday, ending a downbeat week in decline, with poor UK data and US interest rate worries doing little to stoke enthusiasm.The FTSE 100 index closed down 21.64 points, or 0.3%, at 8,317.59. The FTSE 250 ended up 139.63 points, or 0.7%, at 20,770.93, and the AIM All-Share closed up 0.6%, or 5.00 points, at 810.02.It was a similar underperformance by the FTSE 10

Blue-chips in London fell on Friday as weak retail sales and further heavy falls in National Grid dented the mood.The FTSE 100 index was down 34.66 points, 0.4%, at 8,304.57. The FTSE 250 was down 9.28 points at 20,622.02, and the AIM All-Share was up 0.73 of a point, 0.1%, at 805.75.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.5% at 828.67, the Cboe UK 250 was down 0.2% at 18,055.60, and the Cboe Small Companies w

Stock prices in London ended largely lower on Thursday, with the FTSE 100 underperforming peers in mainland Europe, while stocks in New York opened mixed.The FTSE 100 index closed down 31.10 points, or 0.4%, at 8,339.23. The FTSE 250 ended down 78.77 points, or 0.4%, at 20,631.30, and the AIM All-Share closed up 0.1%, or 1.15 points, at 805.02.The Cboe UK 100 ended down 0.3% at 832.63, the Cboe UK

Stocks in London did not move much at midday Thursday, as data showed UK manufacturing returned to growth and to a 22-month high.The FTSE 100 index was up 3.15 points at 8,373.48. The FTSE 250 was up 17.41 points, 0.1%, at 20,727.48, and the AIM All-Share was up 0.66 of a point, 0.1%, at 804.53.The Cboe UK 100 was flat at 835.48, the Cboe UK 250 was flat at 18,129.05, and the Cboe Small Companies

£7 billion rights issueInvestment to double2023 earnings lowerMultinational electricity and gas provider National Grid (NG.) surprised the market with the launch of a £7 billion fund-raise to finance investments in its network to the end of the decade.The shares, which had enjoyed a strong run from the £10 level in April up to £11.40 last week, went into reverse falling 103p or 9% to £10.24 a

Stock prices in London opened mixed on Thursday, with the FTSE 100 dragged down by National Grid after it announced a £60 billion investment.The FTSE 100 index opened down 19.61 points, 0.2%, at 8,350.72. The FTSE 250 was up 12.17 points, 0.1%, at 20,722.24, and the AIM All-Share was down 0.54 of a point, 0.1%, at 803.33.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.3% at 833.24, the Cboe UK 250 was down 0.2% at 18

Stock prices in London closed lower on Wednesday, ahead of an announcement from Westminster calling a general election on July 4, and amid hotter-than-expected inflationary figures from the UK.The FTSE 100 index closed down 46.12 points, 0.6%, at 8,370.33. The FTSE 250 ended down 73.30 points, 0.4%, at 20,710.07, and the AIM All-Share closed down 3.22 points, 0.4%, at 803.87.The Cboe UK 100 ended

Retail bellwether Marks & Spencer (MKS) may need to deliver a modest 'beat' to the £679.8 million consensus pre-tax profit estimate, along with a reasonably confident outlook statement, when it serves up full-year results (22 May) if the foods-to-fashion giant is to sustain recent positive share price momentum.Led by CEO Stuart Machin, the FTSE 100 company's turnaround is gaining traction and Mar

Stock prices in London opened in the green on Thursday, with some positive corporate updates helping lift the FTSE 100, a far cry from the sell-off New York tech shares suffered overnight.The tech sector comes into focus again, with streaming service Netflix, traditionally one of the FAANG stocks alongside Facebook owner Meta, Amazon, Apple and Alphabet, reporting quarterly earnings later.The FTSE

Audioboom have fallen 30% over the past yearWilson previously worked for AudioboomHarvey previously worked for SiriusXM and CBS RadioShares in Audioboom (BOOM: AIM) were up 4% to 260p in morning trading as the podcast specialist said it was hiring two key sales executives ?to expand the company?s revenue operations.?Molly Harvey, formerly of SiriusXM and CBS Radio, joins Audioboom as vice presiden