Stocks in London ended in the green on Friday, as the latest data pointed to slowing US producer price inflation.The FTSE 100 index closed up 15.92 points, or 0.2%, at 8,253.65. The FTSE 250 ended up 71.50 points, or 0.3%, at 20,779.87, while the AIM All-Share closed down 0.68 points, or 0.1% at 733.85.Over the week, the FTSE 100 lost 0.3%, while the FTSE 250 and the AIM All-Share lost 0.7%The Cbo

Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) sells £306 million sharesSainsbury's shares fall nearly 5%Year-to-date Sainsbury's shares are down 7%Sainsbury's (SBRY) shares fell nearly 5% to 275p after the supermarket group said its biggest shareholder, the QIA (Qatar Investment Authority), had sold £306 million worth of shares at 280p each, a discount of around 3% to the prior closing price.Prior to the sal

London's blue chip index was lower as Sainsbury's shares fell after its largest shareholder trimmed its stake in the supermarket chain, as investors await a producer prices print from the US.The FTSE 100 index was down 17.91 points, 0.2%, at 8,219.82. The FTSE 250 was down marginally at 20,704.76, and the AIM All-Share was slightly higher at 734.85.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.2% at 823.63, the Cboe

First half profit jumps to £27 millionStrategic tie-up with AgeasSale of insurance underwriting unitSaga (SAGA) was the top performer in the FTSE All-Share on Friday, rising by a tenth after the over 50s travel and insurance specialist revealed strong first-half profit growth, a reduction in debt and confirmed it was in exclusive talks with Belgian insurer Ageas (AGS:EBR) to sell its insurance un

Fees down 14% in Q1Significant savings being deliveredHays to 'benefit materially' once markets reboundHeadhunter Hays (HAS) has had a hard time of late. Pre-tax profits plunged more than 90% in the year to June 2024 and the recruiter is on a losing streak of negative fee income growth amid a hiring slowdown.The FTSE 250 firm's fortunes failed to reverse in the first quarter of the new financial y

European stocks lacked direction on Friday morning after US consumer price inflation came in hotter-than-expected, while the pound picked up after the UK economy registered August growth.The FTSE 100 index traded up just 3.89 points at 8,241.62. The FTSE 250 added 21.78 points, 0.1%, at 20,730.15, and the AIM All-Share down just 0.03 of a point at 734.50.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.1% at 825.80, the

Stocks in London closed in the red on Thursday, following a mixed bag of economic data from the US, with inflation surprising to the upside while jobless claims came in higher than expected.The FTSE 100 index closed down 6.01 points, 0.1%, at 8,237.73. The FTSE 250 ended 114.01 points lower, 0.6%, at 20,708.37, and the AIM All-Share fell 2.13 points, 0.3%, to 734.53.The Cboe UK 100 ebbed 0.1% to 8

London's blue chips faded after a bright start to trade in the red at midday on Thursday, ahead of US inflation data later in the session.The FTSE 100 had made a positive start, before some pre-US data nerves kicked in.The more tepid trade in Europe came despite equities in China ending the day in the green on supportive measures from the nation's central bank. The Shanghai Composite rose 1.3%, of

Revenue seen in line with guidanceFY EBITDA margin above first halfUS asset manager takes a puntShareholders in knocked-down FTSE 250 fintech Auction Technology (ATG) were waving their arms in the air after the firm posted a positive update on trading for the full year to the end of September.Having slowly but steadily lost more than three quarters of their value since their highs above £16 in 20

GSK agrees $2.2 billion settlementRemoves 93% of outstanding casesStock overhang removedEmbattled pharmaceutical giant GSK (GSK) has agreed to pay up to $2.2 billion (£1.8 billion) to settle lawsuits in the US related to its Zantac heartburn treatment, resolving 80,000 pending cases which represent around 93% of all outstanding cases.The shares jumped 6.5% to £15.52 as investors welcomed the rem

The FTSE 100 opened higher on Thursday, supported by strong gains in GSK, while European peers falteredThe FTSE 100 index traded up 25.77 points, 0.3%, at 8,269.51. The FTSE 250 slipped 12.69 points, 0.1%, at 20,809.69, and the AIM All-Share down just 0.19 of a point at 736.47.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.3% at 828.03, the Cboe UK 250 flat at 18,285.44, and the Cboe Small Companies was unmoved at 16,6

I am 59 and have recently taken time off work to provide care and support to my parents. I am a little undecided as to whether I will return to work or call it quits and retire.As such, I would like to take lump sums from my SIPP once a year.So, I have two questions:Should I return to work, will any contributions to a new workplace pension and/or a new SIPP still enjoy full tax relief up to £60,0

Over the long haul, small-caps have historically outperformed large caps, fuelling the research highlighting the so-called 'small-cap effect' ? the idea that smaller companies offer higher risk-adjusted returns than larger ones. Unfortunately, the higher interest rate environment of recent years has proved tough for the stock market's small fry, who've spent more than a decade lagging more sizeabl

Shares in Cheltenham-based thermal energy management and fluid technology firm Spirax Group (SPX) hit a five-year low this week, trading even below the level they reached at the peak of the pandemic sell-off, after its latest capital markets event failed to spark enthusiasm.The FTSE 100 group, whose shares are down 33% this year, making them one of the worst performers in the index, is guiding for

City-based headhunter Hays (HAS) has had a rough time over the last 12 months, posting four consecutive quarters of negative growth in fee income. Worse still, the rate of decline actually accelerated over that period to stand at minus 17% at the end of June.Therefore, investors and analysts will be looking for less-bad news when the company updates the market on its first-quarter performance (Jul

The latest house price surveys from Halifax and Nationwide ? two of the UK's largest mortgage lenders ? should have investors in developers breaking out the champagne, yet stocks such as Persimmon (PSN) and Taylor Wimpey (TW.) have gone nowhere for the last few weeks while Barratt Redrow (BTRW) shares are hitting three-month lows.Uncertainty ahead of the autumn budget and over the pace of interest

Shares in luxury timepiece retailer Watches of Switzerland's (WOSG) got a modest boost on news it had acquired publishing firm-to-luxury watch platform Hodinkee.The purchase of a media company by a retailer might look a bit odd at face value. However, the Patek Philippe-to-Audemars Piguet seller clearly believes that by doing so it can accelerate online growth and grab a greater share of America's

It must be a thankless task predicting monthly US jobs data, which probably explains the widening range of forecasts in recent months. Estimates going into the latest (4 October) non-farm payrolls report spanned 60,000 at the bottom end to 220,000 at the top, so September's 254,000 reading was a genuine upside shock.Even more surprising was the unemployment level which inched down to within a cat'

HarbourVest Global Private Equity(HVPE) £23.10Market cap: £1.75 billion The markets haven't been kind to private equity and other 'long-duration' investments over the last couple of years as high interest rates hammered their valuations, but with the global rate cycle now turning we believe money is poised to flow back into these assets.HarbourVest Global Private Equity (HVPE) is a $4.3 billion

Both the tobacco and oil and gas industries face a similar quandary right now - they are generating lots of cash from activities which many perceive as being unethical and damaging, but their transitions into other areas are currently not offering anywhere near the same levels of return. This matters to anyone who has meaningful exposure to the UK market in their portfolio, say through a FTSE 100