Stocks in London, Paris and Frankfurt were firmly in the green on Thursday morning, after the US announced it will keep 10% baseline tariffs but pause higher levies. Trump paused new tariffs on most countries but doubled down on China, raising tariffs on the world's second-largest economy to 125%. Meanwhile in the UK, Downing Street said that the UK will 'coolly and calmly' continue its...

The FTSE 100 suffered fresh losses on Wednesday as China hiked tariffs on US goods and market volatility spread to bonds, compounding investor nerves. The FTSE 100 index closed down 231.05 points, 2.9%, at 7,679.48. The FTSE 250 ended 458.51 points lower, 2.5%, at 17,890.64. The AIM All-Share declined 14.65 points, 2.3%, at 627.01. The Cboe UK 100 ended down 2.9% at 764.65, the Cboe UK 250...

Potential cuts to CDC fundingPart of wider cost saving plans1.2 million people living with HIVNews that the US health department is reviewing CDC's (Centre for Disease Control and Prevention) HIV prevention division amidst potential funding cuts sent shares in Gilead Sciences (GILD:NASDAQ) down 3% in premarket trading, while GSK (GSK) shares fell 2%.Both companies are big players in the...

Positive clinical trial resultsUS regulator accepts review for new indicationsAsthma affects 26m people in USGSK (GSK) announced positive results from a late-stage clinical trial to test the effectiveness and safety of depemokimab, an antibody used for treating patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps.Twice yearly administration of depemokimab showed clinically meaningful and...

The FTSE 100 index climbed on Wednesday, with shares in GSK boosted after its revenue beat expectations.The Bank of England is expected to enact a 25 basis point rate cut on Thursday, but policymakers face the unenviable balancing act of weighing up a stalling economy with inflation pressure.The expected quarter-point cut by Threadneedle Street would take the bank rate to 4.50%, from 4.75%...

London's FTSE 100 was slightly higher during a more tranquil day for European equities so far on Wednesday, but markets still lacked inspiration as trade war worries linger.The FTSE 100 index rose 12.01 points, 0.1%, at 8,582.78. The FTSE 250 declined 30.17 points, 0.2%, at 20,623.09. It traded off session lows, however. The AIM All-Share rose 0.72 of a point, 0.1%, at 713.09.The Cboe UK 100...

Q4 sales and earnings ahead of consensus2031 sales target increased£2 billion share buybackGSK (GSK) delivered fourth quarter sales and profit ahead of consensus expectations and raised sales guidance for 2025 as well as nudging up its 2031 target to more than £40 billion and announcing a £2 billion share buyback.Unsurprisingly, the market reacted positively with the shares topping the FTSE...

Blue chips in London, Paris and Frankfurt opened lower on Monday as UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves failed to lift the mood in the UK with her China trip, amid a modest investment deal.'Surprise! The US economy added more than [250,000] new nonfarm jobs in December, some [90,000] more than expected, and the unemployment rate fell to 4.1%,' explained Swissquote's Ipek Ozkardeskaya. 'If it's any...

FDA accept review of syringe applicationOver 90 million doses givenApproved expected by 20 June 2025The US FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has accepted for review the regulatory application of GSK's (GSK) pre-filled syringe presentation of its shingles prevention drug Shingrix.The new application removes the need for healthcare professionals to reconstitute separate bottles prior to...

US fast track designation for bone cancer treatmentDesignation based on positive dataNo approved therapies exists for diseaseGSK (GSK) announced that the US FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has granted Breakthrough Designation to its experimental antibody drug conjugate candidate GSK'227 for treating a rare kind of bone cancer.Breakthrough Designation Therapy is aimed at advancing the...

China approval for NuculaThird indication achieved in ChinaNucula has generated £1.3 billion of sales year-to-datePharmaceutical firm GSK (GSK) said it has received approval from the China Medical Products Administration for Nucula, its monoclonal antibody treatment for adults with inadequately controlled chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP).It is the third indication to be...

Analysts expect £78.5 billion in payouts£56.5 billion of buybacks this yearFTSE 100 up over 7% in 2024The latest AJ Bell Dividend Dashboard report shows FTSE 100 constituents are on course to pay £78.5 billion in ordinary dividends this year.That figure is almost flat on 2023 and well below the all-time high of £85.2 billion recorded in 2018, although analysts are penciling in a 6.5%...

The potential appointment of well-known vaccine sceptic Robert F Kennedy Jnr to the Trump cabinet in the role of head of the Department of Health and Human Services sent shivers through pharmaceutical companies on 14 November, with shares falling around 7% on average on both sides of the Atlantic.Kennedy has previously cast doubts on the Covid-19 vaccine, describing it as 'the deadliest...

Fall in third quarter vaccine salesFull year profit reiteratedQ3 dividend of 15p per shareDisappointing vaccine sales took the shine off GSK's (GSK) third quarter update and despite management reiterating full-year sales and profit guidance, the shares sank to the bottom of the FTSE, falling 3.6% to £13.99.The shares languish near one-year lows and sit just 14% above the five-year low, which...

Shares languish ahead of Q3 updateStronger than expected first halfAnalysts trim forecastsShares in GSK (GSK) are down by around a fifth since May 2024 and languish near 12-month lows despite management upgrading sales and profit guidance in the first and second quarters and recently (10 Oct) settling 93% of outstanding Zantac litigation cases.The biopharmaceutical giant cannot seem to shake...

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...

Stocks in London ended in the red on Wednesday, as the market eagerly awaited the earnings from chipmaker and AI-play Nvidia.The FTSE 100 index ended down just 1.61 points at 8,343.85. The FTSE 250 declined 95.20 points, or 0.5%, at 21,066.87, and the AIM All-Share closed down 8.88 points, or 1.1%, at 770.30.The Cboe UK 100 ended down 0.1% at 834.14, the Cboe UK 250 fell 0.4% at 18,566.65, and...

Delaware court agrees to reviewHepatitis B drug gets fast track approvalNucala approval in JapanBiopharma giant GSK (GSK) was one of the top gainers in the FTSE today, rising 2% to £16.47 after releasing positive drug updates and news that the Delaware Supreme court has agreed to review its prior decision to allow expert witnesses in the ongoing Zantac litigation cases.The shares have...

Drug gets US regulatory fast-trackSecond-phase trials planned for H2Significant need for new treatmentsGlobal biopharma company GSK (GSK) said it had received US Breakthrough Therapy Designation for its investigational antibody-drug to treat patients with extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer.GSK shares dipped 13p or 0.8% to £15.86 on a weak day for UK stocks generally. WHAT DOES IT...

Stocks in London retreated on Friday, though ended the week as a whole higher, while gold notched a new record and sterling gained strength.The FTSE 100 index closed down 35.94 points, 0.4%, at 8,311.41. The FTSE 250 ended down 45.25 points, 0.2%, at 21,048.91, and the AIM All-Share closed down 0.52 of a point, 0.1%, at 774.27.For the week, the FTSE 100 ended 1.8% higher, the FTSE 250 gained...