Pfizer nets $3.36 billion in share saleHaleon completes £500 million share repurchaseSanofi plans to divest consumer healthcare unitStrong demand from US investors allowed pharmaceutical giant Pfizer (PFE:NYSE) to sell an upscaled 640 million shares in consumer healthcare group Haleon (HLN) at 380p, representing a 3.3% discount to the prior close.Investors focused on the positive implications of

Next CEO sells £29 million sharesDunelm founder's son sells 10 million sharesHollywood Bowl director sells 275,000 sharesSimon Wolfson, CEO of clothing retailer Next (NXT) has sold three tranches of shares during the period 20 to 24 September.Wolfson sold 204,349 shares at £100.65 for a total value of £20,568,376; 57,962 shares at £101.57 at a total value of £5,887.051 and 27,689 at £100.04

If you pick up a newspaper this month, you are almost guaranteed to read about the taxes the new chancellor is planning to hike, or the tax reliefs she is looking to axe. But one set of tax reliefs we know is here to stay are those supporting venture capital trusts.The Treasury has just confirmed the VCT scheme will now run until at least 2035 in order to support small British businesses. Many inv

With just over a month to go until the US presidential elections, Shares takes stock of where the two candidates stand in the polls and what the implications of a Democrat or Republican victory would mean for investors.There is no question the televised debate earlier this month was negative for Donald Trump, to the extent he refused to schedule a re-match.Yet, despite his poor performance, voting

The FTSE 100 closed higher in London on Tuesday, as miners enjoyed a boost from stimulus efforts in China, while mid-caps retreated from earlier in the day following US data.The FTSE 100 index closed up 23.05 points, or 0.3%, at 8,282.76. The FTSE 250 ended down 75.00 points, or 0.4%, at 20,770.12, and the AIM All-Share closed down 1.52 points, 0.2%, at 742.80.The Cboe UK 100 ended up 0.3% at 828.

Stocks in London held firm at the close on Monday, while the euro ebbed amid a slew of weak purchasing managers' index prints.The FTSE 100 index closed up 29.72 points, or 0.4%, at 8,259.71. The FTSE 250 ended up 13.28 points, or 0.1%, at 20,8451.82, but the AIM All-Share closed down 1.30 points, 0.2%, at 744.32.The Cboe UK 100 ended up 0.2% at 825.65, the Cboe UK 250 down slightly at 18,356.82, a

Diageo(DGE) £25.12Market cap: £55.9 billionInvestors seeking a high-quality consumer staple that is currently on sale should consider buying Diageo (DGE), the world's largest premium spirits company which is growing its market share around the globe. Shares in the premium drinks maker behind iconic brands Johnnie Walker whisky, Smirnoff vodka and Guinness stout are down 20% over one year. This r

Stocks in London pulled back on Wednesday, as weak US jobs data fuelled worries about an economic slowdown.The FTSE 100 index closed down 28.86 points, 0.4%, at 8,269.60. The FTSE 250 ended down 23.53 points, 0.1%, at 20,785.03, and the AIM All-Share closed down 2.73 points, 0.4%, at 759.66.The Cboe UK 100 ended down 0.5% at 826.75, the Cboe UK 250 closed down 0.2% at 18,286.84, and the Cboe Small

Stock prices in Europe opened in the green on Tuesday morning, with investors awaiting a manufacturing PMI print from the US later in the day.The FTSE 100 index opened 6.38 points, or 0.1%, at 8,370.22. The FTSE 250 was up 34.51 points, or 0.2%, at 21,015.02, and the AIM All-Share was up 1.94 points, or 0.3%, at 768.84.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.1% at 837.86, the Cboe UK 250 was up 0.1% at 18,504.60

Stocks in London were higher on Friday, as the market eagerly awaited a critical US inflation print.The FTSE 100 index was up 27.47 points, or 0.3%, at 8,407.11. The FTSE 250 was up 59.36 points, or 0.3%, at 21,090.44, and the AIM All-Share was virtually unchanged at 772.41.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.3% at 840.52, the Cboe UK 250 was up 0.2% at 18,563.70, and the Cboe Small Companies was down 0.1% a

Stock prices in London opened higher on Friday, following US GDP data that one analyst said 'tasted exactly how investors love it', as well as promising UK retail footfall figures.The FTSE 100 index opened up 28.77 points, or 0.3%, at 8,409.25. The FTSE 250 was up 73.24 points, or 0.4%, at 21,104.32, and the AIM All-Share was up 0.36 points at 772.85.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.3% at 840.62, the Cboe

The Global Smaller Companies Trust (GSCT) 166pMarket cap: £794.4 millionDespite the recent stock market dominance of mega-cap US tech companies, high-quality smaller caps have a longer term record of outperforming. With greater inherent growth potential than their large cap brethren, small caps tend to fare well in a falling interest rate environment and with borrowing costs on the way down in t

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

At the end of last year the market was pricing in 1.7% worth of US rate cuts for 2024 but here we are in late August and the Federal Reserve is yet to pull the trigger, largely due to stickier-than-expected inflation.However, after a series of false dawns, we may finally be approaching the point where the Fed acts, with a rate cut widely expected on 18 September. The debate largely centres on whet

Schneider pays price for lacklustre performanceNestle forced to slow price increasesNo quick fix for FreixeShares in Nestle (NESN:SWX) cheapened 2.5% to CHF 87.3 on Friday as investors digested news of the abrupt departure of Mark Schneider, who is being replaced as CEO of the world's biggest packaged food company by Laurent Freixe following eight years in the hot seat.The Swiss multinational enjo

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 closed lower on Tuesday, with the FTSE 100 dragged down by hits to index heavies, BP and Shell, on the back of declining oil prices, as well as BT.The FTSE 100 index closed down 83.62 points, 1.0%, at 8,273.32. The FTSE 250 ended down 171.32 points, 0.8%, at 20,986.15, and the AIM All-Share closed down 2.55 points, 0.3%, at 774.04.The Cboe UK 100 ended down 1.1% at 826.27, t

The FTSE 100 opened lower Friday morning despite a boost in retail sales in July, and underperforming against its counterparts in Paris and Frankfurt which traded higher.The FTSE 100 index opened just 3.93 points lower at 8,343.31. The FTSE 250 was down 14.52 points, or 0.1%, at 21,080.53, and the AIM All-Share was down 0.81 points, or 0.1%, at 773.98.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.1% at 834.20, the Cbo

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

There has been a seismic swing in the polling ahead of this year's crunch US presidential election (5 November).The latest polls conducted between 5 and 9 August by the New York Times and Siena College put current Democratic vice-president and presidential hopeful Kamala Harris ahead of former US Republican president Donald Trump. Significantly Harris is ahead of Trump in three key swing states Wi