Blue chip stock prices in London, Paris and Frankfurt were comfortably in the green at Wednesday midday, with Lloyds up after it received higher price targets from Deutsche Bank Research and Barclays.In UK news, the defence secretary has suggested the real-terms increase in defence spending year-on-year will be only around half the £13.4 billion figure cited by the prime minister.John Healey...

The wildfires which seemingly came out of nowhere and have devastated large communities in the Los Angeles area, destroying more than ten thousand properties, are reckoned to have caused total damage approaching $250 billion according to forecasting service Accuweather.That would be equal to around 4% of California's annual GDP and would make this one of the costliest natural disasters in US...

Luxury goods brand Burberry (BRBY) has ended its 15-year sojourn in the FTSE 100.The relegation comes after dramatic share price falls for the company in 2024. EasyJet (EZJ), which had been on course to suffer the same fate, looks to have saved itself with a recent rally (confirmation of the outcome of the reshuffle was due after market close on 4 September).In May this year, EasyJet investors...

Each year, natural disasters around the world destroy assets worth hundreds of billions of dollars.According to German reinsurance giant Munich Re (MUV2:ETR), losses incurred from natural disasters amounted to $270 billion last year with less than half that figure covered by insurance.For insurers, it is essential to have in-depth knowledge of risks and how they are developing in order to be...

Most investors will remember 2022 as being one of the toughest years for stock markets around the world in a long time. However, plenty of stocks have delivered positive returns.In this feature we look at the best performing London-listed stocks spread across four different parts of the market, covering small, medium and large sized companies.£5 billion+ market capIreland has been one of the...

US markets posted their biggest one-day gain in two years yesterday with the S&P 500 index surging 5.5% and the technology heavy Nasdaq rising a whopping 7.4% after consumer price inflation for October came in lower than expected.Despite many months of higher-than-expected inflation, investors have been fixated on anticipating a Fed 'pivot' and yesterday's inflation print could give the US...

- Hurricane losses seen at $135 million- Insurance rates continue to increase- Firm promises faster growth next yearInsurer Hiscox (HSX) was the top riser in the FTSE 250 mid-cap index after it revealed smaller-than-expected losses from recent natural disasters and promised an 'acceleration of growth' in 2023.Shares in the Bermuda-based firm climbed 5.5% to 948p, although they still sit well...

Less than a month after Hurricane Ian, a large and highly destructive Category Four Atlantic storm which devastated large parts of Florida, estimates of its impact are rising rapidly.Initial forecasts put the cost of the storm at between $20 billion and $30 billion, but once the full extent of the damage to Fort Myers was appraised estimates soared to between $50 billion and $65 billion.The...

- Investment loss impacts first half results- Combined ratio improves to 91.3%- Rate increases in reinsurance, retail and London marketShares in insurance group Hiscox (HSX) slumped 7% following the announcement of disappointing first half 2022 results that were impacted by unrealised losses on the bond portfolio.Hiscox reported a headline first half 2022 pre-tax loss of $107 million, dragged...

Despite posting a strong finish to 2021 and forecasting strong trading this spring and summer, theatre operator Cineworld (CINE) is still the most-shorted UK stock according to daily data from the FCA (Financial Conduct Authority).Short sellers are also targeting other companies which are dependent on discretionary spending such as retailers.LIGHTS OUT?Sifting through the FCA data its is clear...

Food-to-go retailer Greggs (GRG) has filed a £100 million legal claim against Swiss insurance giant Zurich for losses it incurred while its stores were closed during the pandemic.The company argues it is due the money as compensation for 'business interruption' under the terms of its insurance agreement. The claim is significant as if successful it could open the floodgates for other firms to...

UK stocks took a step back on Tuesday after the FTSE 100 began the week at a new year-high. For the next two days investor attention is likely to be on the pace of interest rate hikes, with the US Federal Reserve meeting tomorrow evening and the Bank of England meeting on Thursday lunchtime.Overnight there were record highs in the S&P 500, Dow Jones and Nasdaq 100, despite further evidence of...

This is the final part of our three-part series on the FTSE 250. Read our introduction here and catch up on the growth versus value debate in part two here.In this last part of our mini-series on the FTSE 250 we take a look at some of the higher quality stocks that inhabit the UK's mid-cap universe. We will discuss some of the companies that demonstrate real financial strength and balance...

UK stocks built on Monday's gains as corporate earnings continued to please investors, with index heavyweight BP (BP.) surging after hinting at a substantial return of capital to shareholders.Asian markets were shaken overnight by worries of further Chinese government intervention in the private sector, this time involving the gaming industry. Shares in TenCent slumped as much as 10% at one...

London's FTSE 100 opened higher on Wednesday with mining companies boosted by rising commodity prices buoyed by global recovery hopes.At 08.35 am, the blue chip benchmark was up 0.8% at 6,981.24 points, having lost ground on Tuesday due to a sell-off in US tech stocks.Miners led the charge early on, with BHP (BHP), Glencore (GLEN) and Rio Tinto (RIO) up 2.4%, 2.2% and 2.2%, respectively. Other...

While 2021 has seen investors put Covid in the rear-view mirror, a new threat to businesses has emerged which has put the insurance industry on guard in case it causes a wave of new claims.At the start of March, US software giant Microsoft revealed there were 'vulnerabilities' in its Exchange Server mail and calendar software used by corporate and government data centres.More worrying, the...

The FTSE 100 experienced some fairly wild swings in afternoon trading on Wednesday following the Budget, with a mixed reaction to announcements including the extension of furlough and support for businesses, as well as continued relief on stamp duty and a plan to raise corporate tax to 25%.Having initially rallied over 1% in morning trade before falling back to trade just 0.2% higher after the...

The FTSE 100 climbed in morning trading on Wednesday ahead of a vital Budget that investors hope will oil the wheels of Britain's economic recovery.There has been plenty of speculation floating about ahead of the Budget, with weekend reports of tax grabs, already experts predict Rishi Sunak to be largely fiscally supportive of the pandemic-ravaged UK economy.By 12pm, the FTSE 100 rallied 0.89%...

Shares in insurance group Hiscox (HSX) were the worst performers in the FTSE 350 index, slumping 130p or 13.4% to 850p, after the company reported a pre-tax loss of $268.5 million for the year to December compared to a profit of $53.1 million the previous year.Despite a resilient performance in terms of gross written premiums, which remained steady at $4.03 billion thanks to the firm's mix of...

The FTSE 100 made a storming start to trading on Wednesday ahead of a vital Budget that investors hope will oil the wheels of Britain's economic recovery.There is plenty of speculation floating about, with weekend reports of tax grabs, already experts predict Rishi Sunak to be largely fiscally supportive of the pandemic-ravaged UK economy.Events on Wall Street, which endured another soft...