Stocks in London closed mostly higher on Thursday as investors weighed earnings and kept an eye on the latest developments in the US' trade dispute with China. 'It was a fairly muted day for UK stocks which isn't a bad thing given the wild swings we've seen on financial markets in recent weeks,' said Danni Hewson, head of financial analysis at AJ Bell. The FTSE 100 index rose 4.26 points,...

With more than half a century of unbroken dividend hikes under its belt, Brunner (BUT) aims to provide long-term growth in capital and dividends by investing in global and UK equities with an 'all-weather' approach designed to adapt to different market conditions.To achieve this resilience, co-managers Julian Bishop and Christian Schneider of Allianz Global Investors focus on...

Now the ballots have been cast at the general election, the UK could become the 'reassuringly boring' market, both politically and fiscally, when compared to the more extreme politics on the other side of the English Channel and Atlantic Ocean.So suggests Jean Roche, manager of the Schroder UK Mid Cap Fund (SCP), who notes capital allocators know more or less what to expect, which could...

£346 million sale agreedShare buyback worth £100 million plannedHigher margin distribution now the focusInchcape?s (INCH) shares revved up 4.5% to 730p on news the global automotive distributor has agreed to sell its UK car retail operations to a US rival for £346 million in cash.The disposal, which follows a strategic review launched in January, will allow Inchcape to focus on its higher...

London?s FTSE 100, the outperformer on Friday as investors fretted over a possible escalation in the Middle East, was the laggard on Monday in the wake of Iran?s strikes on Israel over the weekend, as the blue-chip index?s oil majors tracked crude prices lower.Large-cap benchmarks in Frankfurt and Paris, which fell on Friday, were on the up on Monday. Stocks in New York tumbled at the end of...

Aviva CEO Amanda Blanc buys over 10,000 sharesInchcape CEO Nigel Stein makes the most of strong resultsLikewise CEO offloads £2.5 million sharesAmanda Blanc, CEO of Aviva (AV.) has bought 10,597 shares at 474p for a total value of £50,241 along with her husband Kenneth Blanc who has bought 17,121 shares at 468p for a total value of £80,242 on 7 March.The purchases come after the insurance...

Having hammered the insurance industry for its practice of ?walking up? renewal prices for existing car and home policyholders, the FCA (Financial Conduct Authority) has a new target in its sights ? the motor finance market.Firms which generate revenue from providing motor finance include Close Brothers (CBG), Inchcape (INCH), S&U (SUS) and Secure Trust Bank (STB).In 2021, the regulator banned...

Leading global automotive distributor Inchcape's (INCH) resilient business model and growth potential remain underappreciated by investors. Now is a great time to buy the shares, which are cheap relative to history.Through its 'Accelerate' strategy, the FTSE 250 company is helping to consolidate a fragmented global market by leveraging its geographic footprint and relationships with car...

Firmly out of favour with investors since the Brexit vote seven years ago, the FTSE 250 index rallied strongly on the release of the latest UK inflation data (19 July). This showed UK CPI rising by 7.9% year-on-year in June, lower than forecasts of an 8.2% rise, theoretically reducing expectations for the scale of future interest rate hikes from the Bank of England.Yet even after a big one-day...

Finally, everyone is talking about UK stocks. The spotlight is back on the country after the UK's FTSE 100 was one of the few major indices globally to record positive returns in 2022 and this year it has broken through the 8,000 level and hit a new record high. Hopefully, this will lead to the return of foreign investors who have shunned the UK since the Brexit vote in 2016.Investors can...

- FTSE surpasses 2018 all-time high- Stocks riding under the radar- Dollar strength a tailwind for FTSEAfter posting its strongest start to a new year in close to a decade (up 6%), the FTSE 100 index surpassed its May 2018 all-time peak on Friday 3 February.Perhaps surprisingly, it isn't all about the biggest names driving returns although index heavyweight HSBC (HSBA) is up over a third since...

The advent of globalisation has helped to drive considerable earnings growth for companies on the UK stock market thanks to them doing business with an ever-growing number of countries. Unfortunately, widespread geographical expansion means the list of UK stocks with exposure to Russia is bigger than you might think.Many professional and retail investors have raised a moral objective to having...

In the first of a two-part series Shares talks to a range of fund managers about the stocks they like for 2022. Covering both UK and overseas markets, the experts offer a range of ideas spanning technology and banking to leisure and automotive sectors.The second part of the series (to be published on 23 December) will reveal a selection of fund managers' biggest disappointments for 2021 and...

Quoted car retailers are enjoying an upgrade cycle fuelled by the highly unusual supply and demand dynamics seen in the UK automotive market since the summer of 2020.Post-lockdown, pent-up consumer demand is being released at the same time as the global semiconductor shortage impacts new car production, which is driving up second hand vehicle prices in particular and boosting sector-wide...

Risk-averse investors wary about rising rates and their potential to roil long-duration assets including highly rated growth stocks should look at Fidelity Special Values (FSV), the investment trust with stakes in cheap UK stocks that boast significant recovery potential.While the shares have swung from a net asset value discount to a modest premium, this reflects the fund's strong performance...

Despite gains for index heavyweights including Lloyds Banking (LLOY) and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), the FTSE fell on Thursday due to negative movements from both Royal Dutch Shell (RDSB) and HSBC (HSBA).The blue chip benchmark traded 0.36% lower at 7,227.24 points on a busy day of corporate results.The European Central Bank was set to update the market later in the day and investors will be...

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...

Shares in Marshall Motor (MMH:AIM) revved up 4.7% to a five-year high of 200p after the automotive dealership upgraded profit guidance again in an unscheduled trading update.Following on from a significant profit upgrade in May, Marshall Motor insisted it is on the road to recording another record result for 2021, management also flagged up a 'high level of uncertainty' ahead due to factors...

London's FTSE 100 was down sharply by close of play on Friday, the blue chip benchmark shedding 1.7% to 7,029.92 points as oil prices slumped, hurting the shares price of index heavyweights BP (BP.) and Royal Dutch Shell (RDSB).Investors have been in 'risk off' mode in the latter half of the week, unsettled by guidance from the US Federal Reserve suggesting rate hikes will come in 2023 and...

London's FTSE 100 was down 0.9% to 7,092.26 points by noon on Friday with some index heavyweights under pressure, investors factoring in guidance from the US Federal Reserve suggesting rate hikes will come in 2023 and with UK retail sales figures for May coming in below expectations.Retail sales fell by 1.4% between April and May as people chose to visit reopened bars and restaurants instead...