Stocks in London close higher on Thursday, close to a new record, boosted by a rate cut at the Bank of England and strong results from AstraZeneca.BoE Governor Andrew Bailey believes the central bank will be able to cut rates further, but policymakers will need to decide meeting-by-meeting 'how far and how fast' bank rate can be trimmed.Speaking following the BoE's decision to cut bank rate by 25

Stocks in London were making little progress on Friday morning, as the market awaited the key catalyst of the afternoon's US nonfarm payroll data.'Today's jobs data will be very important in providing a final conclusion to the week's so far stronger-than-expected US jobs figures,' comments Swissquote's Ipek Ozkardeskaya. 'The US economy is expected to have added near 147,000 new nonfarm jobs in Se

This column is no adherent to 'efficient market hypothesis', not least because there would not be equity booms and busts, or even marked day-to-day volatility, if investors really knew what was coming around the corner ? it simply would not be possible to make a profit if everything was perfectly priced.However, it does have a lot of sympathy with the argument that a security's price is a very fai

London's FTSE 100 made a decent start to the final trading day of the quarter, and cooler-than-expected US data could offer it impetus for further gains.The blue-chip benchmark in Paris struggled, however, as pre-election nerves kicked in.The US data is released at 1330 BST. The core personal consumption expenditures inflation gauge is expected to have faded to 2.6% in May, from 2.8% in April, acc

Stock prices in London opened in the green on Friday after the Bank of England and the European Central Bank decided to hold their interest rates, and ahead of eurozone trade data.The FTSE 100 index opened up 8.49 points, 0.1%, at 7,657.47. The FTSE 250 was up 103.00 points, 0.5%, at 19,359.96, and the AIM All-Share was up 0.69 of a point, 0.1%, at 738.53.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.1% at 764.64, the

London?s FTSE 100 made a muted start to the day on Thursday, while the euro came under some pressure following another batch of tamer inflation data from the continent, this time in France.Inflation remains the theme of the day going forward, with a wider eurozone consumer price index reading to come. There is also the latest US personal consumption expenditures data. The core PCE reading is the F

European equities were lower heading into Monday afternoon, though the FTSE 100 was down only marginally, as investors consider where to go from here after a softer US jobs report aided risk sentiment towards the back end of last week.The data put some wind in the pound's sails, and currency trade was where the fireworks were on Monday afternoon. Sterling topped $1.24, while the euro might have $1

European markets were making little headway at Monday's market open, as investors paused to consider last week's economic data and central bank decisions.The FTSE 100 index opened up 5.22 points, 0.1%, at 7,422.95. The FTSE 250 was down 56.31 points, 0.3%, at 17,927.53 and the AIM All-Share was up 0.92 of a point, 0.1%, at 698.17.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.2% at 740.61, the Cboe UK 250 was down 0.2%

Stock prices in London were a mixed bag on Thursday at midday, with the FTSE 100 edging lower, as jitters were evident before the US Federal Reserve's latest print of its preferred inflation measure, the personal consumption expenditures index.'The markets are so data driven right now, aping the stance adopted by central bankers, and it feels like a worse than expected reading could extinguish the

The FTSE 100 was in the green on Friday amid mostly strong company earnings, following the week's three major central bank decisions.The FTSE 100 index opened up 21.41 points, 0.3%, at 7,714.17. The FTSE 250 was down 90.04 points, 0.5%, at 19,183.33, and the AIM All-Share was down 1.13 points, 0.2%, at 768.16.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.1%, the Cboe UK 250 was down 0.5% at 16,860.93, and the Cboe Sma

Nick Train, who co-founded asset manager Lindsell Train with Michael Lindsell, is one of the UK's most-followed fund managers. His insights in commentaries for the Finsbury Growth & Income (FGT) and Lindsell Train (LTI) investment trusts are pored over by fellow stock pickers and media alike.Train and Lindsell remain actively involved in fund management and running their company until at least 202

The cost-of-living crisis, job insecurity and uncertain economic conditions mean people are eager to find investments that pay a dependable stream of income.The aim is to find something that can deliver sustained growth in the dividend each year and for the capital value to also grow over time.GOLDEN RULE #1There are three golden rules to follow when searching for quality sources of income. The fi

Ken Wotton, manager of Strategic Equity Capital (SEC), reveals how he chooses which stocks to invest in and how he continually reviews his portfolio to ensure it is suited to market conditions. Importantly, and by design, the businesses in our portfolios share certain characteristics centred around financial quality and mitigating downside risk.They have very low levels of leverage or none at all,

Bank shares were back under severe selling pressure on Wednesday, with some suspended from trading, after yet more bad news for Credit Suisse reawakened worries caused by the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank.Just a handful of FTSE 100 stocks were in the green around midday UK time, all largely 'safe' utilities or pharmaceutical firms.While stocks made a tepid start to the day, they managed to hang

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak headed to Belfast on Tuesday to try and sell his Northern Ireland protocol deal, and sterling traders liked what they heard.The pound briefly rose above the $1.21 mark on Tuesday, still benefitting from the deal. At midday, sterling was quoted at $1.2093, up from $1.2019 at the London equities close on Monday.The FTSE 100 index was down 27.93 points, 0.4%, at 7,907.18

London share prices started lower on Tuesday, following market declines in the US and Asia and a dispiriting forecast that the UK economy will underperform all its peers this year.The two-day US Federal Open Market Committee policy meeting begins on Tuesday. The Federal Reserve will announce its latest interest rate decision on Wednesday. The Bank of England and the European Central Bank will foll

THIS IS AN ADVERTISING FEATURE-2022 was a mixed year for progress on ESG issues with considerable disruption from the Ukraine crisis-High fossil fuel prices and insecurity of supply has galvanised policymakers to support renewables development-Companies are making tangible progress on disclosure and transparency2022 brought both progress and failure for sustainable investors. On the one hand, the

A strong start to the year for London's FTSE 100 continued on Wednesday, shaking off some less-than-stellar economic data as eyes shift to what minutes from the Federal Reserve's most recent meeting have in store.The US Federal Open Market Committee will release its meeting minutes at 1900 GMT.The FTSE 100 index was up 49.22 points, or 0.7%, at 7,603.31. The FTSE 250 was up 173.48 points, or 0.9%,

It's been a tricky 2022 for global stock markets and that's made life hard for ordinary and professional investors alike. In this feature several leading fund managers explain what worked out for them over the course of the year and what went wrong.James Harries - Securities Trust of Scotland (STS)What worked?At Troy (Securities Trust of Scotland's investment manager) we seek companies that genera

THIS IS AN ADVERTISING FEATUREThe European economy may be weakening, says Stefan Gries, Co-Manager of the BlackRock Greater Europe Investment Trust plc, but great European companies can thrive in all conditions. Capital at risk. The value of investments and the income from them can fall as well as rise and are not guaranteed. Investors may not get back the amount originally invested.The European e