Stocks in Europe closed higher on Friday, as investors welcomed signs of progress in US-China trade talks and looked past a hotter US inflation print that may delay rate cuts. The FTSE 100 index closed 63.31 points, 0.7%, at 8,798.91. The FTSE 250 was up 241.30 points, 1.1%, at 21,715.96, and the AIM All-Share added 2.29 points, 0.3%, at 769.33. For the week, the FTSE 100 added 0.3%, the FTSE...

Stocks in Europe continued to fare higher on Friday midday as investors await a personal consumption expenditures data print from the US, which is the key inflationary gauge for the Federal Reserve. In UK news, the number of UK home sales picked up by a quarter month on month in May following a plunge in April as a stamp duty holiday ended, according to HM Revenue & Customs figures. Across the...

Forecast-beating figures from Nike Easing headwind for JD Sports Return to US like-for-like growth a key catalyst JD Sports Fashion (JD.) was the biggest gainer in the FTSE 100 on Friday morning, shares in the self-styled 'King of Trainers' jumping 7.6% to 88p on a positive read-across from Nike's (NKE:NYSE) results overnight. Nike, whose products represent a significant share of JD Sports'...

The Nasdaq 100 index has been one of the best performing indices of the last 25 years, returning 8.8% since January 2000. To put that in pounds and pence, £10,000 invested in the index would now be worth £84,473, even throwing some shade on the broader US stock market in the form of the S&P 500, which is itself no slouch on the performance front. The Nasdaq 100 index is comprised of the...

London's blue chip index outperformed its European peers at Wednesday midday, but had a tepid morning as sterling rose to its best level in more than three years after UK consumer price index data came in hotter than anticipated. The FTSE 100 index traded down 8.44 points, 0.1%, at 8,772.68. The FTSE 250 was down 175.93 points, 0.8%, at 20,920.51, and the AIM All-Share was down 3.56 points,...

First-quarter like-for-like sales fall Tariffs could push up prices Focus on controlling cost base JD Sports Fashion (JD.) sank 7% to the bottom of the FTSE 100 on Thursday (21 May) after the 'King of Trainers' said first-quarter like-for-like sales to 13 May declined 2%, worsening the soft trading seen in the fourth quarter. The sports apparel retailer also highlighted the potential impacts...

Record full-year revenuesFourth-quarter earnings beatWeak start to new year Spanish clothing retailer Inditex (ITX:BME) fashioned a strong performance in 2024 as its affordable, quality clothing collections continued to resonate with shoppers, and the cash-rich Zara-to-Bershka brands owner also upped its annual dividend by 9% to €1.68 per share.So why was the stock marked down 7% to...

Just over five years ago the stock market began to react in earnest to news of the Covid pandemic.The sell-off was short and sharp, with a modest recovery from the lows in the spring followed by sharper gains in November 2020 after AstraZeneca (AZN) made a vaccine breakthrough.However, a large number of UK stocks are still trading below the levels they were at by the close of trading on 21...

Another quarter of like-for-like declinePre-tax profit guidance cut againNike's problems a headwindRecent downward momentum in JD Sports Fashion (JD.) continues, with shares in the self-styled 'King of Trainers' tanking on another year-to-January 2025 profit guidance downgrade.This follows slower sales over the Christmas period for the FTSE 100 tracksuits-to-football shirts seller. With weak...

Second-quarter results (19 December) from Nike [NKE:NYSE) will give Wall Street analysts a first opportunity to hear from new CEO Elliott Hill, tasked with turning round the world's biggest sportswear company's fortunes.Shares in the struggling sneakers-to-soccer balls titan, which recently withdrew full year 2025 guidance amidst a major restructuring, have shed a third of their value in the...

Indices in London ended the session in the green on a mixed day for retailers on Black Friday as US equities pushed higher in a shortened trading session.The FTSE 100 index rose 6.08 points, 0.1%, at 8,287.30. The FTSE 250 climbed 8.79 points, at 20,771.57, and the AIM All-Share firmed 1.58 points, 0.2%, at 732.49.For the week, the FTSE 100 rose 0.3%, the FTSE 250 advanced 0.9% and the AIM...

Recent downward momentum in JD Sports Fashion (JD.) has been exacerbated by the company's latest disappointing update.The firm announced on 21 November it now expects pre-tax profit for the year to January 2025 to be at the lower end of its original £955 million to £1.035 billion guidance range, news which sent the shares tumbling 16% to a two-year low of 95.2p.JD blamed 'increased trading...

Equities in Europe ended higher on Thursday, overcoming some earlier uncertain trade, as comments from a US official calmed some geopolitical worries which kept a lid on investor enthusiasm.Nonetheless, Brent remained above the $73 mark, supporting oil majors.Moscow's ambassador in London said Thursday Britain was 'now directly involved' in Russia's war with Ukraine, following reports Kyiv had...

Blue-chips in London traded in the green around midday on Thursday, as the escalating conflict in Ukraine pushed oil and gold prices higher.The FTSE 100 index added 25.97 points, 0.3%, at 8,111.04. The FTSE 250 lost 45.77 points, 0.2%, at 20,198.99, and the AIM All-Share rose 2.00 points, 0.3%, at 724.34.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.3% at 815.30, the Cboe UK 250 was down 0.2% at 17,701.10, and the...

Trading environment 'volatile'Weak Q3 growthBillion pound club admission may have to waitTrainers-to-tracksuits seller JD Sports Fashion (JD.) now expects year-to-January 2025 pre-tax profits will be at the lower end of its original £955 million to £1.035 billion guidance range, disappointing news that sent the shares tumbling 16% to a two-year low of 95.2p.The global footwear seller had...

To date, a small, exclusive club of UK retailers have exceeded £1 billion in annual profits, a high street elite that includes Tesco (TSCO), Marks & Spencer (MKS) and Kingfisher (KGF). Some may view this £1 billion figure as merely symbolic, but breaching this barrier is no mean feat and demonstrates a retailer has a lasting place in consumers' affections and the scale to win in a...

CEO appointed from withinDan Finley transformed DebenhamsMike Ashley may yet flex his musclesChallenged online fashion retailer Boohoo (BOO:AIM) has shunned major shareholder Frasers' (FRAS) demand to install Mike Ashley as CEO and appointed internal candidate Dan Finley as its new boss instead.Finley has been running Boohoo's fast-growing online department store Debenhams since 2022 and...

Retailer posts record first-half resultsOrganic growth across key regionsNike woes and FX headwinds hit stockDespite dashing in with record first-half results which demonstrated demand for tracksuits and trainers remains robust, shares in JD Sports Fashion (JD.) cheapened 5.4% to 141.5p as investors fretted over poor news from its biggest brand partner Nike (NKE:NYSE) overnight.Currency...

Anniversaries are often an opportunity to take stock so the Shares team has had a look at the best performing shares, funds and investment trusts since the magazine's first issue in September 1999.Read on to discover the identity of the top performers and find out names we think will continue to impress in the years to come and those where we think the good times might be over. But first, Ian...

Stock prices were higher in London, Paris and Frankfurt on Thursday, while the UK got a boost in a flash purchasing managers' index reading, ahead of weekly US jobless data.The FTSE 100 index was up 11.79 points, 0.1%, at 8,295.22. The FTSE 250 was down 18.70 points, 0.1%, at 21,168.49, and the AIM All-Share was down 0.54 points, 0.1%, at 776.27.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.2% at 829.44, the Cboe...