London stocks closed higher on Tuesday's shortened trading day, buoyed by gains in the retail and mining sectors, while Windward surged 42% following a takeover bid from FTV VIII LP.The FTSE 100 index closed up 34.27 points, 0.4%, at 8,136.99. The FTSE 250 ended up 152.42 points, 0.8%, at 20,571.51, and the AIM All-Share closed up 4.96 points, 0.7%, at 717.40.The Cboe UK 100 ended up 0.5% at 816.2

Key UK indices were broadly flat at Thursday's close as the ECB decided to 'play it safe' with interest rate cuts.Also, the UK prime minister has said providing homes for people must be the 'top priority' over nature and the environment as government reforms are set to allow more building on the green belt.A shake-up of planning rules means councils have been given mandatory targets to deliver a t

Digital mental health provider Kooth (KOO:AIM) saw its shares slump after the company revealed (18 Oct) it had received a 30-day notice from the US state of Pennsylvania to terminate its pilot contract.The contract was first signed on 11 October 2021 and was extended by a year from 30 June 2024 to June next year, whilst negotiations on a new contract were ongoing.The company said the status of its

Just when investors think they have got the measure of Tesla (TSLA:NASDAQ), Elon Musk drops a bomb. Having feared the worst, Tesla?s first quarter (Q1) 2024 report (25 April) gave investors the clarity they were seeking on mass-market vehicles, and while detail remains thin, Musk said production would likely begin ?in early 2025, if not later this year? and would include ?more affordable models.?T

Blue-chip stocks in Europe fell on Tuesday, though oil majors and miners stopped London?s FTSE 100 from suffering a sharper decline.Stocks struggled, but gold was on the rise again, achieving another record high. Defence firms were sold off, meanwhile.The FTSE 100 index ended down 8.68 points, 0.1%, at 7,934.79. The FTSE 250 ended down 91.23 points, 0.5%, at 19,763.35, while the AIM All-Share rose

In this third part of our investor survey, we asked some of the UK?s leading fund managers which sectors or stocks they thought were the most promising for 2024.The responses were as varied as they were thought-provoking, with only a couple of managers singling out technology stocks.As before we would like to thank all those who took part for sharing their views, and we hope readers enjoy them. WH

Stock trading was calmer on Thursday, recovering some of the market value lost on Wednesday after Credit Suisse got a helping hand from the Swiss central bank, but the plans of the European Central Bank were thrown in doubt.The ECB announces its latest interest rate decision at 1315 GMT on Thursday, with a press conference featuring President Christine Lagarde following at 1345 GMT.It previously s

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

As 2022 draws to a close amid continuing market volatility Shares has canvassed leading fund managers to find out where they have been finding the best opportunities.Jamie Ross - Henderson Eurotrust (Hne)LOOKING OUT FOR BOMBED-OUT GROWTH STOCKSWe have spent the last 12 months trying to find opportunities within the growthier area of the market - our favoured part of the market and the part of the

Mental ill health has been moving up the agenda for some time, and now represents the most common medical complaint for UK adults according to a study by not-for-profit healthcare firm Benenden Health.Illnesses related to mental health including depression and anxiety were the most commonly reported health conditions in the UK during the past two years, with more than a fifth of 25 to 34 year-olds

Online video meetings platform Zoom Video Communications saw its stock post its biggest one-day slump after the $71 billion software company spooked investment markets with guidance that may suggest its lockdown growth spurt is over.Zoom reported revenue of $1.02 billion and adjusted earnings of $1.36 per share, beating analyst estimates on both measures. But while second-quarter results were stro

Investors were left unimpressed after Vodafone reported full year to 31 March 2021 results. While the mobile network giant presented a catalogue of information in a positive light, including plans to become a next generation connectivity and digital services provider in Europe and Africa, shareholders appear unhappy with the prospect of uninspiring growth targets.'Our digital transformation initia

Two of the biggest director deals over the past week involve company founders at bus and train operator Stagecoach (SGC) and construction firm Morgan Sindall (MGNS) who have decided to sell down their stakes.Sir Brian Souter and his sister Dame Ann Gloag, who founded Stagecoach, have sold almost 11.6 million of their shares in the business.The siblings cut their holdings by the equivalent of a 2.1

As the share price uptrend shows, investors are regaining an appetite for US-listed Kraft Heinz, the branded food and beverage behemoth where legendary investor Warren Buffett holds considerable sway.Yet the $46.3 billion cap remains modestly valued for a global consumer staples giant due to worries over debt levels and the post-pandemic earnings outlook. Next debt is forecast to be $25.56 billion

While many investment funds have recorded heavy losses this year, there have been a few outlier funds which have not only recorded a positive return when looking at the three months to 31 May, but in some cases have also outperformed their benchmarks by a decent amount.We spoke to various managers of funds in the UK smaller companies, Europe ex-UK, Asia ex-Japan, strategic bond and absolute return

The company which handled the administration of cake shop Patisserie Valerie and helped with the liquidation of electricals retailer Comet is to float its shares on the UK stock market.Shares understands that FRP Advisory will soon confirm plans to list on the London Stock Exchange with the intention of raising up to £30m. It is expected to be valued in the region of £200m and its closest listed

Smaller companies are often at the sharp end of positive and negative trends in the market and wider economy.A spirit of entrepreneurship and innovation can help small caps be at the forefront of change. At the same time more modest balance sheets and less diversified revenue can leave them exposed if the backdrop turns against them.In this article we look at some of the key themes which have emer

London's FTSE 100 gave up 26.8 points to trade at 7,304.5 early on Tuesday, dragged lower by supermajor BP (BP.), ongoing domestic election uncertainties as well as a further slowdown in house price growth which weighed on large cap builders Berkeley (BKG), Barratt Developments (BDEV) and Taylor Wimpey (TW.).Oil major BP softened 3.9p to 508.1p after reporting a sharp drop in third quarter 'underl

Share in Tobacco manufacturer Imperial Brands (IMB) moved higher on a decision to make its dividend policy less generous.While this seems counter-intuitive the move went some way to alleviating concerns the company was paying out too much to shareholders and that its dividend growth was unsustainable, at least if the company wanted to keep its net debt-to-earnings ratio at comfortable levels.Curre

With the pound under increasing pressure as we draw closer to a decision on the Tory leadership contest and Brexit, this currency weakness weighed on UK domestic stocks including Sainsbury's (SBRY) and Marks & Spencer (MKS) on Wednesday. Both retailers were among the top fallers on the FTSE 100 index, which fell 0.2% to 7,560, while the more UK domestic-focused FTSE 250 declined by 0.1% to 19,640.