Stocks in London ended the week higher on Friday, while unambiguously dovish remarks from US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell propelled the pound to a 29-month high against the dollar.'The time has come for policy to adjust. The direction of travel is clear, and the timing and pace of rate cuts will depend on incoming data, the evolving outlook, and the balance of risks,' Powell said in a speec

It was a week of ups and downs for the US market as investors awaited Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell's address to the Jackson Hole Symposium on 23 August.<img src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/O7wOm/full.png" alt="" data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/O7wOm/full.png"><span id="mce_marker" data-mce-type="bookmark" data

European stocks were in the green on Friday morning, as regulator Ofgem reported it will increase the energy price cap in Great Britain, pushing up average household bills by 9.5% from October.'Just when temperatures begin to plummet and nights draw in, households will be faced with the exact scenario they'd hoped was behind them,' warned AJ Bell's Danni Hewson.Meanwhile, eyes remained on the Jack

Q2 like-for-likes up 2.4%Full year profit guide maintainedOutlook caution limits gainsShares in JD Sports Fashion (JD.) jumped 6% to 136p after the trainers-to-tracksuits purveyor reported improved second quarter sales and reiterated full year guidance for 6% to 9% organic growth and adjusted pre-tax profit in the £955 million to £1.035 billion range.This came as a relief to investors given the

Total contract value $320 millionSpace base near the North PoleCritical work on energy networkOutsourcing and facilities management group Serco (SRP) scored another win with the US military in the form of a four-year contract to modernise a space base 750 miles inside the Arctic Circle for a cool $320 million.The shares, which fell sharply at the start of August after the firm posted a drop in fir

Stock prices in Europe were mildly higher on Thursday morning, as investors await the start of the Jackson Hole conference on Thursday which could indicate clues on the trajectory of US interest rates.Amongst individual stocks, JD Sports Fashion saw its shares jump, after updating shareholders on its second quarter growth. Eckoh also took some of the spotlight, after receiving a takeover offer fro

On 1 August the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee made a 5-4 decision to kickstart its rate-cutting cycle. A 25 basis point reduction in the base rate to 5% marking The Old Lady of Threadneedle Street's first cut since March 2020.This means cash savings rates are heading in one direction, down. And the lower-than-expected jump in UK inflation reported on 14 August only boosted market exp

Regular readers of this column will be well aware of its faith in the Philadelphia Semiconductor index, or SOX, as a valuable indicator to follow and after the summer stock market stumble the 30-stock benchmark is well and truly in the headlines. At its early-August low, the SOX had lost 25% of its value in just a month. It has since rebounded by a sixth. Given the SOX's importance as both a guide

Gold prices remain within touching distance of the all-time highs of $2,510 set recently amid ongoing geopolitical tensions.The precious metal is up around 20% year-to-date outperforming most other asset classes. WHY HAS GOLD HIT NEW HIGHS It is not hard to see why investors have flocked to gold due to the crises in the Middle East, the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, worries about expected interest

Wall Street anticipates another strong quarter for Nvidia (NVDA:NASDAQ) as investors' favourite chip stock prepares to release fiscal second-quarter 2025 results (28 Aug), so the pressure is on.There's been no sign that demand for the firm's high-end graphics processing units is waning, the benchmark for running generative AI workloads, but good hasn't been good enough for Nvidia for months: only

The FTSE 100 finished higher in London on Wednesday, but took a back seat to mid-caps, ahead of the next set of minutes from the Federal Open Market Committee.The FTSE 100 index closed up 10.11 points, 0.1%, at 8,283.43. The FTSE 250 ended up 201.04 points, 1.0%, at 21,187.19, and the AIM All-Share closed up 2.77 points, 0.4%, at 776.81.The Cboe UK 100 ended up 0.2% at 827.64, the Cboe UK 250 clos

FY24 operating profit forecast cutFY25 profit now seen below FY24Firm blames 'interest rate uncertainty'The UK's leading for-rent developer and operator Watkin Jones (WJG:AIM) dropped a massive clanger with its trading update for the full year to September which included a warning for 2025 earnings.The shares were crushed, losing 15p or 29% to 36p on volume of more than four million shares by 9am

Stock prices in London opened a tad higher on Wednesday morning, as investors keenly await upcoming Fed's minutes which may give a preview if Chair Jerome Powell will make any comments on monetary policy on Friday.The FTSE 100 index opened up just 0.98 of a point at 8,274.30. The FTSE 250 was up 42.13 points, 0.2%, at 21,028.28, and the AIM All-Share was up 1.05 points, 0.1%, at 775.09.The Cboe UK

Drug gets US regulatory fast-trackSecond-phase trials planned for H2Significant need for new treatmentsGlobal biopharma company GSK (GSK) said it had received US Breakthrough Therapy Designation for its investigational antibody-drug to treat patients with extensive-stage small-cell lung cancer.GSK shares dipped 13p or 0.8% to £15.86 on a weak day for UK stocks generally. WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

European blue chip stocks were lower on Tuesday morning as investors awaited a consumer price inflation print from the eurozone.The FTSE 100 index opened down 36.75 points, 0.4%, at 8,320.19. The FTSE 250 was up 31.12 points, 0.2%, at 21,188.59, and the AIM All-Share was up just 0.34 of a point at 776.93The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.5% at 831.41, the Cboe UK 250 was up 0.2% at 18,591.03, and the Cboe

London indices closed higher on Monday with mining stocks benefitting from rising gold prices while aerospace & defence manufacturers waned.The FTSE 100 index closed up 45.53 points, 0.6%, at 8,356.94. The FTSE 250 ended up 108.56 points, 0.5%, at 21,157.47, and the AIM All-Share closed up 2.32 points, 0.3%, at 776.59.The Cboe UK 100 ended up 0.6% at 835.35, the Cboe UK 250 closed up 0.7% at 18,55

London opened mixed on Monday, as it kicks of a quiet week, where the main event will be the annual Jackson Hole meeting.The FTSE 100 index opened down 9.17 points, 0.1%, at 8,302.24. The FTSE 250 was up 17.52 points, 0.1%, at 21,066.43, and the AIM All-Share was up 0.22 of a point at 774.49.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.2% at 829.35, the Cboe UK 250 was up 0.2% at 18,472.40, and the Cboe Small Compa

Stock prices in London edged down at midday on Friday, although companies of all sizes in the gambling sector performed well.The FTSE 100 index was down 31.96 points, 0.4%, at 8,315.39. The FTSE 250 was down 27.94 points, 0.1%, at 21,066.22, and the AIM All-Share was down 1.92 points, 0.3%, at 772.87.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.3% at 831.21, the Cboe UK 250 was down 0.1% at 18,451.52, and the Cboe

Stocks closed in the green in Europe on Thursday, as London's FTSE 100 extended its gains, while the UK economy had a 'remarkable rebound' in the second quarter.The FTSE 100 index closed up 66.30 points, 0.8%, at 8,347.35. The FTSE 250 ended up 141.87 points, 0.7%, at 21,094.16, and the AIM All-Share closed up 3.28 points, 0.4%, at 774.79.The Cboe UK 100 ended up 0.8% at 833.68, the Cboe UK 250 cl

Cambridge-based Raspberry Pi (RPI), the designer and maker of low-cost computing equipment, announced the release this week of Pico 2, a new single-board computer built on RP2350, its new secure microcontroller platform.The new microcontroller offers faster processors, more memory, better interfacing and new security features, and like its predecessor professional customers will be able to integra