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

Lululemon Athletica (LULU:NASDAQ) $260.3Market cap: $31.2 billionA 50% year-to-date drawdown at Canadian athleisure company Lululemon Athletica (LULU:NASDAQ) presents a buying opportunity for investors who love to snap up quality merchandise at a discount.Until recently, Lululemon, which sells clothing and footwear for yoga, running and training, was a stock market darling admired for its record

Tate & Lyle (TATE) 645pMarket cap: £2.5 billionInvestors have soured on Tate & Lyle (TATE) since the global ingredients group announced the $1.8 billion (£1.4 billion) acquisition of 'mouthfeel' specialist CP Kelco in June.The food producer's shares have fallen more than 20% from May's 831.5p five-year high on concerns over price and integration risk, since large acquisitions have an unfortun

Hot on the heels of updates from Walmart (WMT:NYSE) and Home Depot (HD:NYSE), hard-pressed Target Corporation (TGT:NYSE) is the next major retailer to give a read on the health of a US consumer struggling with the rapid rise in inflation and interest rates of the past few years. The discounter's second-quarter earnings are slated for 21 August, when Target will need to assure investors it is on tr

Stocks in London ended lower on Thursday, though avoided deeper losses thanks to a better-than-expected US jobless claims reading.The FTSE 100 index ended down 21.91 points, 0.3%, at 8,144.97. It had been 1.3% lower earlier on Thursday, however.The FTSE 250 fell 67.45 points, 0.3%, at 20,508.58, and the AIM All-Share lost 2.11 points, 0.3%, at 765.21.The Cboe UK 100 ended down 0.2% at 813.12, the

Stock prices stumbled in London on Monday, echoing the risk-averse mood of global equities peers.European investors did not have to look far to find reasons to be cautious, as Friday's sell-off persisted into the new week.The FTSE 100 index closed down 166.48 points, 2.0%, at 8,008.23. The FTSE 250 dropped 589.61 points, 2.8%, at 20,236.74, and the AIM All-Share closed down 22.65 points, 2.9%, at

Wall Street beat in Q2Higher capex incoming as Meta seeds AI soil$590 target price slapped on stockAll gardeners know you plant seeds today to reap a harvest tomorrow and it's what Facebook-owner Meta Platforms (META:NASDAQ) is doing with AI (artificial intelligence). Yes, it means higher capex now, but the rewards down the line could be considerable.Investors seems to understand this, which is wh

Given that the American consumer is buckling under the strain of sticky inflation and high interest rates, Procter & Gamble's (PG:NYSE) organic sales growth performance and forward guidance will be closely monitored when the consumer products powerhouse posts fourth quarter earnings (30 July).Analysts will be hanging on management's every word pertaining to currency headwinds, input cost pressures

Annual profits power 13.1% higherStand-out showing from Sports Direct'Strong' profit increase expected in FY25Frasers' (FRAS) topped the FTSE 100 leader board on Thursday 18 July, surging 9.5% higher to 899p after the retail giant delivered annual profits at the top end of guidance, driven by Sports Direct, and expressed confidence in delivering 'another strong increase' in profits this year.Contr

A major development in retail investing in recent years is the increased availability of vehicles which simply look to track the performance of a market. Thanks to their low cost, these passive funds have proved very popular and drawn money away from actively managed funds, where a professional stock picker makes the investment decisions.In this article we flesh out what active and passive investi

Share prices in London closed up on Wednesday as New York climbed midday, following Fed Chair Jerome Powell's testimony and ahead of key US inflation data on Thursday.The FTSE 100 index closed up 53.70 points, 0.7%, at 8,193.51. The FTSE 250 ended up 282.74 points, 1.4%, at 20,927.76, and the AIM All-Share closed up 0.91 of a point, 0.1%, at 772.85.The Cboe UK 100 ended up 0.7% at 816.35, the Cboe

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 explain th

For those approaching or entering retirement, the idea of being able to live off the income generated by their investments and not having to touch the underlying capital is hugely appealing.For the lucky few who have a 'pot' worth millions that dream may well be a reality, but for most of us it is something we are going to have to work on well before we get to the stage where we can finally stop l

Stocks in London ended in the red on Tuesday, as cautious sentiment prevailed following hot eurozone inflation figures.The FTSE 100 index ended down 45.56 points, 0.6%, at 8,121.20. The FTSE 250 fell 27.61 points, 0.1%, at 20,194.47, while the AIM All-Share slipped 0.81 of a point at 764.37.The Cboe UK 100 fell 0.7% to 808.01, the Cboe UK 250 declined 0.5% to 17575.03, and the Cboe Small Companies

European stocks were under pressure on Tuesday, while US equities are set to open lower, after eurozone inflation data veered towards being unfavourable, as core price pressure remains robust.The data may have given European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde some food for thought. Lagarde, and her Federal Reserve counterpart Jerome Powell, speak at a conference in Sintra, Portugal later.The

Grocery sales in lineArgos sales disappointNo change to forecastsThe UK's second-largest supermarket chain Sainsbury's (SBRY) delivered a first-quarter trading statement which was pretty much in line with expectations in terms of grocery sales and maintained its full-year profit and cash-flow forecasts.However, a slowdown in total like-for-like sales growth and the resulting lack of an upgrade saw

European stocks opened in the red on Tuesday, with eyes on eurozone inflation data, a US labour market report, and words from central bankers at a conference in Portugal.The FTSE 100 index traded 51.69 points lower, 0.6%, at 8,115.07. The FTSE 250 fell 75.96 points, 0.4%, at 20,146.12, and the AIM All-Share was down 1.67 points, 0.2%, at 763.51.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.8% at 807.43, the Cboe UK

European stocks struggled early Tuesday, though the FTSE 100 managed a slight gain, with the mood in markets uncertain after US tech shares were sold off overnight.The FTSE 100 index traded 5.88 points higher, 0.1%, at 8,287.43. The FTSE 250 was down 57.93 points, 0.2%, at 20,504.64, though the AIM All-Share fell 0.72 of a point, 0.1%, at 771.14.The Cboe UK 100 fell 0.1% to 824.77, the Cboe UK 250

Announcing a new share buyback programme has been one way to trigger a share price boost. The ease at which companies have made such capital allocation decisions has naturally caught the attention of politicians, thus buybacks are increasingly a target for tax collectors.Joe Biden has already pushed through a 1% tax on buybacks in the US and wants to raise that level to 4% if he gets a second term

Covid-19 stock market darling Moderna (MRNA) appears to be getting its mojo back with investors following a punishing 85% drop in the shares from their September 2021 highs.Over the last six months Moderna's shares have more than doubled and despite the fall over the past couple of years, they remain one of the best performers in the benchmark S&P 500, notching up gains of 880% over the last five