It must be a thankless task predicting monthly US jobs data, which probably explains the widening range of forecasts in recent months. Estimates going into the latest (4 October) non-farm payrolls report spanned 60,000 at the bottom end to 220,000 at the top, so September's 254,000 reading was a genuine upside shock.Even more surprising was the unemployment level which inched down to within a cat'

Stocks in London closed a mixed bag on Monday, as elections took top billing in a data-heavy day for Europe and the US.The FTSE 100 index ended up slightly at 8,166.76. The FTSE 250 fell 63.95 points, 0.3%, at 20,222.08, while the AIM All-Share climbed 0.80 points, 0.1%, to 765.18.The Cboe UK 100 rose marginally to 813.97, the Cboe UK 250 rose 0.2% to 17,654.04, and the Cboe Small Companies closed

European markets were solidly higher heading into Monday afternoon, with the blue-chip benchmark in Paris leading the way after more favourable than expected French election results.The FTSE 100 index was up 24.91 points, or 0.3%, at 8,189.06. The FTSE 250 was up 74.56 points, or 0.4%, at 20,360.19, and the AIM All-Share was up 1.46 points, or 0.2%, at 765.84.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.2% at 815.04,

There are hopes for an improved picture for bonds in 2024 as the rate hiking cycle turns. In this article we look at the case for bonds, consider whether the 60/40 portfolio could make a comeback and look at our best ideas to play the bond market through funds.ARE BONDS POISED FOR A RECOVERY?As central banks signal an end to the interest rate hiking cycle Investors might be thinking the prospects

The FTSE 100 opened lower on Wednesday, although headlines were dominated by the UK property sector.Housebuilder Barratt offered to buy FTSE 250 rival Redrow in a takeover deal, which values Redrow at £2.5 billion, while both cut dividends amid lower first half profit and revenue. Meanwhile, UK house prices rose for the fourth consecutive month, according to fresh data.The FTSE 100 index opened d

European equities endured an underwhelming trading session on Tuesday, while stock market investors will be hoping results from Nvidia will provide some impetus later.The stock comes into the third-quarter earnings on the back of a monstrous rise so far this year. Tepid numbers after the closing bell in New York on Tuesday could hurt it, however.There is also the release of minutes from the Federa

With investors' attention fixed on inflation and interest rates an economist at the US Federal Reserve argues investors should prepare themselves for a sharp drop in net income growth over coming decades.A new research paper by Michael Smolyansky based on data from Compustat shows that net income has grown at 3.8% a year, roughly double the 2% rate of operating earnings growth over the last 30 yea

Stocks in Europe took the latest European Central Bank interest rate decision in their stride on Thursday, though to varying degrees, as the FTSE 100 underperformed.The ECB lifted rates by 25 basis points, taking the interest rate on the main refinancing operations, the marginal lending facility, and the deposit facility to 4.25%, 4.50% and 3.75%, respectively.It means the Frankfurt-based central

Stocks in London closed significantly down on Thursday after the Bank of England hiked interest rates by 50 basis points, surprising investors after initial expectations of a 25 basis points hike.'The UK economy is verging on a doom spiral and this latest super-sized interest rate hike is only adding to it,' lamented Laura Suter, head of personal finance at AJ Bell.The FTSE 250 ended down 243.48 p

Nervousness over the passage of a bill to prevent the US government from defaulting on its debt, combined with weak economic data from China, pushed share prices lower in London early Wednesday.The FTSE 100 index was down 35.65 points, 0.5%, at 7,486.42. The FTSE 250 was down 80.93 points, 0.4%, at 18,726.44, and the AIM All-Share was down 3.06 points, 0.4%, at 783.70.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.6%

Conventional wisdom says the US is the only place to find world-beating companies while Europe has lots of 'interesting' niche businesses like specialist engineering and luxury goods companies.The truth is Europe has dozens of companies which are at least on a par with if not well ahead of their US counterparts, and investment trust BlackRock Greater Europe (BRGE) owns many of them.The trust's top

London share prices opened lower on Thursday, amid a big day for European company earnings and US economic data.Market sentiment was weighed down by uncertainty about the trajectory for the US economy and the knock-on effect of this worldwide, amid concern around the US banking sector.The FTSE 100 index opened down 13.51 points, or 0.2%, at 7,839.84. The FTSE 250 was down 49.78 points, or 0.3%, at

The US Federal Reserve's unenviable task of bringing down inflation without crashing the economy got even trickier in March following the mini banking crisis. For now, at least, the worst of the turmoil in the financial sector seems to be over.Nevertheless, the prospect of tighter bank lending standards and falling credit availability which was evident before the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank co

Stock market focus on Wednesday shifted for a day from inscrutable central bankers to mixed company trading updates, leaving London's large-cap index higher and other measures lower.The FTSE 100 achieved an early rise amid an absence of further hawkish comments from US central bankers on Tuesday. However, gains may be short-lived if Thursday's US inflation print comes in hot.Mid- and small-cap sto

In one corner there is the co-founder of PayPal (PYPL:NASDAQ) and secretive data analysis platform Palantir (PLTR:NYSE). In the other, arguably the best investment double act ever. Peter Thiel and Warren Buffett/Charlie Munger respectively have been throwing cryptocurrency brickbats at each other in recent weeks.The former says crypto is a transformation that will change how we move and even think

Shares in McColl's Retail (MCLS) crashed 53% to just 3.3p after the convenience store operator posted yet another profit warning and confirmed that a bid for the whole business has been withdrawn.In response to media speculation that it is at risk of collapse, the 'community retailer', which raised £30 million from shareholders in a cash call just six months ago, said it is remains in funding tal

Having briefly touched a two-year high, London's FTSE 100 ended Tuesday's trading session marginally lower, off a mere 0.09% at 7,567.07 points, despite a decent start on Wall Street and as an early boost from oil major BP (BP.) faded by the close.Investors remained cautious in the face of worries over inflation, interest rates and geopolitical tensions and a decline in oil prices acted as a wider

Multinational sports betting and gaming group Entain (ENT) has acquired Canada's leading online sports betting brand Sports Interaction in a deal valued at C$300 million or roughly £174 million.Ladbrokes owner Entain acquired the brand via the purchase of Avid Gaming, which exclusively licenses the Sports Interaction trademark and provides proprietary online and gaming products to the Mohawk Coun

A year ago Shares said it was feeling more optimistic about the year ahead. Despite inflationary pressures, stock markets overall have delivered good rewards for investors in 2021 and Covid vaccines have helped to restore some sense of normality.As we move into 2022, the outlook is still upbeat although there are plenty of factors which could trip up markets.This article pieces together all the ke

Asda's takeover by billionaires Mohsin and Zuber Issa and private equity group TDR Capital will have implications for UK rivals including Tesco (TSCO), Sainsbury's (SBRY), Morrisons (MRW) and Marks & Spencer (MKS).US retail titan Walmart has announced the sale of a majority stake in Asda, Britain's third biggest grocer, in a £6.8 billion deal that is subject to regulatory approval and expected to