Stock prices in Europe opened in the green on Monday as Donald Trump picked hedge fund manager Scott Bessent as the next US Treasury secretary, a 'clear nod' to New York equity markets.Bookending the FTSE 100, meanwhile, were two retail names. JD Sports added 3.5%, recovering after slumped 16% on Thursday and losing another 2.1% on Friday. B&Q owner Kingfisher plunged 11% after trimming the top en

Equities in London powered higher on Friday, ending the week on a strong note, but sterling fell flat on less-than-stellar UK data.The euro, meanwhile, hurtled closer to dollar parity as eurozone data was similarly tepid.The FTSE 100 index jumped 112.81 points, 1.4%, at 8,262.08. The FTSE 250 climbed 231.77 points, 1.1%, at 20,581.69, and the AIM All-Share gained 6.38 points, 0.8%, at 732.20.For t

London's stocks were mostly higher at Friday midday amid gloomy economic data which could boost expectations for interest rate cuts.The FTSE 100 index rose 52.48 points, 0.6%, at 8,201.52. The FTSE 250 climbed 170.72 points, 0.8%, at 20,520.41, and the AIM All-Share gained 4.33 points, 0.6%, at 730.07.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.6% at 824.79, the Cboe UK 250 was up 1.1% at 17,998.02, and the Cboe Sma

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 fir

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 Cbo

European equities were mostly in the red on Thursday morning amid a threat of higher for longer interest rates, following a lofty UK inflation reading and a caution against turbocharged US easing from a Federal Reserve official.The FTSE 100 index added just 0.40 of a point at 8,085.47. The FTSE 250 lost just 7.21 points at 20,237.55, and the AIM All-Share rose 3.18 points, 0.4%, at 725.52.The Cboe

With the 'sugar rush' of the US elections fading, attention turned back to the state of the global economy last week with a couple of data points worth mentioning.UK third-quarter GDP came in short of expectations due to poorer manufacturing output, prompting a good deal of hand-wringing and laments that the nation was 'stagnating' due to restrictive interest rates.For our money, however, the IEA

International Biotechnology Trust (IBT) 716pMarket cap: £263.2 millionWarren Buffett tells investors to be greedy when others are fearful and take advantage of depressed prices. That in a nutshell is the investment proposition for International Biotechnology Trust (IBT), which sits on an 11% discount to NAV (net asset value).The discount is not quite as extreme as it was when we highlighted the t

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 competitive ma

The potential appointment of well-known vaccine sceptic Robert F Kennedy Jnr to the Trump cabinet in the role of head of the Department of Health and Human Services sent shivers through pharmaceutical companies on 14 November, with shares falling around 7% on average on both sides of the Atlantic.Kennedy has previously cast doubts on the Covid-19 vaccine, describing it as 'the deadliest vaccine ev

Whether you love or hate cryptocurrencies, you cannot deny the spectacular performance. Since Donald Trump's White House race victory (5 November) Bitcoin has surged 35% to an all-time $94,795 high. Since the start of 2024 it has more than doubled. Ethereum and Elon Musk pet crypto Dogecoin, are up 33% and 300% respectively this year.If you own crypto assets, or are considering doing so, it's valu

A year after fast-fashion sensation Shein was first thought to have filed registration papers for a UK IPO, reports suggest the company is targeting the first quarter of 2025 for a London float that could value the business at £50 billion.Shein's position as a fast-growing retailer expanding across multiple geographies and taking market share from established players ? it is no coincidence that t

Markets seem to approve of the election of Donald Trump as the 47th US president. The S&P 500 has hit a record high in the wake of the election result, crossing over the 6,000 mark for the first time. This latest bump comes on the back of an exceptional run for US stocks, which has put other regional markets firmly in the shade, including the UK's own stock market.The historic performance differen

European equities traded higher on Wednesday morning, as stocks in London shrugged off a hotter-than-forecast UK inflation reading for now.Sage shone on the FTSE 100, while Severn Trent also impressed.The FTSE 100 index climbed 23.61 points, 0.3%, at 8,122.63. The FTSE 250 edged up 22.23 points, 0.1%, at 20,449.85, and the AIM All-Share was up 2.56 points, 0.4%, at 726.79.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.

An increasingly tense geopolitical backdrop knocked European stocks on Tuesday, while the pound continued to struggle ahead of Wednesday's UK inflation print.The FTSE 100 index ended down 10.30 points, 0.1%, at 8,099.02. The FTSE 250 rose 32.21 points, 0.2%, at 20,427.62, and the AIM All-Share faded 3.32 points, 0.5%, at 724.23.The Cboe UK 100 ended flat at 814.55, the Cboe UK 250 rose 0.1% to 17,

26% rise in NGP net revenue4.5% rise in full-year dividendTotal return 45% year-to-dateShares in Imperial Brands (IMB) climbed 2% to £24.48 in morning trading as the multi-national tobacco company reported a robust set of full-year results despite a big push by governments to curb the number of people smoking and vaping.The FTSE 100 company, which owns several tobacco brands including Davidoff, W

Stocks in London saw a mixed start to the week on Monday, as housebuilders and the property sector weighed on mid-caps, while rising commodity prices lifted large-caps.The FTSE 100 index rose 45.71 points, 0.6%, at 8,109.32. The FTSE 250 declined 81.23 points, 0.4%, at 20,395.41, and the AIM All-Share climbed 0.41 of a point, 0.1%, at 727.55.The Cboe UK 100 ended up 0.5% at 814.60, the Cboe UK 250

Stocks in London edged lower on Friday, while equities in New York dropped in early trade following some hawkish comments from the chair of the US Federal Reserve.The FTSE 100 index lost 7.58 points, 0.1%, at 8,063.61. The FTSE 250 declined 46.17 points, 0.2%, at 20,476.64, and the AIM All-Share gave back 2.24 points, 0.3%, at 727.14.For the week, the FTSE 100 slipped 0.1%, the FTSE 250 declined 0

Stock prices in London, Paris and Frankfurt were mostly lower on Friday morning, as UK GDP growth came in slower than expected, ahead of US retail sales and industrial output data.UK gross domestic product is estimated to have increased in the latest quarter but edged down for September, data from the Office for National Statistics showed. The trade deficit widened on-month to £3.46 billion.Indus

The FTSE 100 closed in the green on Thursday, following positive updates from some of London's large-cap constituents. The FTSE 100 index rose 40.86 points, 0.5%, at 8,071.19. The FTSE 250 closed up 163.80 points, 0.8%, at 20,522.81. The AIM All-Share advanced 0.09 of a point to 729.38.The Cboe UK 100 climbed 0.5% at 811.74, the Cboe UK 250 climbed 0.9% at 17,950.10 and the Cboe Small Companies fe