Investors have been playing a waiting game this week with all eyes on today's (28 Jun) US personal consumption price index, a key input in the Federal Reserve's 'data-driven' model which will tell it when it's safe to cut interest rates.A May figure of 2.6% or lower, against April's 2.8% print, and the market will be off to the races, although as Fed chair Jay Powell has said many times before we

It can seem daunting to know where to start when making a first investment which may deter some people from starting at all. This would be a mistake because the sooner a start is made, the longer an investment is allowed to mature and provide capital gains and dividends.Waiting just a few years can reduce the potential saving pot over the long term. For example, assuming an investment of £100 a m

According to the ONS (Office for National Statistics), retail sales volumes were much stronger than expected in May, following a wet April, in news which will be welcomed by the sector's long-suffering constituents.!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrap

If, like many people, you have moved jobs over the years and accumulated two or more occupational pensions, now is a good time to think about bringing them all under one roof.As well as allowing you to work out how much is in your pension pots and where they are invested, by consolidating them into a single pot you can manage them more easily.In this article we'll show you how to go about this pro

Stocks in London were mixed at midday Wednesday after an early morning recovery as US tech stocks had recovered, while the CAC 40 in Paris was down ahead of Sunday's election.Uncertainty in the political sphere was not limited to France, with so-called 'gamblegate' dominating the UK election.Amongst individual stocks, Phoenix Group mulled the possible sale of SunLife. Small-caps' ProCook surged, a

Largest ever investment trust combinationNew vehicle big enough for FTSE 100 inclusionLower ongoing charges to followTwo of the biggest investment trusts are combining in the sector's largest-ever merger, with Witan (WTAN) to be rolled into Alliance Trust (ATST) in a mega-deal expected to complete later this year.The combination of these FTSE 250 constituents will create 'Alliance Witan', an inves

Stock prices in London closed lower on Tuesday, as UK political parties enter their final full week of campaigning before the general election.Looking ahead to the rest of the week, focus is on US data, with a gross domestic product reading Thursday and the latest personal consumption expenditures data on Friday.The FTSE 100 index closed down 33.76 points, 0.4%, at 8,247.79. The FTSE 250 ended dow

Tie-up to 'mutually enhance' operationsTHG offloads luxury brands to FrasersFirst external Frasers Plus partnershipShares in Mike Ashley-controlled retail conglomerate Frasers (FRAS) firmed 3.2% to 898p on news it had forged a 'multi-year' partnership with e-commerce innovator THG (THG).The payments and logistics tie-up should 'mutually enhance' the retail operations of both companies and will inc

Stock prices in London closed in the red on Friday, after investors were left to mull over mixed local economic data which painted a conflicting picture of the economy.The FTSE 100 index closed down 34.74 points, 0.4%, at 8,237.72. The FTSE 250 ended down 56.37 points, 0.3%, at 20,442.35, and the AIM All-Share closed up 0.19 of a point at 772.57.Over the last five days, the FTSE 100 and the FTSE 2

Stocks fell at midday in London on Friday after new data showed that growth in service sector activity was decelerating.The FTSE 100 index traded 63.83 points lower, 0.8%, at 8,209.15. The FTSE 250 was down 104.78 points, 0.5%, at 20,393.94, although the AIM All-Share was up 0.40 of a point, 0.1%, at 772.78.The Cboe UK 100 fell 0.7% to 817.26, the Cboe UK 250 declined 0.5% at 17,755.99, and the Cb

Stock prices in London closed mostly higher on Thursday a day after inflation cooled to the Bank of England's target, with European markets also rising.The FTSE 100 index closed up 67.35 points, 0.8%, at 8,272.46. The FTSE 250 ended up 117.67 points, 0.6%, at 20,498.72, and the AIM All-Share closed down 5.12 points, 0.7%, at 772.38.The Cboe UK 100 ended up 0.8% at 822.72, the Cboe UK 250 closed up

Profit at top end of expectationsBusiness has doubled in sizeMedium term goal to double againDespite delivering full year profit at the top end of market expectations and doubling the size of the business, investors gave multi-brand franchise operator Franchise Brands (FRAN:AIM) the thumbs down with the shares dropping 11% to 152.6p.While all the group's key divisions achieved record results in 20

Stock prices in London opened largely in the green on Thursday, with the FTSE 100 registering a solid gain before an expected Bank of England rate hold in the early afternoon.There was a slew of M&A updates in early UK corporate news, adding some excitement before Threadneedle Street takes centre-stage.The FTSE 100 index traded 22.16 points higher, 0.3%, at 8,227.27. The FTSE 250 was up 65.85 poin

Motorpoint (MOTR) 139pMarket cap: £123.4 millionRisk-tolerant investors seeking a recovery stock with an exciting market share opportunity ahead of it should hop behind the wheel of Motorpoint (MOTR).Admittedly the used car dealer has just had its toughest year in a quarter of a century, but with market conditions improving the business has returned to profitability and has a brighter road ahead

When you're building your pension up, what you're looking for from your investments is well defined: growth. Likewise in retirement, for most people, the goal is simply to generate income. But there is a period in the lead up to retirement, when things are a little more nuanced.During the financial crisis the typical global equity fund fell by 30%. That's not something you want to happen just at t

Over the coming years investors in ETFs (exchange-traded funds) can expect further flexibility and choice as actively managed products move into the mainstream and a broader range of themes and investment areas are captured by the industry.In this article we will look at some of the emerging developments in the ETF space and highlight four products tailored to different investment objectives and a

Ultimate Products (ULTP) 131.5pLoss to date: 15.7%We flagged Ultimate Products (ULTP) on 18 April 2024 as a compelling way to play the UK consumer recovery on the basis the market was undervaluing the group's brand strength, resilient business model and multiple growth opportunities.Our bull case for the homeware products brand manager behind the likes of Salter and Beldray also hinged on hopes of

Organic customer growth of 14.1%Full year dividend up 3p to 83pShares up 19% over the past yearShares in Telecom Plus (TEP) were up over 2% to £19.20 in morning trading as the multi-utility supplier reported an adjusted pre-tax profit of £116.9 million, up 21.5% for the full year ending 31 March 2024, slightly above market expectations.The company said it continued to perform strongly against th

The US's Alternative Energy has walked away from any dealXP Power shares trading at near 15-year lowsDavy says 'significant shareholder value can be created from a standalone XPP'Electronics engineer XP Power (XPP) saw its share price plunge nearly 18% in trading on Tuesday (18 Jun), leaving the stock more than 40% lower over the past 12 months.Having been marred by slowing orders late last year,

Full-year pre-tax profit downDebt and interest costs climbUS revenue target fails to inspireEquipment rental firm Ashtead (AHT) posted a fall in pre-tax profit for both the final quarter and the full year to the end of April and forecast a slowdown in revenue growth in the key US construction market.The shares dropped 180p or 3.3% to £53.30, undoing all their gains since mid-March and sending the