European stocks were higher heading into Friday afternoon, shaking off disappointing UK data, while Paris shares were up after a new prime minister was named.The FTSE 100 index traded up 12.74 points, 0.2%, at 8,324.50. The FTSE 250 was up 23.30 points, 0.1%, at 20,972.34, and the AIM All-Share was down 1.59 points, 0.2%, at 735.97.The Cboe UK 100 was 0.2% higher at 835.95, the Cboe UK 250 was up

European stocks closed lower on Tuesday, after the long Easter holiday weekend and a day full of economic data.The FTSE 100 index closed down 17.53 points, 0.2%, at 7,935.09. The FTSE 250 ended down 170.84 points, 0.9%, at 19,713.89, and the AIM All-Share closed down 0.86 of a point, 0.1%, at 742.40.The Cboe UK 100 ended down 0.3% at 793.40, the Cboe UK 250 closed down 1.1% at 17,147.56, and the C

North Sea oil and gas minnow Orcadian Energy (ORCA:AIM) has seen its share price increase more than four-fold to 14.5p since mid-September.The big driver is a proposed farm-out deal on its Pilot project in the central North Sea (18 September). Orcadian has granted exclusivity on a provisional agreement with an unnamed operator until 30 November to allow all the details to be finalised, including l

Stock prices in London closed lower on Monday, as investors await interest rate decisions from the US, the UK and Japan.The FTSE 100 index closed down 58.44 points, 0.8%, at 7,652.94. The FTSE 250 ended down 340.50 points, 1.8%, at 18,449.27, and the AIM All-Share closed down 3.29 points, or 0.4%, at 742.06.The Cboe UK 100 ended down 1.0% at 761.91, the Cboe UK 250 closed down 2.1% at 16,072.08, a

Share prices in London went into Monday afternoon on the back foot, amid signs of nerves ahead of a trio of major central bank decisions this week.London-listed housebuilding stocks, which are interest rate sensitive, were among the worst performers. Less-than-stellar housing data for Rightmove hurt investor sentiment.Pendragon announced it has shifted gears, selling its UK motor business and leas

After a strong 2022 as energy prices surged in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the UK's contingent of UK small and mid-cap oil and gas companies has endured a much more challenging time in 2023. Windfall taxes have taken a big bite out of profits and commodity markets have fallen back as fears of recession dampen demand expectations.Facing the prospect of an unstable and more onerous fis

The pound held firm and shares rose in London at midday on Monday as investors fell back on commodities amid concern over the US debt ceiling impasse.The FTSE 100 index was up 37.74 points, or 0.5%, at 7,792.36. The FTSE 250 was up 47.62 points, or 0.3%, at 19,235.99, while the AIM All-Share was down 1.22 points, or 0.2%, at 815.74.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.5% at 779.02, the Cboe UK 250 was flat at

London's FTSE 100 lost more ground on Thursday, with investors digesting hawkish words from US lawmakers to Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.Market attention is now squarely on Friday's US jobs report. Another red-hot reading of the US labour market could spook stocks further and give the Fed the leeway to lift rates even more.Among individual shares, miner Endeavour and Ladbrokes owner Entain

Stocks markets globally were on the rise at the start of the new month on Wednesday, amid strong expectations that the Federal Reserve will continue to slow its pace of interest rate hikes.Ahead of the US central bank decision, a string of company updates and PMI readings were attracting market attention.The FTSE 100 index opened up 23.53 points, 0.3%, at 7,795.23. The FTSE 250 was up 129.18 point

With cash savings rates approaching 5% if you're prepared to lock your money away for a few years, investors are starting to ask if this is a better place for their savings than taking the risk of investing in the stock market.Over the past decade or so, income funds have been popular investments as they've offered more generous yields than you'd get on cash. Now the Bank of England's base rate ha

THIS IS AN ADVERTISING FEATUREThe concept of physically removing carbon dioxide (CO2) directly from the air has gained momentum in the midst of significant, sustained global focus on climate change. We see in Figure 1 that projects focused on carbon capture, utilisation and storage that are either in 'advanced development' or 'early and announced' phases jumped dramatically in 2021. Notably, the n

While the pledge to hit net zero targets by oil and gas majors BP (BP.) and Royal Dutch Shell (RDSB) may have captured the headlines over the past 18 months or so, the push for more ESG-focused strategies is permeating further down the industry food chain.In most of this author's recent discussions with companies in the sector, the ESG (environmental, social and governance) angle has been brought