Some end of quarter nerves meant the FTSE 100 returned solid gains by the closing bell on Friday, despite a cooler US inflation reading spurring on stocks in New York.The FTSE 100 index ended 15.56 points lower, 0.2%, at 8,164.12. The FTSE 250 fell 45.77 points, 0.2%, at 20,286.03, while the AIM All-Share fell just 0.09 to 764.38.For the week, the FTSE 100 lost 0.9%, the FTSE 250 fell 0.8% and the

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

Whereas passive funds aim to track the performance of a key benchmark or index, active funds are run by a professional fund manager who selects what goes in the portfolio with the aim of outperforming the market. Active managers are paid a fee by investors for their stock picking expertise, benefit from face-to-face access to company management teams and unlike index trackers, can analyse qualitat

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

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

Is BT (BT.A) finally worth owning? For years it has been a complete dog of a stock and despite spinning back through our archives, Shares struggled to find the last time we had anything positive to say about the company or its shares.Yet suddenly in May 2024, the stock jumped, chalking up rough 30% gains within days and now at roughly 138p. 'There is a surge of energy running through BT after the

Full year revenue and profit ahead of expectationsBig jump in licensing incomeAnalyst upgrades expectedThe hobbyist end of the gaming market appears to be as popular as ever after fantasy miniatures maker Games Workshop (GAW) revealed better than expected full year revenue and profit.The shares, which have been in a holding pattern this year, trading between £90 and £100, jumped 8% to £101.80,

Profit seen missing forecastsIssues are company-specificAnalysts set to cut estimatesSpecialist engineering firm Spectris (SXS) confirmed the sceptics' view of the company by lowering its full-year operating profit forecast to 'at or below' the bottom end of the consensus.The shares slumped 450p or 14% at the open to a 12-month low of £27.50 before recovering to £29.50 for a loss of 8% in mid-mo

Like-for-like sales turn positiveGermany on course for breakevenShares buyback continuesShares in Whitbread (WTB) gained 4% to £30.21, topping the FTSE 100 performance table, after the Premier Inn owner said it experienced a pick-up in trading towards the back end of the 13-week period to the end of May.The shares are down 17% since the beginning of the year compared with a 6% gain for the benchm

Stocks in Europe were in the green on Tuesday morning, with Premier Inn owner Whitbread leading the way among London's large-caps, with a UK inflation reading and Bank of England decision to come later this week.The FTSE 100 index traded 44.73 points higher, 0.6%, at 8,186.88. The FTSE 250 was up 105.39 points, 0.5%, at 20,265.11, and the AIM All-Share rose 2.97 points, 0.4%, at 777.90.The Cboe UK

Stock prices in London closed mixed on Monday ahead of UK inflation data and a rate decision from the Bank of England, and as investors digested the latest house price reading.The FTSE 100 index closed down 4.71 points, 0.1%, at 8,142.15. The FTSE 250 ended up 39.36 points, 0.2%, at 20,159.72, and the AIM All-Share closed up 1.11 points, 0.2%, at 774.93.The Cboe UK 100 ended down slightly at 810.9

US approval for endometrial cancer drugLeads to 58% improvement in survival ratesImfinzi generated sales of $4.2 billionPharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca (AZN) said it has received US regulatory approval for its cancer drug Imfinzi to treat patients with advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer.The approval was based on results from a late-stage trial which showed Imfinzi plus carboplatin and pacli

Annual sales plunge 18%Cost-cutting drives improved H2 performanceNew CEO sets out recovery and growth strategyMind Gym's (MIND:AIM) shares slumped the best part of 30% to an all-time low of 27.5p after the corporate training specialist reported an 18% plunge in sales for the year to 31 March 2024 driven by constricted customer HR (human resources) budgets and warned the new financial year will be

Adjusted operating profit of £6.2 million for first halfMartyn Clark will take over as CEO on 14 JuneDividend slashed to 1p per shareShares in Crest Nicholson (CRST) were down over 8% to 221p in morning trading as the housebuilder warned on profit. Other housebuilding shares fell, albeit more modestly, in sympathy.It reported an adjusted operating profit of £6.2 million for the six months ending

Stocks in Europe fell around Thursday midday, after the US Federal Reserve backpedalled from previous predictions.The FTSE 100 index was down 40.98 points, 0.5%, at 8,174.50. The FTSE 250 was down 146.28 points, 0.7%, at 20,351.12, and the AIM All-Share was down 1.59 points, 0.2%, at 785.77.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.7% at 814.10, the Cboe UK 250 was down 1.1% at 17,782.64, and the Cboe Small Comp

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

'Quality investing' is the style pursued by the world's most famous investor Warren Buffett and Terry Smith, arguably the best-known British fund manager who runs the five-star Morningstar-rated Fundsmith Equity (B41YBW7) and consistently favours quality firms. Quality investing has generated strong long-run returns for its practitioners, including Buffett, but how do the leading fund managers off

THIS IS AN ADVERTISING FEATURE Imran Sattar, Portfolio Manager of Edinburgh Investment TrustWe like to diversify the Edinburgh Investment Trust within the 40 to 50 holdings in the portfolio by both companies and economic exposure. The portfolio currently is well diversified across stocks and sectors with a range of different economic characteristics.The most significant positions in the portfoli

European shares fell again on Tuesday, as a tricky start to the week continued in the wake of elections on the continent over the weekend, while stocks in New York were mostly lower on the eve of the next US central bank decision.The FTSE 100 index ended down 80.67 points, 1.0%, at 8,147.81. The FTSE 250 fell 179.19 points, 0.9%, at 20,266.85, and the AIM All-Share closed 6.77 points lower, 0.9%,

Stock prices in London fell on midday Tuesday, as investors digested the rising UK unemployment rate, a day before the next interest rate decision by the Fed in the US.The FTSE 100 index was down 61.69 points, 0.8%, at 8,166.79. The FTSE 250 was down 49.29 points, 0.2%, at 20,396.75, and the AIM All-Share was down 2.35 points, 0.3%, at 785.93.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.7% at 814.50, the Cboe UK 25