Stock prices in London were in the red at midday Tuesday as eurozone consumer prices were confirmed to have risen as expected in October, while global geopolitical tensions rose.Ukraine is utilising its new ability to hit Russia with US missiles, reportedly prompting stocks to fall as investors lose their appetites for risk.Investors are also starting to scale back expectations for interest rate c

The FTSE 100 on Tuesday morning outperformed its French and German peers, as investors await consumer price inflation data from the eurozone.The UK government is having a busy week. Downing Street has confirmed that the UK is set to relaunch trade talks with India, while ministers continue to face calls from farmers and opposition parties to scrap its changes to agricultural inheritance tax. The N

Stock prices in Europe were in the green on Monday morning including all UK stocks, as the energy price cap in Great Britain is now expected to rise in January, as opposed to fall.Meanwhile, Swissquote's Ipek Ozkardeskaya commented: 'US retail sales and the inflation data came in higher than expected last week, and the Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said that the US economy is strong enough a

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

Stock prices in London were mostly in the green at Thursday midday, as US producer price inflation will soon be released amid weekly jobless figures, as investors await further updates on who will be part of Donald Trump's second administration.'The FTSE 100 ticked higher in early trading on Thursday despite weakness in the US and Asia overnight as American inflation edged higher,' commented AJ Be

Stocks were mixed on Thursday morning in Europe as investors await eurozone GDP and jobless data, and a US producer price inflation reading later.Also in the UK, data from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors showed signs of improvement in the housing market. A net balance of 16% of property professionals reported house prices rising in October, and a 12% balance saw fresh buyer inquiries

Now we have had the Budget, I think this may alter my retirement planning strategy. The significant IHT (inheritance tax) pensions advantage has now gone (or will within two years). I am 74, have around £1.5 million in SIPPs largely untouched. I have fixed protection 2014, and my tax-free cash limit is £375,000 less £25,000 taken in 2024.In view of IHT advantages of pension (until the Budget) I

Stamp duty changes announced in the Budget mean that from April 2025 buyers will face higher costs when buying a home ? with first-time buyers hit the hardest.The ending of a temporary stamp duty cut means that the tax will rise next year. This measure, originally introduced by former prime minister Liz Truss to boost the housing market, will end on 31 March 2025. The most significant impact will

The US stock market is the biggest in the world and the listing domain of globally-renowned companies including Apple (AAPL:NASDAQ), Nvidia (NVDA:NASDAQ) and Amazon (AMZN:NASDAQ), which makes the market an extremely attractive proposition for UK-based investors. The US equity market's sheer size means it is highly liquid and offers investors greater scope for diversification than other regional ma

The result of the US presidential election has created shockwaves in the financial markets and beyond and I'm sure raised questions about your own portfolios.That's understandable and arguably this was among the more consequential elections of recent times. However, the occupant of the White House has historically made little difference to the long-term returns available from the financial markets

Stock prices in London were mixed at midday Wednesday, amid cautious optimism from the UK housebuilding sector, as eyes are set on upcoming US consumer price inflation data.'US inflation figures will be closely watched this afternoon, with expectations for the cost of living to have edged higher,' commented AJ Bell's Russ Mould. 'The consensus is for the annual rate of inflation to move from 2.4%

Stocks closed higher in London on Monday, with the FTSE 100 snapping out of a four-day losing streak following a boost from UK high street banks.The FTSE 100 index rose 52.80 points, 0.7%, at 8,125.19. The FTSE 250 closed up 203.57 points, 1.0%, at 20,721.49. The AIM All-Share gained 3.57 points, 0.5%, at 737.93.The Cboe UK 100 rose 0.7% at 815.50, the Cboe UK 250 advanced 1.1% at 18,160.09 but th

Stocks in London were in the green at midday on Monday, with NatWest on the up after buying back government shares.'The FTSE 100 broke its losing streak to trade higher on Monday with healthcare and financial stocks doing much of the heavy lifting. There was wider optimism across Europe as stocks recovered from a rocky week,' said AJ Bell's Russ Mould.The FTSE 100 index was up 64.00 points, 0.8%,

Stock prices in Europe were in the green on Monday morning after data on Saturday showed that annual consumer price inflation in China slowed in October.Swissquote's Ipek Ozkardeskaya said that 'the picture remains bullish for the US equities' following Trump's re-election but 'Elsewhere, worries mount: FTSE 100 and the European Stoxx 600 index both closed last week below the 200-DMA on worries ab

Stock prices in Europe were mixed on Thursday morning ahead of interest rate decisions by the Bank of England and the Federal Reserve, as investors digest Donald Trump's incoming second presidential term.'The BoE is expected to cut rates by 25bp today,' noted Swissquote's Ipek Ozkardeskaya. 'The markets price in two more rate cuts by the end of next year and gives a 35% chance for a third one... [

Recent changes to the UK's listing rules should lead to a host of new names joining the FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 indices in the new year, generating more interest in the UK stock market and putting more companies on the radar of investors.This matters to investors whether they own UK stocks directly, have exposure via actively-managed funds or simply track certain parts of the market through an excha

It is generally thought that owning shares in conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-B:NYSE) is equivalent to holding a microcosm of the US economy, given the broad reach of its investments, from insurance to utilities and railroads.That notion is becoming more nuanced following the revelation by chair Warren Buffett on 2 November that the Omaha Nebraska-based company sold $36 billion of its share p

Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced an astonishing £40 billion of tax rises in her maiden budget, and yet, despite that, there will be relief in some quarters that things didn't turn out worse.Capital gains tax is one of the areas where the Reeves' raid was not as bad as feared, as there had been speculation she would bring capital gains tax rates into line with income tax, with the top rate risin

There was a certain degree of investor bemusement last month when shares in US electricity generation company Constellation Energy (CEG:NASDAQ) soared on news technology giant Microsoft (MSFT:NASDAQ) had signed a 20-year power purchase agreement.This was no ordinary deal, however, as it paves the way for the restart of Three Mile Island 1 ? not the reactor which famously melted down in 1979, but a

The FTSE 100 joined European peers in the red on Wednesday, while the US hit new highs following Donald Trump's win in the presidential election.The FTSE 100 index closed down 5.71 points, or 0.1%, at 8,166.68. It had earlier hit an intra-day high of 8,301.78.The FTSE 250 ended up 76.66 points, 0.4%, at 20,446.70, and the AIM All-Share rose 2.75 points, 0.3%, at 739.04.The Cboe UK 100 ended slight