London's FTSE 100 closed higher on Tuesday in a shortened trading day, securing the strongest annual gain for the index in three years.Advances in New York this year towered over the UK blue-chip index, however. The FTSE 250 registered an even weaker annual gain and the AIM All-Share shrunk over the course of 2024.The FTSE 100 index ended up 52.01 points, 0.6%, at 8,173.02. It is up 5.7% for the y

Wealth managers least likedBank of Georgia gets full houseReal estate popular among analystsHumans generally feel more comfortable in groups which partly explains why stock prices often move in broad trends: knowing other investors and analysts have come to the same conclusion about a company breeds confidence in the investment case, whether or not it turns out to be correct.A rarer breed of inves

Palantir, Salesforce, Snowflake, MongoDB favouredAI monetisation to expand beyond chips in 2025Investors warned to watch economic risksAnalysts at Wedbush believe 2025 will be a year of significant growth for the software sector as the AI (artificial intelligence) revolution begins a new phase fuelled by enterprise adoption of generative AI and machine learning large language models.The Wedbush te

The FTSE 100 opened in the red on Tuesday morning, as the shortened final day of trading for the year kicked off with some trepidation.Stocks in New York struggled on Monday, trade in Asian equities was unconvincing, and the nerves fed through to Europe on New Year's Eve.The FTSE 100 index opened down 8.35 points, 0.1%, at 8,112.66. It is up 5.0% for the year.The FTSE 250 was up just 9.64 points a

Equities in Europe declined on Monday, in holiday-thinned trade, while declines in New York were more dramatic, with tech stocks bearing the brunt.The FTSE 100 index ended down 28.77 points, 0.4%, at 8,121.01. The FTSE 250 shed 84.10 points, 0.4%, at 20,404.55, and the AIM All-Share lost 0.89 of a point, 0.1%, at 714.23.The Cboe UK 100 ended down 0.2% at 814.55, the Cboe UK 250 fell 0.4% at 17,858

Chemring executives sell sharesEasyJet finance head sells stockImperial chief executive lightens upThe week before Christmas was a busy one for the boards of several UK firms as they offloaded shares ahead of the holidays.At defence contractor Chemring (CHG), chief executive Michael Ord and two other directors sold a total of 274,000 shares at 315p each on 18 December raising just shy of £800,000

Stocks in London remained in the red at midday on Monday, trimming a year-to-date gain which already fell short of loftier progress in US stocks.The FTSE 100 index traded down 15.85 points, 0.2%, at 8,133.93. The FTSE 250 was down 62.74 points, 0.3%, at 20,425.91, and the AIM All-Share was up just 0.34 of a point at 715.53.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.1% at 815.90, the Cboe UK 250 down 0.2% at 17,88

Stocks in London were subdued on Monday morning, with only a few of the FTSE 100 opening in the green on the last full day of trading in 2024.The FTSE 100 index opened down 29.94 points, 0.4%, at 8,119.84. The FTSE 250 was down 54.73 points, 0.3%, at 20,433.92, and the AIM All-Share was up 0.90 of a point, 0.1%, at 716.09.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.3% at 814.35, the Cboe UK 250 down 0.2% at 17,888

London's FTSE 100 ended higher in quiet trade on Friday, though gains were more convincing in mainland Europe, shaking off declines in New York.The FTSE 100 index added 12.79 points, 0.2%, at 8,149.78. The FTSE 250 fell 82.86 points, 0.4%, at 20,488.65, and the AIM All-Share ended down 2.21 points, 0.3%, at 715.19.The Cboe UK 100 ended higher at 816.42, the Cboe UK 250 lost 0.5% at 17,930.53, and

London stocks traded mixed on Friday, while market participants digested US jobless claims data suggesting resilience in the American economy and kept one eye on data releases due out in the afternoon.The FTSE 100 index was marginally higher, by 0.040 points, at 8,137.03. The FTSE 250 was down 70.18 points, 0.3%, at 20,501.33, and the AIM All-Share was down 0.22 points at 717.18.The Cboe UK 100 wa

Share prices in London started lower on Friday after the two-day Christmas break, as investors dissected initial readings on the strength of holiday sales and the weekly reading on US employment.Out on Boxing Day, US seasonally adjusted initial jobless claims were 219,000 in the week that ended this past Saturday, down 1,000 from the previously week's unrevised total of 220,000, the US Department

London stocks closed higher on Tuesday's shortened trading day, buoyed by gains in the retail and mining sectors, while Windward surged 42% following a takeover bid from FTV VIII LP.The FTSE 100 index closed up 34.27 points, 0.4%, at 8,136.99. The FTSE 250 ended up 152.42 points, 0.8%, at 20,571.51, and the AIM All-Share closed up 4.96 points, 0.7%, at 717.40.The Cboe UK 100 ended up 0.5% at 816.2

UK high street enduringLow ticket leisure a winnerValue retail showing resilienceMany have sounded the death knell for the UK high street, notably during the Covid crisis as retail trends shifted towards online shopping. Yet, the high street has endured amid the consumer's persistent demand for physical retail.And despite many high street stocks successfully adapting to this evolving retail market

Stocks in London opened in the green on Tuesday morning but not everyone is feeling the Christmas spirit, with Vistry issuing a profit warning.The FTSE 100 index opened up 21.00 points, 0.3%, at 8,123.72. The FTSE 250 was up 57.64 points, 0.3%, at 20,476.73, and the AIM All-Share was up 3.11 points, 0.4%, at 715.55.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.3% at 815.18, the Cboe UK 250 was up 0.3% at 17,932.69, an

A mixed close for London equities on Monday highlighted increasing concerns about the UK economy, with businesses bracing for a sharp slowdown and consumer confidence sliding further.The FTSE 100 index closed up 18.11 points, 0.2%, at 8,102.72. The FTSE 250 ended down 31.60 points, 0.2%, at 20,419.09, and the AIM All-Share closed up 1.84 points, 0.3%, at 712.44.The Cboe UK 100 ended up 0.1% at 812

The FTSE 100 in London edged into the green on Monday at midday despite a downcast morning of economic data announcements.In London, the FTSE 100 index was up 10.02 points, 0.1%, at 8,095.11. The FTSE 250 was down 49.10 points, 0.2%, at 20,401.59, and the AIM All-Share was up 0.87 of a point, 0.1%, at 711.47.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.1% at 812.51, the Cboe UK 250 was down 0.3% at 17,888.41, and the

Global chip revenues to hit $725 billion in 2025Nvidia seen as a sector winner on Blackwell deploymentCadence Designs and ON Semiconductor other predicted winnersMicrochip industry sales are set to rise by 15% in 2025, believes Bank of America, hitting $725 billion. No prizes for guessing that Nvidia (NVDA:NASDAQ) is a predicted winner.'We see 2025 as a year of two different trends. In the first h

UK water firms had their gains pulled back by Friday's close following yesterday's Ofwat induced bump, as Trump threatened the EU with tariff's if it failed to address its trading deficit.The FTSE 100 index closed down 12.67 points, 0.2%, at 8,092.65. The FTSE 250 ended up 31.24 points, 0.2%, at 20,430.62, and the AIM All-Share closed down 0.1, or 0.73 of a point, at 711.05.The Cboe UK 100 ended d

Next-generation drug falls shortOver £70 billion wiped off market valueRace is on for launch of oral drugDanish diabetes and obesity drug specialist Novo Nordisk (NOVO-B:CPH) gave investors a nasty surprise on Friday (20 Dec) after revealing its next generation obesity treatment CagriSema fell short of inducing significantly more weight loss than rival Mounjaro made by Eli Lilly (LLY:NYSE), sendi

UK stocks were down at midday in London on Friday as concerns about the state of the economy persisted off the back of sluggish retail sales figures.In Europe, pharmaceuticals heavyweight Novo Nordisk plummeted 18% in Copenhagen after disappointing data for its weight loss drug CagriSema.The product is seen as a rival to Eli Lilly's Mounjaro and Zepbound obesity treatments. In premarket trading in