Prudential director buys sharesSerica Energy CEO loads upYouGov director also buys sharesGeorge Sartorel, non-executive director at life insurance giant Prudential (PRU), bought 8,000 shares at 725p for a total value of £58,000 on 8 July.Sartorel's move comes after the company announced a $2 billion share buyback programme on 24 June due to be completed no later than mid-2026.Prudential shares ha

Blue chips faded into the close on Friday but the FTSE 250 held its glow as UK financial markets reacted to the election of a Labour government.The FTSE 100 index closed down 37.33 points, or 0.5%, at 8,203.93. The FTSE 250 ended up 176.31 points, or 0.9%, at 20,786.65, while the AIM All-Share closed up 4.97 points, or 0.7%, at 774.39.For the week, the FTSE 100 added 0.5%, the FTSE 250 climbed 2.5

Now the ballots have been cast at the general election, the UK could become the 'reassuringly boring' market, both politically and fiscally, when compared to the more extreme politics on the other side of the English Channel and Atlantic Ocean.So suggests Jean Roche, manager of the Schroder UK Mid Cap Fund (SCP), who notes capital allocators know more or less what to expect, which could explain th

Stock prices in London closed lower on Wednesday, as European markets brace themselves for political instability in the run-up to UK and French elections.The CAC 40 in Paris took the biggest hit on Wednesday, ahead of the snap election in France on Sunday.The FTSE 100 index closed down 22.46 points, 0.3%, at 8,225.33. The FTSE 250 ended down 65.33 points, 0.3%, at 20,298.10, and the AIM All-Share

Stocks in Europe closed higher on Monday, with market participants waiting for signs that inflationary pressures are starting to lessen.In the UK, Prudential shares were in fashion, after it started its $2 billion share buyback. Elsewhere in London SIG shares closed lower, after it slashed its profit guidance.The FTSE 100 index closed up 43.83 points, 0.5%, at 8,281.55. The FTSE 250 ended up 120.2

Initial $700 million tranche starts immediatelyCapital return larger than expectedDividend policy unchangedShares in Asian focused insurer Prudential (PRU) jumped more than 6% to 749.6 on Monday, topping the FTSE leaderboard after the firm announced a $2 billion return of capital via a share buyback.The buyback is expected to be completed no later than mid-2026 with the first $700 million tranche

Stocks in Europe were in the green at midday on Monday, although markets were feeling some nerves around elections in the UK, the US and France.The FTSE 100 index traded 33.76 points higher, 0.4%, at 8,271.48. The FTSE 250 was up 74.04 points, 0.4%, at 20,516.39, though the AIM All-Share fell just 0.34 of a point to 772.23.The Cboe UK 100 rose 0.4% to 822.88, the Cboe UK 250 climbed 0.6% to 17,872

Equities in London traded mixed at the start of the week, with some US tech sector nerves hurting sentiment, with eyes turning to elections in the UK and France as polling day edges ever closer.The FTSE 100 index traded 7.66 points higher, 0.1%, at 8,245.38. The FTSE 250 was down 50.12 points, 0.3%, at 20,392.23, though the AIM All-Share fell 0.41 of a point, 0.1%, at 772.16.The Cboe UK 100 rose 0

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

THIS IS AN ADVERTISING FEATURE Bruce Stout, Co-Manager, Murray International TrustIt's almost 50 years since my generation left school in the summer of '75'. Armed with aspirations that could only be fulfilled by becoming the next Denis Law or Carlos Santana, scant attention was given to prevailing economic and political circumstances. Blissfully oblivious to stagnating UK growth and inflation r

One of the most compelling reasons for investing through a Junior ISA is to help provide your offspring with the necessary funds to leave university without the burden of onerous debts.If you invested the whole allowance of £9,000 every year from birth until your child reached 18 they would inherit a pot worth £229,000 based on an annual return of 4.5% and with charges of 0.75% factored in. Best

London Stocks finished down on Tuesday, despite rallies from Whitbread and HSBC, as Wall Street was in the red ahead of the Fed?s major interest rate decision this week.The FTSE 100 index closed down 2.90 points at 8,144.13. The FTSE 250 ended down 119.40 points, 0.6%, at 19,965.39, and the AIM All-Share closed down 2.59 points, 0.3%, at 760.74.The Cboe UK 100 ended down 0.1% at 813.44, the Cboe U

Equities in London made a bright start to trading, led by lender HSBC, as the recent bullish run continued.Trade was more cautious in mainland Europe, however, ahead of key eurozone data later.The FTSE 100 index rose 26.28 points, 0.3%, at 8,173.31. The FTSE 250 was up 51.07 points, 0.3%, at 20,135.86, and the AIM All-Share was up 1.36 points, 0.2%, at 764.69.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.4% at 817.04,

Stock prices in London were up heading into the afternoon on Monday, beating more cautious trade on mainland Europe, as investors shifted focus onto this week?s Federal Reserve interest rate decision in the US.The FTSE 100 index rose 40.94 points, 0.5%, at 8,180.77. It had climbed to 8,189.14, its best-ever level.?The blue-chip index continues to glow and sustain energy that we haven?t seen in the

Stocks in London rose to a record high on Monday morning, as market attention moves to the US Federal Reserve interest rate decision due on Wednesday.The FTSE 100 index rose 40.03 points, 0.5%, at 8,179.86. It had climbed to 8,185.59 shortly after the opening bell, its best-ever level.The FTSE 250 was up 42.62 points, 0.2%, at 19,866.78, and the AIM All-Share was up 2.45 points, 0.3%, at 757.73.Th

After almost closing at a new high in early April, the UK?s blue-chip FTSE 100 has finally made it into the ranks of indices hitting new all-time highs thanks to a 4.5% gain since the start of January.On 22 April the index reached its highest ever close and on 23 April it moved through its previous intra-day high.The UK clearly isn?t in the same league as the US, where the S&P 500 has notched up n

Every time anyone in the UK puts money into a pension, a deal is struck. The government adds tax relief to the contribution, and the quid pro quo is you have to lock that money away for retirement. Hence why you can only access a pension after the age of 55, rising to 57 from 2028.The idea is that if you?ve got your own funds to live on in retirement, you won?t fall back on the benefits system and

The persistently high interest rate environment means companies are under pressure to cut costs and jobs are an obvious target. While they can cut their workforce through redundancies or slash the wage bill through shorter or fewer shifts, others might already be operating with a skeleton crew and cannot pare back any further.It is against this scenario that higher wages are adding to companies? p

London?s FTSE 100 opened sharply lower on Tuesday, as US interest rate worries and geopolitical tensions continued to cast a dark cloud over equity markets.Only Mondi traded higher, with even packaging peer DS Smith falling despite agreeing to a takeover from International Paper, the latest twist in a takeover saga that also involved Mondi. Mondi is yet to respond to the development.The FTSE 100 i

At the centre of the current boom in generative AI (artificial intelligence) is chip maker Nvidia (NVDA:NASDAQ).It designs some of the fastest computer chips in the world which are needed to run data hungry LLMs (large language models) capable of understanding natural language.Readers may be familiar with Nvidia's historical link to the gaming industry, but less familiar with the US giant's connec