Stock prices in London closed predominantly higher on Monday, joining European peers in a relatively upbeat finish, following news that US President Joe Biden will not stand for re-election.Amongst individual stocks, airlines slid after Ryanair's warning. Rentokil led the FTSE 100 higher, though, after former BT boss eyed a bid to take over the pest control firm.The FTSE 100 index closed up 43.06

Jansen reportedly plotting takeoverConsolidation opportunity in fragmented US marketTurnaround potential at TerminixPest control and hygiene giant Rentokil Initial (RTO) topped the FTSE 100 leader board on Monday, with shares in the 'royal rat-catcher' scurrying 10% higher to 492.6p following weekend reports it is a bid target for private equity.According to The Times, former BT (BT.A) CEO Philip

Markets in Europe shook off nerves on Monday, following Joe Biden leaving the US presidential race.The FTSE 100 index was up 62.43 points, or 0.8%, at 8,218.22. The FTSE 250 was up 108.13 points, or 0.5%, at 21,175.81, and the AIM All-Share was up 0.93 of a point, or 0.1%, at 785.06.The Cboe UK 100 was up 1.0% at 820.39, the Cboe UK 250 was up 0.8% at 18,494.63, but the Cboe Small Companies was do

The FTSE 100 started the week on the front foot, seemingly unfazed by President Joe Biden's decision to bow out of the re-election race, although the travel sector stalled after a Ryanair warning.The FTSE 100 index traded up 30.98 points, or 0.4%, at 8,186.70. The FTSE 250 was up 55.40 points, 0.3%, at 21,123.08, while the AIM All-Share was up just 0.29 of a point at 784.42.The Cboe UK 100 was up

Stock prices in London were lower at midday Friday, as investors grappled with a large IT outage on a global scale that affected a plethora of businesses and trade.Companies around the world reported technical issues, with planes grounded, trains disrupted, and television and radio broadcasters taken offline, while Microsoft Corp said it was taking mitigating actions after service issues.As AJ Bel

The FTSE 100 was in the green on Friday morning, while other stocks were mostly downbeat amid gloomy UK retail sales data and a global IT outage.Companies around the world reported technical issues, with planes grounded, trains disrupted, and television and radio broadcasters taken offline. According to Sky News, Berlin Airport has halted all flights until 0900 BST, while Microsoft Corp said it wa

Stock prices in London were in the green at midday, as investors awaited the next interest rate call from the European Central Bank, while UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer hosted leaders from across Europe at a summit.The FTSE 100 index was up 59.33 points, or 0.7%, at 8,246.78. The FTSE 250 was up 151.37 points, or 0.7%, at 21,244.71, and the AIM All-Share was up 2.77 points, or 0.4%, at 789.57.The

London stocks outperformed its European peers on Thursday morning, as investors await a key interest rate decision by the European Central Bank.The FTSE 100 index opened 78.02, or 1.0%, at 8,266.64. The FTSE 250 was up 54.31 points, or 0.3%, at 21,147.65, and the AIM All-Share was up 1.63 points, or 0.2%, at 788.43.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.8% at 824.37, the Cboe UK 250 was up 0.3% at 18,435.38, an

Investors in spirits giant Diageo (DGE) could probably use a stiff drink after analysts at Goldman Sachs downgraded the stock to sell and cut their target price from £31.50 to £24.50.The shares have already lost more than 10% this year, against a 7% rise in the FTSE 100, due to concerns over sales in the US and the Caribbean and a less than resounding welcome for the new chief executive.Despite

Funds can often be in vogue with investors thanks to a big-name manager or a past reputation, but just how well-earned is the popularity of the UK's most popular funds and investment trusts?In this article we've taken a look at the performance of a select group of funds which regularly feature among the most bought and most widely-held in the market to judge whether they are truly delivering the g

Shares up 13% to 386pRevenue up 12.6% to £1.5 billionAdjusted EBITDA of £71.2 millionShares in Ocado (OCDO) were up as much as 18% this morning before falling back as the online grocer raised its full year 2024 EBITDA (earnings before interest taxation depreciation amortisation) and cash flow guidance.Underlying cash flow is expected to improve by £150 million (previously £100 million). The co

European stocks opened lower on Monday morning, after Donald Trump was hit in the ear in an attempted assassination attempt on Saturday in Pennsylvania.The FTSE 100 index opened down 40.49 points, 0.5%, at 8,212.42. The FTSE 250 was down 88.87 points, 0.4%, at 21,114.02, and the AIM All-Share was down 1.71 points, 0.2%, at 784.46.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.5% at 819.66, the Cboe UK 250 was down 0.

Stocks in Europe failed to hold early gains on Monday, closing lower, as investors assessed the implications of an expected political gridlock in France.The FTSE 100 index ended down 10.44 points, 0.1%, at 8,193.49. The FTSE 250 rose 11.67 points, 0.1%, at 20,798.32, and the AIM All-Share edged up 0.77 of a point, 0.1%, to 775.16.The Cboe UK 100 ended up 0.1% at 816.60, the Cboe UK 250 closed down

Stocks in Europe were in positive territory early Monday afternoon, as investors weighed up political developments in the UK, France and the US.The UK is entering its first full week with a Labour government, after winning Thursday's general election. Across the channel, France is contending with uncertainty and the prospect of a hung parliament.The FTSE 100 index was up 14.85 points, 0.2%, at 8,2

Activist Cevian builds 5% stakeSees significant long term valueShares jump 7%Medical products maker Smith & Nephew (SN.) topped the FTSE leader board with the shares jumping 7% to £10.5 after activist investor Cevian Capital disclosed a 5% stake, making it the second largest shareholder in the group.The shares are down around 13% over the last 12-months compared with a 7% gain in the FTSE 100 ind

In the space of a decade there has been a dramatic shift from people watching linear TV to streaming shows through various platforms. In the US 99% of households pay for at least one streaming service with Netflix (NFLX:NASDAQ), Amazon's (AMZN:NASDAQ) Prime Video and Apple's (AAPL:NASDAQ) Apple TV being the most popular.Streaming has become part of peoples' everyday lives. According to US lifestyl

Stock prices were in the green on Wednesday morning amid optimism that the Federal Reserve in the US might cut interest rates in the future.In the UK, it is the day before election day. Polls have seen Keir Starmer's Labour party take the lead as the Conservatives slip.The FTSE 100 index opened up 42.55 points, 0.5%, at 8,163.75. The FTSE 250 was up 99.58 points, 0.5%, at 20,294.05, and the AIM Al

Rockwood Strategic (RKW) 267.5pGain to date: 42.7%We highlighted the investment merits of Rockwood Strategic (RKW) at 187.5p in November 2023, arguing the value-focused trust was a way to gain differentiated exposure to a small cap asset class with exciting re-rating scope. We explained how manager Richard Staveley's tried-and-tested strategy identifies undervalued stocks where the company will b

According to the ONS (Office for National Statistics), retail sales volumes were much stronger than expected in May, following a wet April, in news which will be welcomed by the sector's long-suffering constituents.!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrap

The freeze on income tax thresholds is dragging millions more people into higher rates of tax, as their wages rise but the tax thresholds don't increase alongside them. The OBR estimates that by 2028-29 the deep freeze on tax thresholds will see almost four million extra taxpayers, 2.7 million more moved to the higher rate of income tax, and another 600,000 paying the additional rate. As a result