Stock prices in London closed up on Tuesday after a hopeful US producer price inflation print left investors reassured ahead of further key readings on Wednesday.The FTSE 100 index closed up 24.98 points, 0.3%, at 8,235.23. The FTSE 250 ended up 66.89 points, 0.3%, at 20,744.08, and the AIM All-Share closed up 0.99 of a point, 0.1%, at 767.98.The Cboe UK 100 ended up 0.3% at 822.29, the Cboe UK 25

Stocks in London were in the green going into Friday afternoon, as investors kept their eyes on US inflation data due out this afternoon.The FTSE 100 index traded up 58.40 points, or 0.7%, at 8,244.06. The FTSE 250 was up 221.33 points, 1.1%, at 21,105.17, while the AIM All-Share rose 3.17 points, 0.4%, at 776.20.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.8% at 823.02, the Cboe UK 250 rose 1.1% to 18,493.38, and th

Margin falls less than fearedBank buys Metro mortgage bookFull-year forecasts increasedAfter seeing shares in high-street rival Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY) sag yesterday on mixed results, investors in NatWest Group (NWG) had low expectations coming into today's first-half update so the strong performance came as a pleasant surprise.The shares, which had already gained more than 50% this year, powe

London's FTSE 100 was on the up in early trade on Friday, and it looks set to register a weekly gain despite what has been a tricky few days for global counterparts.US tech sell-offs and poorly-received earnings in Europe have kept investors on their toes this week, but the FTSE 100 has been resilient and is up around 1% so far this week.Focus in the afternoon turns to US data, with the release of

European share prices started lower on Tuesday, after a positive close in New York led into a mixed performance for Asian stock markets.On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed up 0.5% on Monday, the S&P 500 up 0.3%, and the Nasdaq Composite up 0.4%.Positive bank earnings gave the market a boost, and US investors also took confidence from a further indication from the US Federal Res

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

Stocks in London ended in the red on Tuesday, as cautious sentiment prevailed following hot eurozone inflation figures.The FTSE 100 index ended down 45.56 points, 0.6%, at 8,121.20. The FTSE 250 fell 27.61 points, 0.1%, at 20,194.47, while the AIM All-Share slipped 0.81 of a point at 764.37.The Cboe UK 100 fell 0.7% to 808.01, the Cboe UK 250 declined 0.5% to 17575.03, and the Cboe Small Companies

European stocks were under pressure on Tuesday, while US equities are set to open lower, after eurozone inflation data veered towards being unfavourable, as core price pressure remains robust.The data may have given European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde some food for thought. Lagarde, and her Federal Reserve counterpart Jerome Powell, speak at a conference in Sintra, Portugal later.The

Grocery sales in lineArgos sales disappointNo change to forecastsThe UK's second-largest supermarket chain Sainsbury's (SBRY) delivered a first-quarter trading statement which was pretty much in line with expectations in terms of grocery sales and maintained its full-year profit and cash-flow forecasts.However, a slowdown in total like-for-like sales growth and the resulting lack of an upgrade saw

European stocks opened in the red on Tuesday, with eyes on eurozone inflation data, a US labour market report, and words from central bankers at a conference in Portugal.The FTSE 100 index traded 51.69 points lower, 0.6%, at 8,115.07. The FTSE 250 fell 75.96 points, 0.4%, at 20,146.12, and the AIM All-Share was down 1.67 points, 0.2%, at 763.51.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.8% at 807.43, the Cboe UK

After arch-rival Tesco (TSCO) released forecast-beating quarterly sales earlier this month, with strong like-for-like growth across its UK stores, all eyes are on the next trading update from Sainsbury's (SBRY) on 2 July to see whether it has managed to maintain its recent momentum.!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var

Stock prices in London opened largely in the green on Thursday, with the FTSE 100 registering a solid gain before an expected Bank of England rate hold in the early afternoon.There was a slew of M&A updates in early UK corporate news, adding some excitement before Threadneedle Street takes centre-stage.The FTSE 100 index traded 22.16 points higher, 0.3%, at 8,227.27. The FTSE 250 was up 65.85 poin

The UEFA Euro 2024 football tournament is likely to be one of the most-watched events of the year, on a par with the Olympic Games later this summer.According to broadcaster ITV (ITV), more than 10 million viewers tuned in to watch the opening match between Scotland and Germany, the highest peak audience of any opening to a major football tournament in a decade.The BBC reported the England vs Serb

Annual results beat expectationsTurnaround plan yielding resultsImproving sales trajectoryShares in N Brown (BWNG:AIM) rallied 18% to 17.6p after the online clothing and footwear retailer behind the JD Williams, Simply Be and Jacamo brands returned to statutory pre-tax profit and claimed it was positioned for 'sustainable growth' amid demonstrable progress with its multi-year turnaround strategy.T

Stock prices in London were mostly higher at midday on Tuesday but the FTSE 100 declined ahead of a slew of US data in the afternoon, after a public holiday in both the US and the UK.The FTSE 100 index was down 16.64 points, or 0.2%, at 8,301.04. The FTSE 250 was up 83.97 points, or 0.4%, at 20,855.45, and the AIM All-Share was up 1.17 points, or 0.1%, at 811.19.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.3% at 82

Stock prices in London were mixed on Tuesday morning, while supermarkets rose as the BRC-NielsenIQ shop price index slowed to its lowest annual rate of increase since November 2021.The FTSE 100 index opened down 9.41 points, or 0.1%, at 8,307.61. The FTSE 250 was up 40.63 points, or 0.2%, at 20,811.44, and the AIM All-Share was up 1.38 points, or 0.2%, at 811.17.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.1% at 82

Equities on both sides of the Atlantic registered record highs on Wednesday, as a slowdown in US inflation prompted stocks to move higher as Federal Reserve interest rate cut hopes strengthened.Aside from the US data, there was a slew of M&A developments threatening to steal some of the spotlight in London. The owner of the Royal Mail backed a possible bid, while Wood Group said no to a suitor aga

Scottish American Investment Company (SAIN) 503pMarket cap: £898 millionBallie Gifford-managed Scottish American (SAIN), also referred to as ?SAINTS?, is trading at an 8% discount to net asset value which offers a great opportunity to buy high-quality assets on the cheap.The fund is steered by co-managers James Dow and Ross Mathison, after Toby Ross stepped away from co-managing the fund in Febru

This feature explores spin-offs or de-mergers, looking at the rationale for them and how they have performed, and asks if they can be a promising hunting ground for investors.One of the UK?s largest recent spin-offs was GSK?s (GSK) demerger of its consumer healthcare division in 2022.GSK reportedly rebuffed a £50 billion offer from personal goods giant Unilever (ULVR) to buy the division, named H

Stocks in London ended in the red on Wednesday, despite the FTSE 100 hitting another record high earlier in the day, while Tesla was the star in New York, where wider markets mixed.The FTSE 100 index gave back 4.43 points, 0.1%, at 8,040.38. The blue-chip index traded as high as 8,092.19 earlier Wednesday, its best-ever level. Selling pressure in the afternoon prevented it from achieving another c