European markets and the pound had a strong day on Thursday, with the afternoon's US inflation reading boosting risk appetite.Markets in New York got off the line slowly, however, amid an apparent rotation out of tech following a bullish run in recent days.The FTSE 100 index closed up 29.83 points, 0.4%, at 8,223.34. The FTSE 250 was surged 261.15 points, 1.3%, at 21,188.91, and the AIM All-Share

Shares have been out of favourOfwat ruling seen as positiveThames Water in special measuresHaving lagged the market all this year, water utilities were the star turn following an announcement from the regulator Ofwat that the firms could raise their bills over the next five years.In the FTSE 100, Severn Trent (SVT) gained 66p or 2.5% to £26.85 and United Utilities (UU.) added 25p or 2.3% to £10.

Markets in Europe showed signs of recovery on Wednesday at around midday, with investors pleased that Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell kept hopes of a rate cut for this year alive.Speaking in Congress, Powell told lawmakers on the Senate Banking Committee that the most recent readings 'have shown some modest further progress' since the first quarter of the year.Investors are now looking ahead t

Shares up 16% over the past yearYear-to-date like-for-like sales increased by 7.7%Cost pressures remain for pub groupShares in JD Wetherspoon (JDW) were little changed in morning trading at 766p as the pub group said like-for-like sales increased by 5.8% in the 10 weeks to 7 July compared to the same period last year.Chairman Tim Martin said the gradual post-pandemic recovery was achieved with few

Positive momentum continued in Q3Full year outlook reaffirmed'Well-positioned' for summer periodShares in SSP (SSPG) topped the FTSE 250 leader board on Wednesday (10 Jul), surging 13% higher to 176.5p after the food travel expert served up news of strong third quarter sales and reiterated its full year earnings guidance.The owner of brands including Upper Crust and Le Grand Comptoir also called o

London's blue chip index outperformed its European counterparts on Wednesday morning, as investors eagerly await another testimony from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.The FTSE 100 index opened up 16.62 points, 0.2%, at 8,156.43. The FTSE 250 was up 50.64 points, 0.3%, at 20,695.66, and the AIM All-Share was up 1.15 points, 0.2%, at 773.09.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.3% at 813.09, the Cboe UK 250

Stock prices in Europe ended lower on Tuesday, with fears of a French political impasse keeping optimism at bay, while a lack of an obvious dovish tilt to remarks by Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell meant there was no bullish impetus added to late dealings.The central banker said he would like to see 'more' favourable data before the federal funds rate target range is cut. Whether that comes in

THIS IS AN ADVERTISING FEATURE James Thom, Investment Manager, abrdn New India Investment Trust plcAn unexpected election result saw Modi's BJP lose its majority.The result has created volatility but is unlikely to derail the economic growth trajectory in India.India still has a significant pathway of growth.Indian stock markets have regained some equilibrium after the shock of the General Electi

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

Renewables seen in loss for Q2Work stopped at Rotterdam siteBig provisions due in 1H resultsOil major Shell (SHEL) presented an updated second-quarter outlook which contained few changes to its production forecasts but signalled its renewables unit would make a considerable loss.The shares, which have outperformed the FTSE 100 index with a gain year-to-date of 12.6%, traded sideways at £28.92 as

While the shares prices of many housebuilders are still well below where they were pre-pandemic, so are their earnings which means although the sector may look cheap at first glance it could be a classic 'value trap' instead.In the case of Barratt Developments (BDEV), whose shares are still almost 50% below their March 2020 level and which has a trading update on 10 July, sales for the year to Jun

The week began with a better-than-expected Nationwide survey showing average UK house prices rose 1.5% in June compared with the same month last year to stand at a 12-month high of £266,000.This was still 3% short of the summer 2022 peak but the direction of travel is clearly upward, and with the Labour party promising to deliver 300,000 new homes each year of the new parliament, assuming they ar

As the UK heads to the polls, it is political events across the Atlantic and the Channel which are really dominating market discourse.In France the first round of voting in parliamentary elections suggested president Emmanuel Macron's gamble of calling a snap poll last month had backfired.Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally won 33.1% of the vote, with a left-wing alliance behind on 28% and th

Two of the biggest investment trusts are combining in the sector's largest-ever merger, with Witan (WTAN) to be rolled into Alliance Trust (ATST) in a mega-deal expected to complete later this year.The combination of these two FTSE 250 constituents will create 'Alliance Witan', an investment trust goliath with net assets north of £5 billion and big enough for FTSE 100 inclusion.Shares in Witan ro

Have we just seen the first hints of a market rotation away from tech and go-go growth and back to value stocks? Nvidia's (NVDA:NASDAQ) recent 13% three-day share price decline was newsworthy as it knocked $429 billion off its market valuation. Look beyond the headlines and you will see something else interesting bubbling under the surface.It is impossible to draw any firm conclusions from such a

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

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 in London were higher at Wednesday midday ahead of the UK general election on Thursday, with the opposition Labour party expect to win a comfortable majority.Also keeping stocks in the green was positive inflation news from US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, ahead of an Independence Day holiday, starting locally at 1400 EDT today.Speaking on Tuesday, Powell said the US central ba

Q3 like-for-likes down 9.7%But signs of sales stabilisation'Significant' online gainsTopps Tiles' (TPT) shares slid 4.2% to a 52-week low of 39p after the UK's leading tile specialist reported a 9.7% plunge in third quarter like-for-like sales as 'challenging' market conditions persisted.The share price reaction might have been harsher had Topps not stressed that sales stabilised through the quart

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