Companies are under pressure to cut costs, which means energy saving measures are a priority discussion in the boardroom.One of the quickest and easiest ways to reduce energy usage and carbon emissions is to be more efficient in the way energy is used in the first place.While building new nuclear power stations and wind farms may help to limit global warming, building them takes many years and the

Based on the number of deals placed by AJ Bell customers in the past month, Scottish Mortgage (SMT) was both the most bought and sold investment trust as investors weighed the popular growth fund's long-term potential against short-term headwinds in the form of red-hot inflation and rising interest rates.Other top investment trust buys and sells by value included SDCL Energy Efficiency Income (SEI

The human tragedy unfolding in Ukraine is having dramatic ramifications across the world, not least in the energy market.The US has banned the import of Russian oil, LNG (liquefied natural gas) and coal. Europe is not able to turn the taps off overnight as it is more reliant on Russia to meet its energy needs. However, the direction of travel is clear - the West is committed to weaning itself off

While average wages may have risen 3.6% last year in nominal terms, the rate of inflation as we exited 2021 was 5.4% and last month it accelerated to 5.5% so in real terms workers are actually less well off now than they were a year ago.To make matters worse, the Bank of England has forecast inflation will top 7% in April before it starts to come down again. A large part of the increase is due to

Major UK shares closed higher on Monday, led by oil and banking stocks, as investors continued to bet on rising interest rates globally, while stronger commodity prices lifted mining shares.The benchmark FTSE 100 ended the day nearly 0.8% higher at 7,573.47, with global miners Anglo American (AAL) and Rio Tinto (RIO) providing a strong boost to the blue-chip index, despite Russian steel play Evraz

Major UK shares strengthened into lunchtime trading on Monday as investors looked past fears over hot inflation to focus on global recovery hopes.At midday, the benchmark FTSE 100 is trading up by around 0.3% at 7,538.24. Mid-caps also moved up, the FTSE 250 rising 0.35% to 21,789.98, although European market performance remains patchy, with the pan-European Euro Stoxx 50 is flat at 4,087.14.In th

UK stocks opened stronger on Monday and were continuing to hover just under multi-year highs touched in January, as investors looked past fears over hot inflation to focus on global recovery hopes.By 8:42 am, the FTSE 100 index was up 0.1% at 7,524.03 points, while the FTSE 250 traded 0.2% higher at 21,753.76.Miners were in demand, as an ongoing inflationary environment should be positive for meta

UK shares slipped back into negative territory on Friday afternoon despite US inflation data coming in as expected with the annual rate moving up to 6.8%, the highest since 1982.The release of the data, and the muted response of the US bond market, where yields fell slightly, gives the Fed the green light to speed up the removal of asset purchases.Shares in enterprise software company Oracle surge

The FTSE 100 climbed back into positive territory at midday Friday but remained directionless ahead of key US inflation data due at 1.30 UK time.November consumer prices are expected to rise by 6.7% on an annual basis, the highest since 1982, putting further pressure on the Fed to speed up the removal of monetary stimulus.Latest data showed that the UK economy grew just 0.1% in October compared wi

UK investors decided caution was the order of the day on Friday after disappointing domestic GDP data and ahead of a U.S. inflation report which could see consumer prices rise by 6.7% on an annual basis, the highest level since 1982.Between September and October, the UK economy grew by just 0.1% compared with prior-month growth of 0.6% and a forecast of 0.4%, leaving it 0.5% smaller than it was in

There is no doubt that funds focused on ESG (environmental, social and governance) factors are still very popular, especially with younger investors, although the UK is still some way behind Europe on this score. A recent note from analysts at Liberum provides some details.'Investment flows into ESG funds not only outpace other equity fund styles including ETFs and index funds, but in fact outpace

UK stocks closed modestly up as markets closed ahead of the Christmas holiday with news emerging on Thursday that a Brexit breakthrough is near.Speculation was rife that UK and EU negotiators were poised to sign a Brexit trade deal at long last giving investors hope that they may have a clearer understanding of where things stand before the 31 December deadline.At the 12.30pm close on Christmas Ev

Energy efficiency investor SDCL Energy Efficiency Income Trust (SEIT) announced the $150 million acquisition of a series of portfolios of commercial and industrial on-site solar energy projects in the United States from the Blackstone Group and a 50% interest in Onyx Renewables. The shares dipped 0.5% to 107p.GROWTH OPPORTUNITIESThe trust will acquire four portfolios which generate over 175 MW com

UK stocks opened higher on Thursday amid increasing signs that the UK and EU were poised to sign a post-Brexit trade deal.At around 8.30am, the benchmark FTSE 100 index moved 0.3% higher to 6,516.98.The more domestically-focused FTSE 250, considered a barometer for Brexit sentiment, gained 0.54% to 20,408.16.Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to hold a press conference later on Thursday morn

Demonstrating the buoyant state of the infrastructure market, Octopus Renewables Infrastructure Trust is seeking to raise up to £250m through a placing, offer for subscription and intermediaries offer and list on London's Main Market on 10 December.Infrastructure and renewable energy trusts' enduring popularity with investors is reflected in premiums to net asset value (NAV) and they continue to

Meeting global energy demand will be a key challenge in the decades ahead but it should also create opportunities for investors.In this article we will discuss how you could benefit from some of the long-term trends in the power generation market through both funds and individual stocks.Global energy demand will rise by at least 30% until 2040, according to investment bank UBS.The need to produce