In retrospect, it seems clear the tipping point for AI (artificial intelligence) was the release in November 2022 of OpenAI?s free-to use ChatGPT system.Until that point, most AI products were being developed privately and weren?t widely available to the public, added to which most were fairly clunky whereas ChatGPT was able to interact in a conversational way, answering questions, challenging inc

London?s FTSE 100 ended in the green on Thursday, though its gains fell short of the loftier progress delivered by European peers, as equity markets recovered from Wednesday?s sell-off.Central to the drab mood in markets has been the dialling back of Federal Reserve rate cut expectations. Though a Fed cut in March is still the most likely scenario, the odds of one have dwindled in recent days, and

UK stock markets rallied on Monday morning as retailers began reopening stores following a an extended coronavirus lockdown, with Primark planning to fling open the doors to stores in England on 15 June.That saw shares in Primark owner Associated British Foods (ABF) jump 6.5% to £19.385, near the top of the FTSE 100 leader board, sharing space with various airline related stocks, such as engine m

UK markets staged a firm rally in early trading on Monday, following Asian markets higher and clawing back some of the heavy losses chalked-up last week.At 9am, the benchmark FTSE 100 index was up close on 2.7% at 6,756.35, while the mid cap FTSE 250 is also around 2.5% higher at 19,803.06.However, by midday those gains had been entirely wiped out with the FTSE 100 dipping 0.5% to 6,546.61. The FT

The UK stock market is experiencing a small rally following a stressful past few days. In mid-morning trade the FTSE 100 was trading 0.7% higher at 7,193.The FTSE 250 index was 1.2% higher at 19,502; and the FTSE AIM All-Share index was up by the same percentage at 1,025.More brave investors are now looking for opportunities to buy on the market dip.Let's now take a look at the best performing sto

The FTSE 100 is struggling for direction, down a handful of points at 7,345.88 as the fall-out from last week's US strikes in Syria continues.Banking group Barclays (BARC) dips 0.6% to 214p as its chief executive Jes Staley is issued with a formal written reprimand by his employers for his attempts to identify a secret whistleblower within the company. Staley is to have his bonus cut and details a

There is only thin data to provide direction for London trading on Friday with the FTSE 100 index opening around 10 points lower at 6,785 in early trade. There are no significant UK data releases scheduled for today, although a speech by the Bank of England's Ben Broadbent will be studied for any hints regarding of Philip Hammond's forthcoming Autumn Statement.The corporate news that there is, FTS

London markets weaken in early trade on Wednesday with the FTSE 100 index sliding around 38 points, or 0.5%, to 7,033, having closed on Tuesday at 7,070.88 close. Midcaps also lose initial positive momentum, declining by a similar measure to 18,017.In company news, shares in Premier Foods (PFD) tumble on Wednesday after warning that first-half profit was likely to be below the previous year and po

The FTSE All-Share Mining sector has this year enjoyed its best run since 2010, up 27.4% year to date. That's touching the 30% gain enjoyed in 2010 which was final hurrah in the previous commodities super-cycle.There are some worrying signs that the market has now assumed the uptrend is here to stay. This is evident in new fund launches and micro-cap explorers racing up 50% or more on flaky announ

Shares in London move higher in start of the week trading on Monday, hoping to shrug-off last week's modest performance, as key indices are driven by leisure-linked, pharmas and property stocks, although the resources space continues to act as a drag.The FTSE 100 index rallies around 40 points, or about 0.6%, to 6,1664.Disappointing Chinese trade data takes the shine off the mining sector with met

London shares tread water in early trade on Thursday as fading optimism about a Greek debt deal and an upcoming US jobs report gave investors reasons to be cautious. The blue-chip FTSE 100 index is a nudge higher, about 5 points, at at 6,614 early on, although midcaps perform less well, the FTSE 250 index drifting about 20 point to 17,694.Electricals-to-telecommunications retail titan Dixons Carph

Over the past decade Sierra Leone's democratically elected government, headed by president Ernest Bai Koroma, has been working to redefine the country as an attractive and welcoming environment for international investment and distance itself from its history of civil war and corruption. The president's work has been recognized not only by international leaders such as Barack Obama, and through pr

The long-awaited restructuring of Punch Taverns' (PUB) borrowings sent the pub operator up 21% to 13p. A rejig of its securitised bonds means that net debt will immediately be reduced by £137 million without having to issue any new shares.There will also be a £463 million reduction in debt service payments over the next five years. It's not a done deal quite yet as the proposals need 75% bondhol