Aviva (AV.) 464pMarket cap: £12.9 billionThere's a gambit insurance salespeople use which goes something like: if you had a machine in the shed which printed £70,000 a year of genuine £20 notes, how much would you insure it for? The customer usually gives a high figure, say in the region of £500,000.The salesperson then counters, so shouldn't you insure your homes' chief breadwinner for the sa

On 23 July, India announced its first budget under a new coalition government led by Narendra Modi, who became prime minister for the third time albeit with a reduced majority of 293 MPs for his BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party).In the Indian general election held between 19 April to 1 June, 642 million people voted out of a total population of 1.4 billion.WHAT WERE THE KEY POINTS?India's finance minis

Q2 sales and earnings beat estimatesShares plunge on full-year downgradeRSV vaccine doses ship ahead of winterInvestors can be a tough bunch to please, just beating expectations is often not enough.Biotechnology firm Moderna (MRNA) is a case in point, with its shares slumping 21% overnight despite second quarter earnings coming in ahead of Wall Street estimates as the company slashed its full year

The FTSE 100 closed in the red on Thursday, but outperformed its European peers, after the Bank of England cut interest rates for the first time in over four years.The FTSE 100 index closed down 84.62 points, 1.0%, at 8,283.36. The FTSE 250 ended down 141.48 points, 0.7%, at 21,459.23, and the AIM All-Share closed down 3.94 points, 0.5%, at 783.08.The Cboe UK 100 ended down 1.0% at 826.39, the Cbo

THIS IS AN ADVERTISING FEATURE Rhys Davies Fund ManagerInvesco Bond Income Plus LtdA higher credit quality portfolioOver the past two years, we have increased the credit quality profile of the Invesco Bond Income Plus (BIPS) portfolio. Exposure to investment grade bonds has risen steadily. Within high yield bonds, we have increased the number of bonds we hold with a credit rating of BB and reduce

THIS IS AN ADVERTISING FEATURE Gabriel Sacks, Co-Manager, abrdn Asia Focus plcTrawl the internet for Indonesia's most famous tourist attractions and the chances are you will soon be linked to a Komodo dragon. At least for faint-hearted visitors, whether such a creature truly qualifies as an "attraction" could be a moot point.Komodo dragons are the largest lizards on Earth. Males can grow to near

Investor excitement surrounding weight-loss drugs has arguably been as great if not greater than that seen for everything AI (artificial intelligence) in the last two years.Market leaders Novo Nordisk (NOVO-B:CPH) and Eli Lilly (LLY:NYSE), makers of Wegovy and Zepbound respectively, have seen their share prices soar as investors seemingly extrapolate their initial success years into the future.Ben

CrowdStrike (CRWD;NASDAQ) $258.81Market cap: $63 billionIt's been a rough couple of weeks for CrowdStrike (CRWD:NASDAQ) after what some have called the world's biggest IT outage caused banks, hospitals, and airports to 'go dark'. The question for investors now is that following the more than 30% share price crash, is the stock worth buying?Shares believes the answer is Yes, but investors who do so

Stocks in Europe traded higher on Wednesday morning amid a slew of corporate earnings and a rise in oil prices, after the Bank of Japan raised its main interest rate and before the Federal Reserve's decision later.The FTSE 100 index shot up 93.67 points, or 1.1%, at 8,368.08 on Wednesday morning. But the FTSE 250 rose 194.53 points, 0.9%, at 21,627.04, while the AIM All-Share added 3.72 points, 0.

Extends share buyback programme$2.8 billion second quarter profit10% increase in dividend per ordinary share to 8 centsShares in BP (BP.) were up over 2% in morning trading to 465p after the oil giant's second quarter profit came in ahead of market expectations.The company reported a second quarter underlying replacement cost profit of $2.8 billion reflecting an average gas marketing and trading r

Since we emerged from the pandemic, people's spending have shifted from stuff to experiences with holidays particularly prized by those with the means to afford them.Airlines and travel operators enjoyed bumper demand as people were desperate to get away for a week in the sun, having been denied the opportunity during lockdown, and had money to spend. This enabled the industry to pass increased co

Annual profits power 13.1% higherStand-out showing from Sports Direct'Strong' profit increase expected in FY25Frasers' (FRAS) topped the FTSE 100 leader board on Thursday 18 July, surging 9.5% higher to 899p after the retail giant delivered annual profits at the top end of guidance, driven by Sports Direct, and expressed confidence in delivering 'another strong increase' in profits this year.Contr

Goldman Sachs makes stock buyback predictionMagnificent Seven spent $208 billion on buybacks in year to JuneApple stock jumped 8% after unveiling record $110 billion programmeA bit controversial, but share buybacks are one of the easiest ways for a company to return value to shareholders without the tax complications that dividends might entail. By buying back stock, earnings are spread over a sma

First quarter sales up 2.4%On track to open 45 UK storesNew stores performing wellShares in B&M European Value Retail (BME) gained more than 4% on Tuesday topping the FTSE 100 leaderboard after the discount variety retailer revealed less worse than feared first quarter like-for-like trading in the UK.B&M UK like-for-like sales for the 13 weeks to the end of June declined 3.5% after adjusting for t

Prudential director buys sharesSerica Energy CEO loads upYouGov director also buys sharesGeorge Sartorel, non-executive director at life insurance giant Prudential (PRU), bought 8,000 shares at 725p for a total value of £58,000 on 8 July.Sartorel's move comes after the company announced a $2 billion share buyback programme on 24 June due to be completed no later than mid-2026.Prudential shares ha

Equities in Europe rose on Friday, with the growing conviction that the Federal Reserve will cut rates soon lifting the mood, and not even hotter US data and some mixed bank earnings denting enthusiasm.The FTSE 100 index rose 29.57 points, 0.4%, at 8,252.91. The FTSE 250 added 13.98 points, 0.1%, at 21,202.89, and the AIM All-Share closed up 4.64 points, 0.6%, at 786.17.The FTSE 100 made a weekly

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

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

THIS IS AN ADVERTISING FEATURE Charles Luke, Investment Manager, Murray Income Trust PLCRetirement is getting longer, and retirees have more ambitions for their later yearsA longer retirement means greater risks from inflationA well-constructed stock market portfolio can be the key ingredient to preserve wealthMany people in their sixties today can expect to enjoy 20 years or more in retirement.

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