Optima Health (OPT:AIM) 164.5pMarket Cap: £146.1 millionAs the UK's leading occupational health provider, Optima Health (OPT:AIM) is uniquely positioned to consolidate a fragmented market via bolt-on acquisitions as well as delivering organic growth faster than the underlying market.Analysts at RBC Capital Markets believe Optima Health's buy-and-build strategy can deliver a 23% compound annual gr

London's blue chips faded after a bright start to trade in the red at midday on Thursday, ahead of US inflation data later in the session.The FTSE 100 had made a positive start, before some pre-US data nerves kicked in.The more tepid trade in Europe came despite equities in China ending the day in the green on supportive measures from the nation's central bank. The Shanghai Composite rose 1.3%, of

Oil output target dropped amid strategy resetBP had aimed for 25% cut by 2030Shell raises upstream and gas volume guidanceEnergy major BP (BP.) has reportedly abandoned its target to cut oil and gas output by 2030 as new chef executive Murray Auchincloss scales back the FTSE 100 giant's energy transition strategy in order to win back the market's confidence.He wants to arrest the decline in BP's s

If you pick up a newspaper this month, you are almost guaranteed to read about the taxes the new chancellor is planning to hike, or the tax reliefs she is looking to axe. But one set of tax reliefs we know is here to stay are those supporting venture capital trusts.The Treasury has just confirmed the VCT scheme will now run until at least 2035 in order to support small British businesses. Many inv

HVIVO (HVO:AIM) 28.2pMarket cap: £191.9 millionFluCamp does not sound like much fun for volunteers, but for leading CRO (contract research organisation) HVIVO (HVO:AIM) it represents a flagship service which is attracting growing interest from big pharma and biotechnology companies.The company is at the forefront of HCTs (human challenge trials), a fast-growing niche within the large CRO industry

European stocks were higher on Thursday midday, as investors prepare for a US GDP print, while top US White House aide Jake Sullivan met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing.The FTSE 100 index was up 24.13 points, or 0.3%, at 8,367.98. The FTSE 250 was up 42.84 points, or 0.2%, at 21,109.71, and the AIM All-Share was up 2.36 points, or 0.3%, at 772.66.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.3% at 836.44, the

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

Stock prices in London recovered slightly at the close on Tuesday, after a sell-off early in the week.A sense of calm returned to global markets after fears of a US recession had shaken stocks on Monday.This stemmed from the latest weak non-farm payrolls report, which followed a soft manufacturing reading, and an unexpected rise in the unemployment rate.'Investors will have to wait until next week

Shares in embattled Ladbrokes and Coral owner Entain (ENT) plunged by almost a tenth on Monday (29 July), plumbing new four-year lows after the gambling giant's US joint-venture partner BetMGM said it expected to deploy 'greater than expected' marketing in iGaming the back half of the year.This means the business, currently the third-largest US gambling company by revenue, is now expected to post

London stocks were mixed at midday on Monday, ahead of Wednesday?s US consumer price reading, though analysts believe potential London floats by Shein and Raspberry Pi could be a game-changer for UK-listed equities.The FTSE 100 index was up 7.05 points, 0.1%, at 8,440.61. The FTSE 250 was down 33.65 points, 0.2%, at 20,611.59, and the AIM All-Share was down 0.45 points, 0.1%, at 789.42.The Cboe UK

Warren Buffett is probably the only professional investor who needs no introduction. Over a long and illustrious career stretching back to 1965, he?s produced a mind-boggling 4,384,749% return for investors through his investment vehicle, Berkshire Hathaway. In other words, $100 invested in 1965 would today be worth over $4.3 million. For some context, the same $100 invested in the S&P 500 would n

European stocks closed lower on Tuesday, after the long Easter holiday weekend and a day full of economic data.The FTSE 100 index closed down 17.53 points, 0.2%, at 7,935.09. The FTSE 250 ended down 170.84 points, 0.9%, at 19,713.89, and the AIM All-Share closed down 0.86 of a point, 0.1%, at 742.40.The Cboe UK 100 ended down 0.3% at 793.40, the Cboe UK 250 closed down 1.1% at 17,147.56, and the C

The UK FCA (Financial Conduct Authority) is falling into line with other financial regulators and softening its stance on investing in digital currencies as bitcoin hits a record high.From April 2024, issuers will be able to list exchange traded products linked to Bitcoin and Ethereum coins on the London Stock Exchange.The FCA banned crypto-related derivatives in 2021 on concerns over the amount o

Shares jump to three-month highEarnings per share fall over 20%Dividend raised and new buybackInvestors gave the latest results from infrastructure firm Balfour Beatty (BBY) a fairly rapturous reception considering it reported a 20% drop in earnings for the year to December.The shares surged as much as 9% to a three-month high of 370p on a dull day for the rest of the FTSE 250 which traded just 0.

Group revenue down 2%Studios revenue up 4%Shares hit high for 2024Shares in ITV (ITV) were up more than 8% to a three-month high of 66p in morning trading despite the free-to-air broadcaster reporting a 2% fall in total revenue for the 12 months ending 31 December 2023. STRONG ROSTERMedia & Entertainment (M&E) revenue was down 7% at £2.09 billion, with total advertising revenue (TAR) down

Hopes for interest rate cuts from the Bank of England were boosted on Thursday after the UK slipped into a recession, according to the latest GDP data, sending stocks in London higher.?Confirmation that the UK is in recession has done nothing to knock UK stocks off course. An economy pushing through mud is not new news and if anything, it might encourage the Bank of England to think harder about c

Stock prices in London were up on Thursday afternoon, although the FTSE 100 pared its initial progress and traded only a hair higher.The UK economy slipped into recession in the final quarter of 2023, according to the latest data, buoying hopes of speedier interest rate cuts from the Bank of England.But for the FTSE 100, gains were hard to come by as the equity trading session dragged on, with sha

Stock prices in London were higher on Thursday morning on news the UK has officially entered a mild recession, raising Bank of England interest rate cut hope.The economic figures could also carry political significance, as the UK prime minister faces a pair of by-election tests.On the corporate front, results from British Gas owner Centrica impressed. Among mid-caps Genus plunged on a China warnin

THIS IS AN ADVERTISING FEATUREEric Chan, Investment Manager, abrdn Asian Income Fund Limited?Eric Chan pens his thoughts on his recent trip to Australia, where he spoke to some of our holdings and potential prospects around their businesses and the broader macro outlook there.Purpose of the tripI wanted to get a better feel of where our holdings are and how they see the operating environment headi

Equity prices in London were on the up on Monday afternoon, though the pound struggled to find its feet in the aftermath of Friday?s robust US non-farm payrolls report.The FTSE 100 index was up 30.67 points, 0.4%, at 7,646.21. A weaker pound is a tailwind to London?s large-cap index, which is stacked with international earners.The FTSE 250 was up 59.11 points, 0.3%, at 19,231.75, and the AIM All-S