Investors naturally put a lot of effort into identifying winning investments to stay ahead of the game, but less appreciated is the idea of steering clear of laggards.For fund investors this is where the Evelyn Partners Investment Management Spot the Dog biannual report comes in.The report's aim is to compare fund performance on an apples-to-apples basis against an appropriate benchmark to...

Quarterly index changes this weekThree new names to join FTSE 100Four new stocks to join FTSE 250This Wednesday, FTSE Russell ? part of the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) ? will announce the results of its latest quarterly index review.This includes potential changes to the FTSE 100, FTSE 250 and FTSE Small-Cap indices which will become effective from the start of trading on 23...

Stock prices in London were mixed on Thursday morning, with strong earnings from FTSE 100's Halma after the US Federal Reserve announced guidance of just one interest rate cut by the end of the year.The FTSE 100 index opened down 4.18 points, 0.1%, at 8,211.30. The FTSE 250 was down 52.37 points, 0.3%, at 20,445.03, and the AIM All-Share was up 0.90 of a point, 0.1%, at 788.26.The Cboe UK 100...

Stocks in London opened lower on Wednesday morning, amid steep falls for St James?s Place and Reckitt Benckiser, ahead of key US data.The FTSE 100 index opened down 15.96 points, 0.2%, at 7,667.06. The FTSE 250 was down 74.73 points, 0.4%, at 19,087.93, and the AIM All-Share was down 2.18 points, 0.2%, at 743.47.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.3% at 767.49, the Cboe UK 250 was down 0.5% at...

There were several trends in the UK stock market this year which, if you managed to identify them, served you well.Most obviously, although it may not have seemed it at the index level, large-cap stocks generally performed better than small- and mid-caps, although for the lucky few the small-cap space has been rife with takeover activity.In terms of sectors, aerospace and defence topped the...

If there is one thing investors can agree on, it is that the UK stock market is cheap.How cheap depends on who you ask, but the strategy team at Morgan Stanley believe the FTSE 100 is trading at a 35% discount to the MSCI World Index on a PE (price to earnings) basis.If inflation pressures continue to ease and the economy shows further signs of cooling, there is a fair chance the Bank of...

Newly published research names and shames the funds which have failed to deliver for investors over three consecutive 12-month periods.The latest 'Spot The Dog' report has identified 56 equity funds as serious and persistent underperformers - a 27% increase on 44 dog funds exposed in the last report in January 2023.The amount of assets held in dog funds has more than doubled from £19.1...

The new edition of Bestinvest's 'Spot The Dog' guide to funds which have consistently under-delivered for investors shows a marked increase both in the number of funds in the dog house and in the amount of assets they manage.The guide looks at UK domiciled open-ended funds and unit trusts which are aimed at retail investors and invest primarily in stocks, and compares their performance with an...

UK stocks gave up their day's gains at the close despite strong UK corporate results and forecast-beating numbers from Apple and Facebook overnight.The FTSE 100 benchmark, which had climbed more than 50 points by early afternoon to top the 7,000 level, finished the day in negative territory at 6,961 points.Although blue-chips such as Smith & Nephew (SN.), Unilever (ULVR) and Standard Chartered...

UK stocks traded higher at lunchtime supported by strong UK corporate results and forecast-beating numbers from Apple and Facebook overnight.The FTSE 100 benchmark climbed 51 points or 0.7% to 7,015 at 1pm, while the FTSE 250 made more modest gains, nudging 0.1% ahead to 22,465.01.Leading the gainers were blue-chips such as Smith & Nephew (SN.), Unilever (ULVR) and Standard Chartered (STAN),...

The FTSE 100 rallied back above the 7,000-mark once again in opening trade after Apple and Facebook both smashed quarterly forecasts and the US Federal Reserve maintained its ultra-accommodative monetary stance, with investor focus now switching to a bumper day for UK earnings.The UK's benchmark was around 0.7% higher at 7,010.36 at 9am, while the FTSE 250 made more modest gains, nudging 0.1%...

London's FTSE 100 finished Tuesday's session in negative territory, giving back earlier modest gains as investors fretted over a resurgence of Covid-19 cases and the economic impact of fresh restrictions, not to mention waning hopes of a pre-election stimulus package in the US.By the close of play, the blue chip benchmark was 1.1% lower at 5,728.99, while the FTSE 250 ended down 1.5% at...

Having continued to fall early on amid persistent concerns about rising global coronavirus cases, the FTSE 100 turned positive by lunchtime as investors focused their attentions on better-than-expected earnings updates from market bellwethers BP (BP.) and HSBC (HSBA).Investors were also optimistic that Wall Street would claw back some of Monday's losses after US stock markets suffered their...

UK shares continued to fall on Tuesday as persistent concerns about rising global coronavirus cases offset better-than-expected earnings updates from market bellwethers BP (BP.) and HSBC (HSBA).The benchmark FTSE 100 index fell 0.2% to 5,782.65 in early trading, continuing its losses after a sharp drop yesterday as markets across the world fell significantly.US stock markets suffered their...

UK stocks ended modestly higher on Tuesday, despite worries over further lockdowns should a second wave of global Covid-19 cases continue to gain momentum.Riding to the rescue was the housing sector, which rallied on the back of news the government may extend the Help to Buy scheme beyond December.The benchmark FTSE 100 closed up 24.38 points, or 0.4%, at 6,129.26, while the FTSE 250 ended the...

UK stocks were slightly lower on Tuesday, despite companies releasing a mixed bag of earnings updates that at least showed their performance improving as lockdowns were eased.Investors, however, remained wary of the possibility of further lockdowns, should a second wave of global Covid-19 cases continue to gain momentum.At 11.40, the benchmark FTSE 100 was off 5.9 points, or 0.1% lower, at...

The FTSE 100 climbed on Tuesday morning after US president Donald Trump confirmed the US-China trade deal is 'fully intact'.Trump moved quickly to calm worries after one of his top China trade advisers, Peter Navarro, initially said in an interview with Fox News the deal was 'over' - sending Dow Jones futures and the Chinese Yuan plummeting - before backtracking and claiming his quotes were...

London's FTSE 100 opened stronger on Wednesday, up 53 points at 6,120.72 early on as optimism that economies were recovering from the COVID-19 crisis offset concerns about rising political tensions in Hong Kong that have soured US-Sino relations.Wealth manager St James's Place (STJ) improved 4.7% to 917.8p on news it had boosted funds under management during April, with management also...

It is too early to call the coronavirus a pandemic but the Asian outbreak is still casting a pall over the mood of investors, who retrenched back into risk off mode on Thursday.Cases and deaths continue to rise, airlines are slashing flight schedules and factories in China have been extending holidays into February. The mood in the market is one of severe concern, and that is having ma severe...

A lot of companies talk a good game when it comes to sustainability and climate change, but how many of them actually do what they say they're going to do? We now have some idea.Research platform Tortoise Media has ranked all 100 companies in the FTSE 100 index against the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. Called the 'responsibility index', it measures the gap between what companies say and...