UK equities suffered on US exposure as they closed lower on Thursday amid the Bank of England holding interest rates, but warning of 'heightened uncertainty'.UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer pleaded for patience over his drive to improve living standards, warning it 'will take some time' for people to feel the benefits.Starmer hopes changes to planning rules, reforms to regulations and the use of te

UK indices remained in the red at midday on Thursday but with water companies bucking the trend following UK regulator Ofwat green lighting a substantial industry investment package.Interest rate calls on either side of the Atlantic dominated events with the Bank of England leaving rates unchanged, after a 'hawkish' cut by the US Federal Reserve on Wednesday.The BoE's Monetary Policy Committee vot

17% premium to undisturbed share priceIntelligent Ultrasound has struggled to growSimulation Business is 'particularly attractive'Yet another unloved UK company has agreed to a takeover by an overseas buyer, further deleting the ranks of firms listed on the London stock market.The latest name to throw in the towel is Intelligent Ultrasound (IUG:AIM), an ultrasound AI software and simulation minnow

Specialist business services firm FRP Advisory (FRP:AIM) is one of those businesses which many investors may have heard of but few are sure exactly what it does.Put simply, FRP helps companies through each stage of their development, giving advice on raising capital, managing debt, acquisitions, corporate finance and forensic accounting. It is probably best-known for 'crisis management' where it h

Ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East and calls from incoming US president Donald Trump for NATO members to increase defence spending as a percentage of national income will continue to provide a tailwind for the defence sector.AIM-quoted Cohort (CHRT:AIM) is well positioned to benefit from an increase in defence spending and at the first-half results on 11 December, the group disclosed

Pubs group JD Wetherspoon's (JDW) value credentials continue to shine through. According to fund manager Anna Farmbrough at Ninety One the company has doubled its average price advantage over competitors to 40% since the pandemic.Farmbrough notes that a few years ago there were three pubs in her local area while today there is just a single Wetherspoons, demonstrating its ability to benefit as con

In the first part of a three-part series featuring opinions and ideas from some of the UK's leading fund managers, we asked which stocks have surprised them the most over the course of the 2024 and why.While it was hard to avoid the influence of AI (artificial intelligence) on portfolios, the breadth of responses was surprising and goes to show how skilled stock-pickers can turn up gems in parts o

Alcoholic drinks outfit Diageo (DGE) has endured a rough period of late, partly thanks to problems of its own making. We think that has put the valuation in a place where, if there are signs the business is getting its act together, the shares can deliver significant upside for investors in 2025.Unless there is evidence of improved performance soon then activist investors could be tempted to join

Stocks in Europe were mostly higher at midday Wednesday, with UK inflation reaching an eight-month high but not forcing 'shares in interest rate-sensitive sectors' to retreat.In UK and European news, the UK consumer prices index rose by 2.6% in the year to November, picking up pace from a 2.3% rise in year to October and in line with FXStreet-cited market consensus. The closely watched CPI service

Firm cites 'very challenging' tradingUnviable stores set to closeDiscounter to pass final dividendStruggling footwear retailer Shoe Zone (SHOE:AIM) has halved its current-year profit guidance and plans to pass the final dividend for the year ended 28 September 2024 after experiencing 'very challenging trading conditions' since the Budget.Combined with increased costs also stemming from the Budget,

European stocks were down at midday in London, as new economic data from China showed continued sluggish domestic consumption.China's retail sales growth weakened last month, official data showed on Monday, missing forecasts as demand remains muted in the world's number two economy. Retail sales expanded 3% year-on-year in November, the National Bureau of Statistics said, slowing from a 4.8% rise

Shares down 55% over five yearsBoard lacks 'sense of urgency'Shareholder requests boardroom refreshMarked down 55% over the past five years, Johnson Matthey's (JMAT) unloved shares jumped 5% to £14.20 after Standard Investments called for a strategic review which could include the sale of 'part or all' of the challenged specialty chemicals company.The FTSE 250 firm's largest shareholder with an 1

European stocks were higher heading into Friday afternoon, shaking off disappointing UK data, while Paris shares were up after a new prime minister was named.The FTSE 100 index traded up 12.74 points, 0.2%, at 8,324.50. The FTSE 250 was up 23.30 points, 0.1%, at 20,972.34, and the AIM All-Share was down 1.59 points, 0.2%, at 735.97.The Cboe UK 100 was 0.2% higher at 835.95, the Cboe UK 250 was up

Stock prices in London opened mostly in the green on Friday, while the UK economy remained in the doldrums in October, hurtling to a surprise decline.The FTSE 100 index traded up 10.61 points, 0.1%, at 8,322.37. The FTSE 250 was up 55.00 points, 0.3%, at 21,004.04, and the AIM All-Share was down 0.74 of a point, 0.1%, at 736.82.The Cboe UK 100 was 0.1% higher at 835.63, the Cboe UK 250 was up 0.2%

The UK stock market has performed robustly over the past year, with several companies standing out significantly. In this article, we will examine the top-performing large-cap, mid-cap, and small-cap stocks of 2024, dissected across four different market valuation categories.£5 BILLION+ MARKET CAPAfter a stellar 2023, aeronautical engineer Rolls-Royce (RR.) has once again rallied hard during 2024

Lots of parents and grandparents default to cash when saving for their children or grandchildren, but most have a very long time until they will give the money to the children, meaning investing can be a great option. If we look at someone saving £1,000 a year from birth of the child until the age of 18, they'd hand them almost £8,000 more if they invested the money and earned 5% return a year a

Predicting what will happen to the global economy and markets over the next 12 months is hard enough at the best of times, but with Trump's election victory on 5 November that job has become even more difficult.As Deutsche Bank's head of global economics and thematics Jim Reid put it, the outlook is no longer 'business as usual' which opens up a much wider range of potential outcomes for the globa

Dividends are a key component of successful investing whether taken as an income to support retirement or reinvested to compound future total returns.With interest rates set to fall as inflation is gradually brought back under control dividend yields will become more competitive as a source of income compared with income from cash and bonds.In this article we scour the FTSE 350 for the companies w

Vaping and e-cigs lift second halfShares gain 28% year-to-dateShrugs off pressure around regulationShares in British American Tobacco (BATS) gained ground, adding 19p or 0.6% to £29.88 as the global tobacco firm said it was on track to deliver for full year 2024 in line with its previous guidance. STEADY PROGRESS, SUSTAINABLE RETURNSThe company behind brands like Dunhill, Kent, and Lucky S

Blue-chips in London, Paris and Frankfurt were in the red midday Tuesday, as investors fretted over the outlook for China's economy after some less-than-stellar data.'Chinese exports grew at a slower pace in November versus October, and imports shrank. That doesn't install much confidence about Beijing's efforts to get the country back on top. The prospect of higher tariffs on Chinese goods export