The ISA turns 25 on 6 April 2024 and few would argue that the tax-efficient savings wrapper has been anything other than a raging success story. Something like 22 million Brits have one, attracting somewhere over £700 billion of cash and stock market investments since 1999. In the coming 12-months, ISA investors will save an estimated £7 billion in tax.Hundreds of ISA millionaires are thoughts t

June's larger-than-expected half percentage point interest rate rise has pushed the FTSE 100 index back into negative territory for the year and triggered fears of recession among investors and market observers.Moreover, there seems little doubt the UK central bank will raise rates again at its August meeting, the only question being by how much.'It now appears that interest rates may go higher th

China's abrupt Covid U-turn has created the best opportunity in years for Asia and emerging market equities to outperform developed markets on a sustainable basis. It is likely to be one of the select few major economies where growth could accelerate in 2023 as China, where equity market valuations remain undemanding, enjoys a reopening recovery like much of the rest of the world witnessed in 2022

- Discount to net asset value remains an issue- Board dismisses option of limited 'exit opportunity'- Managed wind-down 'a sensible option' says analystInvestment company VPC Specialty Lending (VSL), which specialises in asset-backed lending to growing companies, has surprised the market with a proposal to wind down the business and return capital to shareholders due to its failure to reduce the d

- Savills chair snaps up shares- Victorian Plumbing founder buys £400,000 worth of stock- Takes stake closer to 50%The chair of Savills (SVS) Nicholas Ferguson snapped up £80,000 worth of shares in the property business.Year-to-date the £1.2 billion market cap has fallen more than 40% and it is down 18% in the last month, caught up in a sell-off in the real estate sector which has been exacerba

SDI (SDI:AIM) 176.3pGain to date: 1%Original entry point: Buy at 174.5p, 27 May 2021Science kit manufacturer SDI (SDI:AIM) may have retreated from the record share price highs reached in late 2021, but the company's latest update suggests this is more a reflection of the wider shift from growth to value than any lack of progress for the business itself.The company has announced the £7.7 million a

According to the Nationwide building society, the average selling price of houses in the UK hit a record £254,822 this month, up more than 10% on the same month last year and the biggest price increase since 2006.Demand has remained surprisingly strong in the final quarter of the year following the tapering of the stamp duty holiday at the end of September, with average prices now 16% above pre-p

UK equity markets ended Tuesday's trading session in negative territory, in the wake of mixed corporate results and a pullback in American equity markets.The FTSE 100 index ended 0.35% weaker at 7275.1, and the FTSE 250 index finished 0.65% lower at 23,387.08.American equity markets retreated from their record highs, partly in response to data that showed produced prices increased 0.6% in October

UK equity markets struggled for directions ahead of the release of US producer price index data this afternoon with investors expecting the year-on-year rate for October to dip slightly to 8.6%.Investors will be watching closely for an indication that inflationary pressures are subsiding in line with central bank expectations.At lunchtime the FTS100 and FTSE 250 Indexes were trading 0.12% higher a

The promise of a quick return to form at fast-fashion chain Primark saw investors pile into owner Associated British Foods (ABF) in early trading on Tuesday, but FTSE 100 gains were capped by weakness in UK banks.Barclays (BARC), HSBC (HSBA), Lloyds (LLOY) and NatWest (NWG) were all off by varying degrees.Leading shares have indeed made an underwhelming start as the downbeat mood of the week conti

Major UK stocks finished the day marginally lower on Thursday after the Bank of England warned of a potential tightening in the face of rising inflation sending the pound higher.At the close, the UK benchmark index was 3.43 points, or 0.05%, lower at 7,120.43, below the day's peak of 7,130.35 but above the session low of 7,099.03.The more domestically focused FTSE 250 enjoyed a strong day, rallyin

Major UK stocks dipped into the red amid some mixed data out today and the announcement that the Bank of England monetary policy committee left interest rates unchanged as widely predicted, with no new dissenters among the panel.At 12.30pm, the benchmark FTSE 100 fell back into the red having spent the morning flip-flopping modestly above and below today's starting point, easing around 0.2% to 7,1

The FTSE 100 dipped slightly on Thursday morning, although it remained above the 7,000 level at 7,118.3, following the UK's easing of travel restrictions for some destinations including France, which will see less people being forced to quarantine on their return to the UK.Strength in utilities and real estate was offset by weakness in miners and consumer non-cyclicals as investors waited for the

The FTSE 100 continued its decline throughout Thursday morning, falling below the 6,000 mark as investor hopes of a V-shaped economic recovery were dampened by the Bank of England.The central bank said the British economy would not recover its end-2019 size until the end of next year, later than its earlier estimate of a recovery by the second half of 2021.In its policy decision, the central bank

UK stock markets fell sharply in opening trading on Thursday after the Bank of England forecast a slower-than-expected rebound from the Covid-19 pandemic, while Glencore's (GLEN) dividend cut and several heavy hitters going ex-dividend dragged on markets.The benchmark FTSE 100 dropped nearly 1.5% in early trading to 6,018.33 as investors retreated from equities, following a weak end to the session

UK share markets dropped sharply for the second day running on Thursday as the latest round of corporate earnings reports underlined the hit from the Covid-19 pandemic, with lender Non-Standard Finance (NSF) crashing after warning of going concern risks.The benchmark FTSE 100 fell 1.3% and the mid-cap FTSE 250 1.4%, tracking a slide in global equity markets on fears of more disruptions to business

The property sector is facing its biggest test since the 2016 Brexit vote, with the coronavirus pandemic leading to a new wave of property fund suspensions, dividends being cut and a collapse in valuations.People have been left to question if investing in commercial property is still a viable option and whether it can be relied on for income in the same way as before.However, not all parts of this

The FTSE 100 dropped sharply in opening trade as banks were told to suspend dividends and buybacks, while investors also brace for a likely global recession as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.The UK's benchmark index opened 3.24% lower to 5,488.27, mirroring falls seen in Asian stock markets with the Nikkei 225 in Japan down 4.5%, the Hang Seng in Hong Kong dropping 2.17% and China's Shanghai

Thursday trading starts with another huge sell-off gripping UK markets as investors scramble for safety assets and ditch higher risk shares. The benchmark FTSE 100 index continued to plunge in early trade having fallen to its lowest point in four years when it closed yesterday.At 9am, the FTSE 100 had slumped nearly 6% at 5,530.86 as the UK implements its 'delay' plan in response to the accelerati

The general election result has removed one of the major hurdles to investing in UK stocks, namely political uncertainty. Brexit is the next big hurdle and it may not be as bad for UK stocks as investors might think, according to numerous fund managers interviewed by Shares.Despite the UK having to negotiate a full trade deal by 31 December 2020, the fund managers we questioned are generally posit