Blue-chips in London traded in the green around midday on Thursday, as the escalating conflict in Ukraine pushed oil and gold prices higher.The FTSE 100 index added 25.97 points, 0.3%, at 8,111.04. The FTSE 250 lost 45.77 points, 0.2%, at 20,198.99, and the AIM All-Share rose 2.00 points, 0.3%, at 724.34.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.3% at 815.30, the Cboe UK 250 was down 0.2% at 17,701.10, and the Cbo

To date, a small, exclusive club of UK retailers have exceeded £1 billion in annual profits, a high street elite that includes Tesco (TSCO), Marks & Spencer (MKS) and Kingfisher (KGF). Some may view this £1 billion figure as merely symbolic, but breaching this barrier is no mean feat and demonstrates a retailer has a lasting place in consumers' affections and the scale to win in a competitive ma

London's FTSE 100 was on course to extend its losing run to four at midday on Wednesday as US election and UK budget jitters knocked the mood.US interest rate concerns are also hanging over equities. Traders have fretted over a slower than hoped Federal Reserve rate cutting path, putting pressure on equity and bond prices.The odds of a rate hold by the Federal Reserve next month have increased to

This column is no adherent to 'efficient market hypothesis', not least because there would not be equity booms and busts, or even marked day-to-day volatility, if investors really knew what was coming around the corner ? it simply would not be possible to make a profit if everything was perfectly priced.However, it does have a lot of sympathy with the argument that a security's price is a very fai

US money market funds raked in their biggest haul of the year in the month of August, some $127 billion, taking total cash assets to a record $6.26 trillion according to data from the Investment Company Institute.To put that into perspective the total value of all publicly traded US stocks is $56.5 trillion based on the Wilshire 5,000 Total Market index. That means money market funds hold cash equ

US August non-farm payrolls were hotly anticipated for several reasons, not least because Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell told investors he was more concerned about the health of the labour market than accelerating inflation at his Jackson Hole symposium speech on 23 August.July's big miss, which showed 114,000 jobs created versus 190,000 expected by economists, set the scene for a 'make or br

Half- and full-year guidance confirmedCore brands hold up in soft marketsSecond tranche of buyback starts todayShareholders in beer and cider producer C&C Group (CCR) celebrated a small win after the company confirmed its half-year profit forecast and continued its share buyback with a small but symbolic programme to buy €15 million (£12.7 million) of stock starting today.The shares rose 2%

Federal Reserve chair Jay Powell's speech at the Jackson Hole symposium made it clear that the central bank believes its work is more or less done in taming inflation and the focus now is to keep the US labour market in rude health.The change of tone puts August's non-farm payrolls data on 6 September firmly into the spotlight. The prior month's 114,000 print fell way short of market expectations

Low-cost gym operator Gym Group (GYM) looks to be in good shape ahead of its first-half results, due to be released 11 September.In a pre-close statement on 10 July the company raised its full-year profit expectations to the top end of market forecasts after continued positive trading.Company-compiled analysts forecasts for EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation) les

UK shop prices experienced deflation for the first time in almost three years in August with a fall of 0.3%, according to the latest data from the monthly BRC-NIQ (British Retail Consortium-NielsenIQ Shop Price Index).The price deflation was driven by the non-food segment which came in at -1.5% in August, deepening by 60 basis points month-on-month, year-on-year, and 40 basis points below the thre

With markets betting heavily the Federal Reserve would start cutting interest rates at its next meeting, chair Jerome Powell did not disappoint after delivering a dovish speech at the Jackson Hole symposium on 23 August.'The time has come for policy to adjust' announced Powell, immediately sending stock and bond prices higher while the dollar sank against the major currencies. Sterling trading aro

Stocks in London ended the week higher on Friday, while unambiguously dovish remarks from US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell propelled the pound to a 29-month high against the dollar.'The time has come for policy to adjust. The direction of travel is clear, and the timing and pace of rate cuts will depend on incoming data, the evolving outlook, and the balance of risks,' Powell said in a speec

It was a week of ups and downs for the US market as investors awaited Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell's address to the Jackson Hole Symposium on 23 August.<img src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/O7wOm/full.png" alt="" data-mce-fragment="1" data-mce-src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/O7wOm/full.png"><span id="mce_marker" data-mce-type="bookmark" data

European stocks were in the green on Friday morning, as regulator Ofgem reported it will increase the energy price cap in Great Britain, pushing up average household bills by 9.5% from October.'Just when temperatures begin to plummet and nights draw in, households will be faced with the exact scenario they'd hoped was behind them,' warned AJ Bell's Danni Hewson.Meanwhile, eyes remained on the Jack

Stocks in Europe made little headway on Thursday, as all eyes remained on the Jackson Hole symposium, where the market will hear from central bankers including US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.The FTSE 100 index closed up 4.57 points, 0.1%, at 8,288.00. The FTSE 250 ended down 82.49 points, 0.4%, at 21,104.70, and the AIM All-Share closed down 2.08 points, 0.3%, at 774.73.The Cboe UK 100 end

Stock prices were higher in London, Paris and Frankfurt on Thursday, while the UK got a boost in a flash purchasing managers' index reading, ahead of weekly US jobless data.The FTSE 100 index was up 11.79 points, 0.1%, at 8,295.22. The FTSE 250 was down 18.70 points, 0.1%, at 21,168.49, and the AIM All-Share was down 0.54 points, 0.1%, at 776.27.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.2% at 829.44, the Cboe UK 2

Stock prices in Europe were mildly higher on Thursday morning, as investors await the start of the Jackson Hole conference on Thursday which could indicate clues on the trajectory of US interest rates.Amongst individual stocks, JD Sports Fashion saw its shares jump, after updating shareholders on its second quarter growth. Eckoh also took some of the spotlight, after receiving a takeover offer fro

Stocks in Europe were in the green at midday Wednesday, as investors await the release of the latest minutes from the US Federal Reserve's meeting.Investors will be looking to tonight's reading not only for clues on the number of rate cuts from the US this year, but also for hints as to the contents of Fed Chair Jerome Powell's speech at Jackson Hole on Friday.The FTSE 100 index was up 13.23 point

Stock prices in London opened a tad higher on Wednesday morning, as investors keenly await upcoming Fed's minutes which may give a preview if Chair Jerome Powell will make any comments on monetary policy on Friday.The FTSE 100 index opened up just 0.98 of a point at 8,274.30. The FTSE 250 was up 42.13 points, 0.2%, at 21,028.28, and the AIM All-Share was up 1.05 points, 0.1%, at 775.09.The Cboe UK

London listed stocks waned going into Tuesday afternoon while the pound ticked up against the dollar.The FTSE 100 index was down 55.96 points, 0.7%, at 8,300.98. The FTSE 250 was down 44.06 points, 0.2%, at 21,113.41, and the AIM All-Share was down 1.37 points, 0.2%, at 775.22.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.8% at 829.05, the Cboe UK 250 was down 0.3% at 18,496.27, and the Cboe Small Companies was down