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

On 1 August the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee made a 5-4 decision to kickstart its rate-cutting cycle. A 25 basis point reduction in the base rate to 5% marking The Old Lady of Threadneedle Street's first cut since March 2020.This means cash savings rates are heading in one direction, down. And the lower-than-expected jump in UK inflation reported on 14 August only boosted market exp

Regular readers of this column will be well aware of its faith in the Philadelphia Semiconductor index, or SOX, as a valuable indicator to follow and after the summer stock market stumble the 30-stock benchmark is well and truly in the headlines. At its early-August low, the SOX had lost 25% of its value in just a month. It has since rebounded by a sixth. Given the SOX's importance as both a guide

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

The issue of executive pay and how it compares with that of the average worker is one which can generate a fair amount of heat and noise, but how much does it actually matter to shareholders?A new report from the High Pay Centre, a think tank which aims to promote quote, unquote fairer pay, shows the median pay of chief executives of FTSE 100 companies increased by 2.2% to £4.19 million in 2023.N

Stock markets across the globe have just emerged from a short, sharp shock, with the sell-off on 5 August one of the worst days in years as investors mull the frightening thought that the US economy is slowing and could be sent spinning into recession.Combined with the impact of the unwinding in the yen 'carry trade' discussed in this explainer and some stretched valuations and you had the recipe

Stock prices in the UK, France and Germany were higher at midday Wednesday as investors await a US consumer price inflation print, after UK CPI inflation was reported higher.The FTSE 100 index was up 28.63 points, or 0.4%, at 8,263.86. The FTSE 250 was up 114.24 points, or 0.6%, at 20,858.32, and the AIM All-Share was up 1.10 points, or 0.1%, at 769.08.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.5% at 826.01, the Cb

Stock prices in London were in the green on Wednesday morning, after Office for National Statistics data showed that while the rise in consumer prices accelerated, it was softer than anticipated.The FTSE 100 index opened 50.47 points, or 0.6%, at 8,285.28. The FTSE 250 was up 129.38 points, 0.6%, at 20,874.28, and the AIM All-Share was up 1.62 points, or 0.2%, at 769.60.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.8%

Interim sales and EBITDA down 13%New-build and RMI demand lowerFive-year plan coming in NovemberBuilding products firm Marshalls (MSLH) was initially the worst-performing stock on the FTSE 250 after it released a downbeat six-month trading update showing a slump in both revenue and profits.After trading down as much as 18p or 5% early on, however, the shares recovered to sit just 3.5p or 1% lower

Wegovy sales come up shortOperating profit guidance loweredRevenue guidance raisedDanish weight-loss drug maker Novo Nordisk (NOVO-B:CPH) suffered a rare setback as its second-quarter operating profit missed expectations and it cut its full-year outlook.The shares dropped DKK 40 or 4.5% to a three-month low of DKK 848 as investors took some profit off the table after the stock price more than doub

Markets in London edged higher on Thursday around midday, after news that the Bank of England has cut interest rates for the first time in over four years.Against the dollar, the pound slipped to $1.2768 early on Thursday afternoon in London, from $1.2844 at the London equities close on Wednesday. Sterling traded as low as $1.2755 earlier on Thursday, its weakest level in around a month.The FTSE 1

London's FTSE 100 crept lower on Thursday morning, while mainland European peers suffered chunkier declines in early dealings, despite some US interest rate cut optimism after Federal Reserve Chair said a cut is on the table for next month's meeting.Corporate earnings that disappointed in mainland Europe. Societe Generale plunged 6.4% in Paris amid a tough outlook for its French retail banking arm

AJ Bell's latest Manager versus Machine report paints an alarming picture for active managers, who are struggling to beat tracker funds on performance and are losing hands down when it comes to attracting investors' money.The report looks at the performance of active funds across seven key equity sectors and compares them to the average passive fund in each sector (see table). Only 35% of active e

This feature was prompted by a reader question on why 'bond proxies' such as insurers Phoenix Group (PHNX) and Aviva (AV.) do not attract more investor attention.A bond proxy typically refers to a company which has a steadier-than-average income stream and offers a higher-than-average level of income.Long-term savings and insurance group Phoenix sits on a dividend yield of 10.4% based on an expect

As fund management legend and Vanguard founder John Bogle once noted: 'The stock market is a giant distraction from the business of investing. In the long run, investing is about the returns earned by businesses not the stock market.' In other words, sentiment may drive prices in the near term but in the end it is profits and cash flows which drive valuation.From the point of view of investors wi

Jansen reportedly plotting takeoverConsolidation opportunity in fragmented US marketTurnaround potential at TerminixPest control and hygiene giant Rentokil Initial (RTO) topped the FTSE 100 leader board on Monday, with shares in the 'royal rat-catcher' scurrying 10% higher to 492.6p following weekend reports it is a bid target for private equity.According to The Times, former BT (BT.A) CEO Philip

Funds can often be in vogue with investors thanks to a big-name manager or a past reputation, but just how well-earned is the popularity of the UK's most popular funds and investment trusts?In this article we've taken a look at the performance of a select group of funds which regularly feature among the most bought and most widely-held in the market to judge whether they are truly delivering the g

A major development in retail investing in recent years is the increased availability of vehicles which simply look to track the performance of a market. Thanks to their low cost, these passive funds have proved very popular and drawn money away from actively managed funds, where a professional stock picker makes the investment decisions.In this article we flesh out what active and passive investi

London's FTSE 100 shook off a stronger pound and a robust UK services inflation reading to register its first rise of the week on Wednesday, as investors also digested the latest King's speech, with new Prime Minister Keir Starmer getting his feet firmly under the table at Number 10.A stronger pound is usually a headwind for the international earner-heavy blue-chip index, though some share price r

UK soft drinks maker Britvic (BVIC) looks set to become the latest FTSE 250 mid-cap company to exit the London stock market after agreeing to an improved £3.3 billion offer tabled by Danish brewer Carlsberg (CARL-B:CPH) on 8 July.!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in