Equities in Europe ended higher on Thursday, overcoming some earlier uncertain trade, as comments from a US official calmed some geopolitical worries which kept a lid on investor enthusiasm.Nonetheless, Brent remained above the $73 mark, supporting oil majors.Moscow's ambassador in London said Thursday Britain was 'now directly involved' in Russia's war with Ukraine, following reports Kyiv had fir

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

If it seems as though each week brings news of yet another takeover offer for a UK firm, the actual figures from the ONS (Office for National Statistics) are quite mind-boggling.Aside from the number of listed companies being bought, either by 'inward' investors or domestic buyers, hundreds of privately-owned firms are being snapped up every quarter.If you are in a position where a company you own

International Biotechnology Trust (IBT) 716pMarket cap: £263.2 millionWarren Buffett tells investors to be greedy when others are fearful and take advantage of depressed prices. That in a nutshell is the investment proposition for International Biotechnology Trust (IBT), which sits on an 11% discount to NAV (net asset value).The discount is not quite as extreme as it was when we highlighted the t

It's been a prosperous time to have invested in the markets. Each one of the major share indices around the world has delivered a positive total return over the past 12 months, factoring in share price performance and dividends.At the top end, the US has returned 32.5% as measured by the S&P 500 index; Japan's Nikkei 225 index has returned 15.3%; and even 'unloved' UK has lined investors' pockets

A year after fast-fashion sensation Shein was first thought to have filed registration papers for a UK IPO, reports suggest the company is targeting the first quarter of 2025 for a London float that could value the business at £50 billion.Shein's position as a fast-growing retailer expanding across multiple geographies and taking market share from established players ? it is no coincidence that t

Stamp duty changes announced in the Budget mean that from April 2025 buyers will face higher costs when buying a home ? with first-time buyers hit the hardest.The ending of a temporary stamp duty cut means that the tax will rise next year. This measure, originally introduced by former prime minister Liz Truss to boost the housing market, will end on 31 March 2025. The most significant impact will

In this column a few weeks back I flagged Bitcoin and gold as potential barometers of Donald Trump's chances in the election.As it turned out, Bitcoin was the better marker and has continued to soar since he prevailed hitting record highs close to $90,000 while gold has been hamstrung by a surging dollar.Investors will have their own take on the merits of cryptocurrencies, and this author would le

Year-to-date IAG shares up 48%New €350 million share buyback15.4% increase in operating profit to €2.01 billionShares in International Consolidated Airlines (IAG) took off this morning after the British Airways owner booked a 7.9% increase in total revenue to €24.05 billion for the nine months to 30 September.The airline group which also owns Iberia, Aer Lingus and Vueling said its

There was a certain degree of investor bemusement last month when shares in US electricity generation company Constellation Energy (CEG:NASDAQ) soared on news technology giant Microsoft (MSFT:NASDAQ) had signed a 20-year power purchase agreement.This was no ordinary deal, however, as it paves the way for the restart of Three Mile Island 1 ? not the reactor which famously melted down in 1979, but a

SharkNinja (SN:NYSE) $89.10Gain to date: 82%Market cap: £1.5 billionWe flagged SharkNinja's (SN:NYSE) attractions at $49 in December 2023 and the cleaning and cooking appliance maker's stock has since rocketed on the delivery of strong growth and upgrades. The share price recently peaked at $111 before a third quarter results-induced correction, though our 'buy' call remains 82% in the money.Ri

Stock prices Europe rose on Wednesday morning as Donald Trump was set for a second term as US president, as a slew of European purchasing managers indices came in.Donald Trump has claimed victory in the US election, with traders ramping up bets on fresh tax cuts, tariffs, and rising inflation.While polls had shown the race on a knife edge, the Republican fared far better than his Democratic oppone

London's FTSE 100 closed lower on Tuesday, underperforming European peers, as index heavyweight AstraZeneca held back the large-cap benchmark.Eyes now turn stateside, hours before the closing of polls across the US - where Donald Trump and Kamala Harris lock horns in the presidential election.The FTSE 100 index closed down 11.85 points, or 0.1%, at 8,172.39. The FTSE 250 ended down 91.25 points, 0

Stocks in London climbed higher at the close on Friday, while the pound rebounded, amid renewed hopes of faster rate cuts in the US following a jobs report.The FTSE 100 index closed up 67.05 points, or 0.8%, at 8,177.15. The FTSE 250 ended up 90.78 points, or 0.5%, at 20,479.74, and the AIM All-Share closed up 1.90 points, 0.3%, at 739.00.For the week, the FTSE 100 was down 0.9%, the FTSE 250 was

The FTSE 100 in London opened higher on Friday, eating into some of its post-UK budget weakness, while the pound gained some lost ground.Eyes turn state side later, with US jobs data to come, before the Federal Reserve decision next week, and a presidential election on Tuesday.Closer to home, Reckitt shares jumped on a favourable US legal ruling on infant formula. Airlines struggled as oil prices

Funds inevitably have their up and downs in performance. When a fund has gone through a particularly poor spell, does this represent a buying opportunity for investors in the expectation it will bounce back to form?Likewise for existing investors, should they stick or twist? Fortunately, there are lots of studies from the institutional fund management world which provide answers to that question a

Brazil's central bank went against the grain by announcing its first interest rate hike in two years in September 2024 on concerns that the more robust than anticipated levels of economic activity might stoke inflationary pressures. The door was left open to further increases.Higher rates are not always taken positively by equity markets and the MSCI Brazil index has taken a step back since rates

Just days after celebrating better-than-expected third-quarter net income and earnings, investors in Lloyds (LLOY) received a cold shower as the shares lost 10% of their value in response to a court ruling in a motor finance case.On 25 October, the Court of Appeal ruled in favour of three claimants against FirstRand Bank and Close Brothers (CBG) over the duty of motor dealers acting as credit brok

Budget day upgradeQ3 full price sales up 7.6%Annual profit guidance hiked to £1 billionRetail star turn Next (NXT) has raised its year-to-January 2025 profit guidance for the third time in three months after this year's early arrival of cold weather boosted its third quarter sales.Shares in the FTSE 100 company ticked up 1.5% to £102 as the fashion giant upgraded its full-year pre-tax profit gui

Stock hits three-month high $181Cloud and YouTube shineAI a battlefield for AlphabetOut of the mega tech blocks first - excluding Tesla (TSLA:NASDAQ) ? Alphabet (GOOG:NASDAQ) calmed nerves on Wall Street after-hours Tuesday (29 Oct) with a sharp acceleration in Google Cloud's third-quarter growth rate, while election spending also boosted advertisement sales, especially on YouTube. Going from the