With just over a month to go until the US presidential elections, Shares takes stock of where the two candidates stand in the polls and what the implications of a Democrat or Republican victory would mean for investors.There is no question the televised debate earlier this month was negative for Donald Trump, to the extent he refused to schedule a re-match.Yet, despite his poor performance, voting

London's FTSE 100 prospered in early trading on Thursday after the US central bank cut rates by a hefty 50 basis points.The FTSE 100 index added 56.60 points, 0.7%, at 8,310.28. The FTSE 250 added 168.08 points, 0.8%, at 21,003.39, and the AIM All-Share rose 2.30 points, 0.3%, at 744.86.The Cboe UK 100 rose 0.7% to 832.14, the Cboe UK 250 added 0.8% to 18,528.62, and the Cboe Small Companies rose

Once peerless, there's an argument that Alphabet (GOOGL:NASDAQ) is now facing its own 'Hobson's choice'. On the one hand, it is being threatened by enormous potential disruption as competitors like OpenAI and its SearchGPT chase share of its valuable search market, forcing it to throw billions of dollars at AI (artificial intelligence) infrastructure to stay ahead.On the other, there's a nightmari

Interim profit surprises analystsCore businesses performing wellFull-year range of forecasts raisedInvestors responded positively to a mixed half-year trading update from home improvement retailer Kingfisher (KGF) which included weaker-than-expected sales in France but higher-than-hoped pre-tax profit.The shares gained 17p or 6% to 307p making them the biggest riser on the FTSE 100 large-cap index

Stocks were higher across the UK and Europe at midday on Tuesday, as the US Federal Reserve looks increasingly likely to cut interest rates by half a percentage point.The FTSE 100 index added 62.68 points, 0.8%, at 8,341.12. The FTSE 250 rose 106.27 points, 0.5%, at 21,035.86, and the AIM All-Share added 0.38 of a point, 0.1%, at 744.12.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.8% at 834.51, the Cboe UK 250 rose 0

European stocks pushed higher early Tuesday on growing belief that the US Federal Reserve will lower interest rates by 50 basis points on Wednesday.'Either the Federal Reserve doves are going seriously ahead of themselves, or there will be a big disappointment when the Fed will announce its policy decision tomorrow. Or... the Fed will align with the market and give investors want they want, to avo

Adjusted profit upgrade after strong tradingRenewed Caliplay contractDispute resolvedGambling technology company Playtech (PTEC) jumped 11% to a two-and-a-half year high after flagging adjusted full year profit will be slightly ahead of market expectations and signing a deal for a 30.8% stake in Mexican sports betting firm Caliente.The shares have surged nearly 60% so far in 2024, making them one

Stocks opened higher in Europe on Friday, as investors shift their attention to rate decisions by the US Federal Reserve and Bank of England next week, after a cut by the European Central Bank on Thursday.The FTSE 100 index added 16.61 points, 0.2%, at 8,257.58. The FTSE 250 was up 83.91 points, 0.4%, at 20,779.68, and the AIM All-Share rose 2.33 points, 0.3%, at 743.69.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.2%

Stocks in London headed higher on Thursday, in line with the positive mood seen across global equity markets following the interest rate cut from the European Central Bank.The FTSE 100 index rose 47.03 points, or 0.6%, at 8,240.97. The FTSE 250 ended up 158.52 points, 0.8%, at 20,695.77, and the AIM All-Share firmed 3.27 points, or 0.4%, at 741.36.The Cboe UK 100 rose 0.5% to 823.99, the Cboe UK 2

If you've been tuned out of the political narrative over the summer, you might not have heard the government is facing a £22 billion black hole in its finances and a 'painful' Budget lies ahead. Then again, if you've got a smart phone, you're probably up to speed.There is plenty of speculation flying around about the taxes Labour are going to hike, especially after Keir Starmer said the heaviest

A report published in 2023 by BNP Paribas showed that 70% of investors surveyed expected to increase their focus on thematic investing over the following three years. Clearly this is an area which is moving into the mainstream at pace but what exactly is thematic investing and how should investors think about getting involved?In this article we'll look to provide a broad-brush definition of themat

Stocks in London pulled back by Wednesday afternoon, after stubborn US core inflation figures all but extinguished hopes of a 50 basis point rate cut from the Federal Reserve.The FTSE 100 index fell 12.04 points, or 0.2%, at 8,193.94. The FTSE 250 ended down 118.89 points, 0.6%, at 20,537.25, and the AIM All-Share eased 5.77 points, or 0.8%, at 738.09.The Cboe UK 100 fell 0.3% to 819.82, the Cboe

Stocks in London were in the red on Monday during midday trading, as downbeat Chinese manufacturing data cast a cloud over equities.It is likely to be a quieter day, given that US markets will be closed today for the Labor Day holiday.The FTSE 100 index was down 13.03 points, or 0.2%, at 8,363.46. The FTSE 250 was down 61.15 points, or 0.3%, at 21,025.39, and the AIM All-Share was down 4.31 points

Stock prices opened lower on Monday morning in Europe, which has a lot of purchasing managers' index data out today, while financial markets in the US and Canada remain closed for Labor Day.In early corporate news, Australia's REA Group confirmed it is considering making a takeover offer for UK peer Rightmove.The FTSE 100 index opened down 15.50 points, or 0.2%, at 8,361.13. The FTSE 250 was down

European stocks were higher going into Friday afternoon, as investors focused on potential clues about future monetary policy from both sides of the Atlantic.The Jackson Hole meeting will see both Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and and Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey speak on Friday.In other news, energy bills are set to increase by almost £150 after Ofgem raised its price cap, in bad

Schneider pays price for lacklustre performanceNestle forced to slow price increasesNo quick fix for FreixeShares in Nestle (NESN:SWX) cheapened 2.5% to CHF 87.3 on Friday as investors digested news of the abrupt departure of Mark Schneider, who is being replaced as CEO of the world's biggest packaged food company by Laurent Freixe following eight years in the hot seat.The Swiss multinational enjo

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

Stock prices in London were lower at midday Tuesday, after data showed the UK unemployment rate fell unexpectedly, and ahead of a key inflationary print from the US in the afternoon.The FTSE 100 index was down 20.74 points, or 0.3%, at 8,189.67. The FTSE 250 was down 1.46 points at 20,675.73, and the AIM All-Share was down 0.68 points, or 0.1%, at 766.31.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.3% at 817.33, th

Stock prices in Europe were in the green at midday Wednesday, as investors were more confident ahead of New York's open, following the global sell-off on Monday.The FTSE 100 index was up 79.14 points, 1.0%, at 8,105.83. The FTSE 250 was up 177.17 points, 0.9%, at 20,544.87, and the AIM All-Share was up 4.56 points, 0.6%, at 764.23.The Cboe UK 100 was up 1.1% at 809.12, the Cboe UK 250 was up 1.0%

The FTSE 100 closed in the red on Thursday, but outperformed its European peers, after the Bank of England cut interest rates for the first time in over four years.The FTSE 100 index closed down 84.62 points, 1.0%, at 8,283.36. The FTSE 250 ended down 141.48 points, 0.7%, at 21,459.23, and the AIM All-Share closed down 3.94 points, 0.5%, at 783.08.The Cboe UK 100 ended down 1.0% at 826.39, the Cbo