Keen investor Phil first got the bug in the mid-1980s when his mum bought him 100 shares in Cable & Wireless shares.Cable & Wireless was a trailblazing cable company set up more than a century ago and by the start of 2000, C&W Group, as it was then, had a market value of around £38 billion. When the business was demerged in 2010 its value had shrunk to £4 billion ? with the now two separate busi

Stock prices in London were mostly higher at midday on Tuesday but the FTSE 100 declined ahead of a slew of US data in the afternoon, after a public holiday in both the US and the UK.The FTSE 100 index was down 16.64 points, or 0.2%, at 8,301.04. The FTSE 250 was up 83.97 points, or 0.4%, at 20,855.45, and the AIM All-Share was up 1.17 points, or 0.1%, at 811.19.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.3% at 82

Despite strong third quarter results, shares in the world's leading electrical appliance-maker Whirlpool (WHR:NYSE) tumbled 20% last week to their lowest since the pandemic after the Michigan-based manufacturer lowered its full year earnings target.Revenue and earnings were well ahead of estimates thanks to market share gains, but analysts at Raymond James flagged price and mix sales headwinds as

September was a bad month for stocks in general, but it was especially poor for UK REITs (real estate investment trusts), with 77% of the sector by market cap being derated according to analysts at Winterflood, leaving 24 out of 32 trusts down over nine months.With worries over the economy, discounts to NAV (net asset value) continuing to widen and retail investors exiting the sector in their drov

- Rent roll increasing on positive demand trends- Property valuations leveling out- Sector bouncing off recent lowsIndustrial warehouse owner and operator Segro (SGRO) published a pleasing trading update for the year to date and promised to deliver 'further compound growth in earnings and dividends during 2023 and beyond'.The shares, which have been bumping along at post-pandemic lows, jumped to t

As the US reporting season rolls on, what have we learnt so far about the domestic economy and the global outlook and what challenges are firms facing?We have already heard from the US banks that domestic consumers are bearing up despite higher food, energy and housing costs, and the economy is 'resilient' for the time being.CONSUMER STOCKS PAINT A MIXED PICTURECredit card issuer American Express

- Index changes to be announced tonight- Three new names to join the FTSE 100- Four new faces in the mid-cap FTSE 250Investors with FTSE tracker funds will be keenly waiting for details of the latest index reshuffle due to be published after the market close tonight.As well as changes to the FTSE 100 big-cap index there are expected to be several changes to the FTSE 250 mid-cap benchmark and the F

Last week's trip to Taiwan by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi - the highest-ranking American politician to visit Taipei in 25 years - seems to have been the pretext for China to unleash a demonstration of both its military might and its intention to unify the island with the mainland.While the White House has sought to reduce tensions over the Speaker's visit, the strategic and economic importance o

THIS IS AN ADVERTISING PROMOTIONThe UK warehouse and logistics market has become centre stage, being the stand out asset class within the real estate sector, experiencing investor interest from across the globe with in excess of £10 billion of stock changing hands last year.This recent trend, which has emerged over the last five years, has been driven by the growth of e-commerce, now accounting f

London's blue-chip stocks endured a mini last minute sell-off to close Friday in the red but managed to post modest gains for the week. In a typically quiet session the FTSE 100 tracked largely sideways, with a late slide into negative territory leaving the benchmark index 0.2% down at 6,489.33.That meant ending around 1% ahead on the week with UK investors seemingly happy to sit on the sidelines.

London's blue-chip stocks remained subdued through the morning session on Friday, continuing a second half of the week sideways drift after the encouraging rally seen through Monday and Tuesday trading. UK investors seem to be happy sitting on the sidelines ahead of this afternoon's US non-farm payroll numbers, which means missing out on the strong gains made in the US and Europe.The pa-European E

UK stocks closed near session highs on Tuesday as the market clawed back some of its heavy losses on Monday.US Consumer confidence unexpectedly declined in November and house prices declined more than expected by economists, impacted by rising virus cases.At 16:30 the FTSE 100 index was 0.6% higher at 6,455 points.COMPANY NEWSMobile network operator Vodafone (VOD) offered to buy out the minority s

UK stocks bounced on Tuesday after Monday's sharp losses in reaction to stricter lockdown measures amid rising virus cases related to a new, potential more easily transmitted strain.Boris Johnson's latest proposal to the European Union was rejected as both sides scramble to get a deal over the line before the end of the year. The pound weakened by 0.5% against the US dollar to $1.34.At 12:00, the

UK stocks opened lower on Tuesday as Brexit talks seemed to flounder over fishing rights with just days to go before the end of the transition period and oil prices continued to slip on fears of lower demand.Brent crude oil futures dropped almost 2% to $49.90 per barrel while gold slipped to $1,875 per ounce. The pound regained some positive momentum, breaking back above $1.34 despite Brexit conce

A second national lockdown in England and restrictions in Wales and Scotland mean the run-up to Christmas 2020 will be very different to anything retailers and shoppers have experienced before. This year is going to be a digital Christmas and that has implications for numerous companies on the stock market, which we will explore in this article.People have started ordering goods online far in adva

Industrial property landlord Tritax Big Box REIT (BBOX) has agreed the sale of a Chesterfield warehouse, currently leased to Amazon, for £57.3 million.The shares ticked 1.2% higher to 156.7p as investors anticipated the money being recycled into potentially higher development assets.Investment bank Jefferies estimates the sale was struck at a 4.1% yield with the money being put into developments

Stocks around the world took something of a pause today after a heavy sell-off yesterday, though the FTSE remains volatile, with markets concerned over a second wave of coronavirus infections.US markets all closed over 5% lower last night, with the Dow Jones tumbling 6.9%, as pockets of the country battle with a rapidly rising number of cases again, something which appears to be happening in some

Income is a big motivating factor for people to invest in the markets. The idea of securing a regular stream of cash which can be used to pay the bills or reinvested to help boost capital returns is an attractive one.However, this income is not guaranteed and the last two months or so of dividend cuts, suspensions and deferrals have seen billions of pounds worth of payouts from UK stocks taken off

Food and beverage companies seem to be following in the footsteps of the drug firms in making preparations for a 'no-deal Brexit'.Heineken recently announced plans to deal with supply chain issues and back in July pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca (AZN) caused quite the stir when it announced that it would begin stockpiling medicines in preparation for a no-deal outcome.The company said it would in

A new vehicle is launching on the London Stock Exchange which will enable investors to gain access to the pan-European logistics market for the first time.The £250m IPO (initial public offering) offer for Aberdeen Standard European Logistics Income is open to retail investors until 11 December. We are enthused by its proposition and rate the shares as a 'buy'.The shares are expected to commence t