Stock prices in London remained in the red at midday on Monday after data showed UK's economy grew milder than expected in the second quarter, while China continued its stimulus efforts.The FTSE 100 index was down 64.56 points, or 0.8%, at 8,256.20. The FTSE 250 was down 227.22 points, or 1.1%, at 21,013.34, and the AIM All-Share was down 3.66 points, or 0.5%, at 741.99.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.

The FTSE 100 opened lower Friday morning despite a boost in retail sales in July, and underperforming against its counterparts in Paris and Frankfurt which traded higher.The FTSE 100 index opened just 3.93 points lower at 8,343.31. The FTSE 250 was down 14.52 points, or 0.1%, at 21,080.53, and the AIM All-Share was down 0.81 points, or 0.1%, at 773.98.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.1% at 834.20, the Cbo

US oil giant ConocoPhillips (COP:NYSE) recently unveiled its 10-year plan for growth. Conspicuous by its absence was any plan to shift investment into the renewables space. Conoco is not alone, with most US peers also avoiding putting money into solar and wind.Yes, there was a nod towards the company's 2050 net zero ambition and accelerating its 2030 emissions reduction target but this relates to

1. China National Congress. The week-long National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party (Congress) began on 16 October. This gathering takes place every five years and is expected to re-appoint Xi Jinping as the president for a new term of five years. The Congress will also appoint a new premier, as Li Keqiang is stepping down. From an investor's perspective, attention will focus on policy meas

July got off to a positive start, much to investors' relief after the drubbing of the first half, with the S&P 500 index up more than 2% to take it back over the 3,900 mark for the first time in nearly a month.The tech-focused Nasdaq 100 index fared even better, adding more than 4% to take it back over 12,000 points as risk appetite returned to markets.The big driver this week was the economy, spe

It will come as no surprise that in a week when the price of a barrel of WTI (West Texas Intermediate) crude oil jumped $20 to $115, investors were busy chasing up energy stocks.The week's top S&P 500 performer was Occidental Petroleum, up 28.7% for a year-to-date gain of near enough 65%. APA was also a big winner with gains of 13% for the week.Defence stocks were in vogue, not unreasonably, with

UK stocks eked out modest gains in a subdued start to trading on Tuesday as various mining stocks created a headwind and investors digested a mixed batch of earnings releases, including positive updates from BP (BP.) and HSBC (HSBA) and disappointing ones from Whitbread (WTB) and Aveva (AVV).By 8.20 am, the FTSE 100 traded a mere 0.1% higher at 6,970.55 points while the FTSE 250 was down 0.1% at 2

Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) focused on value stocks have boomed in popularity since the value rally began in November 2020, with the performance of many soaring in that timeframe.According to Bloomberg, in the US value ETFs have already taken in $20 billion so far this year, which is already close to an annual record, and in the first week of March reportedly took in over $5 billion.VALUE RALLYIn

Oil prices have had a very turbulent year. The fossil fuel traded above $70 per barrel in January as simmering tensions between the US and Iran threatened an escalated conflict in the Middle East and oil is now priced at around half that level.The futures contracts on the US benchmark WTI dipped into negative territory at one point as Covid-19 dealt a devastating blow to demand and a price war bri

Oil major Royal Dutch Shell (RDSB) was one of the biggest risers on the FTSE 100 on Monday morning as the recovery in oil prices continued following April's retreat of US oil prices into negative territory.The company was up 5.4% to £12.39, while BP (BP.) gained 5.5% to 312.8p as US crude oil benchmark WTI traded above $30 per barrel and global yardstick Brent headed in the direction of $34 per b

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT IN THE OIL MARKET?It's very strange times for the oil market and there could be further trouble ahead. Unless demand picks up dramatically in the coming weeks then mid to late May could see a repeat of the recent scenario where people had to pay others to take oil off their hands.In this article we will explain what is going on with oil, what it reveals about the economy and what

While the International Monetary Fund is busily warning of the worst economic slump since the Great Depression of the 1930s, the S&P 500 is, as we write, back above its levels at the beginning of 2019.Against a backdrop of global stocks enjoying something of a recovery, the oil market is in a state of collapse with the US benchmark WTI falling to its lowest levels since 1999.Interestingly oil pric

UK markets regathered momentum to accelerate gains in afternoon trading after a firm start on Wall Street. Both the Dow Jones and S&P 500 rose more than 1.5% early in the Thursday session, although the tech heavy Nasdaq made more modest progress.Earlier in the day the UK government extended its Bank of England overdraft so it can borrow billions of pounds and bypass the bond market.The government

The FTSE 100 jumped in early morning trading as the UK government extended its Bank of England overdraft so it can borrow billions and bypass the bond market.The government has extended what's known as its 'Ways and Means' facility at the central bank.This allows it to immediately raise funds and smooth out cash flow as it tries to support the economy amid the coronavirus pandemic, which according

Brent crude oil prices are gushing higher after reports of an attack on oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman - moving above $62 per barrel. Oil major Royal Dutch Shell (RDSB) pushes 0.4% higher to £25.35 in response.Oil recently hit five-month lows as focus was directed to the demand side of the equation where global growth concerns and ongoing trade tensions were seen as weighing.Today news of a poss

As is often the case, geo-politics is moving the oil price. The ongoing internecine conflict in Libya disrupting supply from the country and helping the Brent crude benchmark to 2019 highs above $70 per barrel.The two main benchmarks in the crude oil market are West Texas Intermediate (WTI) and Brent. US oil is priced off WTI while the latter is the yardstick for crude sold in the rest of the worl

The broadest definition of a commodity would see it classed as a good which is supplied without qualitative differentiation across a market.What does this mean in real terms? Well, copper has a universal price which fluctuates on a daily basis in reaction to supply and demand.In contrast a produced good such as a smartphone is priced according to a number of different variables including: the stre

Black Friday is a term typically associated with the retail sector, but it could have summed up the mood of boardrooms in oil and gas firms across the globe on 23 November when oil hit its lowest level in 12 months after a significant intraday crash in prices.Even after crawling back just above $60 per barrel at the time of writing, the global Brent Crude index is still down around 30% from the ye

There are interesting moves with the different oil prices worth investigating.The two main benchmarks in the crude oil market are West Texas Intermediate (WTI) and Brent. US oil is priced off WTI while the latter is, in effect, the global yardstick.In recent years Brent has typically traded at a premium to WTI. This has reflected the emergence of a big new source of supply in the US as operators i

Most investors will be familiar with the charges associated with trading stocks and shares. However, a hidden cost which sometimes isn't given sufficient prominence is the difference between the price at which you buy and sell a share, known as the bid/offer spread.The bid price is the maximum price that a buyer is willing to pay for a share and the offer price (also called the 'ask' price) is the