London?s FTSE 100 edged lower after the opening bell on Wednesday, as investors moved with trepidation as eyes turn to a US inflation reading due later in the week.The FTSE 100 index opened down 13.02 points, 0.2%, at 7,917.94. The FTSE 250 was down 23.35 points, 0.1%, at 19,754.29, and the AIM All-Share was up 0.27 of a point at 739.79.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.2% at 791.57, the Cboe UK 250 was

By his own admission, Nick Train, manager of Finsbury Growth & Income (FGT), isn?t one for nostalgia, whether that is reflecting on past glories or the ?melancholy fact? as he puts it that the popular investment trust has underperformed the FTSE All-Share index for the last three years.Moving into 2024, the trust has again lagged the benchmark with a share price return of -1.9% in January against

Stock prices in London declined on Tuesday morning, with trading remaining muted following a public holiday in the US on Monday, though banking stocks were a bright spot for the FTSE 100.The FTSE 100 index opened down 7.57 points, 0.1%, at 7,720.93. The FTSE 250 was down 51.49 points, 0.3%, at 19,165.41, and the AIM All-Share was down 1.89 points, 0.3%, at 754.44.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.1% at 7

Stocks in London lacked direction at midday on Friday, as markets ?paused for breath? across Europe.The FTSE 100 index was up 8.94 points, 0.1%, at 7,604.42. The FTSE 250 was up 12.99 points, 0.1%, at 19,115.71, and the AIM All-Share was down 0.71 of a point, 0.1%, at 750.39.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.1% at 760.46, the Cboe UK 250 was flat at 16,537.56, and the Cboe Small Companies was flat at 14,58

Stock prices were mutedly up in London at the open on Friday, while inflation in Germany cooled and Barclays announced plans to buy Tesco Bank?s retail banking business.The FTSE 100 index opened up 5.17 points, 0.1%, at 7,600.65. The FTSE 250 was marginally up 2.72 points at 19,105.44, and the AIM All-Share was up 0.52 of a point, 0.1%, at 751.62.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.1% at 760.08, the Cboe UK

In 2023 we saw a wave of corporate activity in the investment trust sector, dominated by mergers and closures. Eight companies closed their doors, while four mergers took place, with a further four announced that are due to take place this year, according to the Association of Investment Companies.WHY INVESTMENT TRUSTS MERGE OR CLOSEInvestment trusts might close or merge for a number of reasons. I

Our staff all got a bonus earlier this week as a nice surprise from our CEO. It totals £500 and I want to put it towards my pension. I'm only in my 30s, but I didn't save much towards my pension earlier in my career and I'm determined to put that right.Obviously usually, you get tax advantages when your pensions comes out of your salary, but that isn't the case here, as I've already received the

First quarter figures beat Wall Street projections2024 full year guidance raised way beyond estimatesStock had rallied 15%-plus into Q1 numbersCloud security provider Zscaler (ZS:NASDAQ) raised annual guidance after reporting fiscal first quarter results that topped Wall Street estimates as demand was boosted by ongoing enterprise spending on cybersecurity.Zscaler, one of analyst Wedbush?s favouri

After years of investment, cyber-security firm Crowdstrike (CRWD:NASDAQ) is poised to kick-start its profitable growth phase, one that could keep the stock on the boil. The shares have already doubled in 2023 as investors bet on AI-powered growth years into the future, and that optimism is shared by Stifel analyst Adam Borg.'Crowdstrike's differentiation is its high-efficacy cloud-based endpoint t

After a 237% share price gain this year, you might think Nvidia (NVDA:NASDAQ) has gone off the boil based on recent market performance. The stock has only moved 6% higher over the past month, limp by its previous monthly standards, but you can expect anticipation to start building ahead of third quarter figures which are published on 21 November.The AI (artificial intelligence) chip champion has b

According to Charlie Munger, Warren Buffett's highly respected colleague and co-manager of Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B:NYSE), 'All intelligent investing is value investing, acquiring more than you are paying for.'Or, as Howard Marks of Oaktree Capital Management puts it, 'It's not what you buy, it's what you pay, and success in investing doesn't come from buying good things but from buying things we

Stock prices in London ended largely lower on Wednesday as investors nervously eyed continuing tensions in the Middle East and an incoming interest rate decision from the European Central Bank.The FTSE 100 index closed up 24.64 points, or 0.3%, at 7,414.34. The FTSE 250 ended down 123.39 points, or 0.7%, at 16,870.71, and the AIM All-Share closed down 4.63 points, or 0.7%, at 673.82.The Cboe UK 10

European equities entered Wednesday afternoon in downbeat fashion, with lingering monetary policy concerns and worries related to developments in the Middle East tempering enthusiasm.Stocks in Europe struggled despite Asian equities getting a boost from China infrastructure spending plans.The euro, meanwhile, was slightly lower on the eve of the European Central Bank's next meeting.The FTSE 100 in

Stocks price in London were higher at midday on Thursday as rising oil prices and developments in China helped lift blue-chip oil majors and miners.The pound weakened against the dollar, meanwhile, ahead of a key US inflation print, due out at 1330 BST.The FTSE 100 index added 55.55 points, 0.7%, at 7,675.58. The FTSE 250 surged 196.84 points, 1.1%, at 18,073.08, and the AIM All-Share climbed 2.26

Pensions have a reputation for being arcane and complicated, and there are elements of the pension system which can be hard to get your head around. But when you boil it down, a pension is simply a tax efficient investment plan. Here are five levers you can pull to boost your retirement savings.1. Increase contributionsThe more you put into your pension, the more you will get out. But you don't ne

Prime minister Rishi Sunak has floated and announced big policy changes recently from delaying a ban of the sales of new petrol and diesel cares, pulling back on phasing out gas boilers and introducing a New Zealand-style anti-smoking policy.There has also been the public discussion of abandoning or at least curtailing the zero-carbon high-speed railway to the north of England - better known as HS

Interest rates on cash savings accounts have risen the past couple of years, as the Bank of England's base rate has been hiked. But some people want their cash to be put to good causes, while also earning them a return on their money.The 'green' savings market has emerged in recent years, with money saved put towards environmentally friendly projects. However, with all the options you're not going

Huge swathes of Europe, North America, Asia and Africa have endured boiling conditions this summer, with the majority of scientists pinning the blame for the planet's exceptional heat and rain, as well as wildfires in countries such as Greece and Canada, on human activity.Data from the EU-funded Copernicus Climate Change Service showed that the first three weeks of July were the warmest three-week

Alongside the rally in mega cap tech names since January, one of 2023's big themes is the popularity of global luxury goods stocks, with LVMH (MC:EPA), Richemont (CFR:SWX) and Hermès (RMS:EPA) hitting new share price highs amid an extraordinary boom in sales, supported by a demand rebound from China. LVMH even became the first European company to surpass $500 billion in market value.But som

European equities ended higher on Friday, with the DAX 40 in Frankfurt hitting a record level earlier in the day.Shares cooled from their highs, however, as the European trading session drew to a close as poor developments in US debt ceiling talks soured market mood. Sentiment was also more uncertain in New York.Shortly before the European close, news emerged that a Republican negotiator walked ou