London?s FTSE 100 hit another record high on Friday, rounding off a strong week with another gain, despite a robust US inflation reading threatening to spoil the party.The FTSE 100 index added 60.97 points, 0.8%, at 8,139.83. It is its best closing level ever, and it earlier hit a record intraday high of 8,146.75.The FTSE 250 was up 222.18 points, 1.1%, at 19,824.16, and the AIM All-Share rose 2.1

London?s blue-chips remained in demand, pushing to new highs, with investors hoping US inflation data later does not derail the optimistic mood.In the FTSE 100, ConvaTec was an outlier, after Peel Hunt downgraded the firm?s investment rating. On the other side of the index was NatWest, with a set of well received results.The FTSE 100 index was up 35.73 points, 0.4%, at 8,114.59. The FTSE 250 was u

Board recommends all cash 620p offerPrice pitched at 20% premium to prior closeBid ends tumultuous three years for DarktraceIt has certainly not been a dull time for shareholders in cybersecurity firm Darktrace (DARK) since it listed three years ago and now it looks like its short sojourn has come to an end after agreeing an all-cash offer from private equity outfit Thoma Bravo at 620p per share.H

Investors bought in London at the open on Friday, with news led by Anglo American rejecting BHP?s £31.1 billion takeover offer and Darktrace accepting a $5 billion private equity takeover offer.The FTSE 100 index opened up 42.14 points, 0.5%, at 8,121.00. The FTSE 250 was up 151.94 points, 0.8%, at 19,753.92, and the AIM All-Share was up 2.41 points, 0.3%, at 755.53.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.6% at

It must be maddening for analysts that every time they?ve put forecasts for Darktrace (DARK) into the market, they?re forced to tear them up and start again. It happened for the third time already this year earlier this month (11 April), in the wake of a surprisingly strong third fiscal quarter update (to 31 March) that the company predicts will mean an extra $2.4 million of ARR, or annual recurri

UK stocks look cheap on so many different valuation metrics, not just one or two, suggesting a robust, genuine investment opportunity is available to long-term investors. So why does nobody seem convinced?This article explores the scepticism surrounding the UK?s market?s attractive valuation and examines the underlying evidence to support it. Shares concludes UK stocks really are a compelling inve

London?s FTSE 100 opened sharply lower on Tuesday, as US interest rate worries and geopolitical tensions continued to cast a dark cloud over equity markets.Only Mondi traded higher, with even packaging peer DS Smith falling despite agreeing to a takeover from International Paper, the latest twist in a takeover saga that also involved Mondi. Mondi is yet to respond to the development.The FTSE 100 i

European stocks were in the red on Thursday midday, after hope for Summer interest rate cuts diminished following hotter-than-expected US consumer price inflation.Investors are also eyeing the latest interest rate decision from the European Central Bank and hopes for some clues about the trajectory of rates in a press conference which will follow.The FTSE 100 index was down 18.46 points, 0.2%, at

Shares up 7% to 469pThree-month sales up 26%999 net new customersShares in Darktrace (DARK) were up 7% to 469p in morning trading as the UK enterprise cybersecurity firm raised its guidance for year-on-year revenue growth and adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest taxation depreciation and amortisation) margin.The announcement came as the company reported a 26.5% increase in revenue to $176.1 m

European equities were mixed on Thursday morning, ahead of the European Central Bank?s next interest rate decision this afternoon.The FTSE 100 index opened up 2.10 points at 7,963.31. The FTSE 250 was down 4.02 points at 19,797.73, and the AIM All-Share was up 1.13 points, 0.2%, at 756.32.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.1% at 796.00, the Cboe UK 250 was up 0.1% at 17,216.17, and the Cboe Small Companies

US stock markets took a turn for the worse after Minneapolis Fed president Neel Kashkari threw a cat among the pigeons by introducing the possibility of zero rate cuts this year.?If we continue to see inflation moving sideways, then that would make me question whether we need to do those rate cuts at all?, Kashkari told journalists. ?There's a lot of momentum in the economy right now.?That was evi

City of London most bought second month in a rowNvidia tops stock buys againRenewables trust UK Greencoat Wind sparks interestInvestors across the AJ Bell platform have been piling into artificial intelligence (AI) 'darling' Nvidia (NVDA:NASDAQ) and oil giant Shell (SHEL) before the end of the tax year.FTSE 100 aero-engine maker Rolls Royce (RR.) also makes appearance in the top five of most bough

Capital preservation funds are positioned to help investors avoid large losses while growing their wealth too, albeit more slowly than more risk-tolerant funds. In the investment trusts patch, the three main wealth preservers are Ruffer Investment Company (RICA), Capital Gearing Trust (CGT) and Personal Assets Trust (PNL), while RIT Capital Partners (RCP) also has a capital preservation bent.Durin

Whenever there is a discussion about ?quality? UK industrial stocks, the name Spectris (SXS) is often thrown into the ring although we suspect many investors, while being familiar with the company in a general sense, have little idea what it actually does.Looking on Stockopedia, the company has a 99th percentile quality ranking, which backs up its reputation, but it is classified as a large-cap te

Standard Chartered Bank director sells £9.64 million sharesBAE Systems chair buys £180,779 sharesDarktrace CEO offloads over £700,000 sharesSimon Cooper, CEO corporate, commercial, and institutional banking, and Europe & Americas of Asian-focused Standard Chartered Bank (STAN) has sold 1,482,343 shares at 650p for a total value of £9.64 million on 14 March.The bank said last week that Cooper i

Stock prices in London opened in the green on Friday, following a busy week of economic data and interest rate decisions.Amongst individual stocks, Phoenix Group got a boost on the back of its 2023 results.The FTSE 100 index opened up 39.32 points, 0.5%, at 7,921.87. The FTSE 250 was up 1.50 points at 19,742.81, and the AIM All-Share was up 1.83 points, 0.3%, at 742.47.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.5%

UK enterprise cybersecurity firm Darktrace (DARK) is rediscovering its mojo after unveiling surprisingly strong growth and margin expansion in the six months to end December 2023. Against a backcloth of intense geopolitical tension, governments and corporate clients are becoming increasingly wary of the threat of hacking attacks, while AI (artificial intelligence) tools are making it easier for

London-listed stocks delivered a mixed performance on Monday in a big week for economic data, as the market prepared for Tuesday?s US inflation reading.The FTSE 100 index closed down 9.49 points, 0.1%, at 7,669.23. The FTSE 250 ended down 71.69 points, 0.4%, at 19,530.09, and the AIM All-Share closed down 2.29 points, 0.3%, at 738.27.The Cboe UK 100 ended up 0.1% at 767.93, the Cboe UK 250 closed

Stocks in London were in the red at midday on Monday, as investors continued to deal with last week?s sell-off in US tech shares and a ?mixed? jobs report.A favourable inflation reading helped the Shanghai Composite achieve a 0.7% gain to start to the week, despite lingering concern for the Chinese economy. But it was the Nikkei 225 in Tokyo that was badly hit by tech share declines, giving back 2

Shares in publishing outfit Bloomsbury Publishing (BMY) hit a record level on 14 February after the firm raised its guidance for the year ending 29 February 2024.Over the past year, Bloomsbury shares have gained 22% and over five years 137% to sit at 536p. The publisher has clearly benefited from the revival of reading which started during the pandemic and the ability to tap into popular genres li