Stock prices in London opened in the green on Thursday, with some positive corporate updates helping lift the FTSE 100, a far cry from the sell-off New York tech shares suffered overnight.The tech sector comes into focus again, with streaming service Netflix, traditionally one of the FAANG stocks alongside Facebook owner Meta, Amazon, Apple and Alphabet, reporting quarterly earnings later.The FTSE

The FTSE 100 was outperforming its European peers at midday Tuesday, after market sentiment got a boost from UK employment data, which has raised the chances of a Bank of England interest rate cut.A red-hot US consumer price rise could undo all of that progress, however. According to FXStreet cited consensus, the US annual consumer price inflation rate is expected to have remained at 3.1% in Febru

London?s FTSE 100 had another tricky day on Wednesday, as it continues to struggle to find its groove in 2024, though trade was more confident in New York.There was M&A activity in the housing sector on Wednesday, a strategic plan from grocer Sainsbury?s and a dividend hike from packaging company Smurfit Kappa.The FTSE 100 index lost 52.26 points, 0.7%, at 7,628.75. So far this year, the blue-chip

It may have started off as an acronym to describe the main emerging markets in the early noughties but Brazil, Russia, India and China have co-opted the term to create an alliance over the last decade or so bringing South Africa into the fold.This BRICS alliance just added new members to the fold in the form of Egypt, Iran, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates.But looking at the perform

THIS IS AN ADVERTISING FEATUREUK companies have delivered strong operational performance, dividend growth and record levels of buybacksInvestors remain wary on the UK market despite huge cash generationThere are tentative signs of sentiment improving as stability is restoredTo paraphrase Mark Twain, reports of the demise of UK equity markets have been much exaggerated. Over 2023, UK companies have

Stocks in London ended the day in mixed fashion with blue-chips nursing modest losses and mid-caps ending in the green.A solid start to the day in the US helped, with the S&P hitting a 12-month high, as investors look ahead to CPI figures and the Federal Reserve?s interest rate decision on Wednesday.The FTSE 100 index closed down 9.58 points, 0.1%, at 7,544.89. The FTSE 250 ended up 48.40 points,

THIS IS AN ADVERTISING FEATURECharles Luke, Investment Manager, Murray Income Trust PLCAt a time when investors can pick up a high income from bonds, the real value of a stock market portfolio is its ability to grow income and capital over time. This growth potential is particularly important when inflation is likely to be structurally higher, and preserving the real value of invested wealth is in

Equities surged in the wake of a cooler-than-expected US inflation reading, which for some all but ensures that the Federal Reserve's next interest rate move will be a cut.A hold by the US central bank next month is now completely priced in. According to the CME FedWatch Tool, there was a 15% chance of a hike a day ago, as investors digested hawkish comments from Fed Chair Jerome Powell from last

The FTSE 100 outperformed at midday on Wednesday, enjoying a boost from utilities, though the wider market mood was downbeat amid nerves ahead of two key pieces of US inflation data.The FTSE 100 index was up 13.51 points, or 0.2%, at 7,641.72. Meanwhile, the FTSE 250 was down 74.52 points, or 0.4%, at 17,893.15, and the AIM All-Share was down 1.52 points, or 0.2%, at 696.57.The Cboe UK 100 was up

London's FTSE 100 traded higher on Wednesday afternoon, benefitting from a weaker pound, as the blue-chip index recovers some lost ground on the eve of the Jackson Hole central banking event.The pound fell markedly after a poor purchasing managers' index reading in the UK. Foreign exchange traders also sold the euro after similarly tepid data from the single currency area.Utility stocks were among

Stocks in London ended Wednesday higher, as a cooler than expected inflation reading took some heat of the Bank of England's next interest rate decision.'With UK inflation finally slowing down, the markets are now expecting greater restraint from the Bank of England. The BoE still has some way to go in the current hiking cycle but will probably be less aggressive than some had predicted before tod

After a decent showing in 2022, the UK stock market has failed to fire in 2023. The good news for investors is shares in other parts of the world have done much better and it has never been easier to have a globally diversified portfolio.There is an excellent range of products and instruments which allow you to participate in the returns from markets across the globe and, in this article, we provi

First-half results from Howden Joinery (HWDN) on 20 July will reveal the impact a slowdown in the housing market is having on its trading.The trade kitchen supplier last updated in the spring, with a trading statement covering the 16-week period to 15 April. Like-for-like revenue was flat on the same period a year earlier in the UK business once you accounted for the impact of an additional sales

Our investor this week is Andy, who is in his early thirties and has been investing since he left university around a decade ago.A history graduate, Andy puts his initial interest in finance and markets down to his father who is an accountant.'I can't remember exactly what the trigger was,' says Andy, 'but around the time I was leaving university the economy was still just coming out of the global

THIS IS AN ADVERTISEMENT Ciaran Mallon, Fund ManagerAmerica can demonstrate impressive commitment when it throws itself into something. Take President Biden's supersize climate change plans.Three acts in particular - the Inflation Reduction Act, the Chips Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law - look set to cement (in a low-carbon way) Biden's name in history.The US has got the renewable energy

SSE announces £40 billion of clean energy investmentsAdjusted profit more than doubles in year to 31 March 2023Dividend hiked by 13%Energy firm SSE (SSE) made modest gains off the back of a doubling of annual headline profit and as it announced a £40 billion programme of investment in clean energy.The shares, which have enjoyed a decent run of late, traded up 1% to £18.89 - close to a 52-week h

(Alliance News) - London share prices opened lower on Wednesday, after a report showing price inflation cooled in the UK last month but not by as much as hoped, while core inflation actually picked up pace.The FTSE 100 index opened down 115.62 points, or 1.5%, at 7,647.33. The FTSE 250 was down 18,934.80 points, 1.4%, at 18,934.80, and the AIM All-Share was down 4.50 points, 0.6%, at 803.54.The Cb

Stocks in London closed lower on Tuesday, as a stalemate in US debt ceiling talks hurt market sentiment for yet another day.The FTSE 100 index closed down 8.04 points, 0.1%, at 7,762.95. Gains for oil majors and international earners, amid a muted pound, shielded London's blue-chip index from a sharper decline.The FTSE 250 lost 65.03 points, 0.3%, at 19,208.31, and the AIM All-Share ended down jus

Can retail stalwart Marks & Spencer maintain its positive momentum?High street fashion-to-foods seller's results provide investors with their next chance to check on the health of the UK consumerForthcoming results (24 May) for the year ended 2 April 2023 from Marks & Spencer (MKS) will give investors another opportunity to take the temperature of the UK consumer, with upbeat guidance probably req

Shares in China-related investment trusts have fallen after a late 2022 rally amid fears the country's economic recovery is uneven. While first quarter GDP jumped by a better than expected 4.5%, there are concerns the pace of growth may now slow.Markets immediately priced in a stronger economic environment when the Chinese government indicated late last year it would relax Covid-related restrictio