The FTSE 100 and 250 closed in the red on Friday, as this week's US interest rate cut was offset by a disappointing consumer confidence reading. The FTSE 100 index closed down 98.73 points, or 1.2%, at 8,229.99. The FTSE 250 ended down 330.87 points, or 1.6%, at 20,831.84, and the AIM All-Share closed down 0.3%, or 2.46 points, at 745.62. The Cboe UK 100 ended down 1.2% at 823.77, the Cboe UK 2...

Stocks in Europe returned some of the prior day's gains on Friday, as sentiment took a knock from gloomy updates from FedEx and Mercedes. The FTSE 100 index was down 40.78 points, 0.5%, at 8,287.94, above early lows. The FTSE 250 slid 199.96 points, 0.9%, at 20,962.75, and the AIM All-Share eased 1.27 points, 0.2%, at 746.81. The Cboe UK 100 fell 0.5% to 829.89, the Cboe UK 250 dipped 1.0% to 1...

Investors often look to logistics giant FedEx (FDX:NYSE) for clues on the state of the US and global economy and the latest health check is not encouraging. The company missed first quarter Wall Street earnings by a wide margin and lowered fiscal 2025 profit guidance, sending its shares down 12% in pre-market trading. The news sent shares in rival United Parcel Service (UPS:NYSE) down 2.4%, whi...

Nike's (NKE:NYSE) shares surged 6.8% higher to $86.5 in after-hours trading on Wall Street after the company announced that veteran Elliott Hill is coming out of retirement to take the reins as chief executive officer. You can see why the mood has been lifted. John Donahoe, who has been in the hot seat since January 2020, will retire on 13 October 2024 after a patchy stint running the iconic A...

Michael Demare, non-executive chair of pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca (AZN) has bought 2,000 shares at £117.93 for a total value of £235,855 on 13 September. Demare's move comes after the pharmaceutical giant's shares recently fell to a one-month low after the UK's largest quoted company released disappointing data from a late-stage clinical trial of its precision lung-cancer drug DatoDxD....

Indices on Wall Street mounted a charge to new all-time highs after the US Federal Reserve unveiled a bumper 50 basis point cut to interest rates on Wednesday (18 September).After an initially mixed response, US investors reacted enthusiasm as they were reassured this wasn't a panicked move on the part of the Fed, which was cutting rates for the first time in this cycle. In corporate news, Nike...

Stock prices in Europe were in the red on Friday morning, despite the upbeat mood in New York after the Federal Reserve's 50 basis point rate cut earlier this week. The FTSE 100 index fell 36.33 points, 0.4%, at 8,292.39. The index is up around 0.2% so far this week. The FTSE 250 shed 86.37 points, 0.4%, at 21,076.34, and the AIM All-Share slipped 1.29 points, 0.2%, at 746.79. The Cboe UK 100 f...

Stocks in London closed in the green on Thursday, fired up by Fed-prompted highs despite a more guarded outlook on rate cuts from the Bank of England. The FTSE 100 index rose 75.04 points, or 0.9%, at 8,328.72. The FTSE 250 ended up 327.40 points, 1.6%, at 21,162.71, and the AIM All-Share gained 5.52 points, or 0.7%, at 748.08. The Cboe UK 100 rose 0.9% to 833.99, the Cboe UK 250 advanced 1.5%...

European equities were on the up, though the FTSE 100 surrendered some of its morning progress after the Bank of England left rates unmoved, despite the US Federal Reserve's bumper 50 basis point cut on Wednesday. The BoE said it will adopt a 'gradual approach' to easing monetary policy. 'Monetary policy will need to continue to remain restrictive for sufficiently long until the risks to inflat...

Clothing and homewares retailer Next (NXT) has raised its year-to-January-2025 profit guidance for the second time in two months. In fact, the high street stalwart is now on the verge of joining the £1 billion pre-tax profit club, quite an achievement considering the difficult backdrop for retailers in the UK. Shares in the Simon Wolfson-steered retailer rose 2.4% to £106 in early dealings as...

After a string of disappointing clinical trial results which have weighed on AstraZeneca's (AZN) shares in the last month, the pharmaceutical firm said it has received US regulatory approval for Fasenra, its treatment for a rare disease which causes inflammation of the blood vessels. Investors welcomed the news, sending the shares up 126p or just over 1% to £119.82, taking year to date gains t...

Shares in Ocado (OCDO) were up more than 7% to 375p in morning trading as the company raised 2024 revenue guidance for its Ocado Retail joint venture with Marks & Spencer (MKS) to low double-digit growth following a strong performance in the first three quarters of the year. The announcement came as the company reported a trading update for the 13 weeks to 1 September. The company also said it...

London's FTSE 100 prospered in early trading on Thursday after the US central bank cut rates by a hefty 50 basis points. The FTSE 100 index added 56.60 points, 0.7%, at 8,310.28. The FTSE 250 added 168.08 points, 0.8%, at 21,003.39, and the AIM All-Share rose 2.30 points, 0.3%, at 744.86. The Cboe UK 100 rose 0.7% to 832.14, the Cboe UK 250 added 0.8% to 18,528.62, and the Cboe Small Companies...