THIS IS AN ADVERTISING FEATURE Rhys Davies Fund Manager, Invesco My job as manager of Invesco Bond Income Plus Ltd is to supply income to enable the investment trust's board to pay dividends to shareholders. The income comes from a portfolio of bonds. If we think of the portfolio as the income engine, then higher coupons¹ and higher yields over the past two years have allowed us to refuel...

THIS IS AN ADVERTISING FEATURE Stephen Anness Head of Global Equities, Invesco The Magnificent Seven - the group of supercharged stocks named after the classic Western movie - that delivered such outstanding returns in 2023 generated so much attention you would think it impossible to have beaten the index without owning them all. The fact that some of us did should be hugely reassuring to...

The FTSE 100 barely budged in early trade in London on Monday, in the aftermath of what was a busy week of central banking action. Rate cut hope spurred on equities last week. The governor of the Bank of England, meanwhile, said rate cuts are 'in play'. Among individual shares, Direct Line and Mobico plunged at the start of the week. Kingfisher declined after softer earnings. The FTSE 100 inde...

Blue-chip stocks in London were boosted on Friday by a favourable Bank of England interest rate outlook, although mid-caps inched down and trade elsewhere was mixed as New York stocks were largely down. The FTSE 100 index climbed 48.37 points, 0.6%, at 7,930.92, its best closing level in over a year. The FTSE 250 slipped 16.99 points, 0.1%, at 19,724.32, and the AIM All-Share ended down 1.12 p...

The board of industrial property investment trust Abrdn Property Income has reiterated its support for an all-share merger with rival Custodian Property Income REIT as opposed to a managed wind-down. Shareholders in Custodian have already voted through the merger with 98% in favour. CALL TO ACTION API shareholders voting by proxy need to make sure their forms are returned by no later than 10...

After eyeing a New York listing since 2021, social media company Reddit (RDDT:NASDAQ) was finally granted its wish on 21 March. The shares finished the day 48% higher than their IPO price of $34, giving the company a market cap of about $9.5 billion. The website, which hosts millions of online forums, raised about $750 million from the offering with the company 'collecting' approximately $519...

Slowing like for like sales growth at pubs group JD Wetherspoon was enough to knock the shares 7% lower to 737.5p, bringing an end to a strong run which has seen them gain 25% over the last year, comfortably ahead of the FTSE 250. Like-for-like sales growth slowed to 5.8% in the seven weeks to 17 March compared with 9.9% for the half year to 28 January. Rather incongruously Chairman Tim Marti...

Blue chip stocks in London were up at the start of Friday afternoon, while mid-caps lost ground, after there were no surprises from UK and US central banks this week. Amongst individual stocks, Phoenix Group got a boost thanks to its 2023 results. Retail stocks were lower on the back of February's 'downpour'. The FTSE 100 index was up 52.26 points, 0.7%, at 7,934.81. The FTSE 250 was down 18.0...

Major US indices notched-up further all-time highs this week on dovish comments from Fed chair Jay Powell in the press conference following the central bank's decision to leave interest rates unchanged. The Fed's summary of economic projections sees stronger economic growth and stickier inflation, but it still anticipates a couple of rate cuts later in the year. The small-cap, economicall...

Insurer Phoenix Group delighted investors with its full-year results which showed it hitting its 2025 growth target two years early and introducing a new progressive dividend policy. The shares jumped as much as 8% to 526p taking them to the top of the FTSE 100 leader board. OVER-DELIVERING ON ITS TARGETS The group delivered over £2 billion in total cash generation last year, an increase of...

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 u...

THIS IS AN ADVERTISING FEATURE An equity income option to suit all tastes Equity income offers a breadth of investment options, depending on the region The UK is an option for recovery, Asia for growth, and the US for diversification Equity income strategies may have a tailwind from falling interest rates There remains considerable debate over when and by how much interest rates could fal...