Stocks in Europe had a weak start on Friday, as the threat of more Middle East sabre-rattling and doubt of US interest rate cut timing damaged investor morale. Perhaps in a sign of the times, BAE Systems was among only a handful of large-caps in London to trade higher. A red-hot US jobs report could damage sentiment further later. The data is reported at 1330 BST. The FTSE 100 index opened dow...

THIS IS AN ADVERTISING FEATURE As investors look ahead to 2024, they still need to decide whether to take the risk in equity markets, or keep their savings in cash. Cash rates remain high for the time being, and there are a range of factors that could create market volatility in the year ahead. Nevertheless, while the future is uncertain, there are a number of reasons to hold faith in the ma...

THIS IS AN ADVERTISING FEATURE The remainder of 2024 looks set to be volatile, with geopolitical tensions and a major election in the US likely to create noise. The energy sector is always vulnerable to short-term shifts in sentiment and changing views on the outlook for global growth, but the long-term trends are strong, as demand expands and supply remains constrained. Capital at risk. The...

Stock prices in London closed higher on Thursday following higher-than-expected US initial jobless claims. The FTSE 100 index closed up 38.45 points, 0.5%, at 7,975.89. The FTSE 250 ended up 119.55 points, 0.6%, at 19,873.19, and the AIM All-Share closed up 0.50 of a point at 742.58. The Cboe UK 100 ended up 0.5% at 796.99, the Cboe UK 250 closed up 0.7% at 17,294.15, and the Cboe Small Compan...

Merchants Trust served up a 42nd consecutive year of higher dividends, up 2.9% to 28.4p per share, but the portfolio fell 3.1% for the year, lagging the FTSE All-Share's total return of 1.9%. Chairman Colin Clark described the performance as 'very disappointing' but stressed that the result 'comes after two very good years when the portfolio outperformed the benchmark and we recognise that th...

Investor sentiment improved in London on Thursday afternoon, following words from the Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell which helped soothe market concern over the US interest rate trajectory. While Powell's remarked did not make the timing of interest rate cuts any clearer, he did affirm they will happen if the US economy continues to move as expected. The FTSE 100 index added 32.56 points,...

Used car retailer Motorpoint has reported an improvement in trading in the new calendar year amid an uptick in consumer demand for nearly-new vehicles. Margins gradually improved through the fourth quarter to March 2024 too, as the Derby-headquartered company increased stock turn and worked through the inventories affected by the used car price correction witnessed in the third quarter. Given...

Investors across the AJ Bell platform have been piling into artificial intelligence (AI) 'darling' Nvidia (NVDA:NASDAQ) and oil giant Shell before the end of the tax year. FTSE 100 aero-engine maker Rolls Royce also makes appearance in the top five of most bought shares by AJ Bell customers in March. Over the past month, Rolls Royce shares are up over 11%. In contrast, US business intel...

Shares in Future (FUTR) rallied 10% in early dealings after the publishing firm hailed a 'return to organic revenue growth' in the second quarter. The share price gains this morning were in stark contrast to the near-40% fall witnessed over the past year. In a trading statement for the half ended 31 March 2024, Future said the return to growth was driven by a strong performance from price comp...

THIS IS AN ADVERTISING FEATURE Capital at risk. The value of investments and the income from them can fall as well as rise and are not guaranteed. Investors may not get back the amount originally invested. As developed markets see higher interest rates feeding through into the real economy, activity is likely to slow. But there are stronger prospects for investment growth in many emerging ma...

London's FTSE 100 rose on Thursday morning, despite doubts over the timing of US Federal Reserve interest rate cuts still lingering, while gold reached another record high. The FTSE 100 index opened up 18.52 points, 0.2%, at 7,955.96. The FTSE 250 was up 34.02 points, 0.2%, at 19,787.66, and the AIM All-Share was up 0.82 of a point, 0.1%, at 742.90. The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.3% at 795.53, the C...

THIS IS AN ADVERTISING FEATURE David Goldman, manager of the BlackRock Income & Growth Investment Trust gives his perspective on the year ahead. Marketing Material Capital at risk. The value of investments and the income from them can fall as well as rise and are not guaranteed. Investors may not get back the amount originally invested. Amid the macro-driven markets of the last three to fiv...