Given the rate at which prime ministers (and chancellors of the exchequer) seem to come and go, investors may be inclined to avoid second-guessing the result of the next general election, even as the Conservatives? Rishi Sunak drops hints of an autumn ballot, and the opposition Labour Party starts to finalise its manifesto.The lack of available cash in the Government?s kitty, the Conservatives? oc

Sales down 4% in December and JanuaryFashion retailer unveils new CEONew broom Erver has work cut outShares in H&M (HM-B:STO) cheapened 9% to SEK153.5 (£1/SEK13.2) in Stockholm after the Swedish fashion retailer disappointed the market with news of a 4% sales slide for December and January that demonstrated there is still work to be done to turn the business round.In order to shake things up, H&M

The Fed lit the touch paper for a monster rally this week after effectively green-lighting market expectations for rate cuts next year. This was not in the script, and while Fed chairman Jay Powell stopped short of declaring victory over inflation, it?s what the market heard.?Declaring victory would be premature,? Powell actually said, before pondering ?when will it become appropriate to begin dia

$5.8 billion buyout offer receivedValues department store at $21 a shareMacy?s sales down 7% in Q3Shares in Macy?s (M:NYSE) surged 20% higher to $21 on Wall Street on Monday as investors digested reports stating the department store operator has received a $5.8 billion (£4.6 billion) takeover offer from two existing investors which could take the storied US retailer off the stock market.Rival dep

An insight into the extent to which environmental issues have faced push-back in 2023 is the performance of lithium.The raw element, a key component in batteries for EVs (electric vehicles), has plunged in value in 2023. It's an opaque market but most sources suggest prices have dropped by at least three quarters and are down nearly 80% from their peak in November 2022.Understandably this has had

London?s FTSE 100 struggled on Thursday, with optimism fuelled by hope of peak interest rates after cooler inflation readings gave way to more tepid trade.Weaker oil prices did not help the large-cap index?s cause, nor did an earnings warning from Burberry.Elsewhere, there was some M&A impetus among AIM listings.?The market may be in something of a holding pattern until the next central bank meeti

The misery piled high for investors over the past week after the US Fed left financial markets in no doubt that it anticipates higher rates for even longer despite resisting a September raise.US policymakers left one more hike on the table with the dot plot for 2023 steady at 5.6%. Rates are already plenty restrictive, and it would require a change in the outlook for inflation's stickiness before

Blue-chip equities in Europe ended on the up on Wednesday, unfazed by hawkish comments from major central bankers, as a conference in Portugal continued.Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell affirmed that the US central bank is not done hiking, while the Bank of England's Andrew Bailey spoke of the need for policymakers to enact a more aggressive 50 basis point rate lift, in the wake of red-hot infl

Supported by the conclusion of the debt ceiling saga and some hopes the Federal Reserve can engineer a soft landing for the US economy the S&P 500 edged into bull market territory over the past week.The index has risen 20% from its October 2022 lows, meeting the technical definition of a bull market. A decisive moment awaits next week when the Fed delivers its next decision on interest rates.On a

Innovation ETF founder looking at next leg of AI boomChip designer Nvidia has been a massive recent winner in AIWood says software to earn $8 for every $1 of Nvidia tech salesSoftware stocks will be next to enjoy a bumper jump in AI (artificial intelligence) demand, according to ARK Investment Management chief executive and founder Cathie Wood, and she already has her eye on three potential winner

Stocks in London ended higher on Thursday, with a weakening pound boosting the FTSE 100 as the dollar was lifted by an increasingly hawkish-sounding US Federal Reserve.There is a growing conviction that investors may have to wait until later than previously thought for the first Fed rate cut.Over in the UK, a slate of corporate updates and comments from Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey were

'I have an economics background, so I have always been interested in how the economy works rather than financial markets per se.' Debt-free and semi-retired, Damian is cut from a different cloth to the average retail investor.While most will look for good companies at attractive valuations, Damian takes a top-down approach. He says the foundation of an investment portfolio is determined by asset a

In a week shortened by the Presidents' Day holiday on Monday Wall Street struggled.Warnings of 50 basis point interest rate increases from Federal Reserve officials at the end of the previous week resonated through the market and undermined optimism about a soft landing for the US economy and an early pivot away from rate hikes by the Fed.Helping to lift sentiment a bit was an upbeat earnings stat

US retail sales figures for January proved strong across the board and supported the rosy view the American consumer can remain resilient in the face of inflation, rising interest rates and dwindling pandemic savings.According to the Commerce Department, retail sales for the month grew by 3%, beating expectations of a 1.9% rise and with no categories seeing a decline, as shoppers continued to spen

ChatGPT is the hot topic around the world. It's therefore no surprise investors are now wondering whether generative AI (artificial intelligence) is the next big thing in technology, and if so, which companies are best positioned to ride it.After years of research, it appears AI is reaching a tipping point, capturing the imaginations of everyone from students saving time on their essay writing to

According to fabled US stock market trader Jessie Livermore 'the big swings make the big money'.Livermore was used by Edwin Lefervre as the basis for the character of Larry Livingstone in his investment classic Reminiscences of a Stock Operator. The bestselling book, dedicated to his memory, was published a century ago but this same truth of the importance of the big picture is evident in the domi

Mining stocks lifted the FTSE 100 higher, benefiting from a strong interim performance by former blue chip constituent BHP.The FTSE 100 closed up 26.91 points, or 0.4%, at 7,536.06 on Tuesday. The FTSE 250 index ended down 46.35 points, or 0.2%, at 20,336.41. The AIM All-Share index closed down 2.57 points, or 0.3%, at 931.54.The Cboe UK 100 index closed up 0.5% at 753.34. The Cboe 250 gave back 0

Investors gave a big thumbs up to the latest US inflation figures which were below expectations, triggering a big rally on Wall Street and putting the Nasdaq index back in bull territory.The US consumer price index advanced by 8.5% year-on-year in July versus forecasts of 8.7%. Investors took this as a positive sign that pressures on consumers and businesses could soon start to ease.The Nasdaq jum

The broad market was effectively on hold on Tuesday ahead of an interest rate decision by the US Federal Reserve on Wednesday, but individual stocks and sectors were reacting to trading updates as the second-quarter earnings season remains in full flow.The US central bank is widely expected to jack up borrowing costs by 75 basis points as it battles rampant inflation. The decision is due after the

To say US investor sentiment soured over the past week would be something of an understatement. If the OECD's global growth forecast cut wasn't enough spiking May inflation tipped the balance and Wall Street stocks ended the week coated in red ink, and it's all down to Russia, blames the organisation.'Countries worldwide are being hit by higher commodity prices, which add to inflationary pressures