How does a 5% return on your money sound right now? With UK interest rates showing little sign of increasing from rock bottom levels despite mounting inflation, a 5% rate is certainly appealing. If you are using your investments to pay the bills or to fund your living expenses in retirement the income you receive is vital. The great news is that the dividends from stocks and shares can offer ...

UK stocks made modest gains into the early afternoon session with the FTSE 100 index of leading shares registering a 0.2% gain at midday to 7,178 points. The midcap FTSE 250 index saw similar gains of 0.2% to 24,264 points. Markets are eagerly awaiting the August US non-farm payrolls data due to be released at 1.30pm London time. The rate of job creation is seen as a key input into the ...

Shares in pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca (AZN) gained 0.5% to £86.60 after its rare blood disease drug Ultomiris was approved by the EU for treating children and adolescents. The approval by the European Commission was based on interim results from a phase three trial on young people with a bodyweight above 10 kilos which demonstrated the required efficacy and safety. Ultomiris was ...

UK stocks opened slightly weaker on Friday as investors nervously awaited the latest US monthly job numbers this afternoon, a key barometer of the strength of the economic recovery. The consensus expectation is for around 728,000 jobs to have been created in August. Overnight, there was a surprise resignation by Japanese prime minister Yoshihide Suga, whose support has slumped over his ...

Pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) said on Tuesday that it was commencing the last stage trials of its Covid-19 vaccine GBP510 developed in conjunction with partner SK bioscience. This follows positive second phase results which showed that all participants receiving the vaccine developed ‘strong neutralising antibody’ responses. The protein-based vaccine uses Glaxo’s adjuvant ...

Major UK shares struggled for momentum on Tuesday as banks and airlines countered gains in miners, although solid earnings and easing fears about early tapering of central bank support kept the blue-chip index on course for its best month since April. At 9am, the benchmark FTSE 100 was by and large flat, inching less than 10 points lower to 7,139.43. Miners gained 1.4% on higher metal ...

London’s FTSE 100 finished Thursday’s trading session 0.35% lower at 7,124.98 points as Wall Street endured a slow start and bomb attacks at Kabul airport in Afghanistan rattled investors. Earlier in the day, the blue chip benchmark was grounded by ongoing Covid concerns and fears of a tapering of support for the global economy ahead of the Jackson Hole summit of central bankers. By ...

The FTSE 100 traded 0.3% lower at 7,128.39 points on Thursday as investors grappled with Covid concerns as well as fears of a tapering of support for the global economy ahead of the Jackson Hole summit of central bankers. The high-flying FTSE 250 was flat at 23,979.4 points, with the market’s second-liners pausing for breath after their stunning recent run. CORPORATE NEWS In corporate ...

Being in the teeth of summer holidays season was has always led to low volume and limited corporate news and the UK’s major stocks seem to be set adrift in early trading on Wednesday with no real concerted direction. That investors may be keeping their powder dry ahead of the latest Federal Reserve pronouncements at this week's Jackson Hole get-together only added to the subdued mood. At ...

A solid start to trading on Wall Street helped London’s FTSE 100 regain some poise after a rollercoaster week, with the blue chip benchmark finishing 0.4% higher at 7,087.90 points on Friday. The FTSE 250 firmed 0.6% to 23,750.89 thanks to a strong showing from the retail sector, boosted by an improved bid for Morrisons (MRW) and an upbeat trading statement from Marks & Spencer ...

London’s FTSE 100 was subdued on Friday, the blue chip benchmark trading 0.24% lower at 7,042.1 points by noon, though it avoided the heavy selling witnessed on Thursday. The FTSE 250 was pretty much flat at 23,616.1, despite a strong showing from the retail sector amid an improved bid for Morrisons (MRW) and an upbeat trading statement from Marks & Spencer (MKS). COMPANY NEWS High ...

The FTSE 100 started Friday’s trading session in negative territory, opening marginally lower at 7047.91 points. This followed a distinctly muted performance in American equity markets and weakness overnight in Asia, with the Nikkei, Hang Seng and Shenzhen Indices also closing lower. In the UK, attention was focused on the latest UK retail sales figures which revealed a marked decline in ...

There are lots of good reasons why investors should have allocations to the FTSE 250, London’s high-flying index oriented to mid caps which provides a purer play on the domestic UK economy than the exporter-heavy FTSE 100. The FTSE 250 captures those growth stocks that have come up from the small cap ranks and therefore had a chance to establish themselves. And crucially, it can catch these ...

Investors seeking a high conviction fund with a track record of attractive total returns should buy Schroder Income Growth Fund (SCF), a portfolio geared into the post-pandemic and UK domestic recovery. Managed by Schroders’ head of UK equities Sue Noffke for a decade, the £222 million cap puts money to work with out-of-favour companies with potential to generate strong future returns ...

London’s FTSE 100 ended Monday’s session in positive territory, wiping out earlier losses to trade firmly above 7,100 by the close of play and shrugging off a weaker open on Wall Street, where the S&P 500 was down 0.16% to 4,429.43 by 4.30pm UK time. COMPANY NEWS In company news, wealth manager Hargreaves Lansdown (HL.) sank 11.2% to £14.57, even as it reported an 8% rise in annual ...

UK stocks began August on the front foot, lifted by further UK merger and acquisition activity in mid-caps. Oil and Gold prices were lower with Brent Crude down 0.9% to $74.7 per barrel and Gold was 0.4% down at $1,807 per ounce. At the close the FTSE 100 index of leading shares was up 50 points or 0.7% at 7,082 points led by aerospace and retail stocks. The mid-cap FTSE 250 index was up ...

UK stocks started the month on the front foot, lifted by strong gains in Asia after China signaled support for the economy and further UK merger and acquisition activity. China’s SE Composite index gained close to 2% reversing some of last week’s heavy losses while Japan’s Nikkei 225 also added 2%. Oil and Gold prices were lower with Brent Crude down 0.9% to $74.7 per barrel and Gold ...

UK stocks opened on the front foot on Monday boosted by strong gains in Asia after China signaled support for the economy and further UK merger and acquisition activity. China’s SE Composite index gained close to 2% reversing some of last week’s heavy losses while Japan’s Nikkei 225 also added 2%. Oil and Gold prices were lower with Brent Crude down 0.9% to $74.7 per barrel and Gold ...

Major UK stocks accelerated morning gains as markets moved into the afternoon session, bolstered by hefty dividend payout announcements and largely upbeat earnings updates. At 12.30pm, the benchmark FTSE 100 had jumped nearly 1% higher to trade at 7,079.18, led by pest control company Rentokil Initial (RTO), with oil major Royal Dutch Shell (RDSB) and miner Anglo American (AAL) also firmly ...

Shares in pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca (AZN) were unmoved despite the company raising full year earnings guidance as second quarter revenues and core earnings fell short of market expectations. Reported revenues were 33% higher at $8.22 billion, around 8% better than consensus. However, if you exclude an $894 million contribution from sales of the firm’s Covid-19 vaccine, revenues grew ...