City of London Investment Trust (CTY) has been a popular choice for investors over the years, but a period of underperformance versus the UK Equity Income investment trust sector average on a three and five-year basis is  a worry. Typically investing in FTSE 100 companies, City of London has been a hit with certain types of investors, particularly those approaching retirement or already in ...

FTSE 100 dividends are expected to jump 36% this year to £84.1 billion, according to figures from AJ Bell, just a fraction off pre-pandemic peaks of £85.2 billion in 2018. That implies a FTSE 100 yield of 4.1% in 2021, but several names promise significantly higher yields. Nine companies including Persimmon (PSN) and British American Tobacco (BATS) are currently forecast to pay dividends ...

UK stocks ended the month and the quarter in negative territory, despite positive economic data and a revival across the mining sector, a major contributor to the leading FTSE 100 index, with Anglo American’s (AAL) 3% gain topping the leader board. At the close the benchmark FTSE 100 was down 22 points or 0.3% at 7,086 points, with gains in miners and drug maker AstraZeneca (AZN) - up ...

UK stocks continued their recovery on Thursday helped by positive economic data and a revival across the mining sector, a major contributor to the leading FTSE 100 index, with Anglo American’s (AAL) 3% gain topping the early leader board. At midday, the benchmark FTSE 100 was up 19 points or 0.3% at 7,127, with drug maker AstraZeneca (AZN) contributing to the rally after its Covid vaccine ...

UK stock markets continued their recovery on Thursday helped by positive economic data and a revival across the mining sector, a major contributor to the leading FTSE 100 index, with Anglo American’s (AAL) 3% gain topping the early leader board. At 9am, the benchmark FTSE 100 was up 0.57% at 7,148.35, while mid-caps were even stronger, the FTSE 250 rallying 0.7% to ...

The FTSE 100 is poised for some significant changes in the coming 12 months such as the removal of BHP (BHP) from the index and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) splitting into two businesses. The importance of sectors like resources, pharmaceuticals and insurance is likely to be reduced with consumer goods and banks potentially enjoying an increased weighting. Over time structural changes in the ...

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 ...

The FTSE 100 recorded its longest weekly winning streak since November on Friday, although investors will continue to worry that an overheating economy could lead the Bank of England to pull back asset purchases earlier than expected. The blue-chip benchmark finished the day 0.4% higher at 7,218.71, led by healthcare stocks, up 2.1%. Dollar-earning consumer staples ...

There are plenty of reasons to be more cautious about the markets despite the flagship US stock indices, the S&P 500, continuing to hit new highs. Investor nervousness is increasing. Just look at how many companies have recently beaten earnings forecasts, but their share prices have fallen as the market worries about near-term pressures or the loss of momentum in parts of their ...

Investors took the latest update from British American Tobacco (BATS) in their stride, leaving the shares largely unchanged at £27.69, despite signs of further progress in the firm’s push into non-combustible products. For the six months to June, group revenues rose 8.1% on a constant currency basis to £12.175 billion helped by a 50% jump in ‘new category’ sales to £883 ...

UK stocks got off to a mixed start on Wednesday as better corporate earnings were outweighed by weak overnight performances in the US and Asia. US markets gave back some of their recent gains as heavyweight tech stocks Alphabet, Apple and Microsoft dipped despite strong earnings. In Asia, Chinese stocks remained at their lows for the year after three days of heavy losses despite state-run ...

Concerns over the spread of the Delta variant and its potential impact on global growth have hit the stock market’s reopening names at a time when investors are also fretting over rising inflation, meaning the outlook for equity markets is clouded at the minute. As such, Shares believes this is a savvy time to invest in a fund offering exposure to high quality, dividend-paying companies ...

Having underperformed the FTSE 100 and the FTSE 350 for the best part of 10 years, September 2020 saw the FTSE 350 banks index stop making decade lows and start to make short-term highs, much to the excitement of analysts and investors. As the market rotation towards value stocks took hold, the UK’s unloved banks jumped sharply in the final quarter of last year. At the start of this ...

Just one day before putting a takeover offer from private equity firm Carlyle to a shareholder vote, inhalation specialist Vectura (VEC) received a higher all-cash offer from tobacco company Philip Morris, which the board has recommended shareholders accept. The shares closed higher than the new 150p offer on 9 July at 154.6p, suggesting the tobacco giant hasn’t secured the prize just ...

London’s FTSE 100 ended Tuesday with decent gains after closing 0.25% higher to 7,095.79 despite a slow start on Wall Street for US stocks. The UK’s benchmark index was lifted by insurer Aviva (AV.), which gained after the arrival of activist investor Cevian, while the index also shook off an issue involving several major websites, which were down thanks to a problem at cloud computing firm ...

London’s FTSE 100 gained 0.3% to 7,097 by midday as shares in UK insurer Aviva (AV.) were lifted by the arrival of activist investor Cevian, while the index shook off an issue involving several major websites, which were down thanks to a problem at cloud computing firm Fastly. With little on the economic agenda apart from US job openings and trade figures, investors are keeping their powder ...

Shares in cigarette and vape maker British American Tobacco (BATS) gained 1.6% to £28.18 after the firm raised its forecasts for full year revenue growth and earnings thanks to improved sales of new products. The company now expects constant currency sales to grow by more than 5%, ahead of its previous guidance of a 3% to 5% increase, and sees similar mid-single digit growth in earnings per ...

Major UK shares edged higher in early trading but gains modest as investors take a breather. The benchmark FTSE 100 inched less than four points higher, or 0.04%, to 7,079.25, while the mid-cap FTSE 250 was equally unenthusiastic, up a miniscule 0.08% at 22,925.64. With little on the economic agenda apart from US job openings and trade figures, investors are keeping their powder dry until the ...

Pharmaceuticals, insurance, tobacco and financials are good places to find income on the UK market, says Richard Marwood, co-manager of the £1.7 billion Royal London UK Equity Income Fund (B3M9JJ7). He believes the prospects for dividends from UK stocks are improving, which should be good news for any investor seeking to generate an income from their portfolio. Many companies had to cut or ...

For people approaching retirement it can be daunting to plan for a change of pace in lifestyle, while the financial side of things can even be more scary. It is, therefore, always worth getting some form of financial guidance or advice around such life-changing events. If you’re not sure, you should seek help from a financial adviser. In this article, we highlight some of the financial ...