London's blue chip index underperformed against its peers in Paris and Frankfurt on Friday morning, amid ongoing US tariffs concerns, while investors await UK construction data out shortly.The FTSE 100 index opened down 85.45 points, 1.0%, at 8,389.29. The FTSE 250 was down 92.62 points, 0.5%, at 19,112.14, and the AIM All-Share was down 1.54 points, 0.2%, at 666.13.The Cboe UK 100 was down...

The FTSE 100 nudged into positive territory on Friday in a muted end to the week, with big oil helping to offset falls in commodity-related stocks. BP (BP.) and Royal Dutch Shell (RDSB) rose 1.7% and 1.3% to 342.4p and £16.514 respectively, tracking firmer crude prices after OPEC+ said it would review supply additions ahead of its next scheduled meeting if the Omicron variant dents...

The UK stock market is experiencing a small rally following a stressful past few days. In mid-morning trade the FTSE 100 was trading 0.7% higher at 7,193.The FTSE 250 index was 1.2% higher at 19,502; and the FTSE AIM All-Share index was up by the same percentage at 1,025.More brave investors are now looking for opportunities to buy on the market dip.Let's now take a look at the best performing...

The FTSE 100 is flat at 7,326.66 in early trading despite strength in US and Asian markets overnight.In an interview with the Financial Times star fund manager Neil Woodford warns of a stock market bubble on a par with the dotcom boom of the early 2000s and in a speech on Thursday evening Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn responded to a Morgan Stanley research report highlighting the stock market...

On a very quiet day for corporate news and as traders begin to sign off for the Christmas break, the FTSE 100 nudges 8.22 points higher to 7,052.18.Cruise operator Carnival (CCL) is the top faller on the FTSE 100 as investors bank some profit after yesterday's rally on strong trading.Aerospace and defence peers Meggitt (MGGT) and QinetiQ (QQ.) are up 0.3% to 473.4p and 5.6% to 262.6p...

London's FTSE 100 leaps higher on Thursday, up 99.4 points to 5966.6 early on and taking its lead from an overnight rally in the US as oil prices stabilised. Bargain hunting is the name of the game following this week's oil price volatility and uncertainty over the impact of the forthcoming EU referendum and global growth concerns.On a busy day for corporate earnings, Lloyds Banking (LLOY)...

Shares in London stay flat in early trading on Friday, taking a breather after a strong recovery on Thursday when the FTSE 100 rose by more than 3.5%. In early deals the UK benchmark index is fractionally off about 6 points at 6,186, while the midcap FTSE 250 makes modest 7 point gains to 16,927.A short time ago the FTSE 100 was up 10.46 points, or 0.17%, at 6,202.49. The FTSE 250 was 55.95...

UK stocks put in a solid opening in early trade on Wednesday after losses sustained over the previous sessions, with traders not initially put off by deflationary data from the Eurozone. Consumer prices on the continent fell 0.2% in December following a 0.3% increase a month earlier. Analysts had predicted a drop of 0.1%.Brent crude - the European benchmark for oil - has slipped through the...

The sharp decline in the oil price since June has put commodities back on the mainstream news agenda as investors speculate where energy, metal and food prices are headed next. The direction of oil, copper, wheat and other commodities are hugely relevant to investors as they are key raw materials for companies around the world, not to mention a major influence on the cost of everyday...

One of the best times to buy stocks is when everyone else is selling, and vice versa. When it all looks so good, that can be the best time to take profits. But is that what you actually do? Most investors only feel comfortable following the herd.Delving into the world of investment psychology can open your eyes to the mistakes made by many of your fellow market participants. Understanding why...

Gold mining equities rally after a strong rise in the gold price over the past few days. Gold actually fell in value on the back of figures yesterday that showed US jobless claims at a near six-year low, pushing up US 10-year bond yields. But the metal price soon regained strength on talk there's a gold short squeeze and that JPMorgan is scrambling to buy gold in the open market to meet...

In July 2012, the fact that the mining sector had, on average, halved in value over the preceding 12 months may have prompted many investors to go value hunting. This sharp sell-off, in the context of massive gains made between 2003 and 2008 and then again during 2009 to 2011, seemed out of the ordinary. Yet in hindsight, buying at this point would have been the worst move. A year later, the...

Shares in car parts-to-bicycles seller Halfords (HFD) motored 9% higher to 346.3p on a strong first quarter trading statement. For the 13 weeks to June 28, the £634 million cap reported retail like-for-like sales up 8.8%, with better weather benefiting cycling sales and car maintenance revenues revving up 11.8%. With sales momentum behind Halfords and management actions coming through, Cantor...

One of the best times to buy stocks is when everyone else is selling, and vice versa. When it all looks so good, that can be the best time to take profits. But is that what you actually do? Most investors only feel comfortable following the herd.Delving into the world of investment psychology can open your eyes to the mistakes made by many of your fellow market participants. Understanding why...

Derbyshire-based chocolatier Thorntons (THT) jumped 7.3% to 74p on a positive Easter trading update and profit upgrade. In the midst of an encouraging turnaround under chief executive officer Jonathan Hart, the £47.2 million cap said Easter trading was satisfactory. Combined with similar results from Valentine's Day and Mother's Day, Thorntons reckons pre-tax profits for the year to 29 June...