Stocks in London finished in the green on Friday, after PCE data from the US came in hotter than expected.Investors are also eyeing interest rate decisions from the US Federal Reserve and Bank of England next week.The FTSE 100 index closed up 99.36 points, 1.2%, at 8,285.71. The FTSE 250 ended up 471.95 points, 2.3%, at 21,356.30, and the AIM All-Share closed up 6.64 points, 0.9%, at 779.67.Over t

Margin falls less than fearedBank buys Metro mortgage bookFull-year forecasts increasedAfter seeing shares in high-street rival Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY) sag yesterday on mixed results, investors in NatWest Group (NWG) had low expectations coming into today's first-half update so the strong performance came as a pleasant surprise.The shares, which had already gained more than 50% this year, powe

It has been a very mixed week for US stocks as the big tech names which had led indices to fresh records in 2024 were on the retreat.The catalyst for the sell-off was concern about AI and, notably, Alphabet's (GOOG:NASDAQ) plans to spend heavily in this area without much indication of when this investment might pay off.Notably, outside of tech it was a happier picture for Wall Street with the Russ

Stocks in Europe took a hit on Thursday, with eyes on US economic data due out this afternoon and on Friday.The FTSE 100 index traded down 59.21 points, or 0.7%, at 8,094.48. The FTSE 250 was down 224.81 points, 1.1%, at 20,726.03, while the AIM All-Share fell 7.50 points, 1.0%, at 769.14.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.7% at 807.67, the Cboe UK 250 dropped 1.2% to 18,129.36, and the Cboe Small Compani

H1 organic growth of 4.1%Power Brands spearheading growthMargin guidance upgrade boosts stockAnother quarter of improving volumes, positive progress with its cost-cutting drive and a massive upgrade to full year margin guidance were key reasons why consumer goods goliath Unilever (ULVR) led the FTSE 100 higher today.The planned sale of its ice cream division, which could fetch as much of £15 bill

The apparent coronation of vice president Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee after incumbent Joe Biden's exit from the presidential race has had a relatively mild market impact thus far.While the recent 'Trump trade', with investors expecting renewed inflationary pressure, a worsened fiscal situation and higher corporate profits if America's 45th president gets another crack as commander-in-c

Whatever the occasion, audience, or setting, I'm always asked the same question: how have I balanced being a mother of nine with a big City career?Looking back, especially over those years when my children were very young, it's hard to fathom it myself ? but certain things have helped, both practically and emotionally. I hope that some of those lessons learned might be of help to other mothers ? a

As fund management legend and Vanguard founder John Bogle once noted: 'The stock market is a giant distraction from the business of investing. In the long run, investing is about the returns earned by businesses not the stock market.' In other words, sentiment may drive prices in the near term but in the end it is profits and cash flows which drive valuation.From the point of view of investors wi

The FTSE 100 finished lower at the close on Wednesday, as tech earnings weighed on equities across the pond, despite figures showing a strong result for UK business activity in July.The FTSE 100 index closed down 13.68 points, 0.2%, at 8,153.69. The FTSE 250 ended down 140.65 points, 0.7%, at 20,950.84, and the AIM All-Share closed down 3.53 points, 0.5%, at 776.64.The Cboe UK 100 ended down 0.1%

Stocks in London made a soggy start on Tuesday, with miners dragging the blue-chip FTSE 100 lower, although Compass bucked the weaker trend.The FTSE 100 index traded down 30.93 points, or 0.4%, at 8,167.85. The FTSE 250 was down 25.12 points, 0.1%, at 21,113.56, while the AIM All-Share was down 1.55 points, 0.2%, at 781.69.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.4% at 815.65, the Cboe UK 250 was 0.2% lower at

Jansen reportedly plotting takeoverConsolidation opportunity in fragmented US marketTurnaround potential at TerminixPest control and hygiene giant Rentokil Initial (RTO) topped the FTSE 100 leader board on Monday, with shares in the 'royal rat-catcher' scurrying 10% higher to 492.6p following weekend reports it is a bid target for private equity.According to The Times, former BT (BT.A) CEO Philip

Markets in Europe shook off nerves on Monday, following Joe Biden leaving the US presidential race.The FTSE 100 index was up 62.43 points, or 0.8%, at 8,218.22. The FTSE 250 was up 108.13 points, or 0.5%, at 21,175.81, and the AIM All-Share was up 0.93 of a point, or 0.1%, at 785.06.The Cboe UK 100 was up 1.0% at 820.39, the Cboe UK 250 was up 0.8% at 18,494.63, but the Cboe Small Companies was do

The FTSE 100 started the week on the front foot, seemingly unfazed by President Joe Biden's decision to bow out of the re-election race, although the travel sector stalled after a Ryanair warning.The FTSE 100 index traded up 30.98 points, or 0.4%, at 8,186.70. The FTSE 250 was up 55.40 points, 0.3%, at 21,123.08, while the AIM All-Share was up just 0.29 of a point at 784.42.The Cboe UK 100 was up

European markets ended in the red on Friday, after the fallout from a global IT outage sapped risk appetite.The FTSE 100 index ended down 49.17 points, 0.6%, at 8,155.72. The FTSE 250 ended down 166.48 points, or 0.8%, at 21,067.68, and the AIM All-Share fell 3.54 points, 0.5%, at 784.13.For the week, the FTSE 100 fell 1.2%, the FTSE 250 shed 0.6% and the AIM gave back 0.3%.The Cboe UK 100 ended d

Stock prices in London were lower at midday Friday, as investors grappled with a large IT outage on a global scale that affected a plethora of businesses and trade.Companies around the world reported technical issues, with planes grounded, trains disrupted, and television and radio broadcasters taken offline, while Microsoft Corp said it was taking mitigating actions after service issues.As AJ Bel

Gloomy start to summer spendingJune volumes worse than fearedPoor showing from weather-sensitive categoriesRetail sales fell in June as colder-than-average weather conditions and election uncertainty dampened consumer spending, with sales across department stores and clothing categories faring especially poorly.Last month's disappointing sales decline came despite hopes of a boost from above-infla

Adds over eight million paying subscribersSecond-quarter revenue up 16.8%Viral hit Baby Reindeer, new season of BridgertonNetflix (NFLX:NASDAQ) shares were marginally lower at $643 in pre-market trading despite the global streaming giant reporting a 16.8% rise in second-quarter revenue to $9.56 billion and adding over eight million paying subscribers.Netflix now has a total of 277.65 million globa

Investors got a reminder over the past week that stocks don't go up all the time, and that there is a dark side to handing so much data over to the 'cloud', after a worldwide Microsoft (MSFT:NASDAQ) Azure outage following a software update from virus defender Crowdstrike (CRWD:NASDAQ) caused chaos. Amid a busy earnings season, there was more tough talk from both the Biden and Trump camps on restri

Stock prices in London were in the green at midday, as investors awaited the next interest rate call from the European Central Bank, while UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer hosted leaders from across Europe at a summit.The FTSE 100 index was up 59.33 points, or 0.7%, at 8,246.78. The FTSE 250 was up 151.37 points, or 0.7%, at 21,244.71, and the AIM All-Share was up 2.77 points, or 0.4%, at 789.57.The

London stocks outperformed its European peers on Thursday morning, as investors await a key interest rate decision by the European Central Bank.The FTSE 100 index opened 78.02, or 1.0%, at 8,266.64. The FTSE 250 was up 54.31 points, or 0.3%, at 21,147.65, and the AIM All-Share was up 1.63 points, or 0.2%, at 788.43.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.8% at 824.37, the Cboe UK 250 was up 0.3% at 18,435.38, an