London?s FTSE 100 hit another record high on Friday, rounding off a strong week with another gain, despite a robust US inflation reading threatening to spoil the party.The FTSE 100 index added 60.97 points, 0.8%, at 8,139.83. It is its best closing level ever, and it earlier hit a record intraday high of 8,146.75.The FTSE 250 was up 222.18 points, 1.1%, at 19,824.16, and the AIM All-Share rose 2.1

London?s blue-chips remained in demand, pushing to new highs, with investors hoping US inflation data later does not derail the optimistic mood.In the FTSE 100, ConvaTec was an outlier, after Peel Hunt downgraded the firm?s investment rating. On the other side of the index was NatWest, with a set of well received results.The FTSE 100 index was up 35.73 points, 0.4%, at 8,114.59. The FTSE 250 was u

Investors bought in London at the open on Friday, with news led by Anglo American rejecting BHP?s £31.1 billion takeover offer and Darktrace accepting a $5 billion private equity takeover offer.The FTSE 100 index opened up 42.14 points, 0.5%, at 8,121.00. The FTSE 250 was up 151.94 points, 0.8%, at 19,753.92, and the AIM All-Share was up 2.41 points, 0.3%, at 755.53.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.6% at

US-listed large-caps shone last year with shares in mega-caps, and the ?Magnificent Seven? in particular, surging higher. However, this outperformance only widened the valuation gap between US large and small-caps and left shares in the latter cohort languishing at the low end of historical valuations.Over one and five years, the Russell 2000 index of US small-cap stocks is up 14.6% and 30.5% at t

It?s something of a rarity to find a housebuilding company whose shares are hitting new 12-month highs but regional developer Springfield Properties (SPR:AIM) is flying high after its first-half trading update.The firm, which builds new homes in evocative locations such as Elgin and Inverness rather than focusing on Edinburgh and Glasgow, said it had seen increasing homebuyer confidence since the

THIS IS AN ADVERTISING FEATURE Imran Sattar, Portfolio Manager of Edinburgh Investment Trust, and Emily Barnard, Deputy Portfolio Manager, take a flexible investment approach because investment styles come in and out of fashion, with economic and market cycles impacting them positively and negatively. They seek to find companies that can grow profits and dividends over the next three to five year

Stock markets have been making new all-time highs in the US, Europe and Japan and investors are asking whether they are witnessing a new global bull market for stocks which began in November 2023.Momentum is a powerful factor in stock markets. Prices tend to trend in the same direction which mean buying winners and selling losers can be a profitable strategy.It is not only about price but also ear

Shares up 57% over the past yearFirst Rail division sees strong demandFirstGroup shortlisted for Elizabeth Line bidShares in FirstGroup (FGP) were marginally higher as the FTSE 250 transport company said full year group adjusting operating profit and group adjusting earnings for 2024 was going to be ?slightly ahead of previous expectations? due to the robust performance from First Rail.The group a

Stock prices in London inched up on Monday as wider European markets lacked direction while US markets were closed for George Washington?s birthday.The FTSE 100 index closed up 16.79 points, 0.2%, at 7,728.50. The FTSE 250 ended up 24.97 points, 0.1%, at 19,216.90, and the AIM All-Share closed up 2.45 points, 0.3%, at 756.33.The Cboe UK 100 ended up 0.3% at 773.62, the Cboe UK 250 closed up 0.2% a

It has been a difficult year for investment trusts as a whole. Discounts have widened across various sectors and there have been a series of failed continuation votes and mergers. Yet some trusts have still done extremely well - relative both to the wider market and their peer group. In this article we shine a light on the biggest outperformers in some of the Association of Investment Companies' m

The FTSE 100 in London was lower at midday Friday, after buoyed mood from hopes of interest rate cuts in the US ended ahead of flash US purchasing managers? index data.The FTSE 100 index was down 38.18 points, 0.5%, at 7,610.80. The FTSE 250 was up 55.28 points, 0.3%, at 19,312.24, and the AIM All-Share was up 1.68 points, 0.2%, at 739.52.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.5% at 759.66. Meanwhile, the Cbo

Premier Miton calls for new 'Great British ISA'New wrapper would have extra £5,000 annual allowanceAJ Bell argues six different ISA variations already cause confusionFund manager Premier Miton (PMI:AIM) is calling for a new 'Great British ISA' designed to invest solely in UK equities that it believes would help encourage private companies to list in the UK and stay and grow here in Britain.The as

Stocks in London were higher at midday on Monday, amid positive news for the Chinese property sector and hopes that US interest rates will soon hit their peak.The FTSE 100 index was up 29.50 points, or 0.4%, at 7,494.18. The FTSE 250 was up 81.75 points, or 0.4%, at 18,618.51, and the AIM All-Share was up 0.87 of a point, or 0.1%, at 742.30.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.4% at 746.17, the Cboe UK 250 wa

We have touched before on the issue of 'concentration risk' or having too many eggs in one basket and the benefits of a diversified portfolio. The recent decision by the Nasdaq stock exchange to reduce the weighting of the biggest tech stocks has once again raised the question, can you have too much of a good thing?We do not necessarily mean tech stocks, but as an investor it is important to know

Banking shares and miners weighed on the FTSE 100 on Wednesday, in a busy day for corporate updates, including a high-profile boardroom departure, ahead of a Federal Reserve decision later.A 25 basis point rate lift from the US central bank is seen as a foregone conclusion, but stock market investors are hoping it is the last hike of the cycle.A 25 basis point lift would take the federal funds rat

Stocks in Europe started lower on Thursday, with the FTSE 100 falling for a fourth consecutive day following hawkish Federal Reserve Minutes.The FTSE 100 index opened down 57.06 points, 0.8%, at 7,385.04. The FTSE 250 was down 118.41 points, 0.8%, at 18,274.92, and the AIM All-Share was down 5.01 points, 0.7%, at 747.36.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.8% at 736.54, the Cboe UK 250 was down 0.6% at 15,9

Final dividend of 3.15pShare price return falls by 7%Unquoted companies exposure reduced to 4%Monks Investment Trust's (MNKS) net asset value for the year ending 30 April 2023 fell by 1.6% and underperformed its benchmark, the FTSE World Index.The share price total return fell by 7% compared to a 3.2% increase in the FTSE World Index.The Edinburgh-based investment trust blamed its performance on g

European equities kicked off the week in tepid fashion on Monday, heading into the afternoon largely lower, with a lack of progress in US debt ceiling talks keeping a lid on sentiment.The FTSE 100 achieved a minor gain, however, helped by a share price rise for Standard Chartered. Gains for JD Sports and Burberry, on the back of a difficult week for the stocks, also helped London's blue-chip index

Share prices rose early Monday, with London investors encouraged by a report showing stronger-than-expected UK house prices this month, but caution reigned as the US debt ceiling impasse remained unresolved.The FTSE 100 index opened up 22.42 points, 0.3%, at 7,779.29. The FTSE 250 was up 13.87 points, 0.1%, at 19,302.97, and the AIM All-Share was up 0.38 of a points at 809.35.The Cboe UK 100 was u

There has been a string of good news from across the airline sector of late. Budget airline EasyJet (EZJ) said in its latest set of quarterly results that its package holiday arm is currently 80% sold for summer 2023, British Airways owner International Consolidated Airlines (IAG) said it expects capacity to be around 97% of levels pre-pandemic and airline and holidays group Jet2 (JET2: AIM) has i