Stocks in London trod water at the start of a week, though moves were more pronounced in Asia and Paris.The CAC 40 in Paris has French political uncertainty and a plunge in Stellantis shares hanging over it. Asian stocks climbed after decent China data.The FTSE 100 index fell just 1.40 points to 8,285.90. It goes into the final month of 2024 with a roughly 7% year-to-date gain.The FTSE 250 nudged

Stock prices in London were just about in the green at midday, outperforming Paris and Frankfurt, where shares succumbed to French budget concerns and worries that the European economy could be next to fall into the cross-hairs of Donald Trump tariffs.The FTSE 100 index added 4.24 points, 0.1%, at 8,262.85 heading into Wednesday afternoon. The FTSE 250 rose 15.49 points, 0.1%, at 20,584.14, and th

Strong first-half growthDividend raised by 10%Full-year outlook confirmedLeading UK food producer Cranswick (CWK) was the biggest faller in the FTSE 250 mid-cap index, losing nearly 5% despite serving up a tasty 16.5% increase in first-half adjusted operating profit to just shy of £100 million and reiterating full year guidance.Investors were clearly in the mood for some profit-taking after the s

Indices in London closed higher on Monday as the market reacted favourably to President-elect Trump's choice of Scott Bessent to head the US Treasury, although oil majors suffered amid falling brent prices.AJ Bell's Russ Mould said Bessent is perceived as being a relatively 'conventional and safe pair of hands candidate'.'Importantly, Bessent is seen as being less aggressive on tariffs than some o

Stock prices in London softened from earlier highs but market sentiment was still positive heading into Monday afternoon after Donald Trump picked hedge fund manager Scott Bessent as his US Treasury pick.The FTSE 100 index added 15.72 points, 0.2%, at 8,277.80. The FTSE 250 rose 15.80 points, 0.1%, at 20,597.49, and the AIM All-Share rose just 0.31 of a point to 732.51.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.2%

Three tried and tested market principles were reinforced by the latest update from beleaguered energy services firm Wood Group (WG.).I have followed this business for nearly two decades and it's hard to remember a time when it was in a worse state than it is today.That's backed up by the share price which traded at all-time lows below 50p in response to the company's devastating missive on 7 Novem

Stocks in London were mixed at Wednesday midday, as investors digested a hotter-than-expected consumer price growth reading in the UK, while focus across the Atlantic turns to Nvidia's earnings.The FTSE 100 index climbed just 3.66 points at 8,102.68. The FTSE 250 fell 59.75 points, 0.3%, at 20,367.87, and the AIM All-Share was up 1.04 points, 0.1%, at 725.27.The Cboe UK 100 was flat at 814.74, the

European equities traded higher on Wednesday morning, as stocks in London shrugged off a hotter-than-forecast UK inflation reading for now.Sage shone on the FTSE 100, while Severn Trent also impressed.The FTSE 100 index climbed 23.61 points, 0.3%, at 8,122.63. The FTSE 250 edged up 22.23 points, 0.1%, at 20,449.85, and the AIM All-Share was up 2.56 points, 0.4%, at 726.79.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.

Markets generally dislike uncertainty, so on the one hand traders were pleased the US presidential race turned out to be a more one-sided affair than the polls had predicted.On the other hand, while equities hit new highs on Trump's reputation for backing 'growth' and doing away with regulation, treasury prices fell and yields continued to rise as forecasts for deficit spending and inflation incre

Stock prices in London were mixed at midday Wednesday, amid cautious optimism from the UK housebuilding sector, as eyes are set on upcoming US consumer price inflation data.'US inflation figures will be closely watched this afternoon, with expectations for the cost of living to have edged higher,' commented AJ Bell's Russ Mould. 'The consensus is for the annual rate of inflation to move from 2.4%

Stock prices in blue chip indices in London, Paris and Frankfurt were in the red at Tuesday around midday as UK unemployment and German annual inflation increased, as investors digest Donald Trump's election victory in the US.Annual consumer price inflation in Germany quickened to 2.0% last month. However Germany's outlook has weakened in the eyes of financial experts, survey results from the ZEW

Stocks closed higher in London on Monday, with the FTSE 100 snapping out of a four-day losing streak following a boost from UK high street banks.The FTSE 100 index rose 52.80 points, 0.7%, at 8,125.19. The FTSE 250 closed up 203.57 points, 1.0%, at 20,721.49. The AIM All-Share gained 3.57 points, 0.5%, at 737.93.The Cboe UK 100 rose 0.7% at 815.50, the Cboe UK 250 advanced 1.1% at 18,160.09 but th

Stocks in London were in the green at midday on Monday, with NatWest on the up after buying back government shares.'The FTSE 100 broke its losing streak to trade higher on Monday with healthcare and financial stocks doing much of the heavy lifting. There was wider optimism across Europe as stocks recovered from a rocky week,' said AJ Bell's Russ Mould.The FTSE 100 index was up 64.00 points, 0.8%,

Takeover tilt by Italian rival expectedBurberry results due 14 NovemberAnalysts expect lurch into lossFirmly out of fashion with investors this year amid a slowdown in luxury goods demand, shares in Burberry (BRBY) rallied 2% to 822p on 11 November as excitement surrounding a bid from Italian outerwear rival Moncler (MONC:BIT) continued to build.According to correspondence viewed by The Mail on Su

Stock prices in Europe were in the green on Monday morning after data on Saturday showed that annual consumer price inflation in China slowed in October.Swissquote's Ipek Ozkardeskaya said that 'the picture remains bullish for the US equities' following Trump's re-election but 'Elsewhere, worries mount: FTSE 100 and the European Stoxx 600 index both closed last week below the 200-DMA on worries ab

Equities in London ended lower on Friday, with miners and other China-exposed stocks hurting the FTSE 100, though a reassuring update from the British Airways parent lifted travel shares.Broker cuts hurt Greggs and Mitchells & Butler, while investors fretted for Vistry again after the housebuilder warned on profit.The FTSE 100 index fell 68.35 points, 0.8%, at 8,072.39, fading 1.3% this week. The

The economic landscape is set to become quieter in the run-up to Thanksgiving in the US and Christmas. At the time of going to press, the odds of the Federal Reserve making a quarter of a percentage point cut to interest rates is nailed on according to the CME's Fedwatch tool.Likewise, the Bank of England is expected to make a quarter of a percentage point cut to 4.75% when it meets on 7 November.

Recent changes to the UK's listing rules should lead to a host of new names joining the FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 indices in the new year, generating more interest in the UK stock market and putting more companies on the radar of investors.This matters to investors whether they own UK stocks directly, have exposure via actively-managed funds or simply track certain parts of the market through an excha

Primark profits up 51%Good growth in food27p special dividend declaredShares in Associated British Foods (ABF) topped the FTSE 100 leader board, rallying 4.5% to £23.91, after the global consumer conglomerate reported a 33% surge in annual profits boosted by Primark's rising sales and significant margin recovery.While the discount fashion chain continues to dominate the narrative at Associated Br

The FTSE 100 made a tepid start to the week on Monday, ending just about in the green and falling below earlier highs, as caution prevailed ahead of the US presidential election.The FTSE 100 index closed up 7.09 points, or 0.1%, at 8,184.24. The FTSE 250 ended down 18.45 points, or 0.1%, at 20,461.29, and the AIM All-Share closed down 3.63 points, 0.5%, at 735.37.The Cboe UK 100 ended up 0.1% at 8