On 3 January 2024, the FTSE 100 celebrates its 40th anniversary. And to borrow a cliche - it seems an opportune moment to ask, will life for the index truly begin at 40 or will it be plunged into a mid-life crisis?The index was launched as a replacement for the FT-30, which as its name suggests was a grouping of 30 businesses drawn principally from the industrial and commercial sectors. The...

There are an increasing number of large firms which are thinking about changing their main share listing from the UK to the US or elsewhere, raising fears London is losing its importance.This article explains why companies are giving serious thought to this issue and who might be next to press the button.Irish building materials giant CRH (CRH) is the latest firm to decide to move its main...

For years, UK-listed technology and biotechnology companies moaned about how they could get a higher valuation if their shares traded on the US market. Some added a secondary listing, others ditched the UK completely and parked their shares across the Atlantic. It was a trend that bubbled away, but not a mainstream activity.That's now changing after several larger companies across non-tech...

- CRH unveils plans to move primary listing to New York- Blow to UK market- Company posts record results for 2022Building materials firm CRH (CRH) has signalled its intention to quit the FTSE 100 and seek a primary listing in the US which accounts for the majority of its earnings.The news is a further blow to the prestige of the UK stock market, after news overnight that chip designer ARM will...

As the US reporting season rolls on, what have we learnt so far about the domestic economy and the global outlook and what challenges are firms facing?We have already heard from the US banks that domestic consumers are bearing up despite higher food, energy and housing costs, and the economy is 'resilient' for the time being.CONSUMER STOCKS PAINT A MIXED PICTURECredit card issuer American...

The US dollar is trading at 20-year highs against a basket of major currencies. It has benefited from the twin tailwinds of big interest rate hikes from the US Federal Reserves and recession fears.When rates are rising faster in the US than in other parts of the world, the higher returns on offer attract more money into the US currency. In addition, the dollar is considered a safe haven...

Despite posting a strong finish to 2021 and forecasting strong trading this spring and summer, theatre operator Cineworld (CINE) is still the most-shorted UK stock according to daily data from the FCA (Financial Conduct Authority).Short sellers are also targeting other companies which are dependent on discretionary spending such as retailers.LIGHTS OUT?Sifting through the FCA data its is clear...

Plumbing products firm Ferguson (FERG), which generates 100% of its revenue in North America, is set to move its primary listing to the US after shareholders recently approved the move.This will see the company exit the FTSE 100 on 12 May as it moves to a 'standard listing' on the UK market where it will no longer qualify for inclusion in FTSE indices.Numis analyst Christen Hjorth says there...

A high price can stop investors from buying a particular stock, simply because they cannot afford it. Not everyone has the $1,000+ which it costs to buy a single share in many US-listed companies. It's a long-standing frustration but slowly we are seeing solutions to the problem.Amazon has joined the likes of Alphabet, Apple and Tesla in doing a 'stock split'. Each existing Amazon share will...

UK investors seem to have discovered their festive spirits during the run-in to Christmas even with the Omicron variant running wild worldwide. Both the FTSE 100 and mid-cap FTSE 250 have made gains during December, albeit for myriad reasons.Overseas, the Dow Jones has done well to date this month, the Euronext 100 - Europe's 100 largest companies - is also in positive territory, if barely,...

The strong momentum in US construction markets continues to play into the hands of two of the UK's most successful overseas operators, equipment rental firm Ashtead (AHT) and plumbing supplies company Ferguson (FERG).STRONG END MARKETSIn its half-year results, Ashtead said demand for its products and services was not only above the same period last year but well above the same period in 2019,...

UK stocks opened higher on Tuesday as concerns about the omicron variant abated, China eased monetary policy and several blue chip companies announced earnings upgrades, with the benchmark FTSE 100 index bid up 1.1% to 7,312.73 points early on.Indications that the new Covid strain may only trigger mild symptoms prompted relief among investors and helped travel stocks take off.Risk appetite was...

The belated approval of US president Joe Biden's $1 trillion infrastructure plan is a positive development for several UK-listed businesses.However, this is not 'new' news to the market as the spending package had been in the post for months, held up by brinksmanship and haggling. The spending will be allocated across areas including roads, rail bridges, high-speed internet, green energy,...

Politicians are known for expressing well intentioned platitudes regarding climate change but failing to deliver action as climate change activist Greta Thunberg has so often highlighted.Ahead of the 26th climate conference in Glasgow which got underway on 31 October, investors seem as sceptical as ever over real change and appear instead to have placed bets on increased demand for uranium (to...

UK stocks dropped at the open on Tuesday as the fuel crisis sweeping the country showed no signs of easing. To make matters worse, Brent crude oil prices surged to a three-year high over $80 per barrel, pushing up prices at the pump, and UK and European natural gas price hit new records.By 8.45am the FTSE 100 index was down 30 points or 0.4% to 7,035 points as weakness in miners and...

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 economy...

Keeping a regular watch on stocks with positive and negative share price momentum is a useful exercise as it tells us which areas of the market are hot or not.Investors who follow a pure momentum strategy like to buy stocks that keep a hitting a new 12-month high in the belief the share price is on a roll and can keep going up.Some investors avoid stocks hitting a new 12-month low, for fear...

The FTSE 100 finished 0.2% higher at 7,087.55 points on Tuesday with banks and housebuilders lending support.However food delivery platform Just Eat Takeaway.com (JET) was the biggest riser on the blue chip benchmark, bid up 3.4% to £68.40 as investors bet it would benefit from a surge in orders as consumers settled on sofas to watch the Euro 2020 clash between England and Germany.A decline...

London's FTSE 100 was up 0.25% at 7,090.71 points by lunchtime on Tuesday, led by gains across sectors including banking, tobacco and beverages.A 0.3% decline in sterling against the US dollar to $1.3839 benefited some FTSE stocks with large US dollar earnings including CRH (CRH) and Ferguson (FERG).Housebuilders were lifted by the latest Nationwide house price index, which surged 13.4% in...

UK stocks began the week on a positive mood with the FTSE 100 index hitting a new post-pandemic high of 7,188 in early trading, lifted by gains in oil majors Royal Dutch Shell (RDSB) and BP (BP.) which more than offset losses for airlines and hotel firms.By the close the benchmark had retraced to 7,147, up 13 points or 0.2%, ahead of a government press conference which was widely expected to...