Stocks in London were largely flat at midday on Tuesday, on the back of boosts at Burberry and Vodafone, as hopes for a summer interest rate cut were bolstered by supportive comments from the Bank of England?s top economist.The FTSE 100 index was up 5.85 points, 0.1%, at 8,420.89. The FTSE 250 was up 14.46 points, 0.1%, at 20,574.80, and the AIM All-Share was little changed at 786.60.The Cboe UK 1

Future dividend ?rebased? from 9 euro cents to 4.5 euro centsWriting has been on the wall for monthsShare price has spent more than a decade in declineNew broom management get one chance to sweep away previous aspirations and problems and reset market expectations. Chief executive Margherita Della Valle, appointed to the top Job at Vodafone (VOD) just over a year ago, has now laid out the script o

Group revenue down 7%Studios revenue down 16%Shares up 20% this yearShares in ITV (ITV) gained nearly 2% in morning trading despite the free-to-air broadcaster reporting a 7% fall in total revenue to £887 million for the three months to 31 March 2024.A ?sore point? for the free-to-air broadcaster came from ITV Studios which reported a 16% fall in total revenue to £382 million in the first quarte

The emerging battle for market share in the lucrative obesity market, which analysts at Goldman Sachs estimate could be worth more than $100 billion by 2030, is starting to heat up.Sales of market-leading weight-loss drug Wegovy more than doubled to around £1 billion in the first quarter of 2024, helping to drive total sales for Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk (NOVO-B:CPH) up 24% to DKK 65.3 billio

The journey of online clothing retailer ASOS (ASC) on the stock market has been a pretty extraordinary one. It started life as a penny stock on AIM ? when Shares first covered the story in 2003 it traded at 4.5p.Within a little less than five years the share price had reached more than £4, by 2014 it had hit £70 and, after another retreat, at its 2018 height it traded close to £80. Even its pan

Markets were sunny at the time of London?s closing bell on Friday, with investors across the pond enthused by renewed hopes for a Federal Reserve interest rate cut.The FTSE 100 index closed up 41.34 points, 0.5%, at 8,213.49. The FTSE 250 ended up 112.21 points, 0.6%, at 20,164.54, and the AIM All-Share closed up 3.42 points, 0.5%, at 771.53.Over the course of the week, they were up 0.9%, 1.7%, an

Just when investors think they have got the measure of Tesla (TSLA:NASDAQ), Elon Musk drops a bomb. Having feared the worst, Tesla?s first quarter (Q1) 2024 report (25 April) gave investors the clarity they were seeking on mass-market vehicles, and while detail remains thin, Musk said production would likely begin ?in early 2025, if not later this year? and would include ?more affordable models.?T

Operating margins hit double-digits for first time on recordMuch better cash flow ensures AI investment is fundedDividends still seem a long way offAmazon (AMZN:NASDAQ) became the latest tech giant to release quarterly results after-hours Tuesday (30 Apr) and largely beat expectations as interest in AI (artificial intelligence) helped drive cloud computing growth.These were robust results, showing

London equities finished in the green on Monday, outpacing its European peers, ahead of the Federal Reserve?s eagerly awaited interest rate decision on Wednesday.The FTSE 100 index closed up 7.20 points, 0.1%, at 8,147.03. The FTSE 250 ended up 260.63 points, 1.3%, at 20,084.79, and the AIM All-Share closed up 8.05 points, 1.1%, at 763.33.The Cboe UK 100 ended up 0.1% at 814.08, the Cboe UK 250 cl

Postive cancer trial resultsPotentially increases patient poolNew standard of careShares in AstraZeneca (AZN) got a further boost today, rising 2% after posting positive late-stage trial results for breast cancer treatment Enhertu which demonstrated clinically-meaningful progression-free survival improvements.This follows strong market-beating first-quarter results last week (25 April) which sent

Second-quarter guidance disappointsAI spending plans spook investors$200 billion wiped off market valueSocial media and technology outfit Meta Platforms (META:NASDAQ) saw its recent share price momentum stall in a big way overnight as investors fretted its ?year of efficiency? in 2023 would give way to a period of profligacy.At one point more than $200 billion had been wiped off the company?s valu

Every time anyone in the UK puts money into a pension, a deal is struck. The government adds tax relief to the contribution, and the quid pro quo is you have to lock that money away for retirement. Hence why you can only access a pension after the age of 55, rising to 57 from 2028.The idea is that if you?ve got your own funds to live on in retirement, you won?t fall back on the benefits system and

Stock prices in London were up heading into the afternoon on Wednesday, with Reckitt jumping on a strong start to 2024, while Lloyds rose despite a fall in profit.The FTSE 100 index was up 38.40 points, 0.5%, at 8,083.21. The FTSE 250 was down 3.41 points at 19,796.31, and the AIM All-Share was up 0.1 of a point at 754.97.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.5% at 807.00, the Cboe UK 250 was down 0.2% at 17,1

Investors in London continued to show confidence heading into the afternoon on Wednesday, looking ahead to key US data on Thursday and Friday.The FTSE 100 index opened up 27.80 points, 0.4%, at 8,072.61. The FTSE 250 was down 2.65 points at 19,797.07, and the AIM All-Share was up 1.63 points, 0.2%, at 756.50.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.3% at 806.01, the Cboe UK 250 was down 0.1% at 17147.76, and the

Investors in London continued to show confidence, as stocks at the open on Tuesday added to Monday?s gains, boosted by the prospect of interest rate cuts.The FTSE 100 index opened up 33.06 points, 0.4%, at 8,056.93. The FTSE 250 was up 54.48 points, 0.3%, at 19,653.87, and the AIM All-Share was up 2.14 points, 0.3%, at 751.32.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.3% at 804.24, the Cboe UK 250 was up 0.2% at 17

Investors in London showed confidence on Monday, as Ocado boosted the FTSE 100 despite shareholder pressure to move its listing to the US, while takeover talks drove Hipgnosis Songs Fund and Tyman in the FTSE 250.Amongst individual stocks, Ocado boosted the FTSE 100 on pressure to move to the US. The FTSE 250 got a boost from takeover talks for both Hipgnosis Songs Fund and Tyman.The FTSE 100 inde

Stock prices in London improved at the open on Monday, with FTSE 250 stocks Hipgnosis and Tyman rising on news of prospective takeovers for both firms, while investors more widely shook off nerves ahead of a key US inflation reading later this week.The FTSE 100 index opened up 96.75 points, 1.2%, at 7,992.60. The FTSE 250 was up 152.32 points, 0.8%, at 19,543.62, and the AIM All-Share was up 3.13

Tech earnings got off the ground this week but it is over the coming week when the real heavy-hitters report, and few will be as eagerly watched as Amazon (AMZN:NASDAQ) on 25 April.Coming just a couple of weeks after breaking its share-price ceiling to set a new all-time high ($189.05 on 11 April), can the retail-cum-cloud computing colossus deliver in the first quarter of 2024?The bar is set high

Q1 revenue misses by ?100 millionChip kit firm?s stock falls more than 4%Underlying market remains supportiveChip stocks have been gunning it this year thanks to booming demand for the most advanced AI (artificial intelligence) technology. The US SOX semiconductor index, which measures the world?s meaningful chips stocks, has rallied 15% since the start of January, so ASML?s (ASML:AMS) revenue mis

THIS IS AN ADVERTISING FEATURE Abby Glennie and Amanda Yeaman, managers of abrdn UK Smaller Companies Growth TrustThe long-awaited turnaround in smaller companies is unlikely to happen just because shares are lowly-valuedHowever, an improving economic and interest rate backdrop could spark renewed interest in the sectorM&A activity is also providing support for the smaller companies sectorInvest