After almost closing at a new high in early April, the UK?s blue-chip FTSE 100 has finally made it into the ranks of indices hitting new all-time highs thanks to a 4.5% gain since the start of January.On 22 April the index reached its highest ever close and on 23 April it moved through its previous intra-day high.The UK clearly isn?t in the same league as the US, where the S&P 500 has notched up n

One of the most popular investment trusts with AJ Bell?s ISA millionaires, City of London (CTY) is a favourite with investors seeking long-term income and capital growth and a gateway to large international companies.However, while the long-run performance record is strong, Curtis? cautious approach means the fund can underperform in some market conditions. On a 10-year share price total return ba

Equity prices in Europe ended the week largely on the back foot, despite a US jobs report which cemented expectations of a June interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve, and sent the dollar lower.In one of the week?s recurring themes, gold was on the up again, this time pushed higher by the US data. The precious metal is on track to extend its winning streak to eight days.The FTSE 100 index ended

Investors looked nervous ahead of a key UK unemployment reading this afternoon, as stocks in London began the afternoon mostly in the red on Friday.The FTSE 100 index was down 20.94 points, 0.3%, at 7,671.52. The FTSE 250 was down 68.68 points, 0.4%, at 19,515.30, and the AIM All-Share was up 1.71 points, 0.2%, at 739.61.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.4% at 768.51, the Cboe UK 250 was down 0.5% at 16,

Merged firm valued at £10 billionMondi sees ?substantial? synergiesMondi board to dominate new firmThe UK M&A (mergers and acquisitions) juggernaut rolls on with confirmation today of more consolidation in the paper and packaging sector after DS Smith (SMDS) agreed to a revised bid from rival Mondi (MNDI).Shares in DS Smith gained 7% to 350p while Mondi shares eased 2% to £13.53. SUBSTANT

Stock prices in London were predominantly lower on Friday morning, as big news for several FTSE 100 and 250 constituents failed to adequately combat nervousness around the latest US jobs report.The FTSE 100 index opened down 18.03 points, 0.2%, at 7,674.43. The FTSE 250 was down 65.78 points, 0.3%, at 19,518.20, and the AIM All-Share was up 1.58 points, 0.2%, at 739.48.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.3

Sells Russian assets for €775 millionCash proceeds to be returned to shareholdersReturn represents around 10% of Mondi's market capPaper and packaging group Mondi (MNDI) topped the FTSE 100 leaderboard on Monday after agreeing to sell its Russian assets for 80 billion roubles (€775 million) in cash to a subsidiary of Sezar Invest Group.The shares rose 4% to £13.9 on relief that a dispos

If we think about what packaging companies do, probably the first thing that comes to mind for most of us is getting a brown cardboard box or envelope through the post from Amazon (AMZN:NASDAQ) with its tell-tale smiley logo.Yet e-commerce is just a small part of the overall business of firms like DS Smith (SMDS), Mondi (MNDI) and Smurfit Kappa (SKG), who together dominate the European market for

Mondi shares buck negative trend on bullish research noteSector down 30% to 40% since last cyclical peakConsensus estimates too cautious for 2024Shares in paper and packaging company Mondi (MNDI) were bucking the downdraft in UK shares on Thursday following a bullish report from Morgan Stanley, which has made the company its top pick in the sector.UK shares were down more than 1.2% pressured by ha

UK investors will be well aware of the lopsided performance of the US stock market in recent months, with a handful of stocks accounting for almost the entire index gains so far this year.However, a similar phenomenon is occurring right under our noses with most of the gains in the FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 down to the outperformance of some of their larger stocks.This concentration on a select few te

Stock prices in London rose at midday on Monday as markets looked to positive news for the UK's service sector and oil majors got a boost from a cut to oil production by Saudi Arabia.The FTSE 100 index was up 40.52 points, or 0.5%, at 7,647.80. The FTSE 250 was up 112.29 points, or 0.6%, at 19,261.60, and the AIM All-Share was 2.36 points, or 0.3%, at 791.94.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.5% at 763.53,

- Shares fall despite earnings beat- Inflationary pressures abate amid fall in demand- Final dividend increased by 12%Despite growing full-year revenues by 27% to €12.8 billion and beating prior profit guidance shares in paper packaging solutions company Smurfit Kappa (SKG) fell 2% to £34.14 as investors digested a story of falling demand.A reversal of 'unsustainably high' demand levels seen

Using data from Stockopedia Shares has identified those stocks which havethe most upgrades and downgrades over the past week.Among the stocks where analysts have been nudging forecasts higher, tobacco firm Imperial Brands (IMB) stands out.We looked at the Imperial Brands investment case in detail in this article. The company has demonstrated its pricing power, with its core product's addictive qua

- Sentiment has been weak towards the packaging sector- Fears that stocks would see post-Covid slump in demand- Yet DS Smith trading update much better than expected Copper and shipping indices have historically been some of the key economic bellwethers, yet packaging companies have increasingly become important when investors try to work out if there is an increase or decrease in the amount of go

One of the UK market's biggest corporate splits in years is about to happen, with GSK (GSK) demerging its consumer healthcare business called Haleon. The latter should become a FTSE 100 company and give investors exposure to some of the best-known brands in toothpaste, painkillers and more.This article will give you the essential details on Haleon and its prospects. But if you're still unsure what

The advent of globalisation has helped to drive considerable earnings growth for companies on the UK stock market thanks to them doing business with an ever-growing number of countries. Unfortunately, widespread geographical expansion means the list of UK stocks with exposure to Russia is bigger than you might think.Many professional and retail investors have raised a moral objective to having mon

UK stocks traded at a new 12-month high on Wednesday following a strong session in the US which followed through to strength in Asia overnight as market nerves over rate rises eased.The broad and economically sensitive Russell 2000 index closed 1.6% higher in New York while Japan's Nikkei 225 index gained 1.2% and China's SE Composite index added 0.8%.Brent crude dipped 0.5% to $90.30 per barrel a

An easing of energy crisis fears and a positive start to trading on Wall Street helped the FTSE 100 to a solid finish on Thursday. By the close, the blue chip benchmark was up 1.2% at 7,078.04 points, while the FTSE 250 finished 0.77% higher at 22,559.22.In the US the S&P 500 was up 1.35% to 4,422.55 by 4.30pm UK time.Wall Street's indices pushed higher after a temporary agreement was struck to ra

Hopes that Russia will pump more gas to Europe to address the current energy crisis helped boost sentiment on Thursday.Concerns over elevated gas prices started to ease after Russia offered to increase supplies while house prices rose by 1.7% in September according to the Halifax building society, the biggest monthly increase since February 2007.By noon, the FTSE 100 traded 1.1% higher at 7,071.8

UK stocks started Thursday's session on a firmer footing, responding to a positive performance in both the US and Asia, with all the major US indices ending the session in positive territory and the Hang Seng and Shenzhen indices ending 2.8% and 1.6% higher respectively.On the domestic front, concerns over elevated gas prices started to ease after Russia offered to increase supplies while house pr