London stock prices were down at the closing bell on Thursday, as producer price inflation data from across the pond came in ahead of previous expectations.Looking at individual stocks, Trainline jumped after it predicted a revenue growth beat. On the other end of the FTSE 250 index, though, OSB plummeted on its weak outlook.The FTSE 100 index closed down 29.02 points, 0.4%, at 7,743.15. The FTSE

London?s FTSE 100 edged slightly lower going into Thursday afternoon, but trade in Paris and Frankfurt was more positive, ahead of a slew of US data.The FTSE 100 index fell just 3.77 points to 7,768.40. The FTSE 250 climbed 58.38 points, 0.3%, to 19,622.30, and the AIM All-Share was flat at 738.82.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.1% at 777.94, the Cboe UK 250 added 0.4% at 17,001.13, and the Cboe Small

Indices in London were largely unmoved at the start of trading ahead of a batch of US data due on Thursday afternoon.Among individual shares making waves, however, Trainline jumped as it expects revenue growth to beat expectations. OSB Group tumbled on poorly-received earnings and a tepid outlook.The FTSE 100 index rose just 2.97 points to 7,775.14. The FTSE 250 climbed only 4.07 points to 19,567.

Top-yielding stocks in the FTSE 350 dominated by banksBank of Georgia has been the best-performing bank shareRedde Northgate offers a 7.1% yield covered 2.4 timesThe prevailing market consensus is that central banks are close to the end of their rate hiking cycle and as long as inflation behaves, rate cuts are back on the agenda for 2024.If that view prevails competition from bonds and cash deposi

There were several trends in the UK stock market this year which, if you managed to identify them, served you well.Most obviously, although it may not have seemed it at the index level, large-cap stocks generally performed better than small- and mid-caps, although for the lucky few the small-cap space has been rife with takeover activity.In terms of sectors, aerospace and defence topped the FTSE 3

Major indices make biggest gains since JanuaryDriven by hopes that inflation and interest rates have peakedMid-cap FTSE 250 beats blue chip indexNovember was a great month for risk assets with major stock indices racking up their biggest gains since January. The German Dax was the leading European index, gaining close to 10% while the UK blue chip FTSE 100 was a laggard notching up a 2% gain.The d

Investors banked on the Bank of England holding interest rates on Thursday and the central bank did just that, though Threadneedle Street did play to the now all too familiar higher for longer narrative.It said monetary policy will need to be 'sufficiently restrictive for sufficiently long'.Sterling was quoted at $1.2214 shortly after midday on Thursday, higher than $1.2123 at the London equities

Stocks in Europe ended lower on Friday, rounding off a tricky week, with poor earnings weighing on the banking and pharmaceutical sectors.Eyes are also on the US monetary policy outlook. A US inflation reading failed to alter Federal Reserve interest rate expectations. It is still expected to leave rates unmoved next week.The FTSE 100 index closed down 63.29 points, 0.9%, at 7,291.28. The FTSE 250

London's FTSE 100 made a tentative gain on Friday afternoon, pushed higher by Shell and BP, though the advance could be short-lived if a key US inflation reading disappoints.The Federal Reserve's preferred inflationary tracker is released at 1330 BST. While economists expected both the headline and core readings to ebb, a hotter-than-expected print could send stocks lower and make investors rethin

Financial services group Metro Bank (MTRO) has survived another crisis after agreeing a £925 million rescue package yet question marks remain about its future.Metro Bank was the highest profile of the challenger banks which emerged in the wake of the financial crisis promising to shake up high street and commercial banking.In theory, because they were not saddled with crisis-ridden balance sheets

Given the poor performance of Persimmon's (PSN) shares this year it's fair to say investors aren't expecting great things from the UK housebuilder when it reports first-half earnings on 10 August.In its first-quarter trading update in April, the firm was more upbeat than many had hoped, even suggesting full-year completions could reach the top end of its 8,000 to 9,000 target range, although that

Anyone following UK financial stocks must have wondered what on earth was so awful about the latest trading update from OSB (OSB) that the shares lost almost a third of their value in a single day last week.The answer is a sudden but we suspect long-overdue admission that higher interest rates aren't a cure-all for bank profitability, and borrowers are responding much faster than expected to compe

A deep sell-off for the FTSE 100 failed to draw out enough bargain-hunters to help the blue-chip index follow European peers higher on Friday, as it was held back by a stronger pound.Sterling rose on the back of a cooler-than-expected US jobs report. The reading gave stocks a slight boost, though the FTSE 100 still closed in tepid territory.It was a better day for the CAC 40 in Paris and DAX 40 in

It was a morning of recovery for most European stock market benchmarks on Friday, though not for the FTSE 100, as it extended its decline following Thursday's brutal sell-off.London's blue-chip index could fall further as the afternoon progresses, if the latest US nonfarm payrolls come in hotter-than-expected.A strong nonfarm payrolls reading is typically bullish for equities but the reverse could

Stock prices in London opened lower on Friday amid concerns over the pressure of monetary tightening on equities, ahead of a US non-farm payrolls print.The FTSE 100 index opened down 30.14 points, 0.4%, at 7,250.36. The FTSE 250 was down 47.77 points, 0.3%, at 17,868.69, and the AIM All-Share was down 1.08 points, 0.2%, at 739.78.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.4% at 723.11, the Cboe UK 250 was down 0.6%

London's FTSE 100 ended a muted session slightly higher on Tuesday, snapping a six-day streak of negative finishes, with the mood in Europe supported by a bullish open in New York.The FTSE 100 index added 7.88 points, 0.1%, at 7,461.46 on Tuesday.The FTSE 100 opened in the green, after Chinese Premier Li Qiang said the country is on course to achieve its 5% target for economic growth in 2023 set b

- Lack of surprises and upgrades disappoints- Shares drift after update- Metro Bank and OSB Group rallyAfter solid gains for Barclays (BARC) and HSBC (HSBA) and a loss for shares in NatWest Group (NWG), investors were eyeing the first-quarter update from the UK's largest lender Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY) to complete the picture.In the event, the results were mostly as expected and without an upgr

Continuing momentum expected at BP and Shell as they ready first quarter updatesOil majors' commitment to energy transition and impact of windfall taxes will be in focusThe OPEC production cuts which helped drive a recent rally in oil prices will have come too late to be reflected in upcoming quarterly earnings numbers from BP (BP.) and Shell (SHEL), published on 2 and 4 May respectively, but inve

An under-the-radar constituent of the IA UK Equity Income sector that is delivering stellar returns despite difficult market conditions is VT Tyndall Real Income Fund (BYX0D61). Small at £18.9 million of assets, it is big on ambition under the stewardship of manager Simon Murphy and competitive on cost, with a lowly annual management charge of 0.35%.Murphy took over the fund right before the pand

Stocks in London were in the green at the close on Thursday, after a sharp decline on Wednesday, buoyed by Credit Suisse receiving a lifeline from the Swiss central bank.'One minute the market is worried about a banking crisis, the next minute it is more relaxed. This hot/cold mentality creates an odd atmosphere and today we have another one of those days where investors are seemingly less worried