Stock prices were up in London heading into the afternoon on Thursday, with Anglo American leading the charge on confirming it was ?reviewing? a takeover bid from its larger Australian rival BHP Group.The FTSE 100 index was up 54.22 points, 0.7%, at 8,094.60. The FTSE 250 was down 20.05 points, 0.1%, at 19,699.32, and the AIM All-Share was up 0.33 of a point at 755.02.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.7% a

First quarter sales and profit beat expectationsStrategy update scheduled for 21 MayFull year outlook confirmedShares in AstraZeneca (AZN) surged 5% to £119.3 closing in on a new 52-week high after first quarter revenue and earnings eclipsed market expectations and the pharmaceutical company reiterated full year guidance.After a few months of consolidation, the shares are back to winning ways and

Investors in London bought at the open on Thursday, looking ahead to US GDP data this afternoon, while Anglo American shares jumped after it confirmed that it was ?reviewing? a takeover bid from its larger Australian rival BHP Group.The FTSE 100 index opened up 33.81 points, 0.4%, at 8,074.19. The FTSE 250 was down 98.85 points, 0.5%, at 19,620.52, and the AIM All-Share was down 0.60 of a point, 0

It?s been a busy month in small-cap land with good news, bad news and downright weird news for investors to digest.First the good news, as the persistent undervaluation of UK companies ? and small caps in particular ? draws increasing numbers of corporate buyers.Financial services software provider Gresham Technologies (GHT) agreed a 163p per share cash offer from funds managed or advised by STG P

Pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly (LLY:NYSE) is due to report first-quarter earnings before the market opens on 30 April. Wall Street is expecting EPS (earnings per share) of $2.54 which represents a 57% increase compared with the first quarter of 2023.All eyes will be on sales momentum in Lilly?s diabetes treatment Mounjaro and obesity treatment Zepbound following the latter?s launch in November 202

This feature explores spin-offs or de-mergers, looking at the rationale for them and how they have performed, and asks if they can be a promising hunting ground for investors.One of the UK?s largest recent spin-offs was GSK?s (GSK) demerger of its consumer healthcare division in 2022.GSK reportedly rebuffed a £50 billion offer from personal goods giant Unilever (ULVR) to buy the division, named H

Stocks in London ended in the red on Wednesday, despite the FTSE 100 hitting another record high earlier in the day, while Tesla was the star in New York, where wider markets mixed.The FTSE 100 index gave back 4.43 points, 0.1%, at 8,040.38. The blue-chip index traded as high as 8,092.19 earlier Wednesday, its best-ever level. Selling pressure in the afternoon prevented it from achieving another c

European shares fell on Thursday, with markets grappling with US inflation, Federal Reserve interest rate and geopolitical worries, with the latter hitting travel stocks.Elsewhere among central banks, the European Central Bank left rates unmoved as expected, but the odds of a June cut have risen. The Bank of England is ?way off? cutting, however, a monetary policy committee member said.The FTSE 10

Annual dividend upped 7% to $3.10Shareholders vote on CEO pay increaseSoriot one of the highest paid FTSE 100 CEOsPharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca (AZN) announced a 7% increase in the annualised dividend to $3.10 per share which the board said, ?underlined the company?s confidence in its performance and cash generation?.Chairman Michel Demare explained that the increase is in line with the firm?s

European equities were mixed on Thursday morning, ahead of the European Central Bank?s next interest rate decision this afternoon.The FTSE 100 index opened up 2.10 points at 7,963.31. The FTSE 250 was down 4.02 points at 19,797.73, and the AIM All-Share was up 1.13 points, 0.2%, at 756.32.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.1% at 796.00, the Cboe UK 250 was up 0.1% at 17,216.17, and the Cboe Small Companies

Healthcare giant Johnson & Johnson (JNJ:NYSE) is expected to report first-quarter earnings on 16 April before the market open. Consensus forecasts call for EPS (earnings per share) of $2.63, a slight fall of 2% compared with the same period in 2023.Over the prior four quarters the company has bested consensus estimates by an average of around 5% according to Nasdaq.com.Fourth-quarter 2023 earnings

At the centre of the current boom in generative AI (artificial intelligence) is chip maker Nvidia (NVDA:NASDAQ).It designs some of the fastest computer chips in the world which are needed to run data hungry LLMs (large language models) capable of understanding natural language.Readers may be familiar with Nvidia?s historical link to the gaming industry, but less familiar with the US giant?s connec

European stocks closed lower on Tuesday, after the long Easter holiday weekend and a day full of economic data.The FTSE 100 index closed down 17.53 points, 0.2%, at 7,935.09. The FTSE 250 ended down 170.84 points, 0.9%, at 19,713.89, and the AIM All-Share closed down 0.86 of a point, 0.1%, at 742.40.The Cboe UK 100 ended down 0.3% at 793.40, the Cboe UK 250 closed down 1.1% at 17,147.56, and the C

The FTSE 100 got a boost in London on Tuesday at midday, thanks to the UK manufacturing sector returning growth in March.The FTSE 100 index was up 23.76 points, 0.3%, at 7,976.38. The FTSE 250 was down 58.37 points, 0.3%, at 19,826.36, and the AIM All-Share was up 0.40 of a point at 743.66.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.2% at 797.51, the Cboe UK 250 was down 0.7% at 17,220.34, and the Cboe Small Compani

London?s FTSE 100 traded solidly higher at the start of the second quarter, boosted by oil majors and gold miners, ahead of UK data shortly.The FTSE 100 index opened up 48.35 points, 0.6%, at 8,000.97. The FTSE 250 was up 75.55 points, 0.4%, at 19,960.28, and the AIM All-Share was up 3.78 points, 0.5%, at 747.04.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.5% at 800.00, the Cboe UK 250 was up 0.3% at 17,393.65, and t

Whenever there is a discussion about ?quality? UK industrial stocks, the name Spectris (SXS) is often thrown into the ring although we suspect many investors, while being familiar with the company in a general sense, have little idea what it actually does.Looking on Stockopedia, the company has a 99th percentile quality ranking, which backs up its reputation, but it is classified as a large-cap te

The business of space has arrived, impacting our everyday lives for the better.?Space is the new industrial revolution- transforming all industries and addressing humanity's biggest challenges from climate change to global security, creating a better earth. With a market forecast to reach $1 trillion by 2030 , there is no sector or technology that space innovation won?t impact.?The space sector is

In a world of thousands of stocks, certain people just want to focus on ones that are doing well. If these stocks are part of a group with a snappy acronym or label, they must surely matter, right? That is the widespread view among the investment community.Investors love a narrative and what better way to hook people in than with a label that says, ?look at me?. The Magnificent Seven is the latest

Equities in London went into Wednesday afternoon in largely negative territory, though peers in Europe were in the green and equities in New York are called higher.Nonetheless, there was still some trepidation in the air ahead of a US inflation reading on Friday.Some of the FTSE 100?s heavyweights weighed on the index. Shell and BP fell 1.3% and 1.5% as Brent prices fell. HSBC lost 1.7% after Barc

London?s FTSE 100 edged lower after the opening bell on Wednesday, as investors moved with trepidation as eyes turn to a US inflation reading due later in the week.The FTSE 100 index opened down 13.02 points, 0.2%, at 7,917.94. The FTSE 250 was down 23.35 points, 0.1%, at 19,754.29, and the AIM All-Share was up 0.27 of a point at 739.79.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.2% at 791.57, the Cboe UK 250 was