Shares in insurance group Phoenix Group Holdings (PHNX), rose 1.5% to 635p following the announcement of better than expected full year results for 2021. The market is likely to be encouraged by the new progressive dividend policy. For 2021, Phoenix generated an operating profit of £1.23 billion, up from £1.20 billion in 2020, reflecting the contribution of a full year of profit from its ...

The rapid growth of exchange traded funds over the last decade means investors now have plenty of choice when tracking major investment themes. ETFs take the headache and risk out of trying to pick the best active managers while also offering lower costs and good liquidity. They can also provide diversification in certain assets which are harder for retail investors to access such as ...

London’s blue chip benchmark closed Friday’s session 1.2% lower at 7,466.07 points, while the FTSE 250 finished almost 1% down at 21,643.3, rounding off a volatile week for markets as investors fretted over inflation and rising interest rates as well as the threat of conflict in Ukraine. Despite higher yields, banking stocks dragged on the blue chip benchmark with HSBC (HSBA) off 1.9% at ...

Following a reasonably steady start, the FTSE 100 was down materially by midday, with a 1.2% fall to 7,462.81 points, while the FTSE 250 was off 0.8% at 21,673.64. This followed weak trading in the US overnight as well as strength in sterling, which hits the relative value of the overseas earnings which dominate the blue chip benchmark index. Negative sentiment was compounded by persistent ...

Amid several instances of directors selling big chunks of shares in the last week there were also some notable purchases. The wife of the chief executive of life insurance firm Phoenix (PHNX) snapped up nearly £400,000 worth of shares on 6 September. Suzanne Briggs, married to Andrew Briggs who took the helm in February 2020, bought 63,398 shares at 631p. BUYING ON STRONG RESULTS The ...

How does a 5% return on your money sound right now? With UK interest rates showing little sign of increasing from rock bottom levels despite mounting inflation, a 5% rate is certainly appealing. If you are using your investments to pay the bills or to fund your living expenses in retirement the income you receive is vital. The great news is that the dividends from stocks and shares can offer ...

UK stocks advanced as the first half reporting season continued to show companies meeting or beating expectations in general. By 8.30am the benchmark FTSE 100 index was up 24 points or 0.3% to 7,185 points, not quite an intraday high but very close, driven by gains in financial and industrial stocks. The FTSE 250 mid-cap index hit yet another record high, albeit with a small gain of 22 ...

Having underperformed the FTSE 100 and the FTSE 350 for the best part of 10 years, September 2020 saw the FTSE 350 banks index stop making decade lows and start to make short-term highs, much to the excitement of analysts and investors. As the market rotation towards value stocks took hold, the UK’s unloved banks jumped sharply in the final quarter of last year. At the start of this ...

London’s FTSE 100 was broadly flat by midday at 7.128.43 points as initial momentum in the UK banking sector, after the Bank of England lifted dividend restrictions on the sector’s heavyweights, began to wane and worries over rising coronavirus infections kept gains in check. By lunchtime, NatWest (NATW) was off 0.4% at 206p, with Barclays (BARC) flat at 172.7p, although HSBC (HSBA) and ...

UK banks gave leading stocks a push higher in early trade on Tuesday afternoon the Bank of England lifted dividend restrictions on the sector’s heavyweights but worries over rising coronavirus infections kept gains in check. At 9am, the benchmark FTSE 100 was around 0.3% at 7,174.34, with NatWest (NATW) topping the leaderboard with gains just shy of 2% to 210.4p. HSBC (HSBA), Lloyds ...

Stocks made further gains on Wednesday after Fed chairman Jerome Powell repeated his view that price pressures in the US economy were temporary and confirmed the central bank would not raise interest rates pre-emptively. US markets rallied with the Nasdaq 100 tech index making a new all-time high, helped by gains in drugmaker Moderna and chipmaker Nvidia. By 8.30am the FTSE 100 index was up ...

Companies with large defined benefit pension deficits have been warned by The Pensions Regulator that dividends might have been to put on hold if they are under financial pressure amid efforts to recover from the pandemic. Less than 200 pension schemes have asked to reduce or postpone their deficit contributions since April last year. However, with the Government looking to wind down its ...

UK shares ended the day flat on Tuesday despite earlier optimism after positive overnight trading in Asia and a positive start on Wall Street. Commodity prices were generally higher with Brent crude rising 0.9% to $70.10 a barrel and gold prices up 0.2% to a three-month high of $1,870 an ounce. At the close the FTSE 100 of leading shares was virtually unchanged at 7,036 points with financial ...

UK shares traded higher on Tuesday as risk appetite returned despite fears of the Indian variant dampening enthusiasm. Overnight trading in Asia was positive with the Japan’s Nikkei 225 index gaining 2% and China’s SE Composite index 0.3% higher. Commodity prices were higher with Brent crude rising 0.9% to $70.10 a barrel and gold prices up 0.2% to a three-month high of $1,870 an ...

UK shares opened higher on Tuesday as risk appetite returned despite fears of the Indian variant dampening enthusiasm. Overnight trading in Asia was positive with the Japan’s Nikkei 225 index gaining 2% and China’s SE Composite index 0.3% higher. Commodity prices were higher with Brent Crude prices 0.9% ahead at $70.1 a barrel and gold prices were 0.2% higher at $1,870 an ounce. At ...

The pandemic had a significant impact on the UK income space, with many companies forced to slash and cancel dividends to ensure they survived the crisis. It was the traditional large dividend paying sectors and companies that suffered some of the biggest cuts, with many larger companies using the crisis as an opportunity to reset  excessive payouts at more sustainable levels. This means ...

London’s FTSE 100 finished Monday’s session 1.3% to the good at 6,719.13 points thanks to improving investor sentiment in the US, where worries over the US stimulus programme, inflation and resulting volatility in the bond market appeared to be easing. PEARSON HOLDS DIVIDEND STEADY DESPITE EARNINGS DROP Educational publisher Pearson (PSON) rose 6.4% to 808.8p as it posted a rise in ...

London’s FTSE 100, well known for being full of banks, miners and oil companies, traded 0.2% higher at 6,644.30 by Monday lunchtime amid volatility in the oil price after attacks on Saudi Arabian facilities over the weekend and continuing nervousness about inflation. The blue chip benchmark had risen at the open after Brent crude oil jumped to over $70 per barrel for the first time in 14 ...

The UK’s leading FTSE 100 index, well known for being full of banks, miners and oil companies, made a strong start on Monday after being buoyed by a rising oil price. The index rose 0.62% to 6,672 shortly after the market opened, which came after Brent crude oil jumped to over $70 per barrel for the first time in 14 months following a drone attack on a key oil site in Saudi Arabia, the ...

UK stocks closed just shy of a five-month high on Tuesday after US president Donald Trump accepted, after weeks of legal challenges, that a formal transition of power should begin for president-elect Joe Biden. Trump's move added to a recent bout of market optimism fueled by positive Covid-19 vaccine news, boosting stocks and oil prices. At midday the benchmark FTSE 100 index was up 75 ...