London?s FTSE 100 ended higher on Friday, but suffered another losing week, as focus turns to some key updates on fiscal policy in the UK and monetary policy in the eurozone.On Wednesday, the UK government delivers its latest budget, expected to be the final one before a general election. On Thursday, the European Central Bank announces its latest interest rate decision.The FTSE 100 index rose 52.

London stocks were in the green at midday on Friday, although new data showed a continuing downturn last month for the UK?s manufacturing sector.The FTSE 100 index was up 48.70 points, 0.6%, at 7,678.72. The FTSE 250 was up 158.18 points, 0.8%, at 19,213.05, and the AIM All-Share was up 0.06 of a point at 736.56.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.5% at 769.62, the Cboe UK 250 was up 0.6% at 16573.29, and th

Shares up 6% over past yearUnderlying sales rise 5% to £3.7 billionFree cash flow of £387 millionShares in Pearson (PSON) improved 4% to 998.2p after the education media group reported a positive set of results for the year to December 2023.The FTSE 100 company reported a rise in adjusted operating profit from £456 million to £573 million.EPS (earnings per share) rose 12.4% to 58.2p and Pearso

English Language Learning sales up 30%Company delivers £120 million in cost savings£300 million share buyback continuesShares in Pearson (PSON) were little changed at 964p in morning trading as the education publishing group reported underlying group sales growth of 5% for the full year excluding discontinued businesses which are under strategic review. GUIDANCE MAINTAINEDThe company is e

Shares in education media group Pearson (PSON) have been in a rising trend since August, up 19% to 968p as investors reappraise the company's prospects.Helping to sustain the upward share price movement was a well-received trading update on 30 October where the company upgraded its full-year operating profit guidance by £20 million to a new range of £570 million to £575 million and started a ne

Stocks in London started the week on the front foot ahead a week dominated by central bank meetings, before ending with a US jobs report.Among individual shares, Pearson and Airtel Africa impressed, though HSBC ensured it would be a tepid end to the earnings seasons for the FTSE 100-listed banking sector.The FTSE 100 index closed up 36.11 points, 0.5%, at 7,327.39. The FTSE 250 ended up 151.36 poi

Stock prices in London were up at midday on Monday ahead of this week's central bank decisions in Japan, the US and the UK, and amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.The FTSE 100 index was up 62.88 points, 0.9%, at 7,354.16. The FTSE 250 was up 165.83 points, 1.0%, at 17,032.25, and the AIM All-Share was up 4.97 points, 0.7%, at 679.43.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.8% at 733.40, the Cboe UK 250

Group revenue up 5%Upgrades guidance by circa £20 millionNew CEO Omar Abbosh starts 8 January 2024Shares in Pearson (PSON) were marginally higher in morning trading to 931p as the education publishing group reported 5% growth in group revenue (excluding the OPM business) for the nine months ending 30 October 2023.Strong performances came from its Pearson Vue and Pearson Test of English businesses

Arguably the world changed forever in November 2022 after OpenAI said it had created an interactive, conversational AI (artificial intelligence) which drives its ChatGPT app.According to a Bloomberg report the US first quarter earnings season witnessed a 77% increase in company references to AI and related terms, showing company managements couldn't stop talking about it.Share prices of companies

Value-focused trust delivered 3.4% NAV total returnMarks & Spencer among best-performersCar maker Stellantis is a new purchaseValue-oriented investment trust Temple Bar (TMPL) outperformed the FTSE All-Share index in the half ended 30 June 2023 as strong share price performances from the likes of Marks & Spencer (MKS), EasyJet (EZJ) and Standard Chartered (STAN) more than offset disappointing show

Shares up nearly 4% to 900pEnglish Language sales increased 44%Assessment & Qualifications sales up 7%Shares in Pearson (PSON) were up nearly 4% to 900p in early trading as the education publishing group reported a 44% increase in underlying adjusted operating profit to £250 million for the six months to 30 June 2023.Adjusted earnings per share grew 25.6p compared to 22.5p in the first half of 20

There are an increasing number of large firms which are thinking about changing their main share listing from the UK to the US or elsewhere, raising fears London is losing its importance.This article explains why companies are giving serious thought to this issue and who might be next to press the button.Irish building materials giant CRH (CRH) is the latest firm to decide to move its main listing

The introduction of a new disruptive technology always creates winners and losers. The market's current hot-button theme of artificial intelligence is no exception.The founder and chief investment officer of asset manager GQG Partners, Rajiv Jain, was on record in the Financial Times at the start of June as saying there will be more losers than winners from the development of AI.In this context in

There is no hotter area to invest in today than artificial intelligence, or AI as it is commonly known. Ever since OpenAI's ChatGPT took the world by storm, investors have been racing to find winners from this explosive trend.Corporate leaders, meanwhile, have been scrambling to prove to investors that they are harnessing the technology to drive revenue growth, improve operational efficiency, and

- Students turning to ChatGPT says Chegg- Virtual Learning sales for Pearson fall 14%- IBM to replace jobs with AIShares in US educational technology firm Chegg (CHGG:NYSE) fell over 40% in pre-market trading at its CEO warned overnight of the impact of Open AI ChatGPT on its homeworking help business.The news had a knock-on effect on UK-listed education publisher Pearson (PSON) which saw its shar

- On track to achieve 2023 guidance- £300 million share buyback announced- English Language Learning Sales increased by 66%Shares in Pearson (PSON) were up over 3% in morning trading, as the education publishing group reported a strong set of first quarter results.The company reported underlying sales growth of 6%, with a 66% rise in English Language Learning sales attributed to 'an outstanding c

Given some of the most successful fund managers go to the trouble of calculating the average age of companies in their portfolios it is fair to conclude it is an important characteristic of how they invest.In this article we look at why longevity in companies matters and identify some of the oldest firms across the UK, Europe, and US. Later in the article we look at some of the oldest investment c

- Pearson CEO Bird sells almost £2 million shares to cover tax bill- CRH boss Albert Manifold offloads 170,000 shares- Record chief donates 2 million shares to fund educational scholarshipsAndy Bird, chief executive of publishing group of Pearson (PSON), has qualified for a batch of shares as part of a co-investment plan. He subsequently sold just over half of them for £2 million to fund associa

For years, UK-listed technology and biotechnology companies moaned about how they could get a higher valuation if their shares traded on the US market. Some added a secondary listing, others ditched the UK completely and parked their shares across the Atlantic. It was a trend that bubbled away, but not a mainstream activity.That's now changing after several larger companies across non-tech sectors

- Underlying sales growth of 5%- No further buybacks announced and decline in Higher Education- 28% increase in profit expected for 2023Education publishing group Pearson (PSON) reported a big increase in 2022 profit and a positive outlook for 2023 but disappointed investors slightly by not announcing a new share buyback.Pearson reported an 82% rise in pre-tax profit to £323 million for 2022 comp