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

Return to positive like-for-like growthFull year guidance reiteratedLitigation worries cloud the outlookConsumer goods powerhouse Reckitt Benckiser (RTK) topped the FTSE gaining almost 5% to £14.44 after revealing better than expected first quarter like-for-like sales and confirming full year profit targets.The shares are down 18% year to date compared with a 5% gain in the FTSE 100 index reflect

It has been a rough few years for shareholders in hygiene, health and nutrition products powerhouse Reckitt Benckiser (RKT) with the stock down 30% on a five-year view.The FTSE 100 company flourished during the pandemic, which heightened hygiene awareness and boosted sales of its Dettol and Lysol disinfection brands, but demand then normalised and the shares have sold-off on growth disappointments

Broad-based growth delivered in 2023Slow first quarter expected£500 million buyback launchedShares in Haleon (HLN) were marked 6% higher to 332.1p on Thursday after the consumer health colossus reported a robust finish to 2023, with fourth quarter organic sales growth of 7%, and said it will allocate £500 million to share buybacks in 2024.Despite competitive market conditions, the FTSE 100 firm

Organic growth turns negativeShares fall to post-pandemic low£4 billion wiped off market capAfter missing market forecasts for third-quarter sales last October, FTSE 100 household and personal goods group Reckitt Benckiser (RKT) reported an even more disappointing set of fourth-quarter results with like-for-like sales in negative territory.The shares slumped as much as 10% to £52.54, their lowes

Stocks in London opened lower on Wednesday morning, amid steep falls for St James?s Place and Reckitt Benckiser, ahead of key US data.The FTSE 100 index opened down 15.96 points, 0.2%, at 7,667.06. The FTSE 250 was down 74.73 points, 0.4%, at 19,087.93, and the AIM All-Share was down 2.18 points, 0.2%, at 743.47.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.3% at 767.49, the Cboe UK 250 was down 0.5% at 16,439.30, a

The end of the tax year is fast approaching and with it the opportunity to maximise your £20,000 ISA allowance for the year.In this article we have identified six names from a list of some of the most consistent funds and fund managers in the UK which could be a good fit for your tax wrapper. While we have aimed for a balance across different investment styles and asset classes this is not intend

Most of us will be aware of the need to plan for our retirement, however far or otherwise we might have got with doing so. After all, when we stop working we all still want to enjoy a decent quality of life. In this article we will explore how much money you will need and the level of pension pot required to achieve it as well as providing some investment ideas for people at the start of the proce

A big increase in the average takeover premium in 2023 highlights how parts of the UK stock market continue to be undervalued. The average bid premium for UK stocks in 2023 was 51% against 37% in 2022 and 43% in 2021, according to analysis by AJ Bell.Most London-listed takeovers last year involved small-cap firms. Buyers were a mixture of private equity firms or industry players looking to buy riv

As we approach the end of the year it is an opportune moment to shine a light on some of this year's least-loved stocks.Rather than look at the stocks which have lost the most, we have collected together those trading at or near their lows for the year along with those with the fewest friends in the analyst community and those which the hedge fund community thinks are outright shorts.If we first t

The GfK consumer confidence index fell nine points from minus 21 to minus 30 in October amid a slowing jobs market and the uncertainty engendered by the Middle East conflict which have dampened the Christmas spending outlook.This consumer squeeze was in evidence in the quarterly volume declines reported by FTSE 100 consumer goods giants Unilever (ULVR) and Reckitt Benckiser (RKT).Unilever delivere

Shares drop to bottom of FTSE 100£1 billion share buyback announcedNet group revenue £3.6 billionShares in consumer goods giant Reckitt Benckiser (RKT) were down more than 7% to £54.97 in morning trading, making them the worst performer in the blue-chip benchmark, as third quarter like-for-like sales missed analysts' expectations.The FTSE 100 company behind health and hygiene brands from Durex

Smaller in size than the popular £3.47 billion Evenlode Income Fund (BD0B7D5), Shares believes this is a good time to put money to work with sister fund Evenlode Global Income (BF1QNC4). Launched in late 2017, the latter has delivered a five-year annualised total return of 8.9%, ahead of the 5.7% from theformer, despite a recent headwind from its lack of exposure to large tech firms operating in

Whether you're saving for retirement, looking to pay off your mortgage or any other future objective, investing in equities has been one of the most successful ways of generating long-term value creation. According to data from Bloomberg from April 2023, global equities, represented by the FTSE All-World Total Return Index, have grown by 57.3% over the past five years, smashing the returns from ca

Q2 like-for-like sales up 4.1%First half dividend raised by 5%But Reckitt warns of tougher comparisons aheadConsumer goods goliath Reckitt Benckiser (RKT) reported a 4.1% rise in second quarter like-for-like sales, ahead of the 3.7% growth called for by analysts and taking first half growth to 6%.The FTSE 100 company behind health and hygiene brands from Durex and Dettol to Air Wick, Nurofen and G

Investors thirsty for a globally diversified dividend-payer with a long growth runway in developing and emerging markets should invest in Starbucks (SBUX:NASDAQ).Even if China's post-Covid reopening fails to generate the hoped-for earnings boost, Starbucks offers investors exposure to markets ranging from Turkey and Korea to populous Indonesia and rapidly growing India, the latter in a joint ventu

Our investor this week is Andy, who is in his early thirties and has been investing since he left university around a decade ago.A history graduate, Andy puts his initial interest in finance and markets down to his father who is an accountant.'I can't remember exactly what the trigger was,' says Andy, 'but around the time I was leaving university the economy was still just coming out of the global

A share price pause for breath at GSK (GSK) spin-out Haleon (HLN) is a buying opportunity for investors.This is a high-quality, large cap company with a strong brand portfolio and a long trajectory of global growth and progressive dividends ahead.The consumer health outfit behind headache tablet and toothpaste brands such as Panadol, Sensodyne and Advil boasts earnings resilience and offers exposu

Barclays to kick off key reporting season with UK banks undera cloudThe recent crisis in the sector has raised questions about financial stabilityThe collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and the resulting fallout in the banking sector is not the best backdrop for the UK banks as they get set to report first quarter numbers.Up first is Barclays (BARC) on 27 April. Its 2022 results published on 15 Februa

One of the FTSE 100's newest members, consumer health company Haleon (HLN) was spun out from drugs giant GSK (GSK) and listed on the London and New York stock exchanges in summer 2022.The demerger, unusual in that it followed a failed £50 billion takeover bid from Unilever (ULVR) for what was then a GSK unit, created the first listed company 100% focused on consumer health and one with heavyweigh