West Country engineering firm Spirax Group (SPX) is being shunned by investors after its first-half results.The numbers themselves were pretty disappointing but more damaging was the downgraded guidance for 2024 and the implications this has for 2025. The company moved from mid-to-high-single-digit growth to mid-single-digit growth in revenue and from modest margin growth to flat margins. The comp

Stock prices in London opened in the green on Tuesday, as the UK unemployment rate fell against expectations while wage growth decelerated to its lowest level in two years.The FTSE 100 index opened up 33.29 points, or 0.4%, at 8,243.73. The FTSE 250 was up 17.80 points, or 0.1%, at 20,694.99, and the AIM All-Share was up 1.23 points, or 0.2%, at 768.22.The Cboe UK 100 was 0.3% at 822.50, the Cboe

Stocks in London ended lower on Thursday, though avoided deeper losses thanks to a better-than-expected US jobless claims reading.The FTSE 100 index ended down 21.91 points, 0.3%, at 8,144.97. It had been 1.3% lower earlier on Thursday, however.The FTSE 250 fell 67.45 points, 0.3%, at 20,508.58, and the AIM All-Share lost 2.11 points, 0.3%, at 765.21.The Cboe UK 100 ended down 0.2% at 813.12, the

Investors looking to put money to work with a company for the long term often employ fundamental analysis, which involves scrutinising financial metrics and analysing financial statements to help them understand how fundamentally strong a company is. While profit margins are a solid indicator of a good or bad business, the margin doesn't tell you anything about how much money a company actually sp

Investor excitement surrounding weight-loss drugs has arguably been as great if not greater than that seen for everything AI (artificial intelligence) in the last two years.Market leaders Novo Nordisk (NOVO-B:CPH) and Eli Lilly (LLY:NYSE), makers of Wegovy and Zepbound respectively, have seen their share prices soar as investors seemingly extrapolate their initial success years into the future.Ben

Stocks in London stormed higher on Wednesday, as US tech stocks leapt, ahead of interest rate decisions either side of the Atlantic.While the Federal Reserve is expected to leave interest rates unchanged, it may hint at an easing of policy at its September meeting. In London, a rate cut from the Bank of England is possible on Thursday, although this is viewed as a close call.The FTSE 100 index clo

Stocks in London ran out of steam by the end of Monday, with focus on the trio of major central bank meetings this week, and the UK chancellor's latest update on the '£22 billion black hole' in the country's finances.The FTSE 100 index closed up 6.64 points, 0.1%, at 8,292.35. The FTSE 250 ended down 104.23, 0.5%, at 21,252.07, and the AIM All-Share closed down 2.35 points, 0.3%, at 777.32.The bl

Prudential director buys sharesSerica Energy CEO loads upYouGov director also buys sharesGeorge Sartorel, non-executive director at life insurance giant Prudential (PRU), bought 8,000 shares at 725p for a total value of £58,000 on 8 July.Sartorel's move comes after the company announced a $2 billion share buyback programme on 24 June due to be completed no later than mid-2026.Prudential shares ha

Shares in Bloomsbury (BMY) gained more than 10% last week as the publisher increased its footprint in North America with a strategic acquisition. Bloomsbury shares have gained nearly 30% year-to-date.The successful publisher of science fiction and fantasy books showed investors it was intent on diversifying its revenue base and increasing its digital offering with the £65 million purchase of acad

Equity prices in London fell on Wednesday, as stocks struggled to find their feet amid rising US Treasury yields.There was also a flurry of M&A news threatening to hog the spotlight. The prospect of a mega mining merger between BHP and Anglo American was ruled out, though Royal Mail owner International Distributions Services has agreed to a takeover.The FTSE 100 index ended down 71.11 points, 0.9%

Stock prices in Europe were lower at midday on Wednesday, with major firms Ocado and St James's Place set to lose their spots in the FTSE 100.The FTSE 100 index was down 19.58 points, 0.2%, at 8,234.60. The FTSE 250 was down 112.26 points, 0.5%, at 20,593.01, and the AIM All-Share was down 3.43 points, 0.4%, at 804.93.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.3% at 821.69, the Cboe UK 250 was down 0.7% at 18041.

If we took a straw poll of readers and asked which country has the world's biggest sovereign wealth fund, the chances are Saudi Arabia and Singapore would come high up the list if not at the top.In fact, the largest is Norway's Government Pension Fund Global which has a value of more than $1.6 trillion.When the country discovered large offshore oil fields at the end of the 1960s, the government de

London stocks were up at midday on Friday, on the back of an interest rate hold from the Bank of England and a better-than-expected gross domestic product reading from the Office for National Statistics.The FTSE 100 index was up 66.70 points, 0.8%, at 8,448.05, after hitting a record high 8,455.77 earlier. The FTSE 250 was up 163.86 points, 0.8%, at 20,695.16, and the AIM All-Share was up 5.05 poi

Stocks in London started strong on Friday following the Bank of England?s dovish hold on interest rates on Thursday, as new data showed UK gross domestic product reached a stronger-than-expected level in March.The FTSE 100 index opened up 43.05 points, 0.5%, at 8,424.40. The FTSE 250 was up 68.41 points, 0.3%, at 20,599.71, and the AIM All-Share was up 2.06 points, 0.3%, at 785.76.The Cboe UK 100

European equities ended higher on Thursday, with the FTSE 100 and DAX 40 achieving record highs, the former boosted by a dovish tilt to the latest Bank of England decision.Across the Atlantic, weaker US labour data hurt the dollar, amid the expectation that a cooler jobs market could presage an eventual rate cut by the BoE?s US counterpart.At its May meeting, the BoE?s Monetary Policy Committee vo

Stock prices in London surged on Thursday afternoon, shaking off a muted morning, as a dovish tilt to the Bank of England?s latest rate hold supported equities.Threadneedle Street maintained bank rate at a 16-year high of 5.25% for the sixth meeting in-a-row. However, two members of its Monetary Policy Committee backed a 25 basis point cut. Seven, Governor Andrew Bailey included, supported the hol

Are consumers starting to push back on their pricey skinny lattes in response to higher interest rates and cost-of-living pressures?It?s a key question for analysts and investors in Starbucks (SBUX:NASDAQ) after the Seattle-headquartered coffeehouse colossus posted a second-quarter earnings and sales shock, sending the share price plunging close to two-year lows.The miss was bad enough, but slashi

Investors in London were not deterred by continuing concerns of higher for longer US interest rates, as stocks were up heading into the afternoon.The FTSE 100 index was 14.38 points higher, 0.2%, at 7,862.37. The FTSE 250 was up 63.75 points, 0.3%, at 19,403.89. The AIM All-Share was up 0.59 of a point, 0.1%, at 743.71.The Cboe UK 100 was a touch higher at 785.28, the Cboe UK 250 was up 0.1% at 16

If you had £10,000 to invest in a single fund, which would you choose ? one of the most popular with retail investors for more than a decade, or a relative new kid on the block with a similar asset allocation approach?In a manner of speaking, it is what billionaire City grandee Michael Spencer challenged formidable money man and Fundsmith Equity (B41YBW7) founder Terry Smith at the end of 2023, t

The FTSE 100 was lower on Monday at midday as the oil price declined despite high tensions between Iran and Israel, while the FTSE 250 was a tad higher.The FTSE 100 index was down 33.43 points, 0.4%, at 7,962.15. The FTSE 250 was up 12.21 points, 0.1%, at 19,733.45, and the AIM All-Share was down 4.01 points, 0.5%, at 751.90.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.5% at 795.86, the Cboe UK 250 was marginally d