International Consolidated Airlines (IAG) 162pMarket cap: £7.98 billionUnloved by investors during the pandemic British Airways owner International Consolidated Airlines (IAG) has experienced a revival of fortunes due to strong consumer demand and holidaymakers paying higher ticket prices. Despite the ongoing cost-of-living crisis ? people are still prioritising holidays.In a recent full year tra

The world of fantasy is clearly having a moment. The rise of ?romantasy? authors like Sarah J Maas, who has been a big part of UK publishing outfit Bloomsbury?s (BMY) recent success, have taken the genre out of its previous male-dominated realm to a whole new audience.Bloomsbury?s surging sales and the ongoing phenomenon that is Games Workshop (GAW) are two examples on the UK market which show the

London-listed stocks delivered a mixed performance on Monday in a big week for economic data, as the market prepared for Tuesday?s US inflation reading.The FTSE 100 index closed down 9.49 points, 0.1%, at 7,669.23. The FTSE 250 ended down 71.69 points, 0.4%, at 19,530.09, and the AIM All-Share closed down 2.29 points, 0.3%, at 738.27.The Cboe UK 100 ended up 0.1% at 767.93, the Cboe UK 250 closed

Stocks in London were in the red at midday on Monday, as investors continued to deal with last week?s sell-off in US tech shares and a ?mixed? jobs report.A favourable inflation reading helped the Shanghai Composite achieve a 0.7% gain to start to the week, despite lingering concern for the Chinese economy. But it was the Nikkei 225 in Tokyo that was badly hit by tech share declines, giving back 2

Testing kit supplier latest UK growth company to attract buyer175p per share offer a 60% premium to Monday?s closeStock had traded near 300p just a couple of years agoThere?s two ways of looking at Spirent Communication?s (SPT) agreed £1.01 billion takeover by US peer Viavi Solutions, a deal that saw Spirent shares rocket 60% to 173p. On the one hand, you could say it is further evidence of the r

No-one could accuse the CMA (Competition and Markets Authority) of sitting on its hands, least of all this year.As well as investigating several high-profile mergers ? including this month alone Aviva (AV.)/AIG Life, SpreadEx/Sporting Image, RedBird IMI/Telegraph Media Group, Pharmacy2U/Lloyds Direct and Hitachi/Thales ? the regulator has been busy looking into pricing in the funeral market (again

Is $11 billion US firm MicroStrategy (MSTR:NASDAQ) really the largest independent business intelligence company listed anywhere, as it claims, or merely a proxy for cryptocurrency Bitcoin, as many investors perceive it to be?On its website, MicroStrategy says it provides modern analytics on an open, enterprise platform used by many of the world?s most admired brands in the Fortune Global 500. It o

There was a divergence between US and European equities on Friday, with stocks on Wall Street largely on the up, but peers in Europe struggling to find their feet at the end of a tricky week.The divergence between markets in Europe and New York was perhaps typified by the S&P 500 hitting a record high, cementing its status above the 5,000 point threshold.The greenback ended the week by returning g

Maiden dividend of 50 cents per share declared$50 billion share buyback programmeFourth quarter revenue up 25% to $40.1 billionFacebook-owner Meta Platforms (META:NASDAQ) must surely be crowned the ?comeback kid? out of the ?Magnificent Seven?.The US tech giant not only announced its maiden dividend but also a 25% year-on-year increase in fourth quarter revenue to $40.1 billion and a 16% rise in s

Post-Christmas updates from the industry demonstrate that not all luxury goods companies are created equal, with sector players experiencing contrasting fortunes as the post-pandemic boom normalises and well-heeled shoppers prove more selective.On 25 January, the world?s largest luxury goods group LVMH (MC:EPA) confounded investors? gloomy expectations by delivering better-than-expected fourth qua

Investors will be looking forward to tucking into fourth-quarter results from fast-food giant McDonald?s (MCD:NYSE) on 5 February to see whether despite higher interest rates US consumers are still hungry for its value-for-money offering.?It's hard to see McDonald's not winning in any consumer environment,? says Wedbush analyst Nick Setyan, while Andy Barish at Jefferies named the stock a top pick

London?s FTSE 100 outperformed at the start of the week, with oil majors dragging it higher, though gains were harder to come by elsewhere in Europe ahead of a key week of monetary policy announcements and economic data.The FTSE 100 index was up 20.42 points, 0.3%, at 7,655.51. The FTSE 250 was up 84.67 points, 0.4%, at 19,253.35, and the AIM All-Share was up 1.62 points, 0.2%, at 749.08.The Cboe

Pre-tax profits for the year expected to be 10% below market forecastsPre-Christmas retail trading challengingDemand for core pawnbroking at ?record levels?Shares in H&T (HAT:AIM) were down over 17% to 329p in morning trading despite the UK?s biggest pawnbroker reporting a ?robust? performance in the fourth quarter of the year.Aggregate lending in 2023 amounted to £260 million, an increase of 19%

Bets that the Federal Reserve will start cutting interest rates as early as March are starting to look optimistic after stronger-than-expected US jobs numbers over the past week, pushing up bond yields and leaving equity investors pondering what to do next.In a shortened working week, thanks to the Martin Luther King Day holiday (15 Jan), major US equity markets ended pretty much where they starte

Bitcoin is having another moment in the sun on the back of the decision by the US SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) to greenlight exchange-traded funds which track the cryptocurrency. There is no doubting the significance of this move. It will make it easier and potentially cheaper for investors, though crucially only those across the Atlantic for now (of which more later), to invest. Mains

Shares plunge after-hoursRevenue outlook lowered$2 billion cost savings plan unveiledShares in sportswear giant Nike (NKE) slumped after it lowered its revenue outlook on weaker demand, in particular from China and Europe, and outlined plans for a $2 billion cost cutting programme.It fell nearly 11% in after-hours trading as the market reacted to the results for the three-month period to 30 Novemb

London?s FTSE 100 underperformed on Friday, with its heavyweight pharmaceutical firms among the worst performers, as a post-Federal Reserve decision rally gave way to some profit taking.There were also some hawkish words from a US policymaker which kept enthusiasm to a minimum, though stocks in New York made a strong start.The FTSE 100 index gave back 72.62 points, 1.0%, at 7,576.36. It had surged

My husband is aged 69 and does not plan to retire until he is 75. He has had a 'with-profits' personal pension plan since 2004. The current plan value (excluding the final bonus) is £127,116, the final bonus (which they say they can't guarantee) is £72,319 and the market value reduction is £5,657.Last year, he paid £3,000 in personal pension contributions to the plan. Total charges and costs

THIS IS AN ADVERTISING FEATUREDale Nicholls, Portfolio Manager , Fidelity China Special Situations PLCSentiment towards China remains weak, but the fundamental backdrop is improving and could represent an opportunity as we go through the year ahead given low valuations. Fidelity China Special Situations PLC?s Dale Nicholls looks past the macro headlines and analyses the key risks and opportunities

THIS IS AN ADVERTISING FEATUREMarcel StötzelCo-Portfolio Manager, Fidelity European Trust PLCArtificial intelligence could pave the way for an array of advancements, or it could dismantle democracies. With society increasingly calling for protection against the threats posed by AI, portfolio manager Marcel Stötzel outlines how through the integration of AI analysis into their ESG assessm