THIS IS AN ADVERTISING FEATURE By Melissa Gallagher, Head of Investment Trusts, BlackRock ?During tough economic conditions, the pie gets smaller. If customers don?t have a compelling reason to buy a product, they won?t.?While the outlook for this year?s ISA season is less grim than it was 12 months ago, there are still headwinds for markets in the year ahead. The UK slipped into recession at the

Just when investors think they have got the measure of Tesla (TSLA:NASDAQ), Elon Musk drops a bomb. Having feared the worst, Tesla?s first quarter (Q1) 2024 report (25 April) gave investors the clarity they were seeking on mass-market vehicles, and while detail remains thin, Musk said production would likely begin ?in early 2025, if not later this year? and would include ?more affordable models.?T

Stock prices in London were slightly down heading into the afternoon on Wednesday, as investors awaited the latest interest rate decision from the US Federal Reserve this evening.The FTSE 100 index slipped just 1.15 points to 8,142.98. The FTSE 250 was down 35.58 points, 0.2%, at 19,929.81, and the AIM All-Share was up 3.07 points, 0.4%, at 763.81.The Cboe UK 100 was flat at 813.38, the Cboe UK 25

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

European stocks were in the red on Thursday midday, after hope for Summer interest rate cuts diminished following hotter-than-expected US consumer price inflation.Investors are also eyeing the latest interest rate decision from the European Central Bank and hopes for some clues about the trajectory of rates in a press conference which will follow.The FTSE 100 index was down 18.46 points, 0.2%, at

THIS IS AN ADVERTISING FEATURE David Goldman, manager of the BlackRock Income & Growth Investment Trust gives his perspective on the year ahead. Marketing MaterialCapital at risk. The value of investments and the income from them can fall as well as rise and are not guaranteed. Investors may not get back the amount originally invested.Amid the macro-driven markets of the last three to five years,

Rewind to 2020, five years on from the landmark Paris Agreement to combat climate change, and aside from the pandemic the big stories in markets were the ?climate emergency? and the ?energy transition?.Although the Glasgow COP26 conference had to be postponed until 2021 due to Covid, there was no shortage of high-profile events from Manchester?s virtual four-day Green Summit to the WEF (World Econ

Stock prices edged lower in London early Monday, as investors assessed the latest economic data from China, and considered possible trajectories for US interest rate cuts.The FTSE 100 index opened down 7.26 points, 0.1%, at 7,704.45. The FTSE 250 was down 3.03 points at 19,188.90, and the AIM All-Share was down 1.05 points, 0.1%, at 757.73.The Cboe UK 100 was slightly lower at 771.49, the Cboe UK

The last two years have seen unprecedented levels of outflows from funds invested in UK equities.Across the course of 2022 and 2023, around £25 billion was withdrawn from these funds by retail investors. This isn?t a new phenomenon. UK funds have seen outflows every year since 2016, to the tune of £46 billion in total. This feels like a significant and longstanding shift in consumer behaviour, s

European markets rose on Thursday morning after the US Federal Reserve decided against a change in interest rates, with the FTSE 100 up ahead of the Bank of England's interest rate decision.The FTSE 100 index opened up 91.13 points, 1.2%, at 7,433.56. The FTSE 250 was up 346.79 points, 2.0%, at 17,532.68 and the AIM All-Share was up 3.58 points, 0.5%, at 687.15.The Cboe UK 100 was up 1.3% at 741.7

When debating what kind of portfolio is going to be best suited to an environment of 'higher-for-longer' interest rates, looking at past periods of high rates provides a partial guide.In the UK interest rates were high and stayed high pretty much from the start of the 1960s all the way through to 1990 and during that period not only were rates in double digits but so was inflation. The difference

Legendary American broadcaster Edward R. Murrow is known for many pungent epithets, but one of this column's favourites is, 'Anyone who isn't confused really doesn't understand the situation.' Right now, investors feel confused because stock, bond, currency and commodity markets are giving out different signals. They cannot all be right.Equities are pricing in a return to the Goldilocks economy of

According to data from the AIC, the average investment trust discount to net asset value has widened from 12.2% at the end of 2022 to 14.5% as of 8 September 2023, while sector averages have generally widened. The exception is private equity, which narrowed from 25.1% to 4.5%, skewed by 3i's (III) dramatic swing from discount to premium.While this presents an opportunity to buy into parts of the m

THIS IS AN ADVERTISING FEATUREInflation is improving and economic forecasts are rising for the UK economySentiment remains weak for the UK market, with significant outflowsMany UK companies continue to deliver operational performance ahead of expectationsThere are more promising signs emerging on the UK economy, with inflation finally falling and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) predicting th

The apparent resilience of the US economy has led market commentators to believe the Federal Reserve has little reason to stop raising interest rates to combat inflation. This tide might be turning, judging by the news flow from US companies.Big name businesses are saying that life is getting tougher, while economists are worried that US consumer spending levels are unsustainable.We saw a wobble o

It's boom time for cash savers. The best easy access account is now paying interest of 5% according to Moneyfacts. If you had forecast that two years ago, you would have been laughed out of town. But not all savers are benefiting from ballooning interest rates.Around £250 billion sits in accounts paying no interest. Meanwhile MPs and the FCA are leaning heavily on banks to do more to pass higher

Snap up medical products outfit ConvaTec (CTEC) as a multi-year turnaround gains traction. Recent evidence for this came as the company raised full year guidance for the second time this year (2 August), delivering accelerated revenue growth in the six-month period to 30 June.After a downward trend in the share price, the positive news has helped to turn the tide and we think this could be the pre

If you blinked, you might have missed it, but there was a flicker of life in the UK stock market in July. The FTSE 250 index of medium-sized companies jumped by almost 4% in one day, its best showing for over a year. The FTSE 100 also ended the month at its highest level since May.In and of itself this isn't too remarkable; markets rise and they fall, capriciously and sometimes sharply. But this l

European equities took a slight pause for breath on Friday, on the back of sizeable gains on Wednesday and Thursday, with eyes now turning to the health of the US corporate sector.Easing US inflation readings lifted the mood earlier this week, but earnings from major US banks are now the next risk event for equities to negotiate. The slew of earnings begins with the likes of JPMorgan Chase & Co, W

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