Blue-chip stocks in London, Paris and Frankfurt opened lower on Wednesday ahead of a Canadian interest rate decision and consumer price index inflation data from the US.The FTSE 100 index traded down 27.16 points, 0.3%, at 8,253.20. The FTSE 250 was down 79.67 points, 0.4%, at 20,894.27, and the AIM All-Share was down 0.58 of a point, 0.1%, at 736.99.The Cboe UK 100 was 0.4% lower at 828.28, the C

In a previous article you say that someone taking income from a defined benefit pension could still contribute to their SIPP up to the level of their earnings. Does this mean that the money purchase annual allowance of £10,000 applies only if you take taxable income from a defined contribution scheme and not from a defined benefit scheme?Similarly, if I have two defined contribution schemes and t

Identifying genuine growth stories is not easy but can be extremely rewarding. Nvidia (NVDA:NASDAQ) may be the ultimate growth stock example now but who was flagging its potential 10 years ago when revenue and profit was just a fraction of what it is today and when the widespread application of AI was still restricted to think pieces in periodicals. Some did catch on early and would have enjoyed e

Revenue up 15% to £5.08 billionWinter 2024/2025 on sale seat capacity 14% higherShares up 31% over the past yearShares in Jet2 (JET2:AIM) were up nearly 5% to £14.94 in morning trading as the airline and package holidays provider reported record revenue, profit and passenger numbers for the first half year ending 30 September and said it expected the full year to be ahead of market expectations.

Stocks in London edged lower on Friday, while equities in New York dropped in early trade following some hawkish comments from the chair of the US Federal Reserve.The FTSE 100 index lost 7.58 points, 0.1%, at 8,063.61. The FTSE 250 declined 46.17 points, 0.2%, at 20,476.64, and the AIM All-Share gave back 2.24 points, 0.3%, at 727.14.For the week, the FTSE 100 slipped 0.1%, the FTSE 250 declined 0

Stamp duty changes announced in the Budget mean that from April 2025 buyers will face higher costs when buying a home ? with first-time buyers hit the hardest.The ending of a temporary stamp duty cut means that the tax will rise next year. This measure, originally introduced by former prime minister Liz Truss to boost the housing market, will end on 31 March 2025. The most significant impact will

Consolidation is a growing theme across the investment trust sector against a backdrop of stubbornly-wide NAV (net asset value) discounts and increasing pressure on sub-scale funds.2024 is already a record year for M&A (mergers and acquisitions) in a sector which has just seen the eleventh such deal announced, the value-oriented Invesco Asia Trust (IAT) planning to combine with Asia Dragon Trust (

Recent changes to the UK's listing rules should lead to a host of new names joining the FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 indices in the new year, generating more interest in the UK stock market and putting more companies on the radar of investors.This matters to investors whether they own UK stocks directly, have exposure via actively-managed funds or simply track certain parts of the market through an excha

The FTSE 100 in London opened higher on Friday, eating into some of its post-UK budget weakness, while the pound gained some lost ground.Eyes turn state side later, with US jobs data to come, before the Federal Reserve decision next week, and a presidential election on Tuesday.Closer to home, Reckitt shares jumped on a favourable US legal ruling on infant formula. Airlines struggled as oil prices

Stocks in London recovered to close Monday in the green, as all eyes look to the UK budget to come on Wednesday.The FTSE 100 index closed up 36.78 points, or 0.5%, at 8,285.62. The FTSE 250 ended up 15.19 points, or 0.1%, at 20,835.10, and the AIM All-Share closed down 0.2%, or 1.57 points, at 721.10.The Cboe UK 100 ended up 0.5% at 830.25, the Cboe UK 250 closed up 0.3% at 18,385.28, and the Cboe

Stocks in London trended lower on Monday, as oil majors retreated due to easing fears about Middle Eastern conflict, and car finance providers slumped further.The FTSE 100 index traded down 20.47 points, 0.3%, at 8,228.18. The FTSE 250 was 42.07 points lower, or 0.2%, at 20,778.66, and the AIM All-Share shed 3.15 points, 0.4%, at 719.52.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.3% at 823.83, the Cboe UK 250 fell

Stock prices in London were in the red on Monday midday, ahead of a slew of inflationary prints coming this week, including consumer prices from the UK on Wednesday.The FTSE 100 index was down 7.70 points, or 0.1%, at 8,245.95. The FTSE 250 was down 55.44 points, or 0.3%, at 20,709.49, and the AIM All-Share was down 0.74 points, or 0.1%, at 733.11.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.2% at 825.83, the Cboe

I am 59 and have recently taken time off work to provide care and support to my parents. I am a little undecided as to whether I will return to work or call it quits and retire.As such, I would like to take lump sums from my SIPP once a year.So, I have two questions:Should I return to work, will any contributions to a new workplace pension and/or a new SIPP still enjoy full tax relief up to £60,0

Over the long haul, small-caps have historically outperformed large caps, fuelling the research highlighting the so-called 'small-cap effect' ? the idea that smaller companies offer higher risk-adjusted returns than larger ones. Unfortunately, the higher interest rate environment of recent years has proved tough for the stock market's small fry, who've spent more than a decade lagging more sizeabl

Stocks were mixed in London at midday on Monday, with blue-chips benefiting from an oil price rise, but FTSE 100 constituent Endeavour Mining tumbling amid concerns in Burkina Faso.The FTSE 100 index was up 30.29 points, 0.4%, at 8,310.88. The FTSE 250 was down 85.54 points, 0.4%, at 20,814.54, and the AIM All-Share was up 0.55 of a point, 0.1%, at 738.87.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.3% at 831.49, the

European stocks made a limp start to trading on Monday as investors eye this week's US inflation data in the wake of Friday's blow-out payrolls report.The FTSE 100 index was down 12.60 points, 0.2%, at 8,268.03, having briefly seen slight gains immediately after the opening bell. The FTSE 250 was down 55.56 points, 0.3%, at 20,844.52, but the AIM All-Share was up 1.72 points, 0.2%, at 740.08.The C

Dovish remarks from Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey helped to boost the FTSE 100's housebuilders on Thursday at midday, while grocers rose following a strong interim showing from Tesco.The FTSE 100 index was up 21.96, 0.3%, at 8,312.82. The FTSE 250 was down 18.71 points, 0.1%, at 20,765.07, and the AIM All-Share was down 0.26 of a point at 734.04.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.2% at 831.77, the

Latest offer pitched at 780pMarks REA's fourth attemptDeadline expires at 5pm todayHousing portal Rightmove (RMV) offered a firm rebuttal to the fourth ? and as it stands final ? takeover offer from Australian group REA Group (REA:ASX) saying it still 'materially undervalued' the business and its future prospects.Rightmove shares dipped 52p or 8% to 616p against REA's offer of more than 780p in ca

European stocks were in the green at Friday midday after a slew of fiscal stimulus measures from China, and as investors await key US inflation data which is crucial in the Federal Reserve's interest rate decisions.The core personal consumption index remains traders' main focus going into Friday afternoon, and is expected to remain unchanged at 0.2% on a monthly basis with a small annual uptick fr

The new UK Government has made it perfectly clear that the Budget on 30 October is going to involve some tough decisions that will affect people's finances. While much of the media speculation has focused on how capital gains tax might evolve, inheritance tax (IHT) is also a potential target for big changes such as abolishing tax relief on owning certain AIM-quoted shares.The Institute for Fiscal