The FTSE 100 was 1% higher at 5,703 points as global stock markets took a breather after the wild swings in sentiment following the crash in oil prices earlier this week. Stocks in Asia were mixed as investors continued to worry about the pace at which global economies could open. The SEE composite closed up 0.6% while the Nikkei 225 was 0.7% lower. Brent crude traded 6% lower at $20.5 while ...

According to chief executive Steve Rowe, a 35-year veteran of Marks & Spencer (MKS), the venerable retailer is roughly at the halfway point in its three to five-year journey of transformation to ‘restore the basics’ and create a ‘profitable, growing family of businesses’. However, true to his nickname of ‘Nails’, he pulls no punches in assessing the scale of the task. When he ...

Something has finally happened with Brexit. MPs have finally agreed to have a general election on 12 December in attempt to find a way forward. The market appears to be taking the news in its stride for now, however there is little question that uncertainty has been ratcheted up. The timing of the election and a volatile electorate, which seems less attached to the main parties, mean ...

Despite a lack of progress both on US-China trade talks and the Brexit process, UK stocks edged ahead on Tuesday with the FTSE 100 index of leading stocks up 18 points or 0.2% to 7,216. The best-performing sectors were Basic Materials, such as Mining and Paper & Pulp, and Industrial Goods & Services. HK WALKS AWAY The biggest loser on the FTSE was London Stock Exchange (LSE) which ...

Continuing our look at the FTSE 350, this week we consider consumer stocks and pick five of our favourites. Three are from the FTSE 100 and two are from the FTSE 250. We’ve woven our picks in with some brand-new market research on Britain’s Favourite Brands which came out at the start of the month. During June and July YouGov (YOU:AIM) surveyed some 9,000 British consumers to find out ...

Investors who prefer to entrust capital allocation decisions to a professional money manager as opposed to buying individual stocks are exceptionally well served by the FTSE 350. Within its ranks, you’ll find a highly-diverse batch of investment trusts spanning all the key asset classes. Shares’ number-crunching reveals a grand total of 57 investment trusts within the FTSE 350 – that is ...

Shares in research and polling outfit YouGov (YOU:AIM) are down 1.6% to 470p despite first half results coming in ahead of expectations. Revenue is up 18%, and stripping out acquisitions is up 10% (against 9% forecast), while adjusted earnings came in at £12.5m against a forecast £10m. The company also outlines an ambitious new five-year plan for the business. As AJ Bell investment ...

UK stocks fall in line with continental Europe and US index futures as worries over the strength of the US economy begin to weigh on sentiment. In early trade the FTSE 100 index gives up almost 2% to 6,792.10, a new two-year low, while the FTSE 250 gives up 1.5% to a low for the year of 17,995 points. Tomorrow sees the release of three closely-watched indicators of the health of the US economy ...

In the Budget last week Chancellor Philip Hammond announced three measures to try to revive beleaguered UK high streets. The first is the creation of a £675m Future High Streets Fund to support and finance local areas’ plans to re-invigorate their high streets and town centres making them ‘fit for the future’. The second is a one-third cut in business rates for companies with a ...

One of the best ways to pick funds is to look at the long-term track record and to see how a product has performed through different economic cycles. You should try and find out if a fund has been able to deliver again and again, and hasn’t merely had a few spectacular years to help lift the long-term average figure. A good way to help filter the market is to use something called ‘the ...

It used to be believed that investing with a conscience could only come at the expense of your profit performance. Being good capped your returns. Arguably, this is still the prevailing view of most investors yet the winds of change are blowing through stock markets. Good investing is increasingly transferring from the ‘do-gooder set’ to the mainstream, and there is statistical data to ...

The FTSE 100 was flat at 7,476.45 in early trading as traders held their fire ahead of today's non-farm payrolls data from the US. Housebuilders were under pressure after reports the Government is considering scrapping the Help to Buy scheme. Taylor Wimpey (TW.) led the sector lower down 4.5% at 186.4p. Government-owned Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) gained 3.6% to 265.5p as it beats ...

If an investment loses half of its value you need it to go back up by 100% just to get hit break-even. This bit of logic might seem simple but it is one of the most important ideas to keep in your head when you are investing. Avoidance of loss is a critical element to making money out of shares. You can pick all the winners you like and still be tripped up by just a handful of losers. Over ...

Mining stocks bear the brunt of a reversal in the Trump rally after the current US administration failed its first key legislative test on Friday night. The inability to get healthcare reforms through Congress is making investors sceptical Trump can deliver on his infrastructure spending plans and corporate tax cuts. The FTSE 100 is down 0.9% at 7,273.74 in early trading. North Sea oil ...

Monday 27 March Pollster and market researcher YouGov (YOU:AIM) posts its first half results on 27 March. An update at the end of January pointed to trading ahead of expectations. It is worth keeping an eye on the level of adjustment to its earnings – an issue Shares has looked at ...

We are big fans of smaller companies and that is reflected by the generous space given to this area of the market in our weekly digital magazine and across our website. Many investors welcome the challenge of sifting through the large number of junior companies on the market. We certainly help with this journey by highlighting what we believe are the best opportunities, as well as companies we ...

If an investor wants a fund that generates income from equities, the logical place to start would be the Investment Association’s Equity Income sector, right? Not necessarily. A number of high profile Equity Income funds have left the sector, saying that the criteria for inclusion have become onerous and potentially damaging to their long-term performance. This begs the question of whether those ...

Pollster YouGov (YOU:AIM) ticks 1.6% higher to 193.5p after issuing an upbeat pre-close trading statement. The market research group expects trading for the year to 31 July to be slightly ahead of expectations after achieving another year of double-digit revenue growth. YouGov says its growing data products and services are responsible for the increased revenue, which is in line with its ...

Disappointing Chinese trade figures were not sufficient to dim investors' sunny outlook with the FTSE 100 up 0.4% to 6,823.21. It is now up nearly 3% since governor of the Bank of England Mark Carney announced an rate cut to 0.25% and a significant stimulus package. Among the blue chips, drugs firm Shire (SHP) is down 0.4% to £51.25 as it posts in-line interims with total reported product ...

There is more excitement now surrounding the world of technological advancement than at any time since the late 1990s. Investors are demanding access to the big disruptive shifts that are changing the way we all work, rest and play – cloud computing, big data analytics, robotics and automation, among many others. Biggest and best Neptune Investment Management has heeded the call, launching ...