European stocks were higher on Monday at Midday, with New York stocks expected to open higher as well, ahead of US factory orders data; meanwhile the price of brent oil fell. The FTSE 100 index was up 30.07 points, 0.3%, at 9,098.65. The FTSE 250 was up 88.79 points, 0.4%, at 21,788.13, and the AIM All-Share was down 0.03 of a point at 757.13. The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.4% at 909.23, the Cboe UK...

Stocks in London, Paris and Frankfurt were generally higher on Monday morning, following Friday's UK Supreme Court decision on motor finance commissions, with Lloyds, Close Brothers and S&U all rising comfortably. The FTSE 100 index opened up 35.24 points, 0.4%, at 9,103.82. The FTSE 250 was up 132.26 points, 0.6%, at 21,831.60, and the AIM All-Share was up 1.22 points, 0.2%, at 758.38. The...

London stocks ended the week on the back foot, as weak US payroll figures and a fresh wave of tariffs announced by President Trump rattled global sentiment and fuelled rate cut speculation. The FTSE 100 index closed down 64.23 points, 0.7%, at 9,068.58. The FTSE 250 closed 263.49 points lower, 1.2%, at 21,699.34, and the AIM All-Share closed down 4.34 points, 0.6%, at 757.16. For the week, the...

Stocks continued to trade lower on Friday afternoon in London, Paris and Frankfurt, ahead of US unemployment and manufacturing purchasing managers' index data, as concerns regarding US tariffs lingered. The FTSE 100 index was down 64.49 points, 0.7%, at 9,068.32. The FTSE 250 was down 263.55 points, 1.2%, at 21,699.28, and the AIM All-Share was down 5.32 points, 0.7%, at 756.18. The Cboe UK...

57% booked for the second half First half revenue up 8% to €15.9 billion €1.5 billion returned to shareholders British Airways owner International Consolidated Airlines (IAG) reported a 43.5% increase in operating profit to €1.8 billion for the six months ending 30 June driven by strong travel demand, fuel, and foreign exchange benefits. IAG, which also owns Iberia, Vueling and...

US stock markets took a break from record breaking highs in a week which saw four of the Mag-7 report earnings, worth roughly $11 trillion of market capitalisation, a Federal Reserve interest rate decision, more inflation data and non-farm payrolls. Big earnings beats from Microsoft (MSFT:NASDAQ) and Meta Platforms (META:NASDAQ) on Wednesday (29 July) were well received while disappointing...

Stocks in Europe opened lower on Friday morning as US President Donald Trump ordered tariffs on several trading partners at the start of a new month, but British Airways owner IAG on the FTSE 100 was up a notch as it expects 'good earnings growth' for 2025. The FTSE 100 index opened down 59.89 points, 0.7%, at 9,072.92. The FTSE 250 fell 106.70 points, 0.5%, at 21,856.13, and the AIM All-Share...

London's FTSE 100 retreated from earlier highs on Thursday, as strong earnings failed to sustain momentum after a hotter-than-expected US inflation reading dampened investor sentiment. The FTSE 100 index closed down 4.13 points at 9,132.81. It had earlier traded as high as 9,190.73, a new all-time peak. The FTSE 250 closed 186.25 points higher, 0.9%, at 21,962.83, and the AIM All-Share closed...

Investors around midday on Thursday celebrated a big number of earnings that were published in the morning, ahead of weekly US jobless data and an inflation print that is key for the Federal Reserve in its decision-making process regarding interest rates. The FTSE 100 index was up 48.10 points, 0.5%, at 9,185.04. The FTSE 250 was up 226.41 points, 1.0%, at 22,002.99, and the AIM All-Share was...

Continued strong cash conversion Year-to-date shares up 36% Increased share buy-back programme by £200 million to £1.1 billion Shares in British American Tobacco (BATS) made early gains this morning as the FTSE 100 tobacco giant said it was on track for the full year due to a return to growth in the US - the first time since 2022. Revenue in the US grew by 1% (3.7% on a constant rates basis)...

Stocks in Europe were higher on Thursday morning as many companies published results on the final day of the month, which is filled with key economic indicators such as inflation and unemployment data from across the globe. The FTSE 100 index opened up 44.46 points, 0.5%, at 9,181.40. The FTSE 250 was up 168.19 points, 0.8%, at 21,944.77, and the AIM All-Share was down 1.12 points, 0.2%, at...

On his return to the White House in January, Donald Trump promised lower taxes, more jobs, a clampdown on immigration and a new trade policy which would see the US become less reliant on overseas-supplied goods. Six months on, the US president has had quite an impact on business, consumers and financial markets, some of which has been positive and some negative. It has been a whirlwind period...

The stark contrast between the excitement surrounding everything AI and the depressed state of the biotechnology sector tells a lot about the current polarisation of investor sentiment. Putting the numbers into context, the total value of the biotechnology industry is a mere 'drop in the ocean' $1.5 trillion compared with the $16 billion to $18 trillion market capitalisation of the Magnificent...

Inditex (ITX:BME) €43.6 Market cap: €136 billion A 15% year-to-date share-price decline presents a buying opportunity at Inditex (ITX:BME), the Spanish clothing colossus with a strong long-run track record and the balance sheet strength to tough out what should prove a short-term growth slowdown. While the Zara brand owner faces intense competition from H&M (HM-B:STO), Next (NXT) and...

At the beginning of July, strategists at Bank of America, led by Michael Hartnett, suggested if the S&P 500 index traded above 6,300 points this month it would trigger a 'sell signal'. Though he added the proviso that 'overbought markets can stay overbought as greed is harder to conquer than fear'. A week later, the team described fund manager sentiment as measured by their monthly global...

Whereas the biggest banks in the US, such as JPMorgan Chase (JPM:NYSE) and Bank of America (BAC:NYSE), are heavily dependent on trading and investment banking for their profits, the UK's big banks are mostly reliant on old-fashioned lending and deposit-taking. Granted, both Barclays (BARC) and HSBC (HSBA) have sizeable investment banking operations, but generally speaking their results aren't...

1. Moody's downgrades US credit rating: Questions over the safe-haven status of the United States as an investment market, a weakening US dollar and unpredictable policies have investors increasingly diversifying away from the United States. This may act as a catalyst for other asset classes, for example, emerging market (EM) equities. With this decision, Moody's is the last of the three major...

Companies which miss earnings forecasts or lower their full-year outlook are feeling the full wrath of the market this summer, as construction materials group Marshalls (MSLH) found out last week. Having said the market would 'strengthen progressively' this year when it posted its 2024 results in March, and having talked up its performance over the first four months at its trading update in...

Irving, Texas-based construction and mining equipment-maker Caterpillar (CAT:NYSE) has always been regarded as something of a bellwether, not just for the state of the US economy but for the global economy, given its industry-leading position and its end markets. However, dealers and stockists can often influence the top line depending on whether they are building inventory or reducing it, and...

Shares in TheWorks.co.uk (WRKS:AIM) have nearly tripled year-to-date, rallying 185% to 58.25p on signs chief executive Gavin Peck's new 'Elevating The Works' strategy is delivering a step-change in performance. Full-year results (22 July) from 'The Works', which sells affordable, screen-free activities for the whole family, showed an adjusted pre-tax profit surge from £3.2 million to £4.6...