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...

Investment trust Polar Capital Global Financials Trust (PCFT) is offering shareholders an easy exit at a premium to the current share price, cutting fees and boosting its commitment to future dividends in sweeping changes. The investment trust has launched a tender offer of its issued share capital (excluding treasury shares), providing investors with an opportunity to fully exit at a price...

JPMorgan Claverhouse Investment Trust (JCH) 760p Market cap: £419.9 million Investors seeking to inflation-proof portfolios and tap into the re-rating potential of the undervalued UK equity market, with further Bank of England rate cuts among the catalysts, should consider putting to money to work with JPMorgan Claverhouse (JCH). This UK Equity Income sector mainstay boasts a 52-year track...

According to the latest Dividend Monitor report from Computershare, which looks after the share registers of 900 companies, total UK corporate dividend payments fell 4.6% or £700 million in the first quarter of this year to £14 billion. The decline was mainly due to lower one-off special dividends and a handful of large cuts from firms such as Burberry (BRBY) and Vodafone (VOD), which halved...

After a strong performance across the board in 2024, this year has been slightly less uniform for the UK's Big Four high-street banks. First to report was global bank HSBC (HSBA), which put in a good showing with underlying revenue and earnings increasing thanks mainly to its Asia-based wealth management operations, although its trading desks also made hay during the market turmoil. The group...

London's FTSE 100 rounded off a strong week with another gain, with hope on the tariff front and a stronger-than-forecast US jobs report boosting investor morale. The FTSE 100 index ended up 99.55 points, 1.2%, at 8,596.35. The FTSE 250 rose 105.54 points, 0.5%, at 20,240.51, and the AIM All-Share climbed 7.77 points, 1.1%, at 707.75. For the week, the FTSE 100 added 2.2%, the 250s rose 3.2%...

Operating profit well above estimates Operating cost ratio tumbles vs 2024 Full-year income forecast increased As the last of the Big Four UK banks to report earnings each quarter, NatWest (NWG) turned out to be the best with profit beating expectations and the board raising its full-year top-line forecast to the top of the range of estimates. The shares jumped as much as 22p or 4.6% at the...

TM Redwheel UK Equity Income Fund (BG34293) 124p Assets: £501 million Managed by the duo of Ian Lance and Nick Purves, the TM Redwheel UK Equity Income Fund (BG342C6) is the spiritual successor to the pair's former five-star-rated income fund which they ran at Schroders (SDR) more than 15 years ago. With a similar brief, to generate income and capital growth in excess of the FTSE All Share...

European banking and mining stocks bore the brunt of the selloff in morning trading on Friday (4 April) as China announced 34% retaliatory tariffs on US imports, sparking fears of a global trade war.UK banks Barclays (BARC), NatWest (NWG), Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY) were some of the biggest fallers ? down 9.12%, 8.99% and 7.32% respectively on the day and global mining companies Glencore...

So far this year shares in banking group Lloyds (LLOY) have closed the gap which opened up between it and peers like Barclays (BARC) and NatWest (NWG) in 2024.That the stock has advanced year-to-date is even more impressive when you consider the company has significant exposure to the ongoing motor finance mis-selling scandal.While this remains a source of uncertainty, elsewhere the business...

The end of the tax year is now just a couple of weeks away so if you want to make use of any remaining ISA allowance your window to do so is rapidly closing.In this article the Shares team has put its collective heads together to identify a quintet of funds which we think are worthy of inclusion as part of a diversified portfolio. Some of these names may already be familiar but others are...

Blue chip stocks were up a bit in London, Paris and Frankfurt at Tuesday midday, with banks and defence stocks in the UK enjoying a boost.The UK's aviation regulator has noted the 'benefits to consumers' of England's Gatwick airport expanding. The Civil Aviation Authority, CAA, made the comments as it announced support for the West Sussex airport's proposed new commitments over the next four...

Stock prices in London and Frankfurt opened in the red on Friday, as investors prepare for eurozone economic data and digest another tariff plan from the US president.In London, NatWest faced some selling pressure despite better-than-expected results. Hermes boosted Paris, keeping the CAC 40 in the green.The FTSE 100 index fell 30.67 points, 0.4%, at 8,734.05. The FTSE 250 added just 2.35...

London's FTSE 100 traded lower around midday on Thursday, as poorly received earnings weighed, missing out on a Ukraine peace hope-led rally elsewhere in Europe.The FTSE 100 index traded down 58.01 points, 0.7%, at 8,749.43. The FTSE 250 was down 16.97 points, 0.1%, at 20,863.53, and the AIM All-Share fell 0.71 of a point, 0.1%, at 722.68.The Cboe UK 100 fell 0.6% at 876.73, the Cboe UK 250...

Law Debenture Corporation (LWDB) 899pMarket cap: £1.19 billionFinancial markets have been rocked by the twists and turns of the tariff situation created by US president Donald Trump, which threatens to turn into a full-blown trade war. This has spooked investors since it could result in higher inflation and halt further interest rate cuts, which is likely to be negative for equities and could...

Stocks in London were subdued on Monday morning, with only a few of the FTSE 100 opening in the green on the last full day of trading in 2024.The FTSE 100 index opened down 29.94 points, 0.4%, at 8,119.84. The FTSE 250 was down 54.73 points, 0.3%, at 20,433.92, and the AIM All-Share was up 0.90 of a point, 0.1%, at 716.09.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.3% at 814.35, the Cboe UK 250 down 0.2% at...

The UK stock market has performed robustly over the past year, with several companies standing out significantly. In this article, we will examine the top-performing large-cap, mid-cap, and small-cap stocks of 2024, dissected across four different market valuation categories.£5 BILLION+ MARKET CAPAfter a stellar 2023, aeronautical engineer Rolls-Royce (RR.) has once again rallied hard during...

Fidelity Special Values (FSV) 311.5pMarket cap: £1.01 billionWider than the five and 10-year average of 4%, a near-9% share price discount to NAV (net asset value) at Fidelity Special Values (FSV) presents an attractive entry point into a fund with an impressive long-run record and a contrarian, value-focused investment philosophy that's proven to work.The trust, which recently celebrated...

European stocks were down heading into Thursday afternoon, as post-budget trade in the UK was characterised by stretching bond yields and largely weaker equities.The prospect of higher for longer UK interest rates as a result supported lenders, but hit retail and housebuilding shares.US stocks are called to open lower, in the aftermath of earnings from Meta and Microsoft, and ahead of US data...

Stocks in London closed lower on Friday, as a car finance probe weighed on the shares of Lloyds Banking Group, Barclays and Close Brothers.The FTSE 100 index closed down 19.13 points, 0.3%, at 8,248.84. The FTSE 250 ended up 29.36 points, or 0.1%, at 20,819.91, and the AIM All-Share lost 3.02 points, 0.4%, at 722.67.The Cboe UK 100 closed down 0.3% at 826.07 on Friday, the Cboe UK 250 ended...