The FTSE 100 closed lower on Friday, with earlier growth stalling after news of lower US consumer sentiment and a tepid UK GDP reading. The FTSE 100 index closed down 14.29 points, 0.2%, at 9,283.29. It had earlier traded as high as 9,340.70. The FTSE 250 ended 68.35 points lower, 0.3%, at 21,625.40 while the AIM All-Share finished up 1.34 points, 0.2%, at 768.44. For the week, the FTSE 100...

Bid for Warner Bros Discovery likely Deal would include cable networks and movie studio Paramount Skydance shares gained 15% Shares in media giant Warner Bros Discovery (WBD: NASDAQ) surged nearly 30% on Thursday (11 September) on reports that rival Paramount Skydance (PSKY:NASDAQ) is preparing an offer to buy the rival studio. The offer which will be a 'majority cash bid' for Warner Bros...

London's blue chip index beat its European peers at Friday midday ahead of the US Michigan consumer sentiment index, while sterling, the euro and the yen all traded lower against the dollar. The FTSE 100 index was up 29.29 points, 0.3%, at 9,326.87. The FTSE 250 was up 13.00 points, 0.1%, at 21,706.75, and the AIM All-Share was up 2.27 points, 0.3%, at 769.37. The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.4% at...

Stock prices in Europe opened largely higher on Friday, while sterling faded after numbers showed the UK economy registered no growth in July. Stocks have been supported by the conviction that the Federal Reserve will cut rates this month, a notion strengthened by more tepid labour market data on Thursday. The FTSE 100 index rose 22.58 points, 0.2%, at 9,320.16. It is up 1.2% so far this week....

Another week and another all-time high for US stocks, thanks in large part to Oracle's (ORCL:NYSE) new forecast for cloud demand which stunned Wall Street analysts (for more, see below). Such is the optimism that, despite US shares as a whole trading at their highest ever multiple of earnings and the market representing the largest ever share of the economy, investment banks have spent the...

Stocks closed higher on Thursday, with the dollar showing some weakness, after soft US jobs data increased the likelihood of the Federal Reserve cutting rates. 'Inflation was a touch higher than expected and tariffs are likely to keep it elevated over coming months, but the weakening of the jobs market is now the Fed's priority, with rising jobless claims hinting at a pick-up in lay-offs at a...

Shares were trading higher on Thursday, ahead of a European Central Bank decision, while a US inflation reading will also be in focus, less than a week before an expected Federal Reserve rate cut. The FTSE 100 index rose 45.39 points, 0.5%, at 9,270.78. The FTSE 250 was up 99.22 points, 0.5%, at 21,633.32, and the AIM All-Share was up 2.62 points, 0.3%, at 764.63. The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.5%...

Equities in London were on the up early Thursday before a eurozone rate decision and US inflation data, with Trainline among the standout performers in morning dealings. The ECB is expected to leave rates unmoved on Thursday, though next week, the Federal Reserve is expected to cut. The size of the cut could hinge on Thursday's consumer price index data. The FTSE 100 index rose 40.78 points,...

The UK and China were the best performing markets globally in July 2025, yet fund flow data shows no interest from UK retail investors. What is going on? The FTSE 100 returned 4.2% in July including dividends, driven by double-digit gains from the likes of vapes-to-cigarette maker British American Tobacco (BATS), consumer goods group Reckitt (RKT), and gambling specialist Entain (ENT). Market...

The FTSE 100 closed lower on Wednesday, hampered by weakness in airline stocks due to geopolitical shocks, and in retailers following a poorly-received trading update from Associated British Foods. The FTSE 100 index closed down 17.14 points, 0.2%, at 9,225.39. The FTSE 250 ended 62.61 points lower, 0.3%, at 21,534.10 and the AIM All-Share finished down 6.29 points, 0.8%, at 762.01. The Cboe...

Shares in London were largely higher on Wednesday, with expectations of Federal Reserve cuts continuing to support equities. Well-received earnings from Oracle overnight also offered some impetus. Airline shares struggled on geopolitical worries, though that failed to dampen the wider equity market. A US inflation data double-header will be in focus. Producer price data is released on...

Stock prices in Europe and Asia were supported by the tantalising prospect of Federal Reserve interest rate cuts, shaking off geopolitical worries. Jobs data revisions in the US added to the conviction that the Fed will cut this month. Elsewhere, earnings from Oracle impressed overnight. The FTSE 100 index rose 23.65 points, 0.3%, at 9,266.18. The FTSE 100 has risen every day this week. The...

The FTSE 100 closed higher on Tuesday after Anglo American announced a deal to combine with Canada's Teck Resources, while the price of oil has risen following Israeli strikes on Hamas leaders in Qatar. The FTSE 100 index closed up 21.09 points, 0.2%, at 9,242.53. The FTSE 250 ended 87.74 points lower, 0.4%, at 21,596.71 and the AIM All-Share finished down 1.43 points, 0.2%, at 768.30. The...

European stocks were largely higher midday Tuesday, and counterparts in the US are called to open in the green, despite downbeat expectations ahead of US payroll revision numbers later in the afternoon. Before US producer and consumer price index readings on Wednesday and Thursday, Tuesday afternoon has the benchmark revision announcement for US jobs data for the year to March. The FTSE 100...

Stock prices in Europe were higher on Tuesday despite French President Emmanuel Macron losing another prime minister, as investors brace for more US labour market data in the form of benchmark revisions this afternoon. The FTSE 100 index rose 15.38 points, 0.2%, at 9,236.82. The FTSE 250 was up 62.91 points, 0.3%, at 21,747.36, and the AIM All-Share was up 1.79 points, 0.2%, at 771.52. The...

London stocks closed higher on Monday, with the FTSE 100 supported by rising oil and gold prices, while European stocks outperformed it ahead of a confidence vote which looks set to oust France's prime minister. The FTSE 100 index closed up 13.23 points, 0.1%, at 9,221.14. The FTSE 250 ended 108.91 points higher, 0.5%, at 21,684.45 and the AIM All-Share finished up 4.10 points, 0.5%, at...

Stocks in Europe were higher on Monday afternoon, despite political uncertainty in France, while gold reached a record high and stocks in the US are set to open in the green amid dovish Federal Reserve expectations. The FTSE 100 index climbed 14.32 points, 0.2%, at 9,222.53. The FTSE 250 was up 141.48 points, 0.7%, at 21,717.02, and the AIM All-Share added 6.79 points, 0.9%, at 772.42. The...

Stocks opened higher at the start of the week, with gold performing well in the aftermath of Friday's US jobs data, while focus was on Japan and France amid political uncertainty. Japan's prime minister announced he will step down and the future of his French counterpart hangs in the balance also. In the UK, eyes remain on Westminster after UK PM Keir Starmer last week completed a reshuffle of...

London's blue chip index ended the day lower on Friday, despite earlier advances, as a weaker-than-expected US employment report sparked fears that its jobs engine might be stalling. 'The [US] labour market is in a precarious position,' said analysts at Wells Fargo, putting the Federal Open Market Committee in a position 'where it will imminently start cutting the federal funds rate.' The FTSE...

Stocks were higher on Friday afternoon as investors await US unemployment numbers for August, meanwhile Angela Rayner quits as deputy prime minister of the UK and as deputy leader of the Labour Party. The FTSE 100 index was up 21.94 points, 0.2%, at 9,238.81. The FTSE 250 was up 58.36 points, 0.3%, at 21,533.04, and the AIM All-Share was up 5.31 points, 0.7%, at 767.31. The Cboe UK 100 was up...