Stocks in Europe were mostly higher on Friday morning as a week stacked with major central bank decisions draws to a close, while the pound was under pressure after UK public finances data that made for grim reading once again. The FTSE 100 index rose just 4.52 points at 9,232.63. The FTSE 250 fell 43.63 points, 0.2%, at 21,682.32, and the AIM All-Share was down just 0.23 of a point at 772.11....

Stocks in London closed higher on Thursday after the Bank of England voted to hold UK interest rates at 4.00%, as expected, and after the US Federal Reserve's quarter-point cut on Wednesday. 'To precisely no-one's surprise, the Bank of England has chosen to keep rates on hold at 4% [with a 7-2 majority],' commented AJ Bell's Laith Khalaf. 'This was entirely anticipated by the market, and means...

Full-year earnings at top end Dividend hiked 2.5% Focused on delivering financial targets UK engineering firm Renishaw (RSW) was one of the top mid-cap gainers on Thursday (18 Sep) with the shares rising 7.6% to £32, after the company revealed full-year profit at the top end of the guided range. The rally in the shares takes them back into the green for the year by 3%, just shy of the FTSE...

The FTSE 100 stayed in the green on Thursday afternoon after the Bank of England kept rates on hold and slowed the pace of quantitative tightening, as expected. The pound fell to $1.3643 on Thursday afternoon, from $1.3661 at the time of the London equities close on Wednesday. It had traded at $1.3647 before the BoE decision. The FTSE 100 index rose 17.37 points, 0.2%, at 9,225.74. It...

First-half profit beat UK sales growth to slow Full-year guidance unchanged Shares in Next (NXT) cheapened 5.2% to £114 on the absence of another profit upgrade from the best-in-class British retailer, which has already hiked year-to-January 2026 guidance three times so far this financial year. Also spooking the market was the Simon Wolfson-led retailer's warning that UK sales growth will...

Non-executive chair will assume CEO role temporarily Profit guidance lowered for full year 2026 Shares down 38% over the past year Shares in Pets at Home (PETS) fell by nearly 20% to less than 180p as the pet food-to-veterinary service group said CEO Lyssa McGowan was leaving the business with immediate effect and warned on profit. The company added that non-executive chair, Ian Burke, will...

European blue-chips traded higher on Thursday afternoon, in the run-up to an expected Bank of England hold and after the US Federal Reserve cut rates as expected. 'Markets weren't sure how to take the news. The S&P 500 swung before closing just 0.1% lower,' Swissquote analyst Ipek Ozkardeskaya commented. 'The US 2-year yield rebounded and the dollar index bounced from a fresh yearly low....

The putative coming together between Anglo American (AAL) and Canada's Teck Resources (TECK.B:TSE) is the fifth $1 billion-plus merger and acquisition deal with a major focus on copper mining since 2022. Gold saw a similar rash of activity between producers of the precious metal earlier this decade, and the commodity price has since gone into orbit. It now remains to be seen whether copper...

Multinational pharmaceutical company Hikma Pharmaceuticals (HIK) has seen its shares plumb 20-month lows in recent weeks, taking running losses in 2025 to around 21%, compared with a 23% gain in the FTSE index. The last leg of share price weakness has taken place since 7 August when the generic drug maker released first-half earnings. Hikma's core operating profit fell 7% to $373 million due...

Not many FTSE 100 stocks have more than doubled year-to-date, and back in January few people would have put money on one of them being mobile phone and internet carrier Airtel Africa (AAF). The firm had a strong year to March 2025, posting a 21% increase in revenue to just under $5 billion on a constant-currency basis, although due to the devaluation of some African currencies, revenue was...

Long before activists such as Saba Capital appeared on the scene, UK investment trusts were already thinking of ways to improve shareholder returns. Take Strategic Equity Capital [SEC), which since 2020 has been owned by Gresham House and managed by Ken Wotton and his team. Back in February 2022, the trust's board announced a series of proposals designed to improve value creation and...

In our penultimate issue in the current weekly format the Shares team identifies some of the actively-managed funds and trusts they like the best from the thousands on offer to UK investors. We have not used any specific selection criteria to come up with our list, these are just our writers' best ideas based on our assessment of the relevant vehicle's track record, management and investment...

London's FTSE 100 closed higher on Wednesday after a rate cut in Canada, while investors now turn to the US Federal Reserve's rate call later in the day and the Bank of England's decision on Thursday. 'Markets have fully priced in a 25-basis-point [US] rate cut, but the key lies in the updated Summary of Economic Projections and [Fed Chair Jerome] Powell's tone,' commented Naga analyst Frank...

Stock prices were mixed in Europe on Wednesday afternoon as a Federal Reserve decision and an expected 25 basis point cut draws closer, while UK consumer price inflation remained steady, giving the Bank of England food for thought on the eve of its decision. The FTSE 100 index rose 15.97 points, 0.2%, at 9,211.63. The FTSE 250 rose 96.54 points, 0.5%, at 21,588.41, and the AIM All-Share was...

Pre-tax profit up 2.7% to £49 million Reinstates dividend at 3p Shares up 12% year-to-date Shares in McBride (MCB) gained over 10% to 118p in morning trading after the private-label cleaning products maker reinstated its dividend, signaling confidence in the company's business transformation. Revenues for the year to 30 June increased by 0.7% in constant currencies to £926.5 million while...

GSK to invest $30 billion in the US $2 billion will be spent during the next 12-months Hundreds of jobs to be created Stateside Pharmaceutical firm GSK (GSK) said it plans to invest more than $30 billion in research and development and manufacturing facilities in the US over the next five years, mirroring AstraZeneca's (AZN) announcement in July to invest $50 billion stateside by 2030. CEO...

FY25 profit tops forecasts Home completions lag Limited growth in FY26 Housebuilder Barratt Redrow (BTRW) gave with one hand and took with the other in its latest annual results, beating market forecasts for pre-tax profit and raising the full-year dividend but cautioning against an upturn in the current financial year. The shares initially popped nearly 10p or 2.7% to 376p but buying petered...

Stocks in Europe opened a notch higher on Wednesday ahead of eurozone consumer price index inflation data, hours before a hotly-awaited US Federal Reserve interest rate decision. On the eve of the Bank of England decision, meanwhile, the UK central bank was faced with inflation data that was cooler than expected, but still well above the 2% target. The FTSE 100 index edged up 7.07 points,...

Indexes in London finished mostly lower on Tuesday, as a rate cut decision from the US Federal Reserve and a UK state visit from US President Donald Trump loomed. The Fed started its two-day key policy meeting on Tuesday, AFP reported, hours after Stephen Miran narrowly won confirmation to join the central bank. Stephen Miran, who has been a key advisor to Trump, took the oath of office as a...

A stronger pound kept the FTSE 100 at bay on Tuesday but shares in New York are set to push even higher after a record start to the week, with eyes turning to a slew of central bank decisions. Elsewhere, gold added some sparkle, with the spot price approaching $3,700, taking advantage of a weaker dollar. The FTSE 100 index lost 20.96 points, 0.2%, at 9,256.07. The FTSE 250 fell just 8.20...