The FTSE 100 has hit another new high. Next stop 9,000? Markets The FTSE 100 has hit another all-time high today of 8,548.59, the second time in two trading days the blue-chip index has hit a record. For the first time, the FTSE 100 passed the 8,500 barrier last week, off the back of hopes that the Bank of England might cut interest rates more aggressively than [...]
What is driving the FTSE 100 surge? Investing The FTSE 100 has hit a new all-time high today, with the index within touching distance of 8,500 for the first time. Since the start of the week, London’s main index has grown almost three per cent, outperforming the Nasdaq, the S&P 500, and the Dow Jones. The strong performance from the FTSE 100 came [...]
FTSE 100 hits all-time high as investors bet on interest rate cuts Investing The FTSE 100 has hit a new all-time high this morning, surpassing the previous peaks it reached in spring last year, as investors ramp up their bets on an interest rate cut by the Bank of England next month. The value of London’s 100 largest listed companies has grown 3.2 per cent in the last [...]
Freetrade: IG Group swoops for trading app January 16, 2025 IG Group has acquired stock trading app Freetrade for £160m, as the FTSE 250 firm looks to target a new UK audience of traders. The trading platform, along with its 720,000 customers and £2.5bn in assets, will move to IG Group in mid-2025, subject to regulatory approval, the firm said in a stock exchange notice [...]
Serco: FTSE giant bags £200m US army deal January 15, 2025 British outsourcing giant Serco has secured a $247m (£203m) contract to enhance the health and fitness of US army soldiers. The government services provider will support 45 US army brigades across 15 locations, including bases in Alaska and Texas. Under the deal, the firm is set to drive soldier fitness, reducing injury rates and supporting [...]
Hays: Recruiter warns on profit amid slowdown in permanent hires January 15, 2025 Recruiter Hays reported another fall in quarterly fees on Wednesday amid an ongoing slowdown in the headhunting market. Group net fees, which are considered an indicator of performance in the industry, dropped 12 per cent in the three months ending 31 December. The downturn was driven by a significant drop-off in permanent hires, down 19 [...]
Chemring: British defence giant wins major US contract for missile radars January 14, 2025 Chemring shares rose this morning after it unveiled a fresh deal with a US-based company for the supply of miniature radars. The four-year contract is valued at £26m, with production commencing at the FTSE 250 firm’s Hampshire headquarters in October. Shares rose around three per cent by mid-morning. Chemring will supply Miniature Radar Altimeters (MRA) [...]
FTSE 250 closes down four per cent in worst week since 2023 January 10, 2025 The FTSE 250 fell almost four per cent this week, experiencing its worst week since August 2023 as fears mount over the stability of the UK economy. With pound sterling sinking and UK gilt yields rising to decade-long highs, investors have begun to panic that the UK economy and government are coming under pressure. “The [...]
Reeves ‘will be forced to hold Spring Budget’ to settle gilt jitters, Abrdn predicts January 9, 2025 Chancellor Rachel Reeves will be forced to hold a spring Budget this year to rein in government spending and settle investors’ nerves, after the cost of government borrowing hit multi-decade highs this week, Abrdn has predicted. Despite ministers insisting the gilt market was functioning in an “orderly” way and no emergency measures would be taken, [...]
Johnson Matthey wades into US activist campaign row January 8, 2025 Johnson Matthey has entered the public spat brewing over an activist campaign from its largest investor, attempting to reassure markets it has been taking concerns over its share price seriously. In a withering letter yesterday, US industrials investor Standard Investments slammed the chemicals group’s board for a “continued lack of urgency and incapacity” over its [...]