FTSE 100 Live: UK Stocks to Fall, Pound Holds at $1.33
And closer to home, negotiators for the European Union and the UK have reached a deal to strengthen their bilateral relationship ahead of a summit meeting today, Alberto Nardelli reports.
The agreement includes a defense and security partnership, a joint statement on working together on geopolitical challenges such as Russia's war in Ukraine and a 'common understanding' on a range of other issues.
The negotiating teams settled on a text at around 2 am European time and the draft still needs to be approved by political leaders on both sides, according to people familiar with the matter.
The BBC reported one area of discussion is a new European Commission initiative which would offer loans to member states to help them invest in defense through common procurement. The UK wants its defense companies to be able to bid for contracts under this scheme, though EU countries appear split over whether non-members such as the UK should be allowed to take part, the BBC says.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Start buying shares for £500? Here's how – and some reasons why!
One myth about the stock market is that it takes a lot of money for someone to start buying shares. In fact, it is possible to do so with just a few hundred pounds. I actually think there are good reasons to consider doing so. One is that it means someone can be in the market sooner, rather than waiting years or perhaps even decades before they have saved up a large tum to get going. From the perspective of a long-term investor, a longer timeframe can offer a potentially sizeable advantage. Most people make some beginner's mistakes in the market, realistically – and starting on a small scale can also mean that they are less costly. The 'why' may now be clearer – but what about the 'how'? To start buying shares requires a practical means of doing so. So a new investor should consider how to put the £500 into the market. There are lots of options when it comes to share-dealing accounts, Stocks and Shares ISAs, and trading apps. Each investor has their own circumstances and so it pays to make a considered choice. Learning how the stock market works in detail can take years. But upfront an investor ought at least to come to grips with important concepts, from valuing shares to managing risks. For example, even with £500 it is possible to diversify across different shares. There is a difference between a good business and a good investment, so just putting money into successful businesses is not necessarily a smart way to invest. That helps explain why I do not own shares like Apple or Nvidia at the moment. I regard both as solid businesses, but do not think their current share prices offer me a compelling investment opportunity. What sorts of shares do I think someone should consider when they want to start investing, then? One mistake many people make is being too greedy. I understand – people start buying shares because they want to build wealth. But, in the stock market as elsewhere in life, opportunities that look too good to be true usually are. Starting with a well-known, proven business at a decent price could be attractive. That is why I think new investors should consider baker Greggs (LSE: GRG). The business is easy to understand – indeed, many of us are quite familiar with it from shopping there. Greggs has a proven business model and it already benefits from economies of scale that I think could grow if it expands its footprint. There are lots of opportunities to do that, as the company itself has recognized. Customer demand is high and resilient. While the industry is not glamorous, Greggs makes money thanks to its strong brand, huge shop network, and unique twists on well-known products. But investors have been worrying about profitability, with risks like a weak economy hurting sales and higher employment costs eating into profits. The result is that it is 31% cheaper to buy a Greggs share today than it was a year ago. I see that as an opportunity. Indeed, I started buying Greggs shares for my portfolio in recent months. A 3.6% dividend yield is the icing on the cake. The post Start buying shares for £500? Here's how – and some reasons why! appeared first on The Motley Fool UK. More reading 5 Stocks For Trying To Build Wealth After 50 One Top Growth Stock from the Motley Fool C Ruane has positions in Greggs Plc. The Motley Fool UK has recommended Apple, Greggs Plc, and Nvidia. Views expressed on the companies mentioned in this article are those of the writer and therefore may differ from the official recommendations we make in our subscription services such as Share Advisor, Hidden Winners and Pro. Here at The Motley Fool we believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. Motley Fool UK 2025
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Irish rappers Kneecap perform controversial Glastonbury set
Irish rap trio Kneecap took aim at UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer during a defiant performance Saturday at Britain's Glastonbury festival, which also saw Britpop legends Pulp wow fans with a surprise show. Kneecap has made headlines in recent months with their pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel stance. One of their members has been charged with a "terror" offence for allegedly supporting Hezbollah, leading Starmer and other politicians to say they should not be performing at Glastonbury. In front of thousands of fans, many waving Palestinian flags, Kneecap led the capacity crowd in chanting abuse about Starmer. "Glastonbury, I'm a free man", said member Liam O'Hanna, who appeared in court earlier this month accused of having displayed a Hezbollah flag while saying "Up Hamas, Up Hezbollah" after a video resurfaced of a London concert last year. The Iran-backed Lebanese force Hezbollah and the Palestinian militant group Hamas are banned in the UK, and it is an offence to express support for them. O'Hanna, known by his stage name Mo Chara, has denied the charge. "This situation can be quite stressful but it's minimal compared to what the Palestinian people are (facing)," said O'Hanna, wearing his trademark keffiyah. O'Hanna also gave "a shout out" to Palestine Action Group, which interior minister Yvette Cooper announced last week would become a banned group under the Terrorism Act of 2000. - 'Playing characters' - Fellow band member DJ Provai wore a t-shirt dedicated to the campaign group, whose prohibition comes after its activists broke into a British Royal Air Force base and vandalised two planes. Before Kneecap took to the stage, rap punk duo Bob Vylan led the crowd in chants of "Death, death to the IDF", a reference to the Israeli Defence Forces. Local police said they were assessing videos of comments made by both groups to decide whether any offences may have been committed, UK media reported. Formed in 2017, Kneecap is no stranger to controversy. To their fans they are daring provocateurs who stand up to the establishment; to their detractors they are dangerous extremists. Their Irish and English lyrics are filled with references to drugs, they repeatedly clashed with the UK's previous Conservative government and have vocally opposed British rule in Northern Ireland. The group apologised this year after a 2023 video emerged appearing to show one singer calling for the death of British Conservative MPs. Two MPs have been murdered in Britain in the past nine years and many of them worry about their safety. But Kneecap deny the terrorism charge and say the video featuring the Hezbollah flag has been taken out of context. Asked whether he regretted waving it, and other comments caught on camera, Chara told the Guardian in an interview published Friday: "Why should I regret it? It was a joke -- we're playing characters." Chris Jeffries, a 32-year-old analyst at a bank, told AFP that Kneecap's performance at Glastonbury made him proud to be a fan. "They're one of the only bands here that are actually preaching about Palestine," said Jeffries, wearing an Irish tricolour balaclava. - Glastonbury rejects criticism - Since O'Hanna was charged, the group has been pulled from a slew of summer gigs, including a Scottish festival appearance and various performances in Germany. But Glastonbury organisers defied Starmer who had said it was not "appropriate" for Kneecap to perform at Glastonbury, one of the country's biggest and most famous music festivals. "People that don't like the politics of the event can go somewhere else," Michael Eavis, co-founder of the festival said in an article published in a free newspaper for festival-goers. Public broadcaster the BBC faced pressure not to air the concert. In a statement Saturday, a spokesperson for the broadcaster said the performance would not be shown live but would likely be available on-demand afterwards. Pulp, led by Jarvis Cocker, had fans bouncing to '90s anthem "Common People" after being listed on the lineup as "Patchwork". "Sorry to the people who were expecting Patchwork," the frontman joked. Headline acts at the festival which finishes Sunday include Neil Young and Olivia Rodrigo, with other highlights including Charli XCX and Rod Stewart. vid-pdh/gv
Bloomberg
an hour ago
- Bloomberg
Powell and Lagarde Count Cost of Trump's Turbulence
The global economy's concussion from five months of Donald Trump's presidency is likely to feature when five of the world's leading central bank chiefs discuss monetary policy in public on Tuesday. From tariff-related trade ructions to oil-price gyrations caused by Middle East hostilities, the question of how to handle the fallout from White House decisions may loom large as Federal Reserve chief Jerome Powell speaks on a panel with peers from the euro zone, Japan, South Korea and the UK.
