Stocks in London were higher on midday Friday with miners, housebuilders and oil majors rising amid news that the UK is exiting a mild and short recession. The FTSE 100 index was up 96.05 points, 1.2%, at 8,019.85. The FTSE 250 was up 125.41 points, 0.6%, at 19,912.28, and the AIM All-Share was up 2.87 points, 0.4%, at 761.70. The Cboe UK 100 was up 1.3% at 802.07, the Cboe UK 250 was up 0.6%...

Harry Hyman, CEO of FTSE 250-listed REIT (real estate investment trust) Primary Health Properties has bought 74,890 shares at a total value of £68,862.40 on 9 April. Hyman's move comes after research firm Peel Hunt gave Primary Health Properties a bullish rating after reporting a strong set of full year results. The REIT reported net rental income of £149.3 million for 2023, a 5.5% increase...

Raw materials group SigmaRoc signaled a positive start to 2024 ahead of its AGM (annual general meeting) and said the board was 'confident in the firm's ability to make further progress in the current year and beyond'. The shares gained 0.6p or 1% to 64.4p in line with other mining and materials stocks. GROWING FAST The group said its performance in the first three months of the year had been...

Mid- and small-cap UK growth investor Mercantile Investment Trust outperformed its benchmark in the year to 31 January, delivering a net asset total return of 4.5% and total shareholder returns of 6.1%. The dividend was increased by 7% for the year to 7.65p per share, comfortably covered by revenue per share which was up 25% to 9.01p per share allowing the company to add to revenue reserves w...

As investors gear up for the latest earnings season, stubbornly resistant inflation continues to dominant the mood music on US markets. After Wednesday's (10 Apr) hotter-than-expected CPI data and the FOMC minutes, analysts at investment banks Citi, UBS, and Goldman Sachs all said they don't see the Federal Reserve cutting rates in June, a blow to hopes that the interest rates down cycle will...

Stock prices in London opened in the green on Friday, as the UK could be on a path to avoid a recession according to new GDP data from the Office for National Statistics. Eyes are also on the banking earnings season, which kicks off on Friday. Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo are due to release first-quarter numbers. Asset manager BlackRock also reports. The FTSE 100 index opened up 6...

European shares fell on Thursday, with markets grappling with US inflation, Federal Reserve interest rate and geopolitical worries, with the latter hitting travel stocks. Elsewhere among central banks, the European Central Bank left rates unmoved as expected, but the odds of a June cut have risen. The Bank of England is 'way off' cutting, however, a monetary policy committee member said. The F...

European stocks were in the red on Thursday midday, after hope for Summer interest rate cuts diminished following hotter-than-expected US consumer price inflation. Investors are also eyeing the latest interest rate decision from the European Central Bank and hopes for some clues about the trajectory of rates in a press conference which will follow. The FTSE 100 index was down 18.46 points, 0.2...

Pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca announced a 7% increase in the annualised dividend to $3.10 per share which the board said, 'underlined the company's confidence in its performance and cash generation'. Chairman Michel Demare explained that the increase is in line with the firm's 'progressive' dividend policy which remains unchanged. The shares traded 1.3% higher to £108.74 taking the gains...

Shares in Onward Opportunities rose 1.5% to 111.5p after the smaller companies-focused trust reported an 11.3% NAV (net asset value) total return to 106.5p for the nine months from its March 2023 IPO (initial public offering) to the end of December. That performance compares to a 3.7% decline for the AIM All Share Index and demonstrates that manager Laurence Hulse's process of spotting dynami...

Shares in Darktrace were up 7% to 469p in morning trading as the UK enterprise cybersecurity firm raised its guidance for year-on-year revenue growth and adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest taxation depreciation and amortisation) margin. The announcement came as the company reported a 26.5% increase in revenue to $176.1 million for the three months ending 31 March 2024. ARR (annualised...

Shares in AIM-listed self-storage site operator Lok'n Store Group jumped more than 17% to £11.25 after the firm revealed it had received a cash offer for the whole business from Belgian company Shurgard. The price tops the offer price of £11.10, a premium of roughly 16% to the previous closing price, suggesting shareholders believe a rival operator could be tempted to make a counterbid. NO...