Will Ashtead continue to benefit from a US infrastructure boom?Tool hire firm reported its end-markets were 'robust with ongoing momentum' in MarchUS-focused construction equipment hire group Ashtead (AHT) is set to report its full-year results on 13 June with investors hoping for its recent strong performance to be sustained.In its third-quarter trading update in March, the company described its

- CentralNic non-executive buys after upgrades- Domino's director adds to his stake- Jet2 mogul jettisons £38m of sharesAs we approach the year-end, we thought it might be instructive to see which directors have been most active in buying - and selling - their companies' shares.Using the Director Deals function on the Shares website, we ranked the most active directors over the last three and 12

There was interest this week in two new investments trusts coming to market, each promising an inflation linkage aimed at offsetting potentially higher costs and interest rates.First up is The Sustainable Farmland Trust which aims to raise £200 million to invest in US agricultural assets.The US company behind the trust, Intl Farming Investment Management LLC (IFC), has more than $2.2 billion of

European equities were steadying on Tuesday, though with the FTSE 100 lagging the bunch despite a well-received trading update from blue-chip grocer J Sainsbury.Things should heat up as the week progresses, however, with central bank meeting minutes and a monthly US jobs report in focus. Locally, investors are awaiting a UK services PMI at 0930 BST on Tuesday.'Yesterday's national holiday in the U

Stocks in London ended mixed on Monday in a light trading session as US markets were closed for Independence Day, with oil stocks lifting the FTSE 100 to the green on higher Brent prices.The FTSE 100 index closed up 64.00 points, or 0.9%, at 7,232.65. The FTSE 250 index closed down 44.03 points, or 0.2%, at 18,592.95. The AIM All-Share index closed up 0.19 of a point at 875.02.The Cboe UK 100 inde

It was an upbeat start on Monday for Europe, despite significant risk events, such as the monthly US jobs report and Federal Meeting meeting minutes, due later this week.Trading volumes were low with Wall Street sitting Monday's session out due to the Independence Day holiday.'The July 4 independence holiday in the US will likely allow some respite from the recent market turmoil. That said, the we

Stocks in London bounded into the new week, though volumes are likely to be low with US markets sitting out Monday's session for the Independence Day holiday.Oil majors were pushing the blue-chip FTSE 100 index higher, while the FTSE 250 was weighed down by share price declines for Grafton Group and Pets at Home.The UK flagship index was up 81.41 points, or 1.1%, at 7,250.06. The FTSE 250 index wa

London stocks slipped on Tuesday as investors nervously awaited a fresh wave of Western sanctions on Russia, this time potentially targeting the major energy producer's key oil sector.This was offsetting any boost from an upbeat UK services purchasing managers' index for March, which charged ahead following the removal of pandemic restrictions and a return to office working.The FTSE 100 index was

London stocks failed to build on the momentum seen in New York and Asia overnight, edging down in early trade on Tuesday as investors monitor the latest developments in Ukraine.US President Joe Biden called Monday for a 'war crimes trial' over alleged atrocities in Bucha and vowed tougher sanctions against Moscow, as Ukraine's leader urged the world to acknowledge a 'genocide' by Russian troops ne

A fresh week of trading began tentatively in Europe as reports of 'atrocities' by Russia in Ukrainian towns led the continent to consider new and tougher sanctions on the nation.The FTSE 100 index closed up 21.02 points, or 0.3%, at 7,558.92 on Monday. The mid-cap FTSE 250 index rose 111.88 points, or 0.5%, to 21,329.89. The AIM All-Share index ended up 10.17 points, or 1.0%, at 1,055.26.The Cboe

European stocks were posting modest gains at midday on Monday despite the EU preparing to debate further sanctions on Russia, which could take aim at its key oil sector, following reports of 'atrocities' in Ukrainian towns.In New York, the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite was pointed higher as Twitter shares soared pre-market on news that Tesla boss Elon Musk has taken a near $3 billion stake in the mi

Shares in healthcare investor Syncona (SYNC) jumped 9% to 217.5p on Wednesday, topping the FTSE 250 leaderboard, after the company announced the sale of gene therapy specialist Gyroscope Therapeutics for up to $1.5 billion to Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis.The sale comprises of an upfront payment of £334 million with the potential to generate a further £255 million of proceeds depending on

The FTSE 100 index hit a new year-high on Monday, gaining 27 points or 0.4% to 7,232 by lunchtime, with energy and mining stocks doing most of the heavy lifting while industrial and consumer stocks were the main laggards.US markets were mixed on Friday, with the Dow Jones Industrials index posting a new high on strong earnings from American Express while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq pulled back from the

The FTSE 100 index briefly hit a new year-high at the opening, but quickly retreated to trade up 0.3% at 7,227 points due to weakness in European markets. Energy and mining stocks did most of the heavy lifting, while utilities and consumer stocks were the main laggards.US markets were mixed on Friday, with the Dow Jones Industrials index posting a new high on strong earnings from American Express

Real estate investor Supermarket Income REIT (SUPR) announced it had gone on a spending spree this month, adding six new sites to its portfolio of stores for £113.1 million before acquisition costs.The stores, which were acquired from different vendors, comprise a Tesco (TSCO) in Prescot, a pair of Morrison (MRW) sites in Durham and Workington, an Aldi in Oldham and a combined Aldi and M&S (MKS)

UK stocks closed slightly higher on Monday, as gains in house builders were offset by weakness in mining shares. In the US, meme stocks were back in vogue with cinema group AMC gaining 18% while Blackberry and Gamestop added 8% and 7% respectively.At the close the FTSE 100 index of leading shares was up 0.1% at 7,077 points.COMPANY NEWSOffice property owner IWG revealed that the anticipated recove

UK stocks hit session highs at midday Monday, helped by a jump in housing builders after data showed domestic house price growth approached seven-year highs last month. Shares in Persimmon (PSN), Taylor Wimpey (TW.) and Barratt Developments (BDEV) all gained over 2.5%. Meanwhile office space firm IWG (IWG) dropped after a profit warning.At 12pm the FTSE 100 index of leading shares was up 0.3% at 7

UK stocks eased on Monday as a drop in crude prices sent oil stocks lower and a warning from office workspace firm IWG (IWG) pressured property stocks.At 8.30am the FTSE 100 index was down 8 points at 7,061 with just a handful of house builders and Barclays (BARC) making gains.Oil prices retreated as investors awaited the outcome of talks between Iran and world leaders over a nuclear deal which co

Life sciences investment trust Syncona (SYNC) has provided the cornerstone investment in a $148 million funding round for biotech start-up Gyroscope Therapeutics.The $42.3 million (£30.8 million) investment increased Syncona's ownership stake to 54% and resulted in a 38.3% increase in the value of its £98.9 million holding, equivalent to around 2% of Syncona's market capitalisation. The shares g

Supermarket Income REIT (SUPR) 107.25pGain to date: 2.1%Original entry point: Buy at 105p, 2 April 2020While we are not yet seeing material gains from our positive call on Supermarket Income REIT (SUPR) we see plenty of reasons to be encouraged.On 17 September the company announced a strong set of results for the 12 months to 30 June - which showed it had collected 100% of rent, delivered a total