More and more UK companies are buying back their own shares. Data collected by Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell, shows share buybacks at FTSE 100 companies are running at an aggregate value of £18.3 billion so far in 2024.Despite being only two months into the year, the value of buybacks already equates to 35% of the whole value of buybacks in 2023.This isn?t just a UK phenomenon either

No-one could accuse the CMA (Competition and Markets Authority) of sitting on its hands, least of all this year.As well as investigating several high-profile mergers ? including this month alone Aviva (AV.)/AIG Life, SpreadEx/Sporting Image, RedBird IMI/Telegraph Media Group, Pharmacy2U/Lloyds Direct and Hitachi/Thales ? the regulator has been busy looking into pricing in the funeral market (again

Revenues fall 20% Profits down over 40%Company cooperating with CMAShares in Taylor Wimpey (TW.) were down over 3% to 135p in morning trading as the UK housebuilder said pre-tax profit had fallen 42.8% to £473.8 million for the year to 31 December compared to £827.9 million in the same year ago period.The company?s share price performance today contrasts with a 10% gain over the past year.

Stock prices in London sparkled at midday on Wednesday, as investors cheered UK inflation coming down faster than anticipated.The FTSE 100 index was up 44.63 points, 0.6%, at 7,682.66. The FTSE 250 was up 126.06 points, 0.7%, at 19,442.04, and the AIM All-Share was up 2.92 points, 0.4%, at 748.31.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.5% at 766.92, the Cboe UK 250 was up 0.7% at 16,922.53, and the Cboe Small Co

Gains across the sector year-to-dateSome stocks trading at new highsEyes on Berkeley Group this weekEven though the most recent results from housebuilders such as Barratt Developments (BDEV) and Bellway (BWY) were resolutely downbeat, the firms? share prices have been on the charge since the middle of October as investors have bet on the Bank of England continuing to hold interest rates at their c

Everyman director snaps up sharesNext directors bag half a millionBerkeley CFO sells £384,000 sharesNon-executive director of premium cinema group Everyman Media (EMAN) and director of Blue Coast Private Equity, Michael Rosehill has bought 500,000 shares at 53.5p for the total value of £267,500 on 3 October 2023.Following the purchase Blue Coast Private Equity's total holding has risen to 18.4 m

As headlines go, last week's Nationwide house price report showing prices down at their fastest annual rate since 2009 takes some beating even if a decline was more or less expected by experts.The building society's August survey showed the average house price was 0.8% lower than the previous month and 5.3% lower than August 2022 at £259,153, marking an annual fall of around £14,600 on the price

New-build market has 'worsened' since JuneProfit forecast cut to due lower sales Rightmove survey adds to pessimismChertsey-based developer Crest Nicholson (CREST) released an unscheduled trading update warning that full year earnings would be up to a third lower than its previous forecasts due to the tough market for new-build housing.The shares fell as much as 14% to 167p before stabilizing at 1

June's larger-than-expected half percentage point interest rate rise has pushed the FTSE 100 index back into negative territory for the year and triggered fears of recession among investors and market observers.Moreover, there seems little doubt the UK central bank will raise rates again at its August meeting, the only question being by how much.'It now appears that interest rates may go higher th

Stock prices in London look set to end a tough three months with a gain on Friday, following a second quarter beset by interest rate worries, stubborn inflation and Chinese growth worries.The FTSE 100 is still on track to end the second quarter on worse footing than it started it, however. Peers in mainland Europe look set to achieve lukewarm gains.London's blue-chip benchmark was up 54.00 points,

Stocks in London closed down on Wednesday as a hotter-than-expected inflation read in the UK worsened investor fears of another rate hike from the Bank of England on Thursday.The FTSE 100 index closed down 10.13 points, or 0.1% at 7,559.18 on Wednesday. The FTSE 250 ended 174.71 points lower, or 0.9%, at 18,571.45. The AIM All-Share closed down 2.16 points, or 0.3%, at 783.02.The Cboe UK 100 ended

Equities in London underwhelmed heading into Wednesday afternoon, with the mood tempered by another robust UK consumer price index reading, which may force the Bank of England to dig deeper to contain inflation.A hike on Thursday by Threadneedle Street is a foregone conclusion. Wednesday data means a half-point rate lift may be on the table. The BoE had been expected to enact another 25 basis poin

On target to meet guidance for 2024-5Commitment to return £283 million to shareholders up to 30 September 2025Underlying private sales reservations 15% lower than 2021/22Shares in housebuilder Berkeley Group (BKG) fell nearly 3% to £37.99 in morning trading despite reporting a 9.5% rise in pre-tax profits to £604 million for the year ending 30 April 2023 as it said its near-term market outlook

Share prices were on the rise in Europe on Thursday, while gold was sharply lower, amid a risk-on atmosphere following the passage by the US House of Representatives of a bill that will allow Washington to avoid a disastrous debt default.The FTSE 100 index opened up 39.34 points, 0.5%, at 7,485.48. The FTSE 250 was up 44.51 points, 0.2%, at 18,767.41, and the AIM All-Share was up 1.82 points, 0.2%

- Company sticking with 2023 guidance- Plan to return £141.4 million to shareholders by September- Sales flagged as 'resilient' despite 25% drop Housebuilder Berkeley (BKG) was only a smidge lower on Friday morning on a difficult day for the markets as it stuck with its 2023 guidance despite a clear softening in demand and property prices.Berkeley, which operates at the premium end of the market

Retiring as a millionaire has been the dream of many people for years. In the fanciful world of 'what if' chats over a pint, it didn't matter how you did it, the endgame is what mattered, not the journey. Buying that Ferrari, taking luxurious cruises around the Caribbean, or owning that stately pile in the country was the dream of millions of us, and we played the pools or bought National Lottery

As more survey data on asking and selling prices rolls in from mortgage lenders and estate agencies, it is clear that the UK housing market peaked in August with the turning point most likely being September's mini-Budget which spooked financial markets and consumers.While there is usually a seasonal slowdown in the final quarter of the year, selling prices are now rising by mid-single digits on a

- Full year earnings estimate confirmed- £283 million cash return also confirmed- Medium-term forecasts trimmed by 16%London and South East-focused housebuilder Berkeley (BKG) went some way to soothing investor nerves over the outlook for the rest of this financial year by maintaining its guidance despite posting a slight dip in first-half earnings.Shares in the group rose 0.6% to £38.22, with s

UK stocks slumped heavily and sterling plunged after Kwasi Kwarteng's mini-Budget, potentially hinting at overseas investors taking their money out of UK assets.Shares in Taylor Wimpey (TW.), Persimmon (PSN) and Berkeley (BKG) initially jumped on confirmation of change to stamp duty, and that the Government plans to sell more surplus land for housing but then erased their gains in volatile markets

- Berenberg downgrades housebuilders- Affordability to increase to 50% of income from 35%- Medium-term the sector looks more attractiveUK housebuilders have had a difficult 2022 driven by fears of recession and higher interest rates impacting the sector. Year-to-date share price declines range from 25% at Berkeley (BKG) to almost 50% at Persimmon (PSN).Investment bank Berenberg published a researc