London's FTSE firmed 59.1 points to 7,197 as the week drew to a close, with consumer-facing stocks back in fashion. JD Sports Fashion (JD.), Whitbread (WTB), Kingfisher (KGF) and Next (NXT) all featured in the blue chip index's top 10 risers.Despite ongoing political uncertainty, early indications suggest that Black Friday was good for retailers, implying that consumers might have become more will

Brexit odds riseWith the UK referendum on EU membership just weeks away the IG (IG.) binary market on its outcome is swinging back towards a 'leave' vote. The EU Referendum Barometer is showing a 77% chance the UK will vote 'remain' against a recent peak of 81% and the trading platform says 90% of of all money traded between 26 and 31 May favoured leave. (TS)Early payoutINDIA-BASED electricity gen

A-level students across the country will soon find out if they've secured a place at their dream university but the biggest stress is often felt by parents who face paying exorbitant tuition fees. If you've still got a few years before your child sets off for university you can prepare for this inevitable financial drain by investing in high yielding funds and investment trusts through your ISA.GE

UK stocks are on the front foot for the fourth day running on Tuesday as a string of disappointing economic data from Asia prompts stimulus calls. The FTSE 100 rallies 30 points, or 0.4%, at 6,702 in early deals. It has not closed above this level since 24 September when it settled at 6,706.27.Royal Mail (RMG) heads the blue-chip leader board in early trade, the stock 17.5p higher, or 3.7%, at 485

Three different parties have got British machine gun manufacturer Manroy (MAN:AIM) in their sights, sending the small cap's shares up 48% to 82.9p. It confirmed preliminary takeover talks with Belgium's Herstal, Italy's Beretta and Nevada-based US Ordnance. The announcement triggers a formal takeover offer period, meaning the potential bidders have until the end of Christmas Eve to announce an int

Chamberlin checkSpecialist foundry and engineering firm Chamberlin (CMH:AIM) is set to announce its results for the six months to 30 September next week (26 Nov). The market will be looking for management to outline how it intends to improve performance at the group's foundries at Leicester and Scunthorpe. (TS)Quintain's Wembley wayRegeneration specialist Quintain Estates & Development's (QED) int

Retail investors finally get a chance to freely trade Royal Mail (RMG) as the stock goes 'unconditional' following last Friday's market debut. Investors jump at the chance to pick up stock, despite a massive rally from the 330p IPO pricing level. Today's new wave of market interest sees the shares rise a further 1.4% to 481.5p.A robust third quarter sends Rio Tinto (RIO) up 3.4% to £31.90 but the

Following a profit warning earlier this year, retinal diagnostics specialist Optos (OPTS) has today soared 20.2% to 144.2p following a solid third quarter update. The company is on course to hit revised expectations after generating $40 million in revenue during the quarter and cutting its debt by $10 million. No reason was given as to why Chief financial officer (CFO) Louisa Burdett is stepping d

The market applauded a small acquisition by FTSE 250 technology play Anite (AIE), sending its shares up 6.5% to 150p in morning trading on 28 January. Stockbroker Panmure Gordon called the ?31 million purchase of Finnish testing group Propsim a 'neat cheap' deal. It says the acquisition opens up a new opportunity in network infrastructure testing for the £450 million cap with a strong existing ne