With shares in UK high-street bellwether Next (NXT) trading close to all-time highs above £90 despite the recent pull-back in markets, there is a fair bit riding on its upcoming first-quarter trading update (1 May).When it posted full-year results in late March, the firm said it had been ?a long time since we started a year in a more positive frame of mind? after a better-than-expected performanc

European stocks continued to decline on Wednesday, with investors unnerved by the outlook for US interest rates, which are likely to remain elevated for longer.Oil and gas firms were among the best performers in London, getting a boost from rising commodity prices and some good news for FTSE 250-listed Ithaca Energy.Among some smaller London listings, there was some M&A excitement involving Pendra

The common factor across the latest trading updates from the big housebuilders is they are all forecasting fewer completions and land purchases this year.That could spell trouble for the various trades which support the new-build home industry, from legal services to building materials and equipment hire to fitted kitchens and bathrooms.With mortgage costs soaring after repeated interest rate incr

More leaks have been found in the pipeline bringing Russian gas to Europe, scuppering what had promised to be a positive open for stock markets.'There are two leaks on the Swedish side and two leaks on the Danish side,' a Swedish Coast Guard official said, after three leaks were confirmed earlier this week on the Nord Stream pipelines in the Baltic Sea.Suspicions of sabotage emerged after the leak

An emergency intervention by the Bank of England - signalling a monetary policy u-turn - calmed investor fears on Wednesday, sending equity markets higher.The central bank announced it will be temporarily buying long-dated UK bonds.The BoE said the purpose of the 'purchases will be to restore orderly market conditions' after UK government bonds were significantly affected by 'repricing'. The purch

Market focus on Thursday was once again on earnings and trading updates, with numerous UK companies warning about cost inflation, while in the US, the results of Facebook-parent Meta were just good enough to keep faith in technology shares.The FTSE 100 index was up 60.27 points, or 0.8%, at 7,485.88 early Thursday. The mid-cap FTSE 250 index was up 181.98 points, or 0.9%, at 20,619.75. The AIM All

The decision by online trading company IG Group (IGG) to increase the margin it requires for trading in over 1,000 small-cap stocks to 100% sparked fears small cap-stocks could crash as some investors were forced to dump holdings they can no longer afford to finance.The main advantage of spread betting is the financial leverage that it provides, whereby clients can open and run positions with arou

Plagued by the economic weakness affecting many companies at the moment, shares in speciality chemicals firm Synthomer (SYNT) have plunged after it issued a profit warning thanks to the global backdrop.In a trading update, Synthomer said the 'growing weakness in the global economy has created a more challenging backdrop' for the chemicals industry.It added that 'depressed European industrial activ

Shares in tool and equipment hire specialist HSS Hire (HSS) have accelerated 8.2% to 30p after making significant progress with its turnaround strategy.Last year, HSS suffered several setbacks, including a slower than expected recovery in sales and an extended restructuring programme.It appears the company's strategy of transitioning to a new distribution model and reducing debt is starting to yie

Many investment experts believe there is a strong correlation between a change in earnings forecasts and a company's share price.Analysts raising their expectations for future earnings often results in a higher share price (and vice versa) for the recipient company, hence why investors like to know which stocks are in this situation.Investment bank Canaccord Genuity has this week published a list

The FTSE 100 is 36.23 points higher this morning at 7,373.66 taking its cue from strength in US and Asian markets overnight as concerns over North Korea died down.Troubled tool hire outfit HSS Hire (HSS) slumps 18.9% to 45p as it warns a recovery in sales will be 'materially slower' than expected and reports an increase in its first half pre-tax loss from £7.8m to £30.1m.Soft furnishings busines

A lengthy list of stocks going ex-dividend weighs on the FTSE 100, off 34 points at 7,315 early on, the blue chip benchmark tracking falls on Wall Street overnight and in Asia this morning.Royal Mail (RMG) posts a 2.2% gain to 428.4p despite warning its pension plan surplus will run out in 2018. Annual contributions of £400m could more than double to £1bn-plus in 2018 'if no changes are made', s

UK shares face another pre-holidays lull on Thursday with investors lacking the appetite to drive London shares one way or the other. The FTSE 100 nudges a modest 6 points or so lower at 7,035, staying making a pre-Christmas close above the 7,000 mark more likely.In a quiet day for corporate news car dealer Inchcape (INCH) has agreed to pay £234m in cash to acquire a Subaru and Hino Motors-focuse

Takeovers are back on the agenda for the UK stock market. We aren't surprised, given favourable conditions for M&A (mergers and acquisitions) have been in place for some time.The cost of borrowing is low; sterling devaluation makes British companies a more attractive proposition to overseas buyers; and volatile conditions in certain sectors have left some decent businesses in a vulnerable position

The FTSE 100 slips 0.2% to 6,805 in early trading on Thursday 24 November, dragged down by weakness in defensive stocks like utilities and consumer staples businesses.The property sector is in focus yet again as estate agents respond to the Government's decision to clampdown on lettings fees and a few companies update on trading.A mild profit warning sends estate agent Countrywide (CWD) down 14.1%

Activist investor fund Crystal Amber has a knack of getting its own way.Last week publisher Johnston Press (JPG) announced it was considering selling off assets, a move that may have been prompted by stake building from Crystal Amber.But it is the investor's 4% holding in van hire outfit Northgate (NTG) which has caught our eye.Crystal Amber's investment in the UK market leader - which it upped in

Anyone looking for evidence Donald Trump's election has sparked a 'dash for trash' need look no further than the government bond market.The best performing government debt in the world this week belongs to Greece: the country's 10 year bonds were one of only a handful offixed income securities to gain in value since the US vote.The price of most countries' government bonds fell, meaning their yiel

Rental equipment provider Speedy Hire (SDY) says its recovery plan is helping to stabilise the business following earlier setbacks.Speedy Hire says its full year pre-tax profit will beat expectations partially as a result of lower overhead costs including 100-plus job cuts.Investment bank Liberum has upgraded its full-year pre-tax proft estimates by 12% to £11.3 million and maintains its 'buy' re

London shares are firm in early trade on Thursday as investors look to August UK manufacturing PMI data due later this morning. The FTSE 100 adds 40-odd points, or about 0.6%, to 6,823.Among the bigger stories is Media FTSE 250 Ascential (ASCL). Its shares slump more than 5% to 251p as major shareholders Apax and the Guardian Media Group (GMG) flog substantial chunks of their respective stakes, sp

Buy equipment rental play HSS Hire (HSS) ahead of half year results on 31 August as expectations are so low for the business that the slightest bit of good news could propel the share price.A poor first year as a public company sees the stock trade around two-thirds lower than its February 2015 initial public offering (IPO) price of 210p a share.Activitist investor and near-20% shareholder Toscafu