Equity prices in Europe ended the week largely on the back foot, despite a US jobs report which cemented expectations of a June interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve, and sent the dollar lower.In one of the week?s recurring themes, gold was on the up again, this time pushed higher by the US data. The precious metal is on track to extend its winning streak to eight days.The FTSE 100 index ended

Investors looked nervous ahead of a key UK unemployment reading this afternoon, as stocks in London began the afternoon mostly in the red on Friday.The FTSE 100 index was down 20.94 points, 0.3%, at 7,671.52. The FTSE 250 was down 68.68 points, 0.4%, at 19,515.30, and the AIM All-Share was up 1.71 points, 0.2%, at 739.61.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.4% at 768.51, the Cboe UK 250 was down 0.5% at 16,

Takeover by Pollen Street CapitalPremium of 34% to undisturbed priceSuitor sees accelerated growthWealth manager Mattioli Woods (MTW:AIM) became the latest UK mid-cap to be targeted by private equity as the board unanimously recommend an all cash 804p per share offer from Pollen Street Capital.The proposed deal equates to a 34% premium to the undisturbed share price and values the ordinary share c

Stock prices in London were predominantly lower on Friday morning, as big news for several FTSE 100 and 250 constituents failed to adequately combat nervousness around the latest US jobs report.The FTSE 100 index opened down 18.03 points, 0.2%, at 7,674.43. The FTSE 250 was down 65.78 points, 0.3%, at 19,518.20, and the AIM All-Share was up 1.58 points, 0.2%, at 739.48.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.3

At Shares, we have been flagging the potential for M&A in the investment trust space for months, not least in the REIT (real estate investment trust) sector due to the abundance of companies trading well below their net asset values.In the last month alone, three real estate mergers have been announced ? between LondonMetric (LMP) and LXI (LXI), Tritax Big Box (BBOX) and UK Commercial Property (UK

Custodian and Abrdn Property Income combineDeal values API at a 29% premium?More of the same? for CustodianHaving banged the drum repeatedly on how cheap the UK listed property sector is in terms of discounts to NAV (net asset value), we?re not surprised to see more insider buying with Custodian Property Income REIT (CREI) snapping up Abrdn Property Income (API) in an all-share deal.Shares in Cust

In light of the implications of the unfolding tragedy in Ukraine, the global growth outlook has dimmed, which means now more than ever, portfolios should be as diversified by asset class as possible to in order to maximise returns relative to risk.Higher risk assets they may be, yet 'micro caps', the London stock market's smallest quoted companies should form at least a portion of a well-diversifi

Look at the investment trust space if you want to outperform the market when it comes to investing in UK smaller companies.Using data from FE Fundinfo, Shares compared the sector performance to the FTSE All-Share and the Numis Smaller Companies indices.Only seven out of 17 open-ended funds in the UK Smaller Companies sector have beaten the market over the past five years, according to analysis by

UK stocks ended the week on a positive note, just, despite an unexpected rate rise from the Bank of England and a record level of Covid infections driven by the new Omicron variant.Earlier in the day retail sales for November surprised to the upside, lifting retail and other consumer-facing stocks.At the close the FTSE 100 index of leading shares was up 9 points or a little over 0.1% at 7,270 whil

In contrast with European and other international markets, UK stocks were higher on Friday after retail sales rose faster than expected for the second consecutive month.At midday the FTSE 100 index of leading shares was up 21 points or 0.3% at 7,276 points led by mining and consumer-facing stocks.US futures were indicating a lower opening after yesterday's sell-off, while Asian markets were also w

UK stocks were higher on Friday after retail sales rose faster than expected for the second consecutive month as consumers brought forward Christmas shopping due to worries over the availability of products linked to global supply constraints.The FTSE 100 index of leading shares was 0.2% higher at 7,276 points in early trading.In Asia, the Japanese central bank left interest rates unchanged and in

THIS IS AN ADVERTISING PROMOTIONWentworth Resources (WEN:AIM) is a leading domestic natural gas producer in Tanzania with a core producing asset at Mnazi Bay in the onshore Rovuma Basin in Southern Tanzania. The asset has been materially producing for six years into the National Natural Gas Infrastructure (NNGI) pipeline, which runs from the Mnazi Bay field to Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania's commercial

Leading UK stocks reversed earlier gains to fall at the finish on Monday, with the FTSE 100 retreating but managing to stay above 7,000 by the skin of its teeth. The UK's benchmark lost 0.3% to end the day at 7,000.08, while the FTSE 250 nudged 0.1% lower to close at 22,490.86, easing off its record finish on Friday.It was a largely dull day for company news with attention very much grabbed by the

A quiet morning for UK shares belies the action and outrage in the football world, and thousands of investors will be closely watching Wall Street's opening bell to see how Manchester United's New York-listed stock trades after the ructions of its decision to join a breakaway European Super League.Shares in Italian club Juventus, also one of the breakaway dozen, saw its stock jump 14% on Monday.Le

UK stocks made modest gains in early trading on Monday, edging higher as investors continued to bet on a global economic recovery with vaccine rollouts gathering pace.By 8.32 am, London's FTSE 100 was up 0.06% at 7,023.92 points, consolidating its position above 7,000 as investors balanced reopening optimism with a need to take stock following recent gains, while the FTSE 250 crept 0.26% higher to

Despite all the upheaval of the past year, anyone glancing at the financial markets today might find it hard to believe investors were in the throes of despair 12 months ago.Following the global markets crash in February 2020, the recovery has been spectacular. The US Nasdaq 100 and S&P 500 indices are at all-time highs, Japan's Nikkei index is at a multi-decade high, China's Shanghai index is at

The FTSE 100 surged 1.6% to 5,956.50 by lunchtime on Wednesday, driven by increased optimism over the strength of economic recovery and the potential for a coronavirus vaccine this year.It comes as a report from Nationwide Building Society showed a strong recovery in the housing market and said UK house prices increased by the most in 16 years, stoked by cut to stamp duty. Values rose 2% from a mo

The FTSE 100 opened 1% higher on Wednesday at 5,930 points driven by increased optimism over the strength of economic recovery.Overnight trading in Asian saw China's Shanghai Composite fall slightly while Japan's Nikkei 225 index gained 0.5%. Brent Oil was trading 0.8% higher to $46 a barrel while Gold sank 0.6% to $1,958 an ounce.The pound was slightly lower against the US dollar at $1.33.UK hous

Income is a big motivating factor for people to invest in the markets. The idea of securing a regular stream of cash which can be used to pay the bills or reinvested to help boost capital returns is an attractive one.However, this income is not guaranteed and the last two months or so of dividend cuts, suspensions and deferrals have seen billions of pounds worth of payouts from UK stocks taken off

Specialist wealth management and employee benefits company Mattioli Woods (MTW:AIM) saw operational efficiencies and cost savings offset lower revenues that expected.No revenue details were given in a trading up-date for the year to 13 May 2019, although consensus estimates were pitched at £60.4m. But more important is the fact that this will not impact profits, with the company confirming better