Shares in FTSE 250 infrastructure group Balfour Beatty (BBY) were bottom of the pile losing more than 5% to 302p even though the firm increased its earnings expectations for the 2022 financial year.While first half profits from operations were positive to the tune of £60 million compared with last year's loss of £14 million, investors seemed to take exception to the underperformance of the priva

Lending company Funding Circle (FCH) dipped 1.7% to 88.5p despite reporting better-than-expected performance in the second half of the year, supported by record loans under management (LuM) and originations.Today's modest sell-off follows a strong run for the shares which are up nearly 30% in the last four months.The company reported second-half total income of £121 million and adjusted earnings

UK stocks ended sharply lower on Thursday after minutes from the Federal Reserve's policy meeting at the end of July struck a cautious note on the pace of the US recovery and US weekly jobless claims came in above expectations, reinforcing the market's negative mood.At the close the FTSE 100 index of leading stocks was down 98 points or 1.5% to 6,013, led lower by financial stocks such as wealth m

UK stocks fell sharply on Thursday after minutes from the US Federal Reserve's last policy meeting at the end of July struck a cautious tone on the pace of the US recovery and concerns mounted of a resurgence of the Covid virus in several European countries.At midday the FTSE 100 index of leading stocks was down 68 points or 1.1% to 6,044, led lower by financial stocks such as wealth managers M&G

A warning overnight from the US Federal Reserve on the economic outlook and growing coronavirus infections around the globe caused investors to take fright with the FTSE 100 down 1.6% to 6,015.62.Copper miner Antofagasta (ANTO) has tumbled 2.5% to £11.20 after it announced that its first-half revenue was down 15.3% as a result of copper prices 12.5% lower and sales volumes.Group copper productio

Investors who prefer to entrust capital allocation decisions to a professional money manager as opposed to buying individual stocks are exceptionally well served by the FTSE 350. Within its ranks, you'll find a highly-diverse batch of investment trusts spanning all the key asset classes.Shares' number-crunching reveals a grand total of 57 investment trusts within the FTSE 350 - that is with some v

As the dust settles on the largest, and possibly most drawn-out democratic election process anywhere, Narendra Modi has retained power in India. This is likely to settle the nerves of UK-based investors that already have an appetite for investing in India.We'll now look at some of the ways you can access the country via open-ended funds.Jupiter India Fund (B4TZHH9) is one of the most popular produ

You may find it odd to celebrate the start of the new tax year as 6 April often brings rising taxes and falling benefits. However, the one thing in investors' favour is that the ISA allowance clock is reset. It means you can invest up to £20,000 over the coming tax year and not pay any tax or capital gains on investments inside the wrapper.The start of the new tax is often one of the busiest time

The 145.2p per share cash takeover offer for John Laing Infrastructure (JLIF) on 16 July has renewed investor interest in a sector dogged by political risk of late.Infrastructure as an asset class had been gaining greater traction over the last five years or so. It is relatively uncorrelated to the equity market and can provide a predictable stream of income, often rising ahead of inflation, over

It is two years since the British public had its say in the EU referendum of June 2016 and while many voters and Leavers are unlikely to be in the least bit concerned, it can be argued that financial markets continue to approach March 2019 with a degreeof trepidation.This is not to say the markets are right to be cautious about what Brexit may bring to the UK and EU economies - this column is goin

Infrastructure has been a favourite among investors and politicians alike. Investors like the high yields on offer while politicians prefer to wax lyrical on infrastructure projects and spending at election time as they are usually linked with job creation.Unfortunately infrastructure funds - vehicles such as investment trusts which provide investors with access to the asset class - have hit a few

The once reliable infrastructure investment trust space has come under enormous pressure as investors panic over the collapse of Carillion (CLLN). There are very real fears that Carillion going to the wall could be the first in series of outsourcing failures.A big profit warning at Capita (CPI) has not helped to calm those fears in the interim.The Carillion episode has also sparked intense politic

Support services company Carillion (CLLN) is being put into compulsory liquidation. What does this mean for the many companies Carillion had contracts with and is there an opportunity for rivals to pick up business?Broker Numis says that while the event is clearly bad news for the whole industry in the short term many suppliers have been able to mitigate this to some degree by adopting low exposur

Property regeneration group U and I (UAI) is one of the most compelling value opportunities in the property sector and investors should snap up the shares before the wider market cottons on.U and I trades at a 33% discount to net asset value per share of 300p, according to stockbroker Peel Hunt. Yet it is on track to deliver one of the most substantial total returns in the sector if management gui

Texas oil play PennPetro (PPP) followed a recent trend of small caps shunning AIM in favour of a standard listing on the Main Market yesterday. In the statement accompanying its admission it referred to a 1P working interest in 2m barrels of oil and 1m mcf (million cubic feet) of gas.But what does 1P mean? Answering this question will help us understand more broadly how the oil industry defines th

Property regeneration play U and I (UAI) offers investors a 9.3% yield this financial year from ordinary and special dividends according to forecasts from Peel Hunt.The generous shareholder returns are backed by guidance for record gains of £65m to £70m in the February 2018 financial year.9.3% yield on offerThe company has a decent track record of meeting guidance. So it therefore seems odd that

Investors want to know what's going to happen to the economy and the stock market now Prime Minister Theresa May has started the official process of taking the UK out of the EU.While it is hard to know exactly how the markets will move, it is possible to make a few assumptions.In a nutshell, the market is more likely to react to progress reports on trade negotiations and exit terms than the mere t

One of the most striking aspects of 2016 was the impact of currency returns on investor portfolios. The sharp fall in the pound after the EU referendum meant that sterling finished the year down 16% against the dollar, 14% against the euro and 19% against the yen.UK-based investors with exposure to overseas assets denominated in any of these currencies would have enjoyed a massive increase in thei

We've been patiently waiting for a recovery in the UK construction industry since the global recession in 2008. At some point it has to arrive; the uncertainty continues to be the point when that event will happen.The industry accounts for around £90 billion or between 6% and 7% of UK economic output. While construction's progress is patchy; some areas such as building materials - and specialty m

Electric-powered trains, highways, bridges - even a sports stadium - it's hard not to be impressed by the pictures of infrastructure projects that surround chief executive Olivier Brousse in John Laing's (JLG) West End boardroom.From this base, Laing's reach spans far and wide and from the mundane to the monumental. From street lights in Croydon to railways in the US or health facilities in Austra