The persistently high interest rate environment means companies are under pressure to cut costs and jobs are an obvious target. While they can cut their workforce through redundancies or slash the wage bill through shorter or fewer shifts, others might already be operating with a skeleton crew and cannot pare back any further.It is against this scenario that higher wages are adding to companies? p

Lowest profit margins in four years predictedElectric vehicle maker appears to have ditched its low-cost model plansStock has fallen 42% this yearMega tech earnings kick-off this week with Tesla (TSLA:NASDAQ) set to get the ball rolling after the market close Tuesday (23 Apr), and the results and commentary are likely to be bleak.The electric vehicle giant earlier this month reported an 8.5% decli

London stock prices mostly recovered on Thursday from the threat of higher for longer US interest rates, while initial jobless claims remained stable.The FTSE 100 index closed up 29.06 points, 0.4%, at 7,877.05. The FTSE 250 ended up 110.53 points, 0.6%, at 19,450.67, and the AIM All-Share closed up 2.17 points, up 0.3%, at 745.29.The Cboe UK 100 ended up 0.2% at 786.93, the Cboe UK 250 closed up

In a surprising development for a company which is usually considered fairly staid, Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY) circulated an internal memo last month letting staff know it was ?saying goodbye? to a number people in its risk management team after an internal review found the function was hampering its transformation plans.The memo from the bank?s chief risk officer, seen by the Financial Times, cl

iShares Automation & Robotics ETF(RBTX) £10.22Fund size: £2.77 billionIn scenes from the film I, Robot, androids can be seen doing all sorts of household tasks ? running errands, carry heavy shopping, cleaning the home, for example. In the real world most robots do repetitive, heavy-lifting, and dangerous tasks in places like car factories.Yet humans and robots are forming a close friendship lik

Profit from permanent recruitment down 18.6%UK gross profit falls by 19.2%Headcount reduced by 100Shares in PageGroup (PAGE) fell 6% to 456p after the recruitment firm reported a 12.8% fall in group gross profit to £219.7 million for the first quarter of 2024.CEO Nicholas Kirk warned: ?The slower end to the fourth quarter of 2023 continued into the first quarter 2024, particularly within continen

The cruise industry is enjoying an unprecedented boom with around 35.7 million passengers expected to book a trip this year, up from 31.5 million in 2023 and 6% more than the number of passengers who set sail in 2019 according to the CLIA (Cruise Lines International Association).Going on a cruise holiday is slowly become a more popular alternative then jumping on a plane or a high-speed train to E

Stock prices in Europe ended higher on Thursday, with the most convincing gains coming from the blue-chip benchmark in Paris, which topped 8,000 points for the first time.The FTSE 100?s gains were more muted, though it did extend its winning streak to three days.Interest rate optimism helped equities on Thursday. The conviction that the European Central Bank will enact its first of the cycle in Ju

EV fantasy Project Titan ditched after more than a decade of rumourInvestors have been critical over Apple?s slow AI embraceCould this be a trigger for share price performance revival?An Apple (AAPL:NASDAQ) electric car always sounded terribly exciting, capturing the imagination of futurists, but rationality seems to have finally dawned at Cupertino. You can argue that Apple is a device maker, and

London?s FTSE 100 struggled on Monday, as robust US services data strengthened the case for the Federal Reserve to hold off on cutting interest rates for now.The FTSE 100 index slipped just 2.68 points to 7,612.86. The FTSE 250 fell 154.09 points, 0.8%, at 19,018.55, and the AIM All-Share gave back 3.80 points, 0.5%, at 750.37.The Cboe UK 100 closed down 0.1% at 761.09, the Cboe UK 250 slumped 1.0

Equity prices in London were on the up on Monday afternoon, though the pound struggled to find its feet in the aftermath of Friday?s robust US non-farm payrolls report.The FTSE 100 index was up 30.67 points, 0.4%, at 7,646.21. A weaker pound is a tailwind to London?s large-cap index, which is stacked with international earners.The FTSE 250 was up 59.11 points, 0.3%, at 19,231.75, and the AIM All-S

Company to cut 17% of workforcePlans expected to save 18% costs against consensusFull year earnings reiteratedShares in global trading platform provider CMC Markets (CMCX) leapt 16% to 155p after cutting its workforce by 17% as part of a drive to reduce costs and increase efficiencies.Monday?s rally takes the shares up almost 40% over the last month and follows 21% gain on 8 January when the compa

A rally in New York stocks on Friday has read across into stocks opening higher in London on Monday, following a strong US jobs report on Friday.The FTSE 100 index opened up 28.53 points, 0.4%, at 7,644.07. The FTSE 250 was up 39.08 points, 0.2%, at 19,211.72, and the AIM All-Share was up 0.90 of a point, 0.1%, at 755.07.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.4% at 764.80, the Cboe UK 250 was up 0.3% at 16,672.

Stock prices in London closed up on Wednesday as private sector expansion proved stronger than expected, and amid a host of strong PMI data from around the world.The FTSE 100 index closed up 41.94 points, 0.6%, at 7,527.67. The FTSE 250 ended up 179.06 points, 0.9%, at 19,171.68 and the AIM All-Share closed up 5.93 points, 0.8%, at 744.85.The Cboe UK 100 ended up 0.5% at 752.68, the Cboe UK 250 cl

Equities in London were on the up heading into Wednesday afternoon, with a better UK economic data and measures out of China lifting the mood.The pound climbed on an improved UK purchasing managers? index reading, while miners cheered a move by China?s central bank which it hopes will spark some life into the Asian economy.Over in Frankfurt, SAP was one of the stories of the day. The software firm

Stocks in London rose on Wednesday morning, as large-cap miners benefitted from news of stimulus measures from China.The FTSE 100 index opened up 38.21 points, 0.5%, at 7,523.94. The FTSE 250 was up 85.94 points, 0.5%, at 19,078.56, and the AIM All-Share was up 1.37 points, 0.2%, at 740.29.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.4% at 751.62, the Cboe UK 250 was up 0.6% at 16,517.35, and the Cboe Small Companies

Record annual profit tops £10 millionCost pressures to impact 2024 profitDividend up 16% in move to progressive growthShares in pawnbroker and jewellery retailer Ramsdens (RFX:AIM) fell 5% on Monday after the company flagged increased energy and staff costs amid continued macroeconomic challenges facing consumers.The shares have lost around 6% over the past year and are sit 20% below the highs ac

2023 operating profit to disappointClient and candidate confidence weakeningNet cash on balance sheet offers comfortShares in PageGroup (PAGE) weakened 2.5% to 445p after the staffing specialist warned profits for the 2023 calendar year would disappoint with low levels of client and candidate confidence delaying the recruitment process, particularly in the permanent jobs market.Judging by the limi

Stocks in London closed mostly lower on Tuesday, as investors nervously eye this week?s US inflation print.The FTSE 100 index closed down 10.23 points, 0.1%, at 7,683.96. The FTSE 250 ended down 99.78 points, 0.5%, at 19,294.02, and the AIM All-Share closed up 1.84 points, or 0.3%, at 752.66.The Cboe UK 100 ended flat at 767.86, the Cboe UK 250 closed down 0.8% at 16,767.71, and the Cboe Small Com

Sharp slowdown in UK job marketShare prices fall across the sectorInterim earnings guidance cutThe European staffing sector became a sea of red on Tuesday with share prices down sharply after FTSE 250 bellwether Hays (HAS) posted a grim account of trading in the three months to the end of December and warned half-year profits would miss expectations.Hays shares were down as much as 19% to 87p at t