FTSE mining stocks on Wednesday were boosted by an uptick in gold prices while the Nasdaq Composite hit an all-time high, topping 20,000 for the first time. A jump in the gold price boosted Endeavour Mining and Fresnillo, while Lloyds Banking Group climbed as the Supreme Court agreed to an appeal brought by motor finance companies regarding car loans. The FTSE 100 index closed up 21.26 points,...

European blue-chips traded higher heading to Wednesday afternoon, but trade lacked conviction, typifying a recently uninspiring run for the FTSE 100. 'After a good start to the year, the UK index has stubbornly remained in a small trading range since June,' AJ Bell analyst Dan Coatsworth commented. The FTSE 100 index traded up 9.07 points, 0.1%, at 8,289.43. The FTSE 250 was down just 10.15 poi...

Shares in British American Tobacco (BATS) gained ground, adding 19p or 0.6% to £29.88 as the global tobacco firm said it was on track to deliver for full year 2024 in line with its previous guidance. STEADY PROGRESS, SUSTAINABLE RETURNS The company behind brands like Dunhill, Kent, and Lucky Strike said performance for the second half was driven by a further improvement in profitability in it...

Spanish clothing retailer Inditex (ITX:BME) has transformed itself from a humble textile maker into a global fashion titan with a reputation for being on-trend and quick to market and can usually be relied upon to meet or beat forecasts. But the Madrid-listed shares were under pressure on 11 December, falling 5% to €52 after the fashion house's third quarter sales and earnings missed analysts...

Blue-chip stocks in London, Paris and Frankfurt opened lower on Wednesday ahead of a Canadian interest rate decision and consumer price index inflation data from the US. The FTSE 100 index traded down 27.16 points, 0.3%, at 8,253.20. The FTSE 250 was down 79.67 points, 0.4%, at 20,894.27, and the AIM All-Share was down 0.58 of a point, 0.1%, at 736.99. The Cboe UK 100 was 0.4% lower at 828.28,...

UK indices slipped into the red on Tuesday as the London exodus continues, with Ashtead unveiling plans to shift its primary listing to the US. The FTSE 100 index closed down 71.72 points, 0.9%, at 8,280.36. The FTSE 250 ended down 75.33 points, 0.4%, at 20,973.94, and the AIM All-Share shed 3.28 points, 0.4%, at 737.57. The Cboe UK 100 ended down 0.8% at 831.35, the Cboe UK 250 closed down 0.5...

First-half results from online greeting cards-to-gifting platform Moonpig (MOON) were solid enough, with revenue up 3.8% to £158 million as growth in the namesake brand offset a decline at Netherlands-based arm Greetz. Robust cash generation and rapid deleveraging gave Moonpig the confidence to announce an inaugural interim dividend of 1p on top of a maiden share buyback programme underway. Un...

As expected, fantasy miniatures maker Games Workshop (GAW) has provided an update on its agreement with Amazon (AMZN:NASDAQ) to produce films and television series based on the Warhammer 40,000 universe. As usual Games Workshop has provided the bare minimum in terms of commentary and detail. Having initially opened as much as 3% higher to a new high of £142.7, the shares have drifted to trade...

Blue-chips in London, Paris and Frankfurt were in the red midday Tuesday, as investors fretted over the outlook for China's economy after some less-than-stellar data. 'Chinese exports grew at a slower pace in November versus October, and imports shrank. That doesn't install much confidence about Beijing's efforts to get the country back on top. The prospect of higher tariffs on Chinese goods ex...

Shares in Ashtead (AHT) fell as much as 10% in morning trading as the equipment rental firm issued a profit warning and said it will be moving its primary listing to the US. The equipment rental firm joins a growing list of UK companies moving their primary listing to New York including construction materials firm CRH (CRH) in April 2023, gaming, and betting firm Flutter Entertainment (FLTR) an...

AI demand continues to power chip sales for TSMC (TSM:NYSE), the world's biggest contract chipmaker, which clocked a sharp year-on-year increase in revenue through November, even if growth slowed a little from October. TSMC's net revenue rose 34% to T$276.06 billion (approximately $8.52 billion) from T$206.03 billion last year. That may be lower than October's T$314.24 billion yet year-to-date...

Stock prices in Europe opened in the red on Tuesday as the FTSE 100 faded amid a softer start for miners. Mining firms climbed on Monday amid hopes of a China economic bounce back next year, but returned some progress on Tuesday. Anglo American was 2.2% lower, Glencore fell 2.1% and Antofagasta lost 2.0%. The FTSE 100 index traded down 38.21 points, 0.5%, at 8,313.87. The FTSE 250 was up 87.63...

The FTSE 100 closed up on Monday, boosted by blue-chip oil firms responding positively to the ousting of long-standing Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad. The FTSE 100 index closed up 43.47 points, 0.5%, at 8,352.08. The FTSE 250 ended down 9.73 points at 21,049.27, and the AIM All-Share closed up 2.63 points, 0.4%, at 740.85. The Cboe UK 100 ended up 0.5% at 838.25, the Cboe UK 250 closed up 0.1% at...