Leading UK shares closed lower on Thursday, but it was a somewhat different picture stateside as the investment world focused on the US Federal Reserve’s decision to bring forward its timeline for interest rate rises. Having been in the red all day, the UK’s benchmark FTSE 100 index closed 0.44% lower to 7,153.43, with the midcap FTSE 250 following suit with a 0.36% fall to 22,535.14, as ...

Leading UK shares remained firmly in the red by midday on Thursday after the US Federal Reserve opened the door to earlier than expected interest rate rises and an easing of monetary support against a backdrop of rising inflation expectations. All eyes were on the US central bank as it brought forward the timeline to begin tightening interest rates, with two hikes now forecast in 2023. AJ ...

Shares in Premier Inn owner Whitbread (WTB) gained 2.8% to £33.81 as occupancy levels surged nearly 50% in the first two weeks following the easing of travel restrictions and limits on overnight stays. In a first quarter trading update, Whitbread said that up until May 17, only essential business travel stays were permitted, with occupancy levels steady at around 35%. But it added that post ...

Shares in Halfords (HFD) were marked 0.6% higher to 408.2p as the car parts-to-bicycles retailer revved in with impressive full year results driven by market share gains in cycling and motoring services and returned to the dividend list. Yet investors were unnerved by the news ‘acute’ supply chain challenges remain in cycling products following a pandemic-driven sales boom, the prospect of ...

Shares in newly-listed footwear brand Dr Martens (DOCS) got something of a kicking from investors after the firm posted profits for the year to March which undershot analysts’ forecasts due to bonus payments. CASHING IN While revenues of £773 million were marginally above the consensus, earnings before and after tax were significantly short of expectations after the firm booked £80.5 ...

Shares in specialist social care company CareTech Holdings (CTH:AIM) gained 1.9% to 621.2p after reporting a strong first half with a surge in revenue and profit. First half revenues to 31 March 2021 grew 16.5% to £243 million, driven by organic means and the acquisition of a majority holding in Smartbox Assistive Technology Limited last October. Underlying pre-tax profit increased 31.6% to ...

Online fashion retailer Asos (ASC:AIM) has been riding high over the past year with its shares having surged well above pre-pandemic levels as its profit soars. Given the tough comparatives it has laid down with the 275% surge in first half profit it reported in April, perhaps it’s no surprise chief executive Nick Beighton has decided to cash in some of his shares. Beighton sold 29,558 ...

London’s FTSE 100 opened lower on Thursday after the US Federal Reserve brought forward the timeline to begin tightening interest rates, with two hikes now forecast in 2023. AJ Bell financial analyst Danni Hewson commented: ‘For now investors seem to largely be taking these developments in their stride – perhaps reassured by Fed chair Jay Powell’s comments that the guidance for two ...

London’s FTSE 100 closed 0.17% higher to 7,184.95 on Wednesday as attention turns to the latest decision on interest rates from the US Federal Reserve later in the day. On Wall Street markets were somewhat less optimistic with the S&P 500, Dow Jones and tech-heavy Nasdaq all trading flat in morning trading stateside. All eyes will be on the US central bank as it finishes its two-day ...

London’s FTSE 100 edged 0.1% higher to 7,179.76 just before midday on Wednesday as attention turns to the latest decision on interest rates from the US Federal Reserve later in the day. All eyes will be on the US central bank as it finishes its two-day meeting, with some analysts predicting it will bring forward its projections for its first post-pandemic interest rate rise by a year to ...