Markets were sunny at the time of London's closing bell on Friday, with investors across the pond enthused by renewed hopes for a Federal Reserve interest rate cut. The FTSE 100 index closed up 41.34 points, 0.5%, at 8,213.49. The FTSE 250 ended up 112.21 points, 0.6%, at 20,164.54, and the AIM All-Share closed up 3.42 points, 0.5%, at 771.53. Over the course of the week, they were up 0.9%, 1....

US biotechnology firm Moderna (MRNA:NASDAQ) surged 13% after reporting a smaller than expected quarterly loss and reaffirming the timeline for expected regulatory approval of its RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) vaccine. Management said it expects the regulator to announce a decision on 12 May which, if granted means the drug could be launched in the third quarter, in time for the Autumn vacc...

VISTRY CEO BUYS OVER 23,000 SHARES Greg Fitzgerald, CEO of UK housebuilder Vistry has bought 23,172 shares at £11.80 for a total value of £273,545.46 on 29 April. Fitzgerald's move can be seen as a vote of confidence in the housebuilder after it recently announced a £100 million share buy-back programme to replace the dividend it scrapped last Autumn. Over the past year, Vistry shares have...

European equities went into Friday afternoon in the green, on the hope that the US jobs report will be softer than the prior month and help calm some hawkish Federal Reserve interest rate expectations. Every batch of hotter US data takes some conviction out of Federal Reserve rate cut bets. Earlier this year, investors hoped the Fed would cut three times in 2024. The FTSE 100 index was up 39.2...

Shares in Intercontinental Hotels fell over 3% to £76.36 on Friday after the global hotels operator reported low single-digit growth in global RevPar (revenue per available room) for the first quarter of 2024. This performance was below expectations and dragged on shares in IHG, which have rallied 37% over the past year. Overall, first quarter global RevPar was up 2.6% year-on-year, with a w...

It was another topsy-turvy week for US markets buffeted by macro data which revealed stronger than expected wage growth on Tuesday (30 Apr) after the employment cost index rose 1.2% compared with 1% expected by economists. Labour costs increased 4.2% year on year in the first quarter, a similar pace to the prior quarter which gives the Fed little wriggle room to cut interest rates anytime soon...

Stock prices in London opened in the green on Friday, with investors confident of a softer US jobs report, which take some sting out of hawkish Federal Reserve interest rate expectations. The FTSE 100 index rose 20.31 points, 0.2%, at 8,192.46. The FTSE 250 edged up 14.81 points, 0.1%, to 20,067.14, and the AIM All-Share rose 1.54 points, 0.2%, at 769.65. The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.2% at 818.09,...

The FTSE 100 finished strong on Thursday, coinciding with a successful day for New York stocks in the aftermath of the Federal Reserve's status quo interest rate decision on Wednesday evening. The FTSE 100 index closed up 50.91 points, 0.6%, at 8,172.15. The FTSE 250 ended up 125.74 points, 0.6%, at 20,052.33, and the AIM All-Share closed up 3.13 points, 0.4%, at 768.11. The Cboe UK 100 ended...

London's blue-chips made steady progress on Thursday, whilst mid-caps struggled for direction, as investors took stock of the latest US interest rate call. The FTSE 100 index rose 28.57 points, 0.4%, at 8,149.81. The FTSE 250 edged down just 3.93 points to 19,922.66, and the AIM All-Share was up 0.50 of a point, 0.1%, at 765.48. The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.3% at 813.60, the Cboe UK 250 added 0.2%...

When we lifted the bonnet on FTSE 250 precision equipment-maker Spectris back in March, we suggested the first-quarter update would be the first test of whether analysts were on track with their downbeat views on the firm's prospects. As expected, the group reported a decline in like-for-like revenue against a strong prior-year quarter but importantly it maintained its full-year guidance. The...

Shares in Reach were up over 9% to 81p in morning trading as one of the UK's biggest newspaper groups said it was 'on track' to deliver full year expectations. Investors seemed to ignore the 6.7% fall in group revenue with print revenue falling 6% and circulation revenue falling 3.4% in the first quarter. The company said it was confident in delivering a reduction in operating costs of 5% to...

Danish pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk (NOVO-B:CPH), known for its leading weight-loss drug Wegovy, delivered better than expected first quarter sales and earnings and raised its full year profit outlook. After initially opening higher the shares fell back 2% on worries over lower pricing of Wegovy in the US and slower than expected growth in the obesity franchise. Investor excitement about...