Associated British Foods (ABF) dropped to the bottom of the FTSE with the shares falling 4% after the grocery-to-retail conglomerate warned on sugar division profitability and reported a second half decline in like-for-like sales at Primark. The shares have slipped by just over a tenth since the middle of the year, paring year-to-date gains to 1.6% compared with a 7% advance in the blue-chip FT...

Online fast-fashion retailer ASOS (ASC) has sold a majority stake in the iconic Topshop and Topman brands for £135 million to Heartland, an investment vehicle of the Holch Povlsen family and their Bestseller business, ASOS' biggest shareholder with a 28% stake. ASOS shares rallied almost 15% to 417.4p as the site for fashion-loving 20-somethings also announced a much-needed refinancing plan in...

Stock prices in Europe opened in the red on Thursday morning in a data-heavy week for the US, as investors await US jobless figures. The FTSE 100 index opened down 7.81 points, or 0.1%, at 8,261.79. The FTSE 250 was down just 4.44 points at 20,804.17, and the AIM All-Share was down 1.03 points, or 0.1%, at 758.63. The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.1% at 826,40, the Cboe UK 250 was up marginally at 18,...

Stocks in London pulled back on Wednesday, as weak US jobs data fuelled worries about an economic slowdown. The FTSE 100 index closed down 28.86 points, 0.4%, at 8,269.60. The FTSE 250 ended down 23.53 points, 0.1%, at 20,785.03, and the AIM All-Share closed down 2.73 points, 0.4%, at 759.66. The Cboe UK 100 ended down 0.5% at 826.75, the Cboe UK 250 closed down 0.2% at 18,286.84, and the Cboe...

Stocks in London were lower at midday on Wednesday, despite upbeat domestic data, as heavy falls on Wall Street dented the mood. The FTSE 100 index was down 51.37 points, or 0.6%, at 8,247.25. The FTSE 250 was down 132.10 points, or 0.6%, at 20,676.05, and the AIM All-Share was down 4.94 points, or 0.7%, at 757.45. The Cboe UK 100, the Cboe UK 250, and the Cboe Small Companies were all down 0.6...

Shares in Direct Line (DLG) were down marginally to 192p in morning trading as the insurance company reported weaker-than-expected group operating profit for the first half. The group's operating profit came in at £63.7 million which was below company-compiled consensus analyst forecasts of £85 million The insurer has been through the wars over the last year after issuing a profit warning, s...

Shares in Chapel Down (CDGP:AIM) cheapened 16% to 58.5p after England's largest winemaker uncorked a first half profits plunge and said CEO Andrew Carter is leaving to take up a new role at Timothy Taylor & Co. Drinks industry veteran Carter's exit is a bitter blow to Chapel Down. During his three year stint as CEO, he oversaw the winemaker's move from the Aquis exchange to AIM and its market c...

A week after reporting another record quarter, Nvidia (NVDA:NASDAQ) is facing a fresh challenge. The chip designer is now firmly in the sights of US Department of Justice over complaints that it is violating antitrust laws. Investors are worried. Since the news broke (3 Sep), the stock has plunged, falling around 9.5% during the Tuesday session, and facing further declines later today, accordin...

Against a tough market backdrop, housebuilder Barratt Developments (BDEV) delivered a resilient full year performance with adjusted pre-tax profit slightly ahead of market forecasts and the company's expectations. Beating estimates would ordinarily be a positive, but with equity markets falling in response to a big drop in US indices overnight, Barratt shares were marked down 12p or 2% to 508.2...

Stock prices in Europe followed Asian and US stocks into the red on Wednesday morning, as investors await several service PMIs from Europe, US trade balance data and an interest decision by the Bank of Canada. The FTSE 100 index opened down 50.21 points, or 0.6%, at 8,248.25. The FTSE 250 was down 142.91 points, or 0.7%, at 20,665.83, and the AIM All-Share was down 4.34 points, or 0.6%, at 758....

Stocks in London ended Tuesday in the red, as growth fears sparked by the latest US manufacturing data and the weak demand outlook from China weigh on commodity stocks. The FTSE 100 index closed down 65.38 points, 0.8%, at 8,298.46. The FTSE 250 ended down 171.95 points, 0.8%, at 20,808.56, and the AIM All-Share closed down 4.51 points, 0.6%, at 762.39. The Cboe UK 100 ended down 0.7% at 830.63...

Stocks in London were lower during midday trade on Tuesday, as investors looked ahead to the week's various US data prints. The FTSE 100 index was down 47.88 points, or 0.6%, at 8,315.99. The FTSE 250 was down 53.66 points, or 0.3%, at 20,928.34, and the AIM All-Share was unchanged at 766.96. The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.5% at 832.51, the Cboe UK 250 was down 0.4% at 18,417.49, and the Cboe Small...

Aero-engineer Rolls Royce (RR.) is near the top of the FTSE 100 leaderboard on Tuesday (3 Sep) after analysts increasingly suggest a component failure that led airline Cathay Pacific (0293:HKG) to cancel some Airbus (AIR:EPA) A350 flights is probably less serious than Monday's panic sell-off might imply. News broke late yesterday afternoon (2 Sep) that a Cathay Pacific Airbus A350-1000 encounte...