Shares News

Video game services provider Keywords Studios (KWS:AIM) shares shed 4.5% to £12.75 despite releasing a strong set of results for the first half to 30 June. Were investors simply waiting for the confirmation of the positive numbers before taking profit? We predicted this might happen last week, the company’s shares have appreciated by over 50% since telling the market in July that its half ...

Online supermarket Ocado (OCDO) wants you to believe its latest trading update is excellent. Yet a near-5% share price decline to 287.8p shows that investors aren’t fooled by bullish statements from the company. Falling average order size and rising costs are the key reasons behind today’s share price retreat. Investors may also be disappointed that no new international customers have ...

The financial sector was badly hit in the credit crunch and global economic crisis which followed it. As a result, it has fewer constituents and accounts for less of the total value of the UK stock market than it did a decade ago. In the banking sector, several smaller companies have emerged to challenge the established high street names. What’s included in this sector?: Although it might ...

The FTSE 100 nudges 0.2% ahead to 7,268 with notable gains in the oil, utilities and supermarket sectors. Investors are eagerly awaiting the latest two-day meeting from the US Federal Reserve which starts today. Corporate news on the UK market is led by a mixed statement from food delivery group Ocado (OCDO). Its shares fall 4.6% to 288.1p as news of 14.3% revenue growth for the 13 weeks to 27 ...

Support services group Interserve (IRV) is up 17.4% to 95.6p on the appointment of former Premier Farnell (PFL) chief financial officer Mark Whiteling. Interserve has had a difficult year and recently warned that full year results were likely to be below previous forecasts, leading to a massive fall in the share price. Investors are encouraged by the appointment of Whiteling as chief ...

In the 1990s the UK industrials sector could be characterised as low-margin metal bashers producing commoditised products for mature economies. There has been significant improvement since then with leaner, more technologically focused companies operating in a far more diverse mix of geographies. What’s included in this sector: The industrials super sector includes a number of industries ...

UK insurer Esure (ESUR) is up 6.4% to 279.40p after The Sunday Times reported the company’s founder and largest shareholder Peter Wood was looking to sell his controlling 30.7% stake. Esure said it did not comment on ‘rumour or speculation’. The article claimed Wood had held informal discussions with potential buyers to sell his stake, suggesting such a move could trigger a bid for ...

After two trading days of heavy losses on a resurgent pound the FTSE 100 claws back a little ground this morning, taking its cue from a positive session in Asia overnight. The index is up 0.3% to 7,236. Figures from online property site Rightmove (RMV) showed London house prices recording their biggest annual fall so far this decade. Diamond producer Petra Diamonds (PDL) slumps 8.6% to ...

The good old pint and a pie is still in demand despite the recent weak update by sector bellwether Greene King (GNK). Sector peer JD Wetherspoon (JDW) bucks the negative trend by reporting full year results towards the top end of expectations. Analysts upgrade their pre-tax profit forecasts by up to 4% for the next few years and its shares jump nearly 10% to £11.42. The company is ...

The FTSE 100 opens down by over 20 points to 7,274.85 as North Korea’s latest missile test spooks investors. Cheap and cheerful pub operator JD Wetherspoon (JDW) ticks up 7% to £11.17 as its pre-tax profit before exceptional items hit £102.8m in the 53 weeks to 30 July, a 27.5% increase on 2016’s figure. Like-for-like sales increased by 4%. Toys and games maker and distributer ...