UK stocks made good gains on Tuesday following the Easter break after the International Monetary Fund increased its forecast for global growth and Boris Johnson confirmed that non-essential shops and outdoor hospitality would open as planned on 12 April. Miners and other overseas earners were particularly strong as the pound weakened following reports that the UK was considering suspending the ...

UK stocks held onto early gains by Tuesday lunchtime, reflecting increased risk appetite and tame bond markets despite stronger economic data. UK car sales rose around 11% in the key selling month of March. While showrooms have been closed for most of the past year, dealerships have kept sales afloat thanks to ‘click and collect’ and delivery services. By 12pm the FTSE 100 index was ...

US video games retailer GameStop (GME:NYSE) plans to raise around $1 billion through the sale of up to 3.5 million shares in order to speed up its e-commerce transformation in an industry that is rapidly shifting to digital. Also designed to beef up its balance sheet, the share offering is a way for the Texas-headquartered headline-grabber to capitalise on the historic short-squeeze engineered ...

Shares in home repair and improvement firm Homeserve (HSV) shed 2% to £11.90 after the company confirmed its full year earnings forecast but said gearing rose due to a dash to increase market share in the second half. Homeserve, which signs households up directly through its membership scheme and signs tradespeople up through its popular Checkatrade platform, forecast pre-tax profits of £191 ...

Shares in foreign currency specialist Argentex (AGFX:AIM) gained 1.4% to 130p after it said in a full-year trading update to 31 March that revenues are expected to be £28.1 million, in line with expectations, as client trading surges back to pre-pandemic levels amid a more upbeat economic environment. A significant improvement in second half trading means that revenues are expected to grow ...

Electric vehicle and battery technology company Tesla beat first quarter production and delivery estimates. The Elon Musk-led company said it produced just over 180,000 vehicles and delivered nearly 185,000 vehicles despite the ongoing semiconductor shortage in the auto industry. That compared to the 168,000 deliveries predicted by analysts, largely thanks to solid demand for the Model Y in ...

UK stocks posted early gains after the S&P500 index hit more all-time highs yesterday, driven by a strong jobs report and a record high in service sector activity. In addition, UK car sales rose around 11% in the key selling month of March. While showrooms have been closed for most of the past year, dealerships have kept sales afloat thanks to ‘click and collect’ and delivery ...

THIS IS AN ADVERTISING FEATURE   An economic recovery is good news for UK mid- and small-cap stocks Two events that occurred late in 2020 – the first Covid-19 vaccines were approved and the UK officially left the European Union (EU) – could set up a very different macroeconomic environment for UK equity investors in 2021. Clearance for take-off After being grounded by the ...

London’s FTSE 100 finished 0.4% higher at 6,737.30 points ahead of the Easter break amid optimism over a reopening of the UK economy. By 4.30pm UK time, the S&P 500 index in the US moved had above 4,000 for the first time, marking a record high after US President Joe Biden proposed a fresh $2 trillion stimulus package. US tech stocks rose on the back of Biden’s plan to pump funds into ...

Shares in online competitions company Best of the Best (BOTB:AIM) plunged 16% to £24 on Thursday after the company made a secondary placing of 2.54 million shares at £24, representing a 16% discount to the previous closing price. The placing included 41,666 shares via the PrimaryBid app for retail investors. Although the retail element of the offering was well intentioned, a ‘payment ...