Investors retained their optimism following the agreement of an EU stimulus package with the FTSE 100 index rising 0.5%  to 6,291.48 by lunchtime. US futures markets suggested the strength would extend to Wall Street as investors await the latest announcements from the second quarter earnings season. Gambling firm GVC (GVC) fell 9.3% to 790.8p as it said it was 'surprised' that the UK tax ...

UK stocks opened higher on Tuesday after European leaders agreed to a massive regional stimulus deal, sending the FTSE 100 up 0.45% to 6,289.75. Mining titan BHP (BHP) fell 1.2% to £17.76 despite meeting full year production guidance for iron ore, metallurgical coal and copper, as petroleum production fell marginally below guidance following the impact of COVID-19 in the June 2020 ...

The pressure on dividends from UK stocks continues to build amid the coronavirus crisis – at our last count 274 London-listed companies have cut, deferred or cancelled payouts totalling some £20.5bn. This includes 34 FTSE 100 firms. On the other side of the ledger, 82 firms have retained £4.4bn worth of dividends encompassing eight constituents of the FTSE 100. Plumbing products firm ...

The Bank of England and the Treasury managed a one-two punch on 11 March as interest rates were cut by 50 basis points to a record low of 0.25% and hundreds of billions of pounds of new spending was announced. This did little to boost sentiment in the wider market as ongoing coronavirus fears and a sell-off in the US overshadowed the news, despite the provision of £30bn for coronavirus relief in ...

The FTSE 100 and sterling were relatively stable having already absorbed news of an emergency rate cut this morning as chancellor Rishi Sunak announced his first Budget. The direction of UK stocks seemed to take their cue instead from a significant sell-off in the US as gains made across the Atlantic yesterday were wiped out. However the massive increases in spending announced by ...

The FTSE 100 got off to a strong start on Monday following better than expected manufacturing data coming out of China. The Caixin/Markit manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index showed a reading of 51.8 in November, up from 51.7 the previous month and the fastest expansion since December 2016. Anything above 50 signals expansion, and anything less than 50 signals contraction in the ...

London’s FTSE 100 gave up 26.8 points to trade at 7,304.5 early on Tuesday, dragged lower by supermajor BP (BP.), ongoing domestic election uncertainties as well as a further slowdown in house price growth which weighed on large cap builders Berkeley (BKG), Barratt Developments (BDEV) and Taylor Wimpey (TW.). Oil major BP softened 3.9p to 508.1p after reporting a sharp drop in third quarter ...

Sales growth of the Harry Potter series have significantly slowed for book publisher Bloomsbury (BMY), overshadowing otherwise firm half year results. Income from the hugely popular boy wizard series rose 5% in the six months to 31 August 2018, a far cry from the stonking 40% growth posted last year when books flew off the shelves. That was largely due to 20th anniversary celebrations ...

London’s FTSE 100 falls to a seventh-month low of 6,983 on Tuesday, with markets flashing red across Europe and Asia amid geopolitical tensions focused on Saudi Arabia, a falling oil price, Italy’s budget issues and ongoing Brexit concerns among many other issues. Leisure leviathan Whitbread (WTB) weakens 75p or 1.7% to £43.89 after booking a flat first half profit with sales growth ...

Investing in companies that are in a rising trend can often be a great way to profit from the market. Stocks on a tear often find those strong runs last far longer, and go far higher, than most normal investors might expect. Fund manager and renowned momentum investor Richard Driehaus takes exception to the old stock market adage of buying low and selling high by saying ‘far more money is ...

London's FTSE 100 firms 32.7 points to 7,650.4 on Monday, the blue chip benchmark higher as investors shrug off trade war scuffles and the UK’s latest political rumpus, with Prime Minister Theresa May facing another challenge to her leadership following David Davis’ resignation. In corporate news, embattled mother and baby products purveyor Mothercare (MTC) slumps 9.1% to 26p on news it ...

The benefits of having successful franchises are made crystal clear in the latest results from Entertainment One (ETO) and Bloomsbury Publishing (BMY). Both companies are riding high thanks to ongoing sales from certain titles which have the hallmarks of being evergreen brands, potentially giving them longevity as new generations discover their appeal in years to come. Peppa Pig generated ...

Publisher Bloomsbury (BMY) gains 6.3% to 220.1p as it posts full year results ahead of expectations and delivers a very robust outlook for the year ahead. Pre-tax profit, before one-off items, is up 10% to £13.2m in the 12 months to 28 February. The company also notes that a strong autumn book list and the acquisition of I. B. Tauris & Co. Ltd (IBT) will mean performance for 2018/19 will ...

Mining companies act as a drag on early deals on London’s stock market on Tuesday capping gains for a record-setting FTSE 100. The UK’s blue-chip index closed at 7,853.17 on Monday. In early trades on Tuesday the index is limited to single-digit progress, nudging the FTSE 100 to 7,860.62. There’s also shock news that energy watchdog Ofgem has opened an investigation into National Grid's ...

UK investors batten down the hatches in early trade on Tuesday as the bloodbath on global stock markets continues. Asian markets plunged overnight taking the lead of the Dow Jones which registered its largest points fall in history. UK investors are rightly rattled as they ponder whether this is simply a correction after a prolonged run for share prices, or if there is something far more ...

It has been more than two decades since the publication of the first book which started the worldwide Harry Potter franchise. Much to many people’s surprise, the spell cast by the JK Rowling-penned series is continuing to pay off for publishing firm Bloomsbury (BMY). The company generated a 20% increase in group revenue during the six months to 31 August. Importantly, revenue from its ...

Publisher Bloomsbury (BMY) has smashed profit expectations in the six months to 31 August as the Harry Potter series continues to enchant readers. Numis analyst Paul Richards says adjusted pre-tax profit of £2.5m was ‘well ahead’ of his £1.4m forecast. How much bearing this will have on the full year outcome, which is typically hugely second half weighted because of Christmas, remains to ...

The FTSE 100 opened down following weak trading on Wall Street although a dip in sterling's value helped limit the losses on the UK’s main exchange. In corporate news, FTSE 100 hospitality company Whitbread (WTB) loses 3.6% to £38.02 despite releasing results for the half year to 31 August that are ‘in line with expectations’. The company has opened 2000 new Premier Inn rooms during the ...

It’s the New Year, the perfect time to put some more money to work in the markets and give your investment portfolio a boost with some healthy new ingredients. In particular, now is a good opportunity to use up any remaining bit of your ISA allowance to maximise tax benefits. Not sure where to invest? Fear not, as we’ve got nine superb stock ideas in this article (and a bonus stock to ...

Small cap Bloomsbury Publishing (BMY) plans to move away from the magical world of Harry Potter and fiction books to focus on non-consumer publishing for the business to business (B2B) academic and professional information market. Sales of Harry Potter, including the illustrated edition of the first book, grew by 133% in the year to 29 February 2016. Revenue shot up 57% to £41.8 ...