London’s FTSE 100 finished lower on Friday as travel-related stocks fell and after the S&P 500 and Nasdaq opened lower, with a rise in US bond yields weighing on highly valued tech stocks a day after the S&P 500 set a record closing high. By the close on Friday, the benchmark FTSE 100 index was down 0.38% at 6,915.75 points, though the high-flying FTSE 250 ended 0.02% higher at ...

London’s FTSE 100 traded flat by midday on Friday as banks and travel-related stocks fell, though the blue chip benchmark remained on course for its best week since early January ahead of an anticipated reopening-driven economic bounce. By lunchtime, the benchmark FTSE 100 index was down 0.12%, at 6,933.8, while the FTSE 250 was flat at 22,247.2 points. UK stocks took a breather following ...

UK stocks have taken a breather following a strong week which saw a return to pre-pandemic levels for the FTSE 100 and a record high for the FTSE 250. The UK’s benchmark index fell 0.23% to 6,926 in early trading on Friday, while the midcap FTSE 250 traded almost flat at 22,261. It comes after Wall Street hit record highs overnight with the S&P 500 reaching an all-time high of ...

Investors increasing use environmental, governance and social filters to screen out companies that seemingly do bad things. But what if a company can realise the error of its ways and change for the better? Someone who refused to invest in it based on past practices could miss out on future gains. It’s a dilemma that hangs over investors looking at clothing retailer Boohoo (BOO:AIM) which ...

Shares in fast-fashion online retailer Boohoo (BOO:AIM) fell as much as 9% to 312p on 2 March after media reports suggested the firm and its suppliers could face an import ban in the US due to widespread allegations of forced labour in its garment factories. A petition by Liberty Shared, a group which campaigns against modern slavery, claims Boohoo has not done enough to stop forced labour ...

UK stocks made solid gains on Tuesday, spurred on by strength in miners and financials, in a quiet trading day ahead of the Budget tomorrow. The blue-chip FTSE 100 index closed 0.38% higher to 6,613, while the FTSE 250 mid-cap index dipped 0.21% to 21,177 points. COMPANY NEWS Gaming and sports betting group Flutter Entertainment (FLTR) revealed a 27% increase in turnover for last ...

Shares in online fast fashion retailer Boohoo (BOO:AIM) fell 4% to 330p after reports emerged that it could face a US import ban over widespread allegations of slave labour. According to Sky News, US Customs and Border Protection has seen enough evidence to launch an investigation after petitions from a campaigning British lawyer. Duncan Jepson who runs Liberty Shared, a campaign group ...

UK stocks added to early gains on Tuesday in quiet trading ahead of the UK budget tomorrow. At 12pm the FTSE 100 index was up 0.44% to 6,618 points while the FTSE 250 mid-cap index was virtually flat at 21,227 points. COMPANY NEWS Gaming and sports betting group Flutter Entertainment (FLTR)  revealed a 27% increase in turnover for last year and a 20% increase in earnings before ...

As anticipated, online fast fashion retailer Boohoo (BOO:AIM) is acquiring the online assets including customer data of the Burton, Dorothy Perkins and Wallis brands from the administrators of the collapsed Arcadia for £25.2 million in cash. Manchester-headquartered Boohoo believes the deal will extend its market share across a broader demographic and enable it to capitalise on growth ...

UK stocks opened higher on Monday following rises on Asian exchanges and in the oil price, as the global Covid-19 vaccine rollout gained momentum and US lawmakers closed in on a stimulus deal. The benchmark FTSE 100 index was up 0.24% at 6,504.57 points early on, with BP (BP.) gaining 1.4% to 255.6p and Royal Dutch Shell (RDSB) up 0.4% to £13.51 after Brent crude prices hit $60 a ...

Shares in ASOS (ASC:AIM) strutted 3.3% higher to £46.20 on Monday after the online fashion retailer acquired the Topshop, Topman, Miss Selfridge and HIIT brands from the administrators of Arcadia for £265 million in cash. Expected to complete this Thursday, the deal provides ASOS with a ‘significant opportunity’ to drive the global growth of these brands, which are expected to deliver a ...

London’s FTSE 100 finished Friday’s session 1.8% lower at 6,407.5 points after the worst week for markets since October. Wall Street opened in the red, the US market extending its run of losses as the GameStop saga continued. Investors have been rattled by traders on Reddit buying stocks such as GameStop in coordinated attacks against short sellers, while concerns over vaccine ...

By lunchtime on Friday, London’s FTSE 100 was 0.8% lower at 6,474 points with recession fears, problems with the vaccine rollout and ‘message-board led volatility’ from the so-called ‘Reddit revolution’ all weighing on investor sentiment. The dispute between the EU and pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca (AZN) over its coronavirus vaccine looks no closer to being resolved, something that ...

Having bagged the online business and brand assets of Debenhams for £55 million earlier this week, online fashion retailer Boohoo (BOO:AIM) is in talks to acquire the Dorothy Perkins, Wallis and Burton brands from the ashes of Philip Green’s failed Arcadia empire. Responding to media reports, Manchester-based Boohoo has confirmed it is in ‘exclusive discussions’ with Arcadia’s ...

The FTSE 100 plunged 1.4% to 6,402.40 in early trading on Friday with investors nervous over recession fears and problems with the vaccine rollout, while ‘message-board led volatility’ from the so-called ‘Reddit revolution’ also hit sentiment. The dispute between the EU and pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca (AZN) over its coronavirus vaccine looks no closer to being resolved, something ...

Investors seeking exposure to a global growth stock with a powerful structural tailwind at its heels should bag shares in high-flying online fashion retailer ASOS (ASC:AIM). Though the stock has already powered ahead during the pandemic, ASOS is in an upgrades cycle driven by the accelerated spending shift to the web. It trades on roughly 35 times forward earnings estimates for the next ...

Shares in the self-styled ‘king of trainers’ JD Sports Fashion (JD.) dipped 1.4% to 806p, halving their earlier losses, after the company confirmed recent press speculation it was planning to raise equity capital to fund its expansion plans. In a brief statement, the high-street sportswear chain said it was ‘exploring additional funding options with a view to increasing its flexibility ...

UK stocks reversed their morning gains as markets worldwide wobbled after US legislators warned that a bi-partisan deal over up to $1,900 billion of government stimulus may take longer than expected. At the close the FTSE 100 index of leading shares was down 56 points or 0.8% at 6,639 as weakness in travel and financial stocks offset gains in retailers and utilities. Gold prices slipped ...

UK stocks gave up their early gains on Monday as a pick-up in merger and acquisition activity was offset by increasing worries over the new strain of the virus. By midday the FTSE 100 index of leading shares was down 20 points or 0.3% to 6,674 as weakness in travel and financial stocks offset gains in retailers and miners. Gold prices slipped 0.2% to $1,851 an ounce and Brent Crude gained ...

Shares in Boohoo (BOO:AIM) bounced 4.3% higher to 347p on Monday after the web-based fast fashion retailer acquired collapsed department store Debenhams’ online assets for £55 million in a deal that enlarges Boohoo’s target addressable market. Debenhams’ online business is a top 10 retail website in the UK by traffic, enjoying roughly 300 million UK visits per year, though ...