London’s FTSE 100 ended Thursday’s trading session materially lower after US producer prices data came in ahead of forecasts, the blue chip benchmark closing down 0.4% at 7,193.23 points despite better than expected UK GDP figures. In the US the S&P 500 was flat at 4,447.27 points by 4.30pm UK time. STOCK SPIRITS RECOMMENDS CVC OFFER In company news, central European branded ...

The opening of indoor hospitality on 17 May was the penultimate step on the Government’s roadmap towards the complete removal of restrictions on 21 June, notwithstanding the threat of new variants. The UK’s successful vaccination programme and falling hospitalisations over recent months has spurred hopes for a strong second half economic rebound, with the Bank of England upgrading its 2021 ...

COCA-COLA HBC (CCH) 25.09 Gain to date: 7.3% Original entry point: Buy at £23.38, 17 December 2020 OUR ‘buy’ call on soft drinks colossus Coca-Cola HBC (CCH) has marginally underperformed the wider market year-to-date despite achieving solid gains but we are confident there is more upside to come as earnings fizz higher with the reopening of the global economy. We are ...

With prime minister Boris Johnson sticking to his roadmap and jabs being injected into the arms of a grateful global population, the grand economic reopening that beverage businesses have been clamouring for since the pandemic clobbered the sector is upon us. As out-of-home sales channels such as hotels, restaurants, pubs, bars, cinemas and entertainment venues including sporting stadia spring ...

Soft drinks giant Coca-Cola HBC (CCH) was the biggest riser on the FTSE 100 on Thursday (11 Feb), the shares bid up 5% to £23.72 as the resilient Coke brands bottler reported improved second half volume trends and guided to a ‘strong FX-neutral revenue recovery’ in 2021. In a show of confidence, the cash generative company also raised its full year dividend by 3.2% to €0.64 despite ...

UK shares added to their recent gains with the FTSE 100 index tacking on another 25 points or 0.4% to 6,549 in early trading as corporate results continued to inspire buying. The pound pulled back from its recent peak of almost $1.39 to $1.382 while Brent crude futures held their ground above $61 per barrel and gold continued to lag other metals, trading at $1,840 per ounce. COMPANY NEWS ...

In the first of a two-part series Shares invites top fund managers to reveal which stocks they were most pleased with in 2020, which stocks they were most disappointed in, and which they have high hopes for in 2021. Their answers reveal an interesting mix of names across the market cap spectrum. Recent float, materials company HeiQ (HEIQ), for example, crops up twice in this set of ...

Investors seeking to refresh portfolios ahead of an anticipated global recovery in the New Year should buy shares in Coca-Cola HBC (CCH), the soft drinks bottler with leading market shares and a geographically diversified distribution footprint. A consumer defensive with formidable cash generation and a progressive dividend, the £8.5 billion cap has performed with resilience through the ...

UK stocks opened slightly lower on Wednesday despite news that the UK had become the first country to approve the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for emergency use with vaccinations expected to start next week. In contrast, shares of BioNTech jumped 8% in Frankfurt on the news. By midday the FTSE 100 was was up just 12 points or 0.2% at 6,396, with consumer stocks such as AB Foods (ABF), Coca-Cola ...

Shares in Coca-Cola HBC (CCH) improved 11.5p to £21.49 on Wednesday as the soft drinks bottler reported forecast-beating third quarter sales. ‘Strongly improved trading’ for the quarter was driven by a recovery in the out-of-home channel, accounting for just over 40% of the London and Athens-listed firm’s sales, and by further growth in the at-home channel as markets continued to re-open ...

London’s FTSE 100 was in positive territory early on Wednesday, with optimism around the potential Covid-19 vaccine breakthrough continuing to buoy global markets. The blue chip benchmark improved 0.31% to 6,316.62, while the FTSE 250 rose 0.02% to 19,032. BAE SEES BIDEN BOOST Aerospace and defence contractor BAE Systems (BA.) added 1.4% to trade at 470p after it maintained its full ...

UK stocks closed in positive territory on Wednesday, buoyed by strength in miners as the gold price continued to surge and with oil stocks in demand as crude prices broke higher following another significant drawdown in US weekly stockpiles. The benchmark FTSE 100 index closed up 68.72 points, or 1.14%, at 6,104.72. Motor insurer Hastings (HSTG) jumped 17.7% to 253p after it agreed to a bid ...

Bottling company Coca-Cola HBC (CCH) fizzed up 4.3% to £21.20 on Wednesday as the London and Athens-listed firm insisted it was seeing early recovery signs amid lockdown easing measures. The encouraging outlook accompanied news of a sharp decline in first-half profit as the Covid-19 pandemic took its toll on the internationally-diversified drinks business, which serves consumers across 28 ...

The FTSE 100 surged in early trading on Wednesday as expectations grew that the White House and Democrats in the US would strike a new stimulus deal. It comes as the price of gold topped $2,000 per ounce for the first time ever. The precious metal is currently trading around $2,035 per ounce. The further US stimulus measures come after a rapid rise in coronavirus cases in the country, which ...

Investors seeking exposure to a wide range of UK companies still paying dividends should snap up BMO Capital & Income Investment Trust (BCI) as its portfolio contains many of these prized names. This trust could be an easier and more convenient way for income investors to back the dividend payers as it only requires buying a single product rather than lots of individual shares. Among the ...

Another  choppy week in stock markets has again seen a wave of directors buying shares in their companies. Two of the biggest buyers this week involve directors at FTSE 100 companies Micro Focus (MCRO) and Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company (CCH). NEW MICRO FOCUS CHAIR BUYS MORE SHARES Greg Lock, non-executive chairman of software giant Micro Focus, and his wife Rosemary, snapped up buy ...

Shares in Coca-Cola bottling colossus Coca-Cola HBC (CCH) fizzed 5% higher to £29.21 after the soft drinks giant served up strong full year results and said it recorded its highest ever volumes in 2019. Growth accelerated to 7.4% through the fourth quarter, partially clawing back a weather-impacted summer, and Coca-Cola HBC expects the pace of volume growth to quicken this ...

China reported an increase in the number of deaths from and cases of coronavirus, while the first patient has been diagnosed in London, news that gave investors the jitters on Thursday. The FTSE 100 traded down 0.9% at 7,468.37, with its heavy weighting towards commodity stocks, which are particularly sensitive to events in China, contributing to the weakness. Barclays (BARC) cheapened 2.8% to ...

New Woodford Income Focus managers Aberdeen Standard Investments (ASI) have given a glimpse of what the revamped portfolio will look like, with only two of the top 10 holdings left over from the Woodford days. Renamed the ASI Income Focus, the new fund will reopen tomorrow under the management of ASI fund managers Charles Luke and Thomas Moore. Investors are able to place trades from midday ...

UK blue chip shares have tumbled this morning as investors end the year on a cautious note. It mirrors last night’s moves on Wall Street, where the S&P 500 closed 0.6% down and the Nasdaq Composite 0.7% down. Not helping London’s leading basket of stocks, which is exporter-heavy, is a strengthening of the pound against the dollar to $1.3132. At around 8.50am, the benchmark FTSE ...