Stocks in London saw mixed fortunes at Wednesday?s market open, with the flagship FTSE 100 held back by a strong pound.The FTSE 100 index opened down 37.16 points, 0.5%, at 7,418.08. The FTSE 250 was up 71.67 points, 0.4%, at 18,458.67, and the AIM All-Share was up 1.6 points, 0.2%, at 714.19.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.5% at 740.29, the Cboe UK 250 was up 0.4% at 15,998.72, and the Cboe Small Comp

Stocks in London made a bullish start to the shortened trading week on Tuesday, picking up where they left off on Friday, despite somewhat worrying economic data.Since Friday's European close, there have been less-than-stellar readings of the US and Chinese economies.The rest of the week is data-heavy, with a US inflation reading and UK gross domestic product data. Focus will also be on the start

The news that Royal Dutch Shell (RDSB) has cut its dividend for the first time since the Second World War is not a surprise in one sense given the collapse in the oil price but still feels like a shock.The shares are down 7.3% to £13.45 on the news as the company hasn't just trimmed its quarterly payout but slashed it by two thirds. This comes days after BP (BP.) opted to maintain its own dividen

Oil major BP (BP.) is the fourth largest company on the FTSE 100, representing 5% of the total market cap of the index. According to Link Market Services, BP and Royal Dutch Shell (RDSB) combined paid 20% of all dividends served up by UK-listed firms over the last decade. It is unsurprisingly a very popular holding in UK income funds owned by thousands of investors across the country.Ultimately BP

FTSE 250 IT reseller Computacenter (CCC) said revenue and profit in the third quarter were 'well ahead' year-on-year as it continues to enjoy firm demand from customers across its markets.That this strong revenue and profit growth is drawn against tough comparables from a year ago is impressive. Shares in the company rallied more than 5% on Wednesday to £13.28.That means the stock is up 32% year-

Oil major Royal Dutch Shell (RDSB) is up 3.6% to £23.67 as its results for the fourth quarter of 2018 break a recent habit of missing expectations. The company also reports its best annual set of numbers in four years with profit up 36%.Net income attributable to shareholders on a current cost of supplies (CCS) basis, the company's measure of net profit, and excluding identified items, came in at

The FTSE 100 gets off to a strong start as macro events such as the French election and potential US interest rate hikes are put to one side for the time being. The index is being aided by a host of bluechip companies releasing good results.HSBC (HSBA) is among the top risers as shares are up by almost 3% to 664.2p. The bank released its earnings update showing growth in Asia and a 15% increase in

Virtual reality (VR) may still seem like science fiction for many investors so you might be surprised that 800,000 is the expected number of VR headsets to be sold in the UK this year. Globally the equivalent figure is an impressive 15m, at least according to predictions by mobile market researcher CCS Insight. Headsets may still look boxy but the high resolution displays, lenses and head-tracking

How safe is your income from the stock market? There are some worrying statistics that suggest many of the biggest companies in the FTSE 100 index may be forced to cut their dividends due to cash flow and debt pressures. This would be very bad news for anyone who draws an income from UK equity investment funds or owns some of the UK's most popular stocks.Lower dividend payments means less cash in

Third quarter updates from the three big integrated UK oil companies were a mixed affair although Royal Dutch Shell (RDSB) is emerging as an obvious winner as it successfully pursues the kind of capital efficiency demanded by the market. Continuing volatility in oil prices is likely to show up to a greater extent in fourth quarter numbers and for now we remain cautious on BG (BG.), BP (BP.)and She

Third quarter updates from the three big integrated UK oil companies were a mixed affair although Royal Dutch Shell (RDSB) is emerging as an obvious winner as it successfully pursues the kind of capital efficiency demanded by the market. Continuing volatility in oil prices is likely to show up to a greater extent in fourth quarter numbers and for now we remain cautious on BG (BG.), BP (BP.) and Sh

Sometimes a new technology can shake the very foundations of an industry and a well-placed visionary leads the way. Insurance claims outsourcer and bulletin board hot topic Quindell (QPP:AIM) is just that sort of visionary, telematics is just that sort of transformational technology.Today's detailed announcement of a 'connected car' joint venture (JV) alongside the RAC hold enormous promise for th

The market is being short-sighted over transparency issues at mobile communications kit tester Anite (AIE) and missing the bigger picture. Analysts at Canaccord see the shares hitting 180p sometime in 2014.In August Anite's shares fell over 10% after management warned of poor short-term revenue visibility. The Slough firm is hemmed in by seasonal product launch cycles that tend to leave full-year