Stocks in London and Europe on Thursday failed to share in Wall Street?s Wednesday triumph, with easyJet and Sage dragging down the FTSE 100 despite a rally at BT.The FTSE 100 index was down 23.84 points, 0.3%, at 8,421.96. The FTSE 250 was down 13.91 points, 0.1%, at 20,761.72, and the AIM All-Share was up 0.98 of a point, 0.1%, at 792.59.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.2% at 841.60, the Cboe UK 250 w

Organic revenue up 6.5% in Q1Advanced wound care outlook cutFull-year outlook maintainedShares in Convatec (CTEC) fell 4% to 255.7p after the medical products maker flagged short-term uncertainty in Advanced Wound Care leading to a softer outlook for the division.The news took the shine off a strong start to the year with first-quarter organic revenue up 6.5% which was slightly ahead of market for

One of the factors undoubtedly helping lift the UK stock market to new highs this year is an upturn in M&A (merger and acquisition) activity.According to Dealogic, the value of UK takeovers so far in 2024 is more than $78 billion, the highest level since 2018, as overseas buyers in particular home in on the undervaluation of the market.?The UK has become structurally very attractive for M&A. There

Equities on both sides of the Atlantic registered record highs on Wednesday, as a slowdown in US inflation prompted stocks to move higher as Federal Reserve interest rate cut hopes strengthened.Aside from the US data, there was a slew of M&A developments threatening to steal some of the spotlight in London. The owner of the Royal Mail backed a possible bid, while Wood Group said no to a suitor aga

Experian and Imperial Brands pushed the FTSE 100 to an all-time high on Wednesday morning, with London stocks up at midday ahead of this afternoon?s US consumer price reading.The FTSE 100 index was up 21.63 points, 0.3%, at 8,449.76. The FTSE 100 hit a new record of 8,474.41 earlier.The FTSE 250 was up 86.51 points, 0.4%, at 20,705.03, and the AIM All-Share was up 0.28 of a point at 790.01.The Cbo

THIS IS AN ADVERTISING FEATURE By Melissa Gallagher, Head of Investment Trusts, BlackRock ?During tough economic conditions, the pie gets smaller. If customers don?t have a compelling reason to buy a product, they won?t.?While the outlook for this year?s ISA season is less grim than it was 12 months ago, there are still headwinds for markets in the year ahead. The UK slipped into recession at the

London Stocks started strong on Wednesday, with strong results from Experian offsetting a poor performance at Burberry, as investors await the afternoon?s US consumer price index reading.Amongst individual stocks, Experian jumped as shareholders celebrated higher revenue and profit. Burberry fell, however, as it warned of a tough start to its new financial year.The FTSE 100 index opened up 40.31 p

The FTSE 100 ended higher in London, with hope of UK interest rate cuts in the summer picking up, while US stocks were largely higher despite an inflation caution from the Federal Reserve chair.Investors also had a trade war worries to contend with, as the US slapped tariffs on billions worth of Chinese imports, including in the electric vehicle and chip spaces.The FTSE 100 index rose 13.14 points

London?s FTSE 100 ended lower in quiet trade on Monday, with the latest development in the Anglo American-BHP saga providing some excitement, as investors look to Wednesday?s US inflation data for fresh impetus.The FTSE 100 index ended down 18.77 points, 0.2%, at 8,414.99. It ends a six-day win streak for the large-cap index.The FTSE 250 closed down 85.04 points, 0.3%, at 20,560.34, and the AIM Al

Brave Bison made all-share bidApproach deemed ?opportunistic? Board open to a higher offerShares in The Mission Group (TMG:AIM) were marked up 5.7% to 24p on Monday after the digital media-to-advertising minnow revealed it has rejected a takeover offer from Brave Bison (BBSN:AIM), a rival which snapped up the Steven Bartlett-founded social media advertising practice SocialChain in early 2023.The b

London?s FTSE 100 and its blue-chip peers in Paris and Frankfurt hit record highs on Friday, riding a wave of interest rate optimism, though it was a slightly more cautious start in New York, where stocks traded mixed.The FTSE 100 index closed up 52.41 points, 0.6%, at 8,433.76, after hitting a record high 8,455.77 earlier. The FTSE 250 ended up 114.08 points, 0.6%, at 20,645.38, and the AIM All-S

London stocks were up at midday on Friday, on the back of an interest rate hold from the Bank of England and a better-than-expected gross domestic product reading from the Office for National Statistics.The FTSE 100 index was up 66.70 points, 0.8%, at 8,448.05, after hitting a record high 8,455.77 earlier. The FTSE 250 was up 163.86 points, 0.8%, at 20,695.16, and the AIM All-Share was up 5.05 poi

European equities ended higher on Thursday, with the FTSE 100 and DAX 40 achieving record highs, the former boosted by a dovish tilt to the latest Bank of England decision.Across the Atlantic, weaker US labour data hurt the dollar, amid the expectation that a cooler jobs market could presage an eventual rate cut by the BoE?s US counterpart.At its May meeting, the BoE?s Monetary Policy Committee vo

The emerging battle for market share in the lucrative obesity market, which analysts at Goldman Sachs estimate could be worth more than $100 billion by 2030, is starting to heat up.Sales of market-leading weight-loss drug Wegovy more than doubled to around £1 billion in the first quarter of 2024, helping to drive total sales for Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk (NOVO-B:CPH) up 24% to DKK 65.3 billio

London?s FTSE 100 extended its winning streak to four days on Wednesday, while the pound fell below the $1.25 mark before Thursday?s Bank of England decision.The FTSE 100 index closed up 40.38 points, 0.5%, at 8,354.05, once again a record close. The FTSE 250 ended up 78.91 points, 0.4%, at 20,491.99, and the AIM All-Share closed up 3.41 points, 0.4%, at 779.83.The Cboe UK 100 rose 0.4% at 833.82,

London?s FTSE 100 registered a bullish start to the holiday shortened week on Tuesday, with US interest rate optimism sending equities into the green.Financial markets in London were closed on Monday for the May Day bank holiday.Missing out on the confident trade were budget carriers, as the likes of easyJet and Wizz Air fell after a summer pricing warning from peer Ryanair.The FTSE 100 index clos

Gross margin improvingSmaller EBITDA loss forecastShares up 155% in two monthsHaving surprised the market a month ago by confirming it would hit its full-year revenue guidance, games video maker Frontier Developments (FDEV:AIM) has done it again with news it would report a smaller loss than previously anticipated.The shares climbed 4% to 276p, continuing their striking run from a low of 108p just

Stock prices in London opened in the green on Friday, with investors confident of a softer US jobs report, which take some sting out of hawkish Federal Reserve interest rate expectations.The FTSE 100 index rose 20.31 points, 0.2%, at 8,192.46. The FTSE 250 edged up 14.81 points, 0.1%, to 20,067.14, and the AIM All-Share rose 1.54 points, 0.2%, at 769.65.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.2% at 818.09, the C

Group revenue year-on-year down 6.7%Print revenue down 6%Circulation revenue down 3.4%Shares in Reach (RCH) were up over 9% to 81p in morning trading as one of the UK?s biggest newspaper groups said it was ?on track? to deliver full year expectations.Investors seemed to ignore the 6.7% fall in group revenue with print revenue falling 6% and circulation revenue falling 3.4% in the first quarter.The

London?s FTSE 100 made a bright start to trading on Thursday, after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell played down fears of an interest rate increase, although cuts remain on the back-burner.The FTSE 100 index rose 18.12 points, 0.2%, at 8,139.36. The FTSE 250 edged up just 4.56 points to 19,931.15, and the AIM All-Share was up 1.19 points, 0.2%, at 766.17.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.2% at 812.66, t