M&A excitement in the gambling space and a strong showing on Wall Street helped the FTSE 100 to a positive finish on Friday, closing 0.3% higher at 5,842.67. Bookmaker William Hill (WMH) surged 42.5% to 310p as it revealed it had received two cash bids – raising the prospect of a competitive auction for the business. This led to strength in the wider gambling sector. Online fashion ...

The FTSE 100 gave up any gains by lunchtime on Friday to trade 0.8% lower at 5,776.34. Not helping sentiment was news that London has been placed on a UK Covid watchlist amid a surge in infections. European markets were also weak with the US futures markets implying there will be a poor start on Wall Street later. Closer to home there was renewed weakness for those businesses at the sharp ...

The FTSE 100 got off to a modest start on Friday morning, gaining 0.35% to 5,843 on hopes that lawmakers in the US would agree on a crucial stimulus package for the world’s biggest economy. US government bond yields also rose following reports that Democrats were preparing a new economic stimulus package totalling $2.4 trillion in a bid to kickstart talks with Republicans, though reports ...

The property sector is facing its biggest test since the 2016 Brexit vote, with the coronavirus pandemic leading to a new wave of property fund suspensions, dividends being cut and a collapse in valuations. People have been left to question if investing in commercial property is still a viable option and whether it can be relied on for income in the same way as before. However, not all parts of ...

A lengthy list of stocks going ex-dividend weighs on the FTSE 100, off 34 points at 7,315 early on, the blue chip benchmark tracking falls on Wall Street overnight and in Asia this morning. Royal Mail (RMG) posts a 2.2% gain to 428.4p despite warning its pension plan surplus will run out in 2018. Annual contributions of £400m could more than double to £1bn-plus in 2018 ‘if no changes are ...

Commercial property investor, developer and manager Circle Property (CRC:AIM) has a £50 million war chest to expand its portfolio of regional offices. The funds will be provided by NatWest after the company joined AIM on 16 February. Going public was a major condition of securing the debt. Circle raised £1.2 million from the initial public offering (IPO) to cover admission costs and the £43.3 ...