Organic sales grow 2%Tough annual comparisonPositive read for BurberryGlobal luxury goods leader LVMH (MC:EPA) eked out a small increase in first-quarter revenue against strong comparable sales in the same period last year, sending its shares up 3% to ?807 and temporarily arresting the downtrend of the past month.Growth was the weakest since the rebound from the pandemic in early 2021, held back b

Stocks in London trod a disparate path, ahead of UK inflation data, which could dictate events on Thursday when the Bank of England makes its latest decision on interest rates.The FTSE 100 index rose 15.75 points, 0.2%, at 7,738.30. But the FTSE 250 ended down 53.72 points, 0.3%, at 19,432.81, and the AIM All-Share fell 1.07 points, 0.2%, at 735.56.The Cboe UK 100 rose 0.2% to 774.76, the Cboe UK

Stocks in London made muted progress on Monday, despite further tech gains in New York, in a lull ahead of a storm of central bank announcements this week.The FTSE 100 index closed down 4.87 points, 0.1%, at 7,722.55. The FTSE 250 ended down 26.38 points, 0.2%, at 19,486.53, and the AIM All-Share closed down 1.68 points, 0.2%, at 736.63.The Cboe UK 100 ended down 0.1% at 773.55, the Cboe UK 250 cl

The IT reseller industry has enjoyed a strong bounce back from the world?s Covid reopening as customers line up to put in place digital strategies and adopt the latest technologies, and AI (artificial intelligence) levers are being pulled left, right and centre.International player Computacenter (CCC) said in September 2023 that it sees another record year for profits and analysts have been quick

H1 orders softened 1.1%Sales guidance downgradedCost cuts underpin profit forecastSofa specialist DFS Furniture (DFS) has trimmed its sales guidance for the year to June 2024 by roughly £40 million to reflect weaker than expected demand in a ?challenging? living room and upholstered furniture market.However, shares in the Doncaster-headquartered retailer rose almost 1.5% to 112.4p after the firm

We are now a little more than a fortnight away from Christmas Day with TV adverts pushing festive products, high streets adorned with Christmas decorations and shops flush with discount offers.The so-called 'Golden Quarter' including Black Friday is the most hotly contested period of the year amongst retailers and those that suffer disappointing sales or resort to overly-promotional strategies typ

London's FTSE 100 lagged European peers heading into Tuesday afternoon, with a share price slide for Barclays sending other lenders down with it and weighing on the FTSE 100.The pound made a slight - albeit unconvincing - gain, despite weaker UK economic data.Eyes will be on New York later, with earnings from Google owner Alphabet and Microsoft scheduled.The FTSE 100 index was down 7.92 points, 0.

ScS shareholders will receive 280p per shareDeal worth £99.4 millionRival DFS shares up nearly 10%Shares in ScS (SCS) soared over 60% in morning trading after the sofa and carpet specialist accepted a cash offer of 270p and a final dividend of 10 pence per share from Italian furniture retailer Poltronesofa.Poltronesofa is a pan-European sofa retailer based in Italy offering 'italian-manufactured

Organic growth slows to 9%Fashion and leather goods sales miss expectationsBut LVMH remains 'confident' of continued growthShares in LVMH (MC:EPA) lost 7% to trade at €684.2 in early dealings on 11 October after the globe's biggest luxury goods group posted a third quarter sales growth slowdown as the post-pandemic luxury spending boom continues to fade.LVMH has struggled to lure well-heeled

Shares in DFS Furniture (DFS) have lost nearly 30% of their value so far in 2023 as the sofa seller has struggled with weak demand and inflationary pressures.In the company's recent set of results, DFS saw its full year profits for the 12 months to 25 June almost halve to £29.7 million compared to last year. DFS's revenue was also down 5.3% to £1.08 billion.The company reduced its total ordinary

London's blue-chips headed south, after the Bank of England's pause prompted a brief respite, as US stocks nursed further heavy falls on fears of higher interest rates, for longer.The BoE decision hurt the pound, and while the Federal Reserve similarly paused overnight, the dollar was in decent shape on the assessment that it was a hawkish hold by the US central bank.The FTSE 100 index ended down

Stocks in London were mostly higher at midday Thursday, as the Bank of England followed the US Federal Reserve's footsteps and decided against a hike.Unlike the Fed, the BoE's decision and accompanying statement were interpreted as dovish, putting pressure on sterling. Sterling was quoted at $1.2257 shortly after the decision, down versus $1.2295 just beforehand and, lower than $1.2396 at the Lond

Retailer Next (NXT) has managed to eke out an impressive 20% share price gain in 2023 despite all the pressures on household budgets as it has continued to deliver sector-leading performance.Investors will be hoping for more of the same when it posts first-half results on 21 September. These numbers will have wider resonance as Next is seen as a bellwether for the retail sector. Unlike some of its

There were divergent fortunes for US indices over the past week. The improving picture for inflation still underpinning reasonably positive sentiment but Netflix (NFLX:NASDAQ) and Tesla (TSLA:NASDAQ) helping to put the tech space on the back foot. The quarterly updates from both companies were not exactly a disaster, however tech names are heading into this earnings season with expectations and va

Despite inflationary pressures and a cost-of-living crisis that is squeezing consumers' real disposable income, shares in household name retailers with nationwide physical store footprints have rallied hard since the back end of 2022.They include British retail institution Marks & Spencer (MKS), variety goods discounter B&M (BME), cut-price greeting cards seller Card Factory (CARD), athleisure spe

- Value sofa seller delivers resilient results- Positive order momentum over past two months- Snug acquisition bedding in nicelyShares in ScS (SCS) rallied 4.7% to 188.5p after the sofa, flooring and furniture seller delivered resilient first half results and reiterated full year guidance, avoiding the earnings downgrade disappointment delivered by rival DFS Furniture (DFS) last week.Despite the c

- Fresh guidance implies 10% downgrade- DFS has seen softer orders in recent weeks- Retailer's market share reaches a record 38%Sofas seller DFS Furniture (DFS) delivered resilient first half results in a difficult economic backdrop. To secure market share gains in the face of a cost of living crisis that is causing consumers to shy away from big ticket purchases suggests that the firm is doing so

London's flagship index neared its all-time high at the close on Friday as investors cheered a better-than-expected print for UK GDP.The FTSE 100 index closed up 50.03 points, or 0.6%, at 7,844.07, finishing close to its 2018 all-time closing high of 7,877.45. London's flagship index touched a high of 7,864.95 earlier in the day.The FTSE 250 ended up 111.71 points, or 0.6%, at 19,952.84, and the A

Stocks prices in London were firmly in the green on Thursday following a positive print for US inflation and strong performances from a number of UK companies.The FTSE 100 index closed up 69.06 points, or 0.9%, at 7,794.04. The FTSE 250 ended up 319.43 points, or 1.6%, at 19,841.13, and the AIM All-Share closed up 7.85 points, or 0.9%, at 859.47.The Cboe UK 100 ended up 1.0% at 781.21, the Cboe UK

- Broker prefers multichannel retailers to online pure plays- Consumer proving more resilient than feared- DFS, ASOS and Boohoo look vulnerable, says brokerRetail share prices rallied last week following strong Christmas trading updates from clothing-to-homewares giant Next (NXT), variety goods discounter B&M (BME) and value sandwiches-to-sausage rolls seller Greggs (GRG), with the hard-pressed co