After good gains in the previous two sessions, UK stocks marked time on Thursday as Brexit negotiations remained gridlocked and Russia and Saudi Arabia argued over extending production cuts agreed at the start of the pandemic. At 8.30am the FTSE 100 index of leading stocks was almost unchanged at 6,466 points with weakness in banks and utilities offsetting gains in industrial and consumer ...

UK stocks tumbled on Monday as the number of virus cases in the UK continued to rise and fears grew of a second nationwide lockdown.   At the close the benchmark FTSE 100 index was down over 200 points or 3.4%, its biggest daily loss since July, to 5,804 points. International Consolidated Airlines (IAG) was the biggest FTSE faller, dropping 12% to 97p on fears of new travel ...

UK stocks fell sharply on Monday as the number of virus cases in the UK continued to rise and fears grew of a second nationwide lockdown. At midday the benchmark FTSE 100 index was down over 200 points or 3.4% to 5,801. International Consolidated Airlines (IAG) was the biggest FTSE faller, dropping 13% to 96p on fears of new travel restrictions, while low-cost rival EasyJet (EZJ) shed 8% to ...

Listed transport companies have seen their share prices plunge on Monday morning after the Government scrapped rail franchising and extended support for the rail industry. Shares in Thameslink and Southeastern owner Go-Ahead (GOG) dropped 8.1% to 599p, while Great Western Railway and TransPennine Express operator FirstGroup (FGP) tumbled 12.5% to 37.3p. Stagecoach (SGC), which runs the ...

UK stocks rallied during the afternoon session finishing the day slightly positive, up 0.1% to 6,043 points, helped by a positive opening for stocks in the US. Markets were anticipating more stimulus measures when central bankers meet virtually at Jackson Hole tomorrow. Meanwhile a report from the Commerce Department on Wednesday showed an uneven recovery in investment as spending moved away ...

UK stocks were subdued at lunchtime Wednesday as investors weighed stimulus measures and vaccine progress against climbing Covid-19 cases in Europe. The focus now turns to the U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's address at the virtual Jackson Hole Symposium on Thursday, where he is expected to provide an update on the U.S. central bank's future monetary policy approach. At 12:00, the ...

UK shares started Wednesday on the back foot with investors still wary of climbing Covid-19 cases in Europe and elsewhere, while bracing for a key update on the state of the US economy from the Fed on Thursday. 9.30am, the benchmark FTSE 100 was down 0.15% at 6,027.96, although mid-caps were firmer. The FTSE 250 added 0.35% to 17,638.75. LOW BAR BEAT SURPRISE Subprime lender Provident ...

Shares in FTSE 250 public transport operators FirstGroup (FGP) and Go-Ahead (GOG) gained ground after the government extended a bailout for local bus services. The new funding round of £218.4 million for the industry under the COVID-19 Bus Service Support Grant Restart (CBSSG Restart) programme extends a deal previously announced at the end of May for the next eight weeks. After ...

Shares in transport operator Go-Ahead (GOG) plunged 10% to £11.06 on Friday as the impact on earnings from the coronavirus lockdown starts to become clear. The firm issued a profit warning, with the impact from coronavirus on travel demand meaning operating profit for the year ending 27 June 2020 is now expected to be between £63m-75m, a sharp drop from the £121m profit it made last ...

UK stocks slumped in early trade on Friday, the FTSE 100 down 113 points or 1.9% to 5,902.3, after retail sales tanked in April and China proposed a new security law in Hong Kong that stoked trade tensions with the US. Luxury goods leader Burberry (BRBY) bucked the trend, adding 2% to trade at £14.02 as the trench coats-to-cashmere scarves seller said year-to-date sales in Mainland China and ...

According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) the total cumulative amount of global liquidity injections, in the form of government spending packages and central bank stimulus measures, adds up to a whopping $14trn. This represents around 17% of the value of global gross domestic product (GDP), a common measure of the value of all goods and services produced within an economy. Whichever ...

The market has come storming back since it bottomed out on 23 March from a coronavirus-inspired plunge. As we write the FTSE 100 is above the 5,700 mark and some 16% off its lows. Suggestions that some countries are past the peak of infections, a cautious reopening of the Chinese economy and reports of progress on a coronavirus treatment have all helped sentiment. In the FTSE 350, travel ...

After falls in Europe and the US on Friday, Asian markets were mixed at the start of the week as the coronavirus death toll continued to climb. On currency markets the pound lost 0.5% to $1.239 while in commodities gold lost 0.8% to $1,612/oz. However, the big news was in the oil market where the price war between Russia and Saudi Arabia pushed Brent crude to an 18-year low of $23/barrel and ...

Bus and rail operators were rare gainers on Monday as they move to conserve cash and revealed Government-backed revenues protections. Shares in Southeastern and Thameslink operator Go-Ahead (GOG) soared over 13% to 737p as it said in an update that it took swift action to mitigate the impact of dwindling passenger numbers in its non-contracted markets. THREE QUARTERS OF REVENUE PROTECTED ...

After falling more than 4% on Friday, S&P500 stock-index futures were ‘limit down’ in Asian trading on Monday, rattled by the coronavirus pandemic and a delay in Washington over an economic rescue package. In Asia, stock markets fell sharply with benchmarks in Australia, Hong Kong and South Korea down over 5% after the number of confirmed virus cases world-wide more than doubled in a ...

In the next few weeks the Government is set to publish a review of the UK rail industry which is likely to recommend a major shake-up in the way trains are run and the way we pay for them. The Williams Review, led by former British Airways boss Keith Williams, has been a year in the making and is expected to call for changes to both the current franchise model and the ticketing model, with ...

Bus and rail group Go-Ahead (GOG) is something of a ‘marmite’ stock and won’t appeal to everyone but we think it represents a cheap play on a recovering UK economy while offering a decent yield for income investors. Go-Ahead is one of the UK’s leading public transport providers. With the UK set to be the fastest-growing European economy in 2020 as confidence rebounds following the ...

UK equity rallied strongly in early trade on Friday as investors welcome the removal of several key risks that have been hanging over the stock market, sparking the pound to post its biggest gain against the dollar in two and a half years, with £1 worth $1.34. The market now has more confidence that Prime Minister Boris Johnson should be able to pass a Brexit deal and for the UK to formally ...

The FTSE 100 got off to a slow start this morning after US president Donald Trump signed into law a bill backing Hong Kong’s protesters. Stock markets around the world fell sharply on the news, fearing that China will retaliate. Beijing has consistently warned the US and other countries against interfering in what it sees as its internal affairs. The UK’s benchmark index no different to ...

The FTSE 100 opens marginally lower at 7,304 on Thursday after the Prime Minister was boxed in by Parliament overnight. MPs from both sides blocked both a no-deal Brexit and a call for a snap election. In addition a number of stocks are trading ex-dividend today, dragging on the index. After the close last night FTSE Russell announced its quarterly index review, making three changes to the FTSE ...