A weak start to trading in the US, amid suggestions from central banks about a tightening of monetary policy, helped put the FTSE 100 firmly on the back foot on Thursday afternoon. By the market close, the blue chip benchmark was down 1.1% at 7,012.02 points, with tech names in the US dragging down the Nasdaq index by 0.4% to 14,585.31 as of 4.30pm UK time. Heavyweight oil firms BP (BP.) and ...

London’s FTSE 100 traded 0.7% lower at 7,044.16 by lunchtime on Thursday with heavyweight oil firms BP (BP.) and Royal Dutch Shell (RDSB) in the red amid a slump in crude prices as OPEC reached a compromise on increasing production. A steady rise in inflation coupled with higher local coronavirus infections also stoked concerns of slowing the pace of economic recovery. Mid-caps were also ...

Shares in recruitment firm Hays (HAS) fell 5.5% to 158p even though the company posted a near 40% increase in net fee income and increased its full year operating profit forecast. Profits are expected to be around £95 million compared with consensus forecasts of £91 million and previous guidance of £85 million. However, that still marks a steep drop from last year’s profit of £120 ...

Major UK stocks e FTSE 100 made a quiet start to trading on Thursday as inflation fears kept a lid on equity markets. The FTSE 100 was largely flat at 9am as heavyweight energy stocks tracked weak oil prices, while a steady rise in inflation coupled with higher local coronavirus infections stoked concerns of slowing the pace of economic recovery. The benchmark index was 0.02% higher at 7,092.77 ...

Shares in recruitment firm Robert Walters (RWA) rose 9% to a one-year high of 690p as the staffing specialist said it is ‘currently confident’ that full-year profits will ‘comfortably’ beat market expectations. Positive trading conditions continued throughout the first quarter to March 2021, and Robert Walters’ 11% drop in net fee income to £77.3 million represented a marked ...

Shares in recruitment firm Hays (HAS) jumped 4.6% to 167p on Tuesday after the company issued its third quarter trading update earlier than scheduled, raising its full year earnings forecast in the process. IMPROVING TREND Although the third quarter continued to be impacted by the pandemic, with group net fee income falling 10% on the previous year on a like-for-like basis, momentum ...

UK shares opened slightly lower on Tuesday after February GDP moved back to growth of 0.4%, positive but below economists’ expectations. Trading in Asia was mixed after Chinese exports grew at a record pace in March, with the Shanghai Composite down 0.5% while the Nikkei 225 was 0.7% higher. Brent Crude prices were 0.6% higher at $63.7 a barrel while Gold was Gold was 0.3% lower at $1,727 ...

UK shares gave up their early gains to trade lower into the close as a strong showing by mining shares fizzled and sentiment was dented by widespread weakness in banking and healthcare stocks. After rallying almost 1% during the morning, Brent Crude also gave up its gains to fall 0.5% to $64.50 per barrel, while gold - which had been overlooked in the dash for other precious metals - actually ...

UK shares gave up their early gains to trade lower at midday as a strong showing by mining shares on talk of a commodities 'supercycle' was offset by weakness in banking and healthcare stocks. After rallying almost 1% during the morning, Brent Crude also gave up its gains to fall 0.5% to $64.50 per barrel, while gold - which has been overlooked in the dash for other precious metals - actually ...

UK shares opened slightly higher on Thursday helped by a strong performance from mining shares with Rio Tinto (RIO), Glencore (GLEN) and Fresnillo (FRES) gaining close to 3%, while banking and healthcare stocks were lower. Asian trading was mixed with Japan’s Nikkei 225 down 0.2% and China’s SE Composite up 0.6%. Gold prices were 0.6% higher at $1,787 an ounce and Brent Crude continued to ...

UK stocks rose sharply throughout morning trading on what has been dubbed ‘Super Thursday’ as a number of high-profile companies updated the market, with Christmas results revealing lockdown’s winners and losers. At around 12.15, the UK’s benchmark FTSE 100 gained 0.7% to 6,792.66 while the midcap FTSE 250 was up 0.84% to 20,789.48. CORPORATE NEWS Supermarket Tesco (TSCO) dipped ...

UK stocks moved slightly higher on Thursday despite ongoing concerns about rising Covid-19 cases across the world. At 08:40 the FTSE 100 index of leading shares was 0.3% higher at 6,770 points. In overnight Asian trading the Japanese Nikkei 225 index gained 0.9% while the Chinese SE Composite index lost 0.9%. Brent Crude prices nudged up 0.4% to $53.2 a barrel and Gold prices were ...

We are championing UK stocks despite the introduction of the latest lockdown measures. For more than four years London-listed shares have trailed in the wake of nearly all other major global markets, but the early Christmas present of a Brexit deal should end much of the uncertainty which led to this underperformance. We are already seeing a dramatic reversal in fortunes with the FTSE 100 going ...

The news on 9 November of successful early trials of a coronavirus vaccine sent global markets soaring with the most beaten-down sectors like travel, leisure and hospitality, energy and banks enjoying their best daily or weekly performance in years. This has been followed by further positive news on other vaccines in development. It remains the case, however, that many of the top-performing ...

London markets closed firmly down under heavy selling pressure on Thursday following Government confirmation of increased lockdown restrictions in London and elsewhere in response to rising Covid-19 numbers. Investors also fretted over negative comments from US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin that a big stimulus deal was unlikely before next month’s Presidential election, in line with ...

London markets continued the remain under heavy selling pressure at lunchtime on Thursday following Government confirmation of increased lockdown restrictions in London and elsewhere in response to rising Covid-19 numbers. Investors also fretted over negative comments from US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin that a big stimulus deal was unlikely before next month’s Presidential election, in ...

Recruitment firm Hays (HAS) sounded surprisingly positive in its first quarter trading update and is readying itself for a recovery in demand with a focus on specialist areas such as IT and Life Sciences. Although group net fee income for the quarter to the end of September was down 29% on an organic basis, the exit rate at the end of last month was minus 26%, a mild improvement, and chief ...

London’s FTSE 100 was off 2.2% at 5,806.80 early on Thursday as concerns about increased numbers of Covid-19 cases grew and investors fretted over the economic impact of new restrictions that could be imposed in London and other parts of the country. Also weighing on the blue chip benchmark were negative comments from US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin that a big stimulus deal was unlikely ...

UK stocks drifted on Thursday as all eyes turned towards the annual meeting of US Federal Reserve bankers and a speech by chairman Jerome Powell. Sterling held firm at $1.32, close to its recent highs after its best weekly performance since June. Brent crude oil prices hit five-month highs of $46 per barrel as hurricane Laura forced the closure of most production and refining facilities in the ...

London’s FTSE 100 closed down 0.7% to 6,250 on Thursday as a sharp rise in jobless claims in the three months to June countered enthusiasm over a coronavirus vaccine which had boosted stocks yesterday. According to the Office for National Statistics, the number of people on UK payrolls fell by 469,000 between March and June this year. Also undermining investor confidence was a slide in US ...