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 ...

London’s FTSE 100 eased 35 points or 0.5% to 6,258 on Thursday as a return to growth for China failed to excite the markets as much as yesterday’s vaccine updates. The UK market was also weighed down as the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics showed that the number of people on UK payrolls fell by 469,000 between March and June this year. June's fall of 74,000 jobs was ...

Shares in the UK’s biggest quoted recruitment firm Hays (HAS) dropped 4% to 121p after it posted a downbeat report for the final quarter of its financial year to the end of June. Group net fee income fell 34% on a like-for-like basis due to a 44% fall in fees for permanent placings as the global job market felt the impact of the Covid pandemic. Disappointingly, while revenues were broadly ...

London’s FTSE 100 eased 54 points or 0.86% to 6,238.77 early on Thursday as a return to growth for China failed to excite the markets as much as yesterday’s vaccine updates. The UK market was also weighed down as the latest figures showed that the number of people on UK payrolls fell by 469,000 between March and June this year. Energy utility SSE (SSE) edged 15.75p higher to £13.79 ...

Private investors, not just big institutions, should be allowed to participate in discounted equity fundraisings, according to an open letter from senior figures in the investment industry. Amid rising concerns that the rights of small investors are being flouted by the current fundraising rush as companies shore up their finances in the wake of the coronavirus crisis, the letter calls on ...

Approximately £2bn has now been raised by 63 London-listed companies since the start of March as businesses race to strengthen their finances during the coronavirus crisis. Of these, 34 companies have each raised £5m or more, nearly all at a discount to the market price before the fundraising was announced. So far the biggest raises have been by cruise ship operator Carnival (CCL) for ...

Against a backcloth of unprecedented dividend and buyback suspensions and director pay cuts, an increasing number of companies are raising money as the global lockdown squeezes finances. Since the start of March, companies spanning an array of sectors have tapped markets for more than £1.6bn of extra cash to see them through the COVID-19-induced economic ice age, according to analysis by ...

Shares in recruitment firm Hays (HAS) fell 7% to 102p after it said it had seen ‘a very material deceleration in client and candidate activity’ in March, scrapped its interim dividend and tapped investors for £200m. The firm said that so far the impact of the virus and the global lockdown had been most felt in Europe and least felt in Australia. Unsurprisingly, the private sector, which ...

FTSE bounced on Thursday, up 0.6% at 5,460 points, driven by energy stocks after China increased US Crude Oil purchases, snapping up cargoes at the widest discounts ever as sellers seek to offload supplies in Asia. Brent Crude jumped 9% to $25.3 lifting UK oil stocks with Royal Dutch Shell (RDSB) up by 7% to £14.5 and BP (BP.) 6% higher at 353p. Premier Oil (PMO) was 11% higher at 17.5p and ...

Shares in leading recruitment firm Hays (HAS) were flat at 163p in spite of a first half which saw it face negative events in a number of its key markets. Net fee income for the six months to the end of December were down 3% to £553m while operating profits were down 19% to £100.1m due to increased strategic investments. Despite these headwinds, cash generation remained strong. Hays has ...

The FTSE 100 edged up 0.1% at 7,465 points while the mid-cap FTSE 250 was up 0.3% at 21,916 points, bucking the trend in Asian and Europe where share prices slipped on renewed coronavirus worries in Japan and South Korea. Brent oil prices were 0.3% lower at $58.6 and the pound was weaker by 0.3% at 1.288 to the dollar. Topping the FTSE leader board was knee to hip replacement medical device ...