The UK's basket of leading shares has ended the first trading week of 2021 in stellar fashion and recorded gains of more than 6% as investors bet on a swift economic recovery.The benchmark FTSE 100 index closed 0.24% higher to 6,873.26 led by housebuilder, consumer and energy stocks.In the US the S&P 500 was also modestly higher, up 0.13% despite the ongoing political turmoil surrounding the last

The UK's basket of leading shares remains on track to end the first trading week of 2021 in stellar fashion and record gains of more than 6% as investors bet on a swift economic recovery.By 12pm, the benchmark FTSE 100 index had edged a few points higher to 6,861.60, led by housebuilder, consumer and energy stocks.The mid-cap FTSE 250 gained 0.55% to 21,126.07 as data showed Britain's job market s

The UK's leading shares rose in early trading on Friday, putting the FTSE 100 index on track to end the first week of 2021 with gains of more than 6% as investors bet on a swift economic recovery.The benchmark FTSE 100 gained more than 0.2% to 6,873.56, led by housebuilders, consumer and energy stocks, following a firm opening for major market across Europe and on Wall Street.The mid-cap FTSE 250

After opening higher on Tuesday, the FTSE 100 retreated into negative territory by midday as investors continued to question how severely the worsening coronavirus outbreak will hurt the global economy.In the US, yesterday was one for the history books, with the Dow Jones Industrial index losing 12.9% or nearly 3,000 points to 20,188, its biggest points loss since the crash of 1929.At the same tim

Investors should snap up shares in regeneration specialist Harworth (HWG) before the company joins the FTSE All-Share for the first time on 24 September.Previously holding a standard listing on the London Stock Exchange, the company shifted to a premium listing at the beginning of August and its current market cap should see it join the FTSE Small Cap index, where it would automatically be bought

Private hospital group Spire Healthcare (SPI) has rejected a takeover approach from FTSE 100 group and 29.9% shareholder Mediclinic (MDC), saying it significantly undervalues the business. Mediclinic's cash and shares deal valued Spire at c300p, versus the target's closing price of 261.3p last Friday. Spire's shares today jump 11% to 290.05p following the bid news.British telecoms giant Arqiva has

Surging coal prices could help speed up coal trader and miner Hargreaves Services' (HSP:AIM) plans to unlock 300p a share in business value.Struggling Hargreaves has been a casualty of falling energy prices over the last three years, as well as recent mild winters and coal power station closures as the UK's energy policy attempts to shift away from fossil fuels.European coking coal prices bottomed

Hargreaves Services (HSP:AIM) finance officer Iain Cockburn today expanded on an eye-catching three-point plan which could see the coal trader deliver £3.00 a share of asset realisations over the next five years as well as as operating earnings of more than 30p a share annually.Cockburn expects the coal trader's latest financial year, the 12 months to 31 May, will be the last to be dogged by big

London stocks post declines in early trade on Tuesday after Chinese manufacturing data came in weaker than anticipated, fuelling concerns about the world's second largest economy. China's official manufacturing purchasing managers' index dropped to 50.1 in April from 50.2 in March, missing economists' estimates of 50.4, the National Bureau of Statistics revealed.UK shares are spooked by the slowdo