UK stocks finished the month flat despite a strong corporate  earnings season as concerns over Chinese regulation of technology stocks and disappointing US results weighed on sentiment. Overnight, Asian stocks sank as fears re-surfaced that Beijing could extend its intervention to more parts of the Chinese economy, while in the US shares in e-commerce giant Amazon.com fell 7% after the ...

UK stocks traded lower at lunchtime on Friday after continued weak trading in Asia and as e-commerce giant Amazon missed quarterly sales forecasts for the first time since 2018, sending its shares down 7% in after-hours trading. Japan’s Nikkei 225 index sank 1.8% while China’s SE Composite gave up 0.4% as concerns increased over the tighter regulation of Chinese companies. Brent Crude ...

UK stocks opened lower on Friday after continued weak trading in Asia and as e-commerce giant Amazon missed quarterly sales forecasts for the first time since 2018, sending its shares down 7% in after-hours trading. Japan’s Nikkei 225 index sank 1.8% while China’s SE Composite gave up 0.4%. Brent Crude prices fell 0.5% to $73.2 per barrel and Gold was flat at $1,829 per ounce. At 9am ...

We’re now halfway through the year, and it’s been a good six months for stock market investors, with the FTSE 100 returning 11% and the S&P 500 returning 14% in pounds and pence. But the real standout performer has been the UK Smaller Companies market, which has returned around 20% in the past six months alone. So far this year the FTSE Small Cap index has repeatedly set new record ...

Travel and leisure stocks have taken quite a beating since the Government postponed the final step on its roadmap out of the pandemic. The market got wind of the change before the official announcement and shares in the most affected areas have drifted lower ever since. British Airways owner Intercontinental Airlines (IAG) and TUI (TUI) have taken the brunt of the selling as the Government ...

When a company is looking to raise cash to fund an acquisition, build a new project or pay down debt for example, there are several avenues they can take. Sometimes they will issue bonds, which is a type of loan between a company and an investor. This can be appealing because a company can get money from investors without any changes to ownership or how the company operates. But it also has ...

The delay in easing lockdown restrictions in England from 21 June to 19 July has caused consternation among many business sectors, but if the stock market’s reaction to the news is anything to go by, it doesn’t matter much to the UK’s listed companies. Both the FTSE 100 and more domestically-focused FTSE 250 shrugged off the news. The delay had been widely expected, with the ...

Airline stocks have taken the biggest knock after reports emerged that lockdown easing in England is set to be delayed by four weeks. According to widespread reports, most of the current coronavirus restrictions are set to stay in place, which could mean nightclubs will stay closed and capacity limits will continue for sports, pubs and cinemas. While in theory leisure companies could be most ...

Shares in British Airways owner International Consolidated Airlines (IAG) and low cost airline Ryanair (RYA) gained along with other travel stocks despite both being hit by an investigation which could compel them to refund customers. The Competitions and Markets Authority said Ryanair and British Airways’ stance in not offering refunds to customers who legally couldn’t take flights because ...

UK stocks failed to keep pace with European markets on Wednesday, with the FTSE 100 index down 25 points or 0.4% to 7,070 points in early trading as weakness in insurers and house builders offset meagre gains for travel and leisure stocks. Brent crude prices rose to $72.50 per barrel on signs of strong demand in the US and Europe, while concerns over Iranian supplies coming back to the market ...

The opening of indoor hospitality on 17 May was the penultimate step on the Government’s roadmap towards the complete removal of restrictions on 21 June, notwithstanding the threat of new variants. The UK’s successful vaccination programme and falling hospitalisations over recent months has spurred hopes for a strong second half economic rebound, with the Bank of England upgrading its 2021 ...

On a largely uninspiring day for global equity markets, London’s FTSE 100 ended modestly lower after trading broadly flat for much of the day. Sterling strength weighed on the overseas earnings dominated index, with the blue chip benchmark closing down 0.3% at 7,029.79, while the more domestically focused FTSE 250 finished 0.2% lower at 22,438.90. Reopening names were in demand, among them ...

Shares in airlines and package holiday providers jumped higher on Tuesday after reports emerged that the EU is set to approve the use of so-called vaccine passports to get travel and tourism going again in Europe ahead of the peak summer season. The move would have big implications for budget airlines and tour operators in particular, with package holiday firm Jet2 (JET2:AIM) for example having ...

UK shares ended the week at their highest level since February 2020 on higher commodity prices and more corporate activity, despite a disappointing US jobs report earlier in the session. The gains were partly fueled by copper prices hitting an all-time high, having rallied by more than a third this year, with iron ore and other metals also posting strong gains. Oil prices were also buoyant with ...

UK shares traded at their highest level since February 2020 on economic recovery hopes and higher commodity prices ahead of the closely-watched US jobs report at lunchtime. The gains came as copper prices hit an all-time high, up more than a third this year, with iron ore and other metals also posting strong gains. Oil prices were also buoyant with Brent futures trading around $68 per ...

Shares in British Airways owner International Consolidated Airlines (IAG) traded flat at 207p as narrowing losses and a leaner cost base continued to be weighed against ongoing uncertainty over the restart of international travel. In its results for the three months to 31 March, pre-tax losses narrowed by 35.4% to €1.22 billion even as revenue slumped 78.9% to €968 million ...

UK shares traded higher on Friday on economic recovery hopes and higher oil prices while copper prices hit an all-time high on expectations of tighter supply. Merger and acquisition activity continued with a cash offer for St. Modwen Properties (SMP), while Meggitt (MGGT) shares jumped 15% after a report that aerospace company Woodward was working on a possible offer. In Asian trading ...

London’s FTSE 100 gained 0.82% by lunchtime on Tuesday to reach 7,026.99, jumping back above the psychologically important 7,000 level as investors looked to the reopening and holidays starting again. Travel stocks in particular have been buoyed on hopes of EU tourism opening up again next month, with British Airways owner International Consolidated Airlines (IAG) gaining 2.8% to ...

UK stocks got off to a firm start to trading following the holiday-extended weekend with economically sensitive sectors, including miners, travel and energy, driving gains. The benchmark FTSE 100 opened around 0.6% higher, pushing back above the 7,000 market at 7,011.80 with Fresnillio’s (FRES) near 3.5% at 851.4p leading the index. Travel and leisure companies also saw firm demand as Brits ...

London’s FTSE 100 finished lower on Friday as travel-related stocks fell and after the S&P 500 and Nasdaq opened lower, with a rise in US bond yields weighing on highly valued tech stocks a day after the S&P 500 set a record closing high. By the close on Friday, the benchmark FTSE 100 index was down 0.38% at 6,915.75 points, though the high-flying FTSE 250 ended 0.02% higher at ...