With a boost from mining and energy stocks, London’s FTSE 100 finished Friday’s trading session 0.37% to the good at 7,234.03 points, pulling back from an intra-day pandemic-era peak despite a strong open on Wall Street. In the face of a barrage of media coverage surrounding price hikes and supply logjams, the more domestically focused FTSE 250 index still managed to end the week on a ...

London’s FTSE 100 index hit a new high for the year of 7,242 points in early trading on Friday, leaving the UK market at a higher level than at any of its closing prices year to date. Just before noon, those gains had eased back a bit, but the blue chip benchmark still traded 0.3% ahead at 7,228.84. The strong finish to the week followed a positive overnight performance in the US, and in ...

UK-listed airline stocks enjoyed a widespread rally in early trading on Friday as the UK government announced a further easing of overseas travel restrictions. The new rules will allow fully vaccinated travellers to take cheaper lateral flow tests rather than the more expensive PCR tests on their return to England and Wales – Scotland has its own regulations. This is for all countries not on ...

It’s perceived wisdom that ever since the Wright Brothers took to the skies over a century ago the airline industry hasn’t turned a profit. For every boom there has been a more severe bust which has wiped out earnings leaving the industry in net losses. Having said that, until the arrival of the perfect storm in the form of Covid-19, EasyJet (EZJ) had posted a profit every year since it was ...

The UK government’s relaxation of international travel restrictions and news that vaccinated passengers from the UK and the EU can now travel to the US has set a light under the shares of British Airways owner International Consolidated Airlines Group (IAG), which are up 21% over the last four trading days. Transatlantic travel between London and New York is a key route for the airline ...

London’s FTSE 100 firmed 0.36% to 7,052.58 on Friday, while the FTSE 250 improved 0.53% to 23,758.83, as steadying Asian markets and a potential easing of UK travel restrictions provided the backdrop for some decent gains heading into the weekend. Airlines and other stocks whose fortunes are tied to the travel industry, including International Consolidated Airlines (IAG), TUI (TUI) and WH ...

Brits love their holidays; it might have rather a lot to do with our inclement climate but every conversation I’ve had over the last few weeks seems to have circled back to summer sun. Who managed to grab a few foreign rays and who didn’t? I confess my Scottish sojourn was memorable, but I still feel somehow cheated as the last three family holidays have been British-based. Covid-19 ...

Shares in EasyJet (EZJ) descended 10% to 712p after the low-cost carrier launched a £1.2 billion rights issue to strengthen its balance sheet and capitalise on growth opportunities in the recovering European aviation market. Buried within the statement was the news EasyJet recently rejected an unsolicited takeover approach and that the mystery bidder has since confirmed that it is no longer ...

The owner of British Airways is considering setting up a low-cost short-haul operation that would go into direct competition with Ryanair (RYA) and EasyJet (EZJ) and could trigger a ticket price war. Airline conglomerate International Consolidated Airlines (IAG), which owns British Airways, is investigating plans that would shift its current short-haul flights into a new low-cost subsidiary ...

Major UK shares struggled for momentum on Tuesday as banks and airlines countered gains in miners, although solid earnings and easing fears about early tapering of central bank support kept the blue-chip index on course for its best month since April. At 9am, the benchmark FTSE 100 was by and large flat, inching less than 10 points lower to 7,139.43. Miners gained 1.4% on higher metal ...

London’s FTSE 100 traded 0.15% higher at 7,136.57 points by noon on a quiet day for local corporate and economic news, as investors brace for an update from the US Federal Reserve at this week’s Jackson Hole get-together. The FTSE 250 rose 0.7% to an all-time high of 24,043.49. MAJOR STOCKS ON THE MOVE British Airways-owner International Consolidated Airlines (IAG) gained 2.3% to ...

Being in the teeth of summer holidays season was has always led to low volume and limited corporate news and the UK’s major stocks seem to be set adrift in early trading on Wednesday with no real concerted direction. That investors may be keeping their powder dry ahead of the latest Federal Reserve pronouncements at this week's Jackson Hole get-together only added to the subdued mood. At ...

There are plenty of reasons to be more cautious about the markets despite the flagship US stock indices, the S&P 500, continuing to hit new highs. Investor nervousness is increasing. Just look at how many companies have recently beaten earnings forecasts, but their share prices have fallen as the market worries about near-term pressures or the loss of momentum in parts of their ...

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 ...