The FTSE 100 gave up any gains by lunchtime on Friday to trade 0.8% lower at 5,776.34. Not helping sentiment was news that London has been placed on a UK Covid watchlist amid a surge in infections. European markets were also weak with the US futures markets implying there will be a poor start on Wall Street later. Closer to home there was renewed weakness for those businesses at the sharp ...

Equity markets have taken a big fall as concerns grow we could see a repeat of the volatility seen in March amid rising coronavirus infections. The market moves come as prime minister Boris Johnson announced new curbs in a bid to halt the spread of Covid-19, but stopped short of ordering a new national lockdown that had been reported as a possibility. The stocks most sold off were mainly in ...

UK stocks tumbled on Monday as the number of virus cases in the UK continued to rise and fears grew of a second nationwide lockdown.   At the close the benchmark FTSE 100 index was down over 200 points or 3.4%, its biggest daily loss since July, to 5,804 points. International Consolidated Airlines (IAG) was the biggest FTSE faller, dropping 12% to 97p on fears of new travel ...

UK stocks fell sharply on Monday as the number of virus cases in the UK continued to rise and fears grew of a second nationwide lockdown. At midday the benchmark FTSE 100 index was down over 200 points or 3.4% to 5,801. International Consolidated Airlines (IAG) was the biggest FTSE faller, dropping 13% to 96p on fears of new travel restrictions, while low-cost rival EasyJet (EZJ) shed 8% to ...

UK stocks opened on the back foot on Friday with the FTSE 100 falling 0.5% to 6,017 points while the mid-cap FTSE 250 opened marginally lower. Mining shares were in demand with Fresnillo (FRES) one of the top gainers up 2% to £13.10, while International Consolidated Airlines Group (IAG) and Rolls Royce (RR.) were the biggest fallers losing more than 5% each. Banks were the main drag on the ...

Shareholders in British Airways owner International Consolidated Airlines (IAG) must act fast if they want to acquire discounted shares in the company, with less than a week to go to make a decision. Having announced its plans at the end of July, the airline group has launched a £2.5 billion rights issue – or capital increase as the company calls it – as it looks to weather the ...

The UK Government’s wage subsidy scheme is due to end in October, a deadline that could spark a fresh wave of corporate redundancies and financial stress. For investors, this means taking action to ensure their stock portfolios are culled of potential financial basket cases and focused on quality companies that are stable, robust, and most likely to sustain shareholder returns through future ...

Shares in British Airways owner International Consolidated Airlines (IAG) are apparently down nearly 30% this morning to 137.6p. But before investors panic that this dizzying descent is a sign of new distress for the troubled airline – this is a technical issue linked to the company’s rights issue as the shares trade ex-rights. Having announced its plans at the end of July, the company ...

UK stocks started the week strongly after further signs of progress towards a coronavirus vaccine. Pharma giant AstraZeneca (AZN) has resumed phase three of its vaccine trial, while investor sentiment was also boosted by comments from Pfizer chief executive Albert Bourla, who believes a vaccine could be ready for approval as soon as next month, and for distribution by the end of the year. In ...

The rotation out of ‘mega-tech’ and high-flying biotech stocks into cheap, unloved ‘value’ stocks seems to be gathering momentum not just in the US but also in the UK market. On Tuesday shares in Royal Mail (RMG) leapt 25% after the firm raised its full year revenue guidance, albeit warning at the same time it would make a ‘material’ loss this year. Today the shares are up ...

David Smith, fund manager of Henderson High Income Trust (HHI), argues the lockdown losers that dragged on performance in the half to June will emerge from the Covid-19 crisis in ‘a strong position relative to their competition’. And despite having been through a period of dividend suspensions, deferrals and cuts, Henderson High Income forecasts an increase in the 2020 total ...

The FTSE 100 fell 0.79% to 5,965 by lunchtime on Thursday, weighed down by supermarket chain Morrisons (MRW) and British Airways owner International Consolidated Airlines (IAG) as the cost of the coronavirus pandemic became clearer. Also weighing on sentiment was news that Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s plans to implement mass Covid-19 testing, which would see millions of people tested daily ...

The FTSE 100 opened 0.4% lower on Thursday to 5,989 points while the mid-cap FTSE 250 index was up 0.7% to 17,717 points, helped by strong gains in Games Workshop (GAW) and Dixons Carphone (DC.). In Asian trading Japan’s Nikkei 225 index closed up 0.9% while in China the SSE Composite was 0.6% lower. Gold prices were flat while Brent crude was 0.3% adrift at $40.6 a barrel. In its ...

Shares in budget airline Ryanair (RYA) gained 3.77% to €12.10 after it confirmed it has raised €400 million in a placing to help fund its growth. New shares in the company were issued to institutional investors at €11.35 each, with the funding helping to strengthen its balance sheet and take advantage of ‘significant growth opportunities’ as rivals ‘shrink, fail or are acquired by ...

The FTSE 100 fluctuated above and below the 6,000 mark during volatile early trading on Friday morning, falling 0.21% to 6,000.91 by 9am, despite data showing UK retail sales rose above pre-pandemic levels in July and beat market expectations. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said retail sales grew by 3.6% in July, though it this was not as big as the 12% rise seen in May and 13.9% jump ...

London’s FTSE 100 made some decent gains by lunchtime on Monday after a volatile morning as rising commodity prices and a $101 billion injection into China’s financial system eventually lifted the index. However, weighing on UK stocks were further falls in travel companies, as investors continued to digest new quarantine restrictions placed on European travelers. The UK’s benchmark ...

London’s FTSE 100 crept higher on Monday, up 0.18% to 6,100.85 early on, as rises in the oil and mining sectors were offset by further falls in travel companies and the $101 billion injection into China’s financial system announced overnight failed to really move the market. Among the mining titans, Rio Tinto (RIO) ticked up 1.5% to £47.76, BHP (BHP) also caught a bid, adding 1.5% to trade ...

UK stocks continued to fall throughout trading on Friday morning, having been led down by the airlines after the Government’s sudden decision to quarantine arrivals from France, the Netherlands and Malta. The new quarantine rules for British travellers helped take the shine off what had been a strong week of stock market gains that were mostly powered by bets of more economic ...

Airline stocks have tumbled after the UK government imposed quarantine rules on people arriving from France, Netherlands, Monaco, Malta, Turks and Caicos, and Aruba. Around 160,000 British holidaymakers currently in France have until 4am tomorrow morning to get back home if they wish to avoid having to quarantine for 14 days upon their return. It comes after France’s prime minister ...

UK markets retreated in early trading on Friday as a surprise dip in Chinese retail sales dashed hopes for a swift post-pandemic recovery. New quarantine rules for British travellers also helped take the shine off a strong week of stock market gains that were powered by bets of more economic stimulus. The benchmark FTSE 100 was down 0.73% at 6,140.24, with investors also treading water ahead of a ...