After almost closing at a new high in early April, the UK?s blue-chip FTSE 100 has finally made it into the ranks of indices hitting new all-time highs thanks to a 4.5% gain since the start of January.On 22 April the index reached its highest ever close and on 23 April it moved through its previous intra-day high.The UK clearly isn?t in the same league as the US, where the S&P 500 has notched up n

Buybacks are heavily in fashion with UK companies right now. The latest names to declare sizeable share buybacks include Barclays (BARC) and InterContinental Hotels (IHG), which between them plan to repurchase more than £1.5 billion worth of stock this year. Notably, Shell (SHEL), which cut its dividend for the first time since the Second World War in 2020, has shifted towards large buybacks in r

Stock prices in London were mixed heading into the afternoon on Tuesday, although Barclays helped propel the FTSE 100 into the green on a busy morning of corporate updates and earnings.The FTSE 100 index was up 7.91 points, 0.1%, at 7,736.41. The FTSE 250 was down 47.03 points, 0.2%, at 19,169.87, and the AIM All-Share was down 0.91 of a point, 0.1%, at 755.42.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.1% at 774.51

Shares jump 2% to new high on earnings beatNew $800 million share buybackOperating profit tops $1 billionShares in Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG) notched up another all-time high on Tuesday gaining 2% to £80.72, continuing a stellar rise which has seem gain 44% over the last year.Underlying group operating profit for 2023 increased 25% to $1.02 billion comfortably beating analysts? estimates

Shares in global hotels operator Intercontinental Hotels (IHG) have put in a stellar performance since the onset of the pandemic, gaining 175% since March 2020.Over the last 12 months the shares have continued to notch-up new highs and are up around a third compared with a 2% drop in the FTSE 100.Stronger than expected trading has been a key driver with consensus analyst earnings forecasts rising

As we approach the end of the year it is an opportune moment to shine a light on some of this year's least-loved stocks.Rather than look at the stocks which have lost the most, we have collected together those trading at or near their lows for the year along with those with the fewest friends in the analyst community and those which the hedge fund community thinks are outright shorts.If we first t

London's FTSE 100 suffered a minor fall on Tuesday, despite spending most of the day in the green, with share price falls for oil majors and Vodafone meaning it underperformed European peers.The FTSE 100 index closed down 5.67 points, 0.1%, at 7,321.72. The FTSE 250 ended up 65.46 points, 0.4%, at 17,083.05, and the AIM All-Share closed up 1.28 points, 0.2%, at 679.85.The Cboe UK 100 ended down 0.

Stocks prices in London ended in the red on Friday as a higher-for-longer narrative around interest rates and heightened tensions in the Middle East weighed on market mood.The FTSE 100 index closed down 97.39 points, 1.3%, at 7,402.14. The FTSE 250 ended down 180.41 points, 1.1%, at 17,032.73, and the AIM All-Share closed down 0.84 of a point, or 0.1%, at 682.93.Over the past week, they are down 3

US interest rate worries and rising bond yields hurt equity markets on Friday, amid a backdrop of continued investor trepidation due to developments in the Middle East.The FTSE 100 index was down 67.73 points, 0.9%, at 7,431.68. The FTSE 250 was down 94.59 points, 0.6%, at 17,118.55, and the AIM All-Share was down 0.56 points, 0.1%, at 683.24.The Cboe UK 100 was down 1.0% at 741.47, the Cboe UK 25

Revenue per room grows double digits2023 buyback almost completeAnother buyback likely next yearHotel and resorts firm Intercontinental Hotels (IHG) posted a solid third-quarter trading update and confirmed its full-year forecasts after revenues topped forecasts.However, after a strong run since July and amid continuing unrest in the Middle East, the shares gave up 3% to £59.70 sending them towar

US interest rate concerns and tensions in the Middle East weighed on local stocks at the open on Friday, with the FTSE 100 on track for a weekly decline, down 1.8% since last Friday.UK retail sales hurt the pound, ensuring the FTSE 100 outperformed continental peers, however.The FTSE 100 index opened down 32.82 points, 0.4%, at 7,466.71. The FTSE 250 was down 108.18 points, 0.6%, at 17,104.96, and

It can be frustrating to watch share prices trade sideways for months. Nervous investors might question that something is going wrong with the investment case.However, that isn't necessarily the case and there could be several reasons which explain lacklustre share prices. This article examines why it happens and highlights some factors which may give clues to what lies ahead.WHY DO SOME SHARES DO

While shares in Holiday Inn operator Intercontinental Hotels (IHG) are flying high, those in budget hotel operator Whitbread (WTB) have been languishing, but we can see three reasons why that trend could reverse.Revenues, earnings and dividends are already well above their pre-pandemic levels, and hotel stays are on the increase again - not just for pleasure but for business customers too.The firm

- Lok'nStore director cashes in on strong performance- IHG chair increases stake- Serco CEO sells shares to meet Australian tax liabilitiesAndrew Jacobs, chairman of self-storage firm Lok'nStore (LOK:AIM), has sold £10 million worth of shares to meet demand for stock from institutional investors. He is still left with nearly 4.4 million shares, equal to 14.5% of the company.The disposal follows h

London's FTSE 100 closed higher on Friday, after a better-than-expected US jobs report lifted market mood.However, Friday's gains have not been enough to put the FTSE 100 in positive territory for the week, as investors have spent much of the week focusing on central bank decisions.The FTSE 100 index closed up 75.74 points, or 1.0% at 7,778.38 on Friday, though the index ended the week as a whole

New CEO-elect Elie Maalouf will be an internal replacement8,000 rooms across 45 hotels opened in the first quarter Benefitting from China reopeningShares in InterContinental Hotels (IHG) were down over 2% to £53.96 as news emerged that chief executive Keith Barr is to step down from his role and retire after spending more than 30 years with the business. 'I'm excited for what lies ahead for Inter

London's FTSE 100 was on the up in afternoon dealings, with markets in a demonstrably more risk-on at the end of the week, while the pound spiked to a one-year-high.Friday's gains have so far not been enough to put equities in positive territory for the week. The mood in markets has been tetchy after central bank decisions in the US and eurozone. Focus later will be on the US nonfarm payrolls repo

The boom and bust of Neil Woodford's fund management career showed that star fund managers are not invincible and that a better solution might be to have two or three managers making investment decisions as a team rather than rely on one person.But what if that team consisted of 15 people? That is the situation with Swiss asset management firm 2Xideas, which has taken the view that one person alon

- Peltz offloads Unilever shares- IHG's Edgecliffe-Johnson offloads £2 million of stock- Coca Cola HBC directors exercise options before they expire, and sellActivist investor Nelson Peltz has sold £70.8 million worth of Unilever (ULVR) shares held by his Trian investment vehicle, implying his work is done with trying to drive change at the consumer goods company.Peltz has been one of several bi

- Profits rise 50% in 2022- Hotels giant announces new US$750 million buyback- CEO excited by ongoing China reopeningDespite a drag from China, InterContinental Hotels (IHG) delivered significantly improved revenues and pre-tax profit for the year to December 2022 thanks to a strong rebound in travel following the Covid-19 pandemic.One of the world's largest hotel businesses, operating brands such