Equities in London made an underwhelming start to the week, in a sign of investor unease ahead of a key few days on the fiscal and monetary policy fronts.A pre-election budget will be the key event in the UK this week. Eyes will be on whether UK Chancellor Jeremy Hunt will size up some tax relief. In the eurozone, focus will be on the European Central Bank?s interest rate decision on Thursday. In

Shares in Marks & Spencer (MKS) have rallied the best part of 70% year-to-date and investors are expecting confirmation of continued market share gains and a return to the dividend list when the British retail institution reports first-half results (8 November).Guided by CEO Stuart Machin, Marks & Spencer will also stage a capital markets event on the day, where management should set out medium-te

Stocks in London mostly bounced back at the close on Wednesday, as all eyes turn to US inflation figures on Thursday following deflationary data from China.The FTSE 100 index closed up 59.88 points, or 0.8% at 7,587.30 on Wednesday. The FTSE 250 ended up 95.66 points, or 0.5%, at 18,937.20. The AIM All-Share closed down 0.86 of a point, or 0.1%, at 757.98.The Cboe UK 100 ended up 0.7% at 756.05, t

Bellway offers no outlook for current yearDoubts over the future of WeworkIWG shares gain in LondonShares in housebuilder Bellway (BWY) fell 2% in early trading before stabilising down 0.6% at £22.02 after the firm said it wouldn't give any financial guidance on the current year until it released its preliminary results in October. Meanwhile, shares in office rental firm IWG (IWG) leapt 10

Given the poor performance of Persimmon's (PSN) shares this year it's fair to say investors aren't expecting great things from the UK housebuilder when it reports first-half earnings on 10 August.In its first-quarter trading update in April, the firm was more upbeat than many had hoped, even suggesting full-year completions could reach the top end of its 8,000 to 9,000 target range, although that

Investors are looking hard at the stocks held in funds managed by Odey Asset Management for fear they will be dumped on the market as the hedge fund tries to raise cash. While some positions have already been cut, there remain plenty of stocks where its position has not changed (yet?).The firm is restructuring following a Financial Times investigation into alleged misconduct by founder Crispin Ode

Odey Asset Management founder Crispin Odey leaves businessPartnership separated from wider firmManagement changes and plans to mitigate potential client redemptionsOdey Asset Management has begun a shake-up of the partnership after founder Crispin Odey left the business last week following a Financial Times investigation.While Odey remains the majority owner of the business, the partnership has be

London share prices opened lower on Tuesday, as a big week for company earnings and economic indicators stepped up a gear with UK government debt figures and some blue-chip results.The FTSE 100 index opened down 39.74 points, or 0.5%, at 7,872.46. The FTSE 250 was down 98.14 points, or 0.5%, at 19,128.80, and the AIM All-Share was down 4.01 points, or 0.5%, at 824.84.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.5%

Barclays to kick off key reporting season with UK banks undera cloudThe recent crisis in the sector has raised questions about financial stabilityThe collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and the resulting fallout in the banking sector is not the best backdrop for the UK banks as they get set to report first quarter numbers.Up first is Barclays (BARC) on 27 April. Its 2022 results published on 15 Februa

Stocks in London finished largely higher on Monday, while the FTSE 100 ended in the red, hurt by a disappointing growth outlook from China which knocked its mining stocks.The FTSE 100 index closed down 17.32 points, 0.2%, at 7,929.79. The FTSE 250 closed up 138.34 points, 0.7%, at 20,064.11, and the AIM All-Share closed up just 0.34 of a point, at 865.31.The Cboe UK 100 ended down 0.3% at 793.30,

AdmiralInvestors are hoping the insurer doesn't deliver the scale of bad news served up by Direct LineOver the past year, a nasty profit warning by Direct Line (DLG), the cancellation of its dividend and suspension of a share buyback programme have put the shivers into anyone holding shares in the general insurance sector. The company was hit by a rise in claims and an increase in costs associated

While many investors will talk about wanting to hold shares for the long term, it is interesting to learn why fund managers decide to make changes to their portfolio. This active management is often spurred by changes to the investment case or valuation.For example, Pershing Square Holdings' (PSH) manager Bill Ackman earlier this year held shares Netflix (NFLX:NASDAQ) for a mere three months. The

Buyout speculation and a pick-up in investor risk appetite has helped power UK mid-cap stocks to reverse a 2022 trend of underperformance versus their blue-chip cousins. Over the past month, the FTSE 250 index has rallied 8.3% compared with a 4.7% gain from the FTSE 100.This represents a stark turnaround for UK mid-caps, which struggled through the first nine months of 2022 as investors turned the

Stocks in London were mixed, with the FTSE 100 dragged down by poor performances from GSK and Shell while the FTSE 250 finished up as IWG rose on reports that CVC Capital is attempting to acquire its digital division.The FTSE 100 index closed down 34.85 points, 0.5%, at 7,299.99. The FTSE 250 ended up 218.00 points, 1.2%, at 18,559.57, and the AIM All-Share closed up 1.2%, or 9.76 points, at 824.8

Stock markets globally were starting November on the front foot, with Asian markets and London mining shares boosted by speculation that China is considering ending its zero-Covid policy.The FTSE 100 index opened up 103.79 points, 1.5%, at 7,198.32. The FTSE 250 was up 258.82 points, 1.5%, at 18,148.75, and the AIM All-Share rose 7.10 points, 0.9%, at 813.23.The Cboe UK 100 opened up 1.3% at 719.4

Weakness in the pound will only serve to heighten the likelihood of foreign companies buying UK businesses.We saw this happen when the pound slumped after the EU referendum on Brexit in 2016, including takeovers for chip giant Arm and broadcasting group Sky.UK stocks have been cheap on a relative basis to many other geographies since then, and now they've got even cheaper due to political, financi

- IWG boss snaps up stock after share plunge- Admiral directors sell stock to pay tax bill- Keystone Law CEO buys nearly £500,000 worth of sharesMark Dixon, the chief executive of Regus-owner IWG (IWG), has bought £1.2 million worth of shares in the serviced office provider. That's the first time he has acquired more stock on the market since investing £91.3 million of his own money as part of

Covid cast a pall on many businesses but there were winners and food delivery drivers were among the lockdown heroes. I remember the unholy glee felt by the entire family when that insulated bag stuffed with cardboard cartons walked through the garden gate after what seemed like months of home cooked meals.Everyone seemed to get in on the action and the number of options available to order through

The FTSE 100 was lifted by higher oil prices on Tuesday, but nerves ran high elsewhere ahead of the key US inflation print on Wednesday.The FTSE 100 index closed up 5.78 points, or 0.1%, at 7,488.15. The FTSE 250 ended down 206.04 points, or 1.0%, at 19,912.40, and the AIM All-Share closed down 5.16 points, or 0.6%, at 914.75.The Cboe UK 100 ended flat at 747.80 and the Cboe UK 250 closed down 0.9

Share prices were mostly lower on Tuesday ahead of the New York open, as continued military tensions in the waters around Taiwan and a key US data point looming on Wednesday was keeping risk appetite in check.The FTSE 100 was up just 0.10 point at 7,482.47 midday Tuesday. The FTSE 250 index was down 109.10 points, or 0.5%, at 20,009.34. The AIM All-Share index was down 2.37 points, 0.3%, at 917.54