Stock prices in London ended in the red on Wednesday as an impasse in US debt ceiling talks soured market mood.The FTSE 100 index closed down 27.85 points, 0.4%, at 7,723.23. The FTSE 250 ended 57.27 points lower, 0.3%, at 19,215.45. The AIM All-Share lost 2.84 points, or 0.4%, at 809.20.The Cboe UK 100 lost 0.4% to 771.74, the Cboe UK 250 ended down 0.2% at 16,795.00, and the Cboe Small Companies

The FTSE 100's post-new year rally descended into more of a light jog on Monday, though it is now only around 40 points shy of its best-ever level after extending its winning streak to four sessions.Monday was a somewhat lacklustre day for stocks, with markets in New York being closed for Martin Luther King day holiday. Although the FTSE 100's best level of 7,903.50 points is ever-closer, blue-chi

Online fashion retailer ASOS (ASC:AIM) saw first half profits surge 275% higher to £112.9 million as youthful fashionistas starved of the opportunity to shop on the high street turned to the web instead.Yet the high-flying shares fell 2.8% to £56.26 after ASOS increased its full year expectations only 'in line' with its superb first half performance.A beneficiary of the consumer shifts accelerat

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT IN THE OIL MARKET?It's very strange times for the oil market and there could be further trouble ahead. Unless demand picks up dramatically in the coming weeks then mid to late May could see a repeat of the recent scenario where people had to pay others to take oil off their hands.In this article we will explain what is going on with oil, what it reveals about the economy and what

Jersey Oil & Gas (JOG:AIM) 74pLoss to date: 20% (stopped out)Original entry point: Buy at 213.8p, 21 March 2019Shortly after adding the resources group to our Great Ideas portfolio, shares in North Sea oil play Jersey Oil & Gas (JOG:AIM) fell heavily as it announced disappointing results from drilling in the North Sea.An appraisal well on the Verbier discovery only confirmed the lower end of earli

North Sea oil firm Jersey Oil & Gas (JOG:AIM) sinks 55% to 100.8p as appraisal drilling on its Verbier find only confirms the lowest estimates for the size of the resource discovered.The news is a particular disappointment for Shares given we recently highlighted the potential of the stock ahead of this result.We felt the risk was more limited than pure oil and gas exploration given there was a de

Oil exploration is a notoriously risky enterprise. It is often seen as an activity with a binary outcome for listed companies - either they find oil and the share price gushes higher, or they don't and the shares crash.However, we've spotted a small cap oil play which is drilling a well that could provide a significant catalyst for the stock but with the potential for much more limited downside if

Oil prices are marking new multi-year highs as we write, supported by a larger than expected draw on crude stocks in the US and bullish comments from Saudi Arabia.Geopolitical tensions impacting major oil producing regions such as the Middle East and Russia have also contributed to the strength in prices.Like most markets, oil is driven by supply and demand factors. Conflict and tension in major p

A record close in the US overnight, as US lawmakers paved the way for a tax-cut package, helps to drive the FTSE 100 higher this morning. In early trading the index is up 0.3% at 7,545.42.Tanzanian gold miner Acacia Mining (ACA) gains 1.7% to 215.6p. After announcing progress in its dispute with the authorities in Tanzania yesterday, the group provides a third quarter update. The company says its

Excitement continues to build at North Sea oil explorer Jersey Oil & Gas (JOG:AIM) after a well on its 18%-owned Verbier prospect identified up to 130m barrels of oil.Drilled with Norwegian operator Statoil, this side-track well involved re-entering a previously unsuccessful well from its surface location but then changing direction to target a different area of the sub-surface.Preliminary results

A successful follow-up well on the Verbier prospect in the North Sea has lit a fire under the share price of AIM-quoted oil explorer Jersey Oil & Gas (JOG:AIM). Currently the stock is more than 200% higher at 170p.Drilled in partnership with the much larger Norwegian operator Statoil, the well has uncovered up to 130m barrels of oil. A previous well on Verbier, in which Jersey has an 18% stake, wa

On a quite day for corporate and macro-economic news the FTSE 100 is struggling for direction. The index is down a handful of points at 7,518.82 in early trading.Medical equipment firm Smith & Nephew (SN.) slips 1.2% to £13.75 on news chief executive Oliver Bohuon is to retire by the end of next year after seven years at the company.Newspaper publisher Trinity Mirror (TNI) ticks up 0.6% to 83.75p

After two trading days of heavy losses on a resurgent pound the FTSE 100 claws back a little ground this morning, taking its cue from a positive session in Asia overnight. The index is up 0.3% to 7,236.Figures from online property site Rightmove (RMV) showed London house prices recording their biggest annual fall so far this decade.Diamond producer Petra Diamonds (PDL) slumps 8.6% to 76p, taking i

The FTSE 100 makes healthy gains this morning, up 0.45% to 7,410.96, as North Korean tensions ease a little over the weekend.Shares in insurance companies also recover some ground after Inga Beale, the chief of the Lloyd's of London insurance market, issued reassurance over the impact of Hurricane Irma. Analysts have pointed to insured losses of up to £150bn from the storm which made landfall in

Mining stocks bear the brunt of a reversal in the Trump rally after the current US administration failed its first key legislative test on Friday night. The inability to get healthcare reforms through Congress is making investors sceptical Trump can deliver on his infrastructure spending plans and corporate tax cuts.The FTSE 100 is down 0.9% at 7,273.74 in early trading.North Sea oil explorer and

Oil exploration can create substantial value overnight. Successful exploration can drive share prices higher as the market prices in the upside from a big oil or natural gas discovery.In the past companies such as Tullow Oil (TLW) and Cairn Energy (CNE) rode exploration success all the way to the FTSE 100 index.There are signs activity is now picking up following several quiet years for high impac

MARKET CAP £1bn and aboveANGLO AMERICAN +287%Few people would have predicted a year ago that 2016's best large cap performers on the stock market would be mining stocks. Fast forward a year and the evidence is clear - eight of the top 10 top risers are commodity producers.Anglo American (AAL) was one of the most heavily-shorted stocks in 2015 amid concerns about its huge debt pile and poor busine

Play momentum in £12.4m small cap oil explorer Jersey Oil & Gas (JOG:AIM) at 147.2p ahead of drilling at the Verbier well on its P2170 licence in the North Sea.The drilling effort is backed by Norway's Statoil (STLO:STO) after a farm-out (Jersey retains an 18% working interest). The licence operator has formally communicated to the UK Oil & Gas Authority its intention to drill in 2017. A £1.6m p

Shares in AIM-quoted oil exploration and production company Jersey Oil & Gas (JOG:AIM) have risen by more than 50% since late October to 98.5p as its partner Statoil (STO:STLO) begins to shoot seismic on its North Sea licence P2170. The data is being acquired with a view to drilling a well on the Verbier prospect in 2017. (TS)

The FTSE 100 is back into positive territory after a poor start to the week. Yesterday's declines caused by commodities weakness are clawed back with the blue chip index rising 34 points to 6,863 in early trading on Tuesday.Housebuilder Persimmon (PSN) has defied expectations of a slowdown in the property market with a 17% increase in private sale reservations since 1 July versus the same period a