The FTSE 100 is fairly flat ahead of the Bank Holiday weekend, hovering around the 7,565 point mark. Concerns over US China trade wars persist, especially as Donald Trump's political woes worsen on a home front with fears of impeachment.Pharma company Shire (SHP) is up 2.5% to £45.32 as it confirms that US regulator the FDA has approved its Takhzyro injection. The treatment is used for...

The FTSE 100 kicks off the week with a bang, mirroring stock market gains seen in Tokyo, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Sydney on Monday. The UK blue chip index moves 10 points higher to 7,268, driven by the mining and financial sectors.The commodities sector is in focus amid a 6% rise in iron ore prices and a 1.2% gain in the price of copper. Higher metals prices trigger a rally in many parts of the...

Hedge fund manager Crispin Odey had egg on his face earlier this year. The media seemingly took great pleasure in pointing out the bad luck being experienced by someone who had previously made millions on the market.Is Odey now about to have the last laugh? We will see when e-invoicing group Tungsten (TUNG:AIM) reports on Wednesday 16 December. A positive response from the market could see...

'Most people get interested in stocks when everyone else is. The time to get interested is when no one else is. You can't buy what is popular and do well.' Warren Buffett's famous quotation certainly resonates with gold mining equities. Five years ago you couldn't move for every Tom, Dick and Harry talking about the merits of the sector, giving you tips on hot prospects and everyone declaring...

London markets dip modestly in early trade on Monday nudging back from record closing highs hit late last week, with a swathe of mining and retail-related stocks providing direction. Wall St closed higher overnight Friday, while Asian markets are up this morning.The FTSE 100 index FTSE 100 slips around 19 points, or 0.3%, to 7,071, while midcaps fade similarly, the FTSE 250 index off around 45...

London's blue chip benchmark opens up 18.63 points at 6,749.9, as investors continue to bet on further stimulus ahead in the eurozone, with miners including Antofagasta (ANTO) and Petropavlovsk (POG) in demand.One of the biggest risers early on is consumer payments platform Paypoint (PAY), which perks up 5.5% to 976.5p as excitement mounts ahead of tomorrow's interim results. Investors will be...

The sharp decline in the oil price since June has put commodities back on the mainstream news agenda as investors speculate where energy, metal and food prices are headed next. The direction of oil, copper, wheat and other commodities are hugely relevant to investors as they are key raw materials for companies around the world, not to mention a major influence on the cost of everyday...

Feast on SnackTimeVending operator SnackTime (SNAK:AIM) is a potential bid target once more, having raised £570,000 to pare debt and top up its working capital. The £2 million cap's new funds were raised from Versatel, a vehicle whose directors include shareholder Boris Belotserkovsky, owner of the Russian vending company Uvenco. (JC)Safestore tackles debtsInvestors will discover if...

Exploration company Kefi Minerals (KEFI:AIM) is to buy the remaining 25% of the Tulu Kapi gold prospect in Ethiopia that it didn't already own. It is encouraging news in its attempts to buy the project acquired last December, moving the share price 4.8% higher to 1.62p. The seller is Nyota Minerals (NYO:AIM), up 18.9% to 0.32p, which will get £1.5 million split equally between cash and...

Resources veteran Peter Levine, chairman of President Energy (PPC:AIM), says the oil explorer is 'all about Paraguay' this year. Speaking at the first of two back-to-back Mining & Resources Quarterly (MRQ) evenings (12-13 Mar), he promised the Leeds audience 'surprises' when the firm began its three-well campaign in the South American country this May.One audience member made reference to the...

Pet food and accessories seller Pets at Home (PETS) fails to enjoy a large share price increase seen with so many other IPOs over the past year. The £1.2 billion retailer initially saw its share price fall on its first day of dealings, now easing back to the 245p IPO price.In contrast, discounter Poundland (PLND) powers ahead 15.25% to 345.75p on its stockmarket debut, having priced its IPO...

There is good reason to suggest KEFI Minerals (KEFI:AIM) could breathe fresh life into a troubled Ethiopia-based gold asset owned by Nyota Minerals (NYO:AIM). The small cap has proposed a deal to acquire 75% of the Tulu Kapi project. KEFI reckons it can lower construction and operating costs, increase the resource size and generate greater value for shareholders relative to Nyota's previous...

Pure cloud services supplier Outsourcery (OUT:AIM) has brought a sparkle to its share price since last week's stockmarket debut. The group has today unveiled a deal with Virgin Media's (VMED) business arm to resell its services suite to enterprise customers. The £40 million cap joined the London market on 24 May at 110p and the shares have rallied strongly, adding another 1.5p today to...

The 36% decline in Saudi Arabia-based Kefi Minerals (KEFI:AIM) since late October 2012 provides a speculative buying opportunity ahead of drill results later this month from its Selib North gold prospect. A maiden resource statement is also expected in the first half of 2013 on its Jibal Qutman project. While the resource will probably be small, it will help the market to ascribe a more...