Shares in AIM-listed self-storage site operator Lok?n Store Group (LOK:AIM) hit a new high last week after the firm revealed it had been approached by Belgian company Shurgard with a cash offer for the business.Shurgard?s offer of £11.10 represents roughly a 16% premium to the undisturbed share price the day before the offer which is considerably below the average take-out premium of 51% this yea

European shares fell on Thursday, with markets grappling with US inflation, Federal Reserve interest rate and geopolitical worries, with the latter hitting travel stocks.Elsewhere among central banks, the European Central Bank left rates unmoved as expected, but the odds of a June cut have risen. The Bank of England is ?way off? cutting, however, a monetary policy committee member said.The FTSE 10

Latest property M&A dealShares climb to a premiumInvestors expect a rival bidShares in AIM-listed self-storage site operator Lok?n Store Group (LOK:AIM) jumped more than 17% to £11.25 after the firm revealed it had received a cash offer for the whole business from Belgian company Shurgard.The price tops the offer price of £11.10, a premium of roughly 16% to the previous closing price, suggesting

European equities were mixed on Thursday morning, ahead of the European Central Bank?s next interest rate decision this afternoon.The FTSE 100 index opened up 2.10 points at 7,963.31. The FTSE 250 was down 4.02 points at 19,797.73, and the AIM All-Share was up 1.13 points, 0.2%, at 756.32.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.1% at 796.00, the Cboe UK 250 was up 0.1% at 17,216.17, and the Cboe Small Companies

Stocks in London opened higher on a Friday full of economic indicator releases, and after China?s factory sector returned to growth in November.The FTSE 100 index opened up 47.91 points, 0.6%, at 7,501.66. The FTSE 250 was up 34.99 points, 0.2%, at 18,268.46, and the AIM All-Share was up 0.51 of a point, 0.1%, at 714.29.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.7% at 748.20, the Cboe UK 250 was virtually flat at 1

Interestingly, as we head into supermarket chain Sainsbury's (SBRY) first-half results on 2 November, the group's shares are trading just above their lows of the last six months.In contrast, shares in grocery market leader Tesco (TSCO) are trading just below their high for the year after the firm posted better-than-expected first half sales and raised its full-year operating profit guidance earlie

- 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

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

Central banks were back in focus at the start of the new week, after some constructive economic indicators since the year began kept stock prices in a positive frame.'Like a sturdy old thoroughbred clearing hurdle after hurdle the FTSE 100 continues to press on towards a new record level despite the uncertain backdrop,' said Russ Mould at AJ Bell.The governor of the Bank of England speaks to Parli

- Prices and rents drive increases in NAV- Still a big shortage of good quality space- Lower values short term help canny buyersDespite the recent sell-off in commercial property stocks due to the spike in gilt yields, results from several of the companies in the sector seem to indicate business is continuing as normal.The lack of good-quality commercial space means rents are rising at a double-di

The FTSE 100 managed a weekly gain, despite underperforming peers on Friday, while strong results from oil majors lifted the mood in New York, shaking off poor numbers from Amazon.Central banks move into focus again next week. The Federal Reserve announces its rate decision on Wednesday, with the Bank of England following on Thursday.The FTSE 100 index closed down 26.02 points, or 0.4% at 7,047.67

Self-storage firm Lok'nStore Group (LOK:AIM) posted a sharp rise in revenues and earnings for the first half as it continues to roll out sites in a desperately under-served market.The company also released significant value through the sale-and-manage-back of four mature stores, allowing it reduce debt and increase its dividend.GROWTH MACHINELok'nStore has a strong record of growing both earnings

A hawkish tone from the head of the US central bank pummelled global stock markets at the end of the week, with a 50 basis point interest rate hike from the Federal Reserve all but certain next month.Fed Chair Jerome Powell on Thursday said a half-point interest rate increase was 'on the table' at the bank's policy meeting next month, underscoring the institution's willingness to aggressively tigh

Major UK shares closed higher on Monday, led by oil and banking stocks, as investors continued to bet on rising interest rates globally, while stronger commodity prices lifted mining shares.The benchmark FTSE 100 ended the day nearly 0.8% higher at 7,573.47, with global miners Anglo American (AAL) and Rio Tinto (RIO) providing a strong boost to the blue-chip index, despite Russian steel play Evraz

Shares in self-storage firm Lok 'n Store (LOK:AIM) added 1.5% to £10.28 after it posted a sharp gain in first half revenues thanks to surging demand and higher prices.Turnover jumped 34% in the six months to the end of January driven by a 6% increase in unit occupancy and an 18.5% increase in the price per square foot of occupied space.The firm has fully funded the roll-out of 12 new stores with

Major UK shares strengthened into lunchtime trading on Monday as investors looked past fears over hot inflation to focus on global recovery hopes.At midday, the benchmark FTSE 100 is trading up by around 0.3% at 7,538.24. Mid-caps also moved up, the FTSE 250 rising 0.35% to 21,789.98, although European market performance remains patchy, with the pan-European Euro Stoxx 50 is flat at 4,087.14.In th

UK stocks opened stronger on Monday and were continuing to hover just under multi-year highs touched in January, as investors looked past fears over hot inflation to focus on global recovery hopes.By 8:42 am, the FTSE 100 index was up 0.1% at 7,524.03 points, while the FTSE 250 traded 0.2% higher at 21,753.76.Miners were in demand, as an ongoing inflationary environment should be positive for meta

Oil and gas giant BP (BP.) has shown there are still some dividend payers on the FTSE 100 after committing to a $2bn payout despite reporting a $4.37bn loss for the first three months of 2020.Increasing numbers of companies are cutting dividends as more and more look to preserve cash to survive the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, but there still some like BP which have committed t

UK were firmer at the open on Monday, taking their cue from positive grey market trading on Wall Street and strong Asian gains, after the Bank of Japan expanded its monetary stimulus again.The benchmark FTSE 100 rallied a fraction off 100 point, or 1.7%, to 5,851.95, while the mid cap FTSE 250 charged 2% higher at 15,996.93.Asia markets have got off to a positive start as a raft of countries get r

Yet more confusion was heaped on shareholders of Gulf healthcare company NMC Health (NMC) today after it received another amendment regarding the true ownership of the company. The shares fell 3.6% to 826p.NMC Health is not able to independently verify the information provided in the notification and is urgently seeking clarity from founder Dr. Shetty, Khaleefa Bin Butti Omair Yousif Al Muhari and