UK stocks edged lower into the close on Wednesday as investors awaited clues to the speed of a possible US rate rise from the publication of the latest meeting notes from the Federal Reserve. At 4.45pm, the benchmark FTSE 100 index was down 12 points or less than 0.2% at 7,169, with losses for miners offsetting gains for house builders after more strong data on home prices. COMPANY NEWS ...

FTSE 250 payments processing player Network International (NETW) was the biggest mid-cap mover on Wednesday after reporting upbeat half year results and upping growth guidance. The company upgraded its revenue expectations to ‘slightly higher’ than 2019 levels having previously steered the market to expect a ‘return to 2019 levels’ as global economic recovery continues to kick ...

UK stocks edged higher in early trading on Wednesday as any optimism generated by another batch of positive earnings updates was offset by concerns about the spreading Delta coronavirus variant. At 08.15am, the benchmark FTSE 100 index was up 4.28 points, or less than 0.1%, at 7,185.39. The modest rise came after the release of inflation data, with the UK's consumer price index up 2.0% in ...

The FTSE 100 made a decent start to the second half as the market awaits UK manufacturing data and unemployment figures from the EU. At 9am the FTSE 100 was up 1.1% at 7,119 led by consumer stocks and house builders. COMPANY NEWS Primark owner AB Foods (ABF) raised its guidance for full year pre-tax earnings to 'not less than £550 million' against market estimates of £525 ...

UK stocks reversed their morning gains as markets worldwide wobbled after US legislators warned that a bi-partisan deal over up to $1,900 billion of government stimulus may take longer than expected. At the close the FTSE 100 index of leading shares was down 56 points or 0.8% at 6,639 as weakness in travel and financial stocks offset gains in retailers and utilities. Gold prices slipped ...

UK stocks gave up their early gains on Monday as a pick-up in merger and acquisition activity was offset by increasing worries over the new strain of the virus. By midday the FTSE 100 index of leading shares was down 20 points or 0.3% to 6,674 as weakness in travel and financial stocks offset gains in retailers and miners. Gold prices slipped 0.2% to $1,851 an ounce and Brent Crude gained ...

UK stocks opened ahead on Monday buoyed by mergers and acquisition activity but increasing worries over the new strain of the virus kept enthusiasm muted. Trading in Asia was positive with Japan’s Nikkei 225 up 0.7% and China’s SE Composite up 0.5%. Gold prices slipped 0.2% to $1,851 an ounce and Brent Crude gained 0.5% to $57.5 a barrel. The pound was 0.2% higher at $1.37. At 08:40 the ...

UK stocks opened higher on Thursday amid increasing signs that the UK and EU were poised to sign a post-Brexit trade deal. At around 8.30am, the benchmark FTSE 100 index moved 0.3% higher to 6,516.98. The more domestically-focused FTSE 250, considered a barometer for Brexit sentiment, gained 0.54% to 20,408.16. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to hold a press conference later on ...

UK stocks closed lower on Monday as investors took new localised Covid-19 restrictions outlined by prime minister Boris Johnson in their stride The FTSE 100 index ended 15 points lower at 6,001 with gains in financial companies offsetting weakness in energy and consumer stocks. As expected, Johnson announced a three-tier grading system - medium, high and very high - for restrictions that ...

UK stocks traded almost unchanged on Monday as investors braced themselves for the introduction of new local Covid-19 meaures to be outlined later in the day by prime minister Boris Johnson. The FTSE 100 index added 5 points to 6,022 with gains in financial companies offsetting weakness in energy and consumer stocks. Johnson is expected to announce a three-tier grading system for ...

Increasing investor anxiety is leading to bigger share individual price moves on a daily and weekly basis and the last week was no exception with a number of large fallers. Engineering group Rolls-Royce (RR.) was forced to release a statement after increasing speculation that the company was planning to raise new funds, leaving the shares down 24% between 14 September and 21 September and ...

The UK’s major markets rallied in opening trade on Monday as hopes of more stimulus to kickstart a battered global economy bolstered risk appetite. The benchmark FTSE 100 jumped more than 2% in early trade, hitting a two-week high at 6294.16, while the FTSE 250 was also firmly higher,joining in an Asian rally that was powered by a surge in China’s blue chip stocks even as soaring US ...

There has been a dearth of companies floating on the UK stock market this year, perhaps understandably given Brexit-induced volatility. A mere 25 companies have floated in London so far in 2019, compared with 87 in 2018 and 106 in 2017 excluding listings classified as international offerings where stocks aren’t available to retail investors. The majority have chosen to list on the Main Market ...

Network International (NETW) 597p Gain to date: 7.8% Original entry price: Buy at 554p, 6 June 2019 Our buy call on Middle East and Africa digital payments play Network International (NETW) is off to a steady start despite the recent market volatility. The resilient share price performance was supported by the release of the first set of numbers since the company’s IPO in ...

The FTSE 100 failed to pick up the feel-good vibe from positive trading in the US and Asia as the index traded a handful of points lower at 7,236.25. Although they didn’t emerge until 9.30am, results from Prudential (PRU) were apparently worth the wait for investors, the shares marked 2.2% higher to £15.28. The first half numbers showed a 14% increase in profit and there was also an ...

The elevation of the Kuwaiti stock market from frontier to emerging market status is the latest sign that the region is moving steadily towards the mainstream in investment terms. Index providers FTSE Russell and MSCI both welcomed Saudi Arabia to the emerging markets club earlier this year in a move which should increase the flow of capital into the country after the UAE arguably paved the way ...

The latest quarterly shuffling of the deck in the FTSE 100 list of blue-chip companies and the FTSE 250 index of mid-cap stocks sees a significant amount of change. To qualify for inclusion in the FTSE 100 index a stock needs to meet certain liquidity requirements and have a sufficiently large market capitalisation to rank in the top 100 companies. Stocks which fail to meet these criteria ...

Buy payment services firm Network International (NETW) as a fascinating growth story and a near-term candidate to join the FTSE 100. Don’t be put off by the premium rating of 33 times 2019 forecast earnings as that is justified by the growth potential on offer and the current share price could look a bargain in the longer term. The company joined the stock market in April 2019 but has ...