Companies buying other companies is very common and this is often referred to as pursuing a mergers and acquisitions strategy, or M&A for short. Acquiring businesses can bring numerous benefits for the purchaser, but this strategy is no slam dunk, for where there are opportunities there are also risks to the buyer and to its shareholders. In simple terms, companies mainly make acquisitions ...

The FTSE 100 marked its worst monthly performance since March as the index chalked up a fifth straight day of losses, down 4.48 points to 5,577.27. Investors have become increasingly concerned this week over fears that lockdowns to tackle surging coronavirus cases would disrupt a nascent economic recovery, with pressure mounting on the UK to follow Germany and France and impose a second ...

A stronger than expected recovery in the Eurozone economy was not enough to prevent a volatile FTSE 100 falling firmly back into the red by lunchtime, hit by concerns over a second lockdown and a rising pound. Economic activity for Eurozone countries as a whole between July and September was 12.7% higher than in the previous three months, beating expectations. But this failed to lift UK ...

Shares in high street lender NatWest (NWG) were top of the FTSE 100 leader board on Friday, rallying 5% to 123p after it reported an unexpected return to profit in the third quarter helped by lower bad loan provisions. The bank posted pre-tax operating profits of £355 million for the three months to September against forecasts of a loss of £75 million and losses of £1.29 billion in the ...

UK stocks fell again in opening trade on Friday, with the FTSE 100 set for its worst monthly loss since March, on fears that lockdowns to tackle surging coronavirus cases would disrupt a nascent economic recovery. The benchmark FTSE 100 was showing a relatively modest 0.15% decline to 5573.40 at 9am, having initially plunged 0.8% in opening deals. Blue chips were dragged lower by ...

According to a report in The Times newspaper, the Bank of England's Prudential Regulatory Authority (PRA), which regulates UK banks, building societies and insurers, is considering allowing the banks to re-start dividend payments next year. In March, the PRA asked the banks to suspend dividends and buybacks until the end of the year and said it expected them to withhold cash bonuses to senior ...

Careful money management and keeping a lid on costs is vital when you’re running a small business, especially in the current environment of exceptional challenges. UK small businesses lost £2.2 billion in revenue for goods and services provided during lockdown as their customers become insolvent. Meanwhile the average small business is still owed almost £60,000 for work done before ...

It’s been a tough year for people who rely on their investments for income thanks to widespread dividend cuts. Income fund managers have now rejigged their portfolios to names which they believe will be dependable source of dividends or bond coupons going forward. Their changes make for interesting reading, particularly for anyone who prefers individual stocks to investment funds as it might ...

Thirteen companies in the FTSE 100 have lost money for investors who have held the shares over the past decade, based on share price performance and dividends reinvested for the 10 years to 24 September 2020. In comparison over the same timeframe, the 10-year total return for the index stands at 52% and the top performer is tool hire firm Ashtead (AHT) which has delivered a total return of ...

Summer is over, schools are back and in any other year people would be returning from the beach to the office. Covid-19 has rendered 2020 different for all sorts of reasons and despite a Government push to get people back at their desk, many continue to work from home. This has big near-term and potentially long-term implications for the economy and the markets. It remains difficult to ...

While recent data like industrial production, consumer confidence and house prices offer hope that the UK economy may be through the worst of the crisis, the first half results from the big banks suggest that the second half of this year is still fraught with difficulty for businesses. So far Barclays (BARC), Lloyds (LLOY) and NatWest (NWG), formerly Royal Bank of Scotland, have put aside a ...

UK stocks ended the week firmly lower as investors were handed a GDP reality check after two days of substantial corporate losses. The benchmark FTSE 100 closed 1.3% down on Friday to close at 5,913.30, a level last seen in the middle of May, with massive losses reported by British Airways-owner International Consolidated Airlines (IAG) and the renamed NatWest (NWG) giving investor pause for ...

The UK’s leading shares traded flat at midday as earlier gains evaporated as a darker mood settled over investors at lunchtime, offsetting strong results from US technology stocks overnight and mixed earnings commentaries from major UK firms. The benchmark FTSE 100 was trading virtually flat at midday, nudging 0.04% lower to 5,987.63, with massive losses reported by British Airways-owner ...

Shareholders in NatWest (NWG) must be thanking their lucky stars that markets are in a forgiving mood heading into the weekend as shares in the high street lender traded sideways at 106p despite a hike in bad loan charges. Considering the 6% drubbing handed out to holders of Barclays (BARC) on Monday and the 7% collapse in shares of Lloyds (LLOY) yesterday, taking them to new eight-year ...

UK stocks headed into the weekend on a firmer note after strong results from US technology stocks overnight and generally upbeat earnings commentaries from major UK firms. Sales updates from US tech giants Alphabet (which owns Google), Amazon, Apple and Facebook all beat market expectations, demonstrating the strength of their businesses during the pandemic and leading to renewed gains for the ...

UK markets were dragged lower in early trading on Thursday as gloomy results from banks and other companies gave investors reasons to pull money out of stocks despite drugs maker AstraZeneca (AZN) rising after topping analysts’ expectations on the back of strong drug sales during coronavirus-driven lockdowns. The benchmark FTSE 100 was down 0.8% at 6,084.50 at 8.50am. Lloyds Banking ...