The FTSE 100 fell further into the red after an earlier rise as the exporter-heavy index was hit by a gain in the pound following news that the UK has compromised over its initial deadline for a Brexit trade deal to be done. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has pushed back the deadline for a trade deal with the EU from 15 October, with talks now set to continue until the end of the month. The ...

UK shares swung to the red by lunchtime on Wednesday with the benchmark FTSE 100 index hit by rising Brexit uncertainty, the growing threat of another national lockdown and a rise in the pound. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has reportedly pushed back the deadline for a Brexit deal to be completed, with the original deadline for a trade deal with the EU of 15 October scrapped as talks are now set ...

UK started Wednesday’s trading session on the front foot as a weaker pound lifted shares of exporters, although growing political wrangling over new Covid-19-related restrictions and uncertainty over a Brexit trade deal capped gains. The benchmark FTSE 100 rose 0.4% to 5,995.04, led by shares of Just Eat Takeaway (JET) and Bunzl (BNZL). Aero-engineer Rolls Royce (RR.) and the usual mix of ...

UK stocks closed in positive territory on Wednesday, buoyed by strength in miners as the gold price continued to surge and with oil stocks in demand as crude prices broke higher following another significant drawdown in US weekly stockpiles. The benchmark FTSE 100 index closed up 68.72 points, or 1.14%, at 6,104.72. Motor insurer Hastings (HSTG) jumped 17.7% to 253p after it agreed to a bid ...

UK stocks were stronger on Wednesday, picking up where they left off on Tuesday and maintaining the bullish outlook for August so far. Motor insurer Hastings (HSTG) soared on the back of a £1.66 billion takeover bid from Finland’s Sampo and Rand Merchant Investment, although a new record for the gold price revealed continuing investor unease. At 11.15, the benchmark FTSE 100 index was up 62 ...

The FTSE 100 surged in early trading on Wednesday as expectations grew that the White House and Democrats in the US would strike a new stimulus deal. It comes as the price of gold topped $2,000 per ounce for the first time ever. The precious metal is currently trading around $2,035 per ounce. The further US stimulus measures come after a rapid rise in coronavirus cases in the country, which ...

The UK is on the cusp of a serious unemployment crisis. In recent weeks thousands more job cuts have been announced by major employers and the real pain is probably still to come with the conclusion of the furlough scheme in October. Widespread unemployment, expected to hit levels not seen since at least the 1990s, will impact the stock market in several ways. First there is the question of ...

The latest trading updates from staffing firms Robert Walters (RWA) and Pagegroup (PAGE) painted a drab picture of the global economy in the three months to the end of June but offered hope of an upturn in the next few quarters. Recruitment firms have been in the eye of the storm as companies have either frozen hiring or worse, made staff redundant in an effort to cut costs during ...

UK stocks opened slightly lower today with the FTSE 100 off 0.17% at 7,600.4 while the FTSE 250 index was flat at 21,720. Gambling stocks were on the back foot following the banning of credit cards which comes into effect on April 14. GVC (GVC) was trading off 0.24%, William Hill (WHM) was 2% lower while Flutter Entertainment (FLTR) shares were 0.8% softer. Online fashion retailer Boohoo ...

Recruitment firms were heavily under the cosh on 8 October with Robert Walters (RWA) and Michael Page (PAGE) falling by nearly 10% apiece as they cut earnings guidance. Both companies attributed their struggles to political and economic uncertainty. PageGroup lowered its operating profit guidance for the full year to a range of £140m to £150m against market expectations of £150m to ...

Shares in recruitment firms PageGroup (PAGE) and Robert Walters (RWA) suffered heavy losses after both firms cut their full year earnings guidance due to lack of visibility in the staffing business. Shares in PageGroup were down 10.5% to a two-year low of 374p after the firm cut its outlook for this year’s operating earnings to £140m to £150m against market expectations of £150m to ...

Despite a lack of progress both on US-China trade talks and the Brexit process, UK stocks edged ahead on Tuesday with the FTSE 100 index of leading stocks up 18 points or 0.2% to 7,216. The best-performing sectors were Basic Materials, such as Mining and Paper & Pulp, and Industrial Goods & Services. HK WALKS AWAY The biggest loser on the FTSE was London Stock Exchange (LSE) which ...

A seeming dialling down in the aggressive rhetoric between the US and China and the latter’s move to stabilise its currency helped restore some calm to the markets with the FTSE 100 trading 0.3% higher at 7.192.96 in early trading. Miner and commodities trader Glencore (GLEN) slips 1.9% to 226.95 after announcing that its half-yearly earnings fell by nearly a third, amid lower copper and ...

It’s been a good week for British luxury brand Burberry (BRBY), which added more than £1bn to its market value after better than expected first quarter results. Its shares rose 12.7% to £22.44 following a 4% rise in comparable store revenues. The iconic brand has man of the moment Riccardo Tisci to thank. The Italian fashion designer, renowned for his work at French fashion house ...

Shares in recruitment firm PageGroup (PAGE) suffered their worst one-day fall since 2017 after the company warned that full year operating profits will be in the bottom half of the range of analyst forecasts. Despite a record second quarter, with 16 countries growing net fee income by more than 10%, the firm cautioned that weak macro-economic conditions meant operating income for the year to 31 ...

UK stocks open weaker on Wednesday with the FTSE 100 index of leading stocks drifting off by 0.2% to 7,522 due to softness in Beverages, Personal Goods, Tobacco and Utilities Housebuilder Barratt Developments (BDEV) delivers a positive trading update for the year to 30 June and forecasts annual pre-tax profit above the current market consensus of £884m thanks to a big improvement in operating ...

Shares in Robert Walters (RWA) seem to be bucking a weak recruitment sector in the wake of a negative note on Dutch firm Randstad from influential investment bank Goldman Sachs. While the share price has stayed flat at 600p, valuing Robert Walters at £456m, larger operators Hays (HAS) and PageGroup (PAGE) are both off by a couple of percent on Tuesday. In Robert Walters' favour is ...

The dictionary definition of quality is ‘the degree of excellence of something’. Handmade Hermes scarfs that use high quality silk would fit this description of quality. However, just because a company makes high quality products, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the business itself would be considered a quality business by investors. This article looks at three different metrics which ...

Shares in specialist recruiter SThree (STHR) have risen by 4% to 284p after full year results hit the firm’s recently raised guidance. Total revenue was up 13% last year to £1.26bn with gross profit up 12% to £321m and pre-tax profit up 20% to £53.4m. Like its larger rivals, the company’s biggest markets are outside the UK which makes it more resilient to political and economic ...

Figures last week from Germany’s Federal Statistical Office showed that gross domestic product (GDP) grew by just 1.5% in 2018, the slowest rate for five years. That meant that GDP was barely positive in the fourth quarter, up by an estimated 0.1%. If the fourth quarter had been negative like the third quarter, which shrank by 0.2%, Germany would technically be in recession. With China ...