London’s FTSE 100 traded 0.66% higher at 7,540.92 points by lunchtime on Wednesday amid the release of a slew of positive local earnings updates, including guidance upgrades from retailers Sainsbury’s (SBRY), JD Sports Fashion (JD.) and Dunelm (DNLM), and as investors awaited the release of key US inflation data due later in the day. The global mood already had been lifted by testimony ...

Recruiter PageGroup (PAGE) was up 3.6% to 676.5p as the company lifted its annual profit guidance after a positive fourth quarter. The recruitment sector has seen strong demand for its services amid staffing shortages coming out of the pandemic. PageGroup is largely focused on white collar office workers. Operating profit for the year through December was now expected to be in the region of ...

UK stocks opened higher on Tuesday as concerns about the omicron variant abated, China eased monetary policy and several blue chip companies announced earnings upgrades, with the benchmark FTSE 100 index bid up 1.1% to 7,312.73 points early on. Indications that the new Covid strain may only trigger mild symptoms prompted relief among investors and helped travel stocks take off. Risk appetite ...

Shares in recruitment firm Page Group (PAGE) surged 7% higher on Wednesday to a new all-time high of 656.5p after reporting strong third quarter growth and increasing full-year profit guidance for the second time in three months. Group gross profit increased 65.4% year-on-year for the three months through September to £228.1 million, which also eclipsed record 2019 levels by around ...

London’s FTSE 100 traded almost 1% lower at 7,007.53 early on Wednesday, even after supermarkets giant Tesco (TSCO) posted bumper profits, as rising US bond yields and soaring energy prices stoked inflation fears. Oil prices were camped above $80 per barrel after producers’ cartel OPEC failed to increase output and natural gas continued to touch record highs, leaving investors fretting that ...

London’s FTSE 100 ended Monday’s session in positive territory, wiping out earlier losses to trade firmly above 7,100 by the close of play and shrugging off a weaker open on Wall Street, where the S&P 500 was down 0.16% to 4,429.43 by 4.30pm UK time. COMPANY NEWS In company news, wealth manager Hargreaves Lansdown (HL.) sank 11.2% to £14.57, even as it reported an 8% rise in annual ...

London’s FTSE 100 was down 0.5% at 7,089.88 points by midday on Monday as weak Chinese trade figures, lower commodity prices and a rise in global coronavirus infections hit the index. The decline in gold to levels last seen in May appeared to have little impact on the sector, while crude oil’s fall had a modest impact on BP (BP.), which slipped 2.2% to 301p. The more UK domestically ...

The FTSE 100 opened the first trading session of the new week in negative territory taking its cue from Asia’s main markets. The dip into the red was marginal and sustained by thin trading volumes, with miners on offer early on after anemic Chinese trade data over the weekend and a rise in global coronavirus infections. The decline in gold to levels last seen in May appeared to have little ...

Shares in recruitment firms PageGroup (PAGE) and Robert Walters (RWA) jumped sharply after both firms raised their full year earnings guidance following stronger than expected current trading. PageGroup shares climbed as much as 6% in early trading after the company posted a 94% increase in second quarter net fee income and lifted its full year operating profit forecast by more than a ...

After their worst session in nearly three weeks yesterday, UK stocks rallied on Wednesday with energy and mining stocks leading the gains. By 8.30am the FTSE 100 index of leading shares was up 34 points or 0.5% at 7,136 points. Elsewhere, investors seem to be questioning the strength of the global recovery with ‘safe haven’ trades such as US government bonds and the Japanese Yen attracting ...

It’s been another busy week in terms of directors buying and selling shares in their respective companies, with the most notable transaction coming from clothing retailer N Brown (BWNG:AIM). Non-executive director Joshua Alliance, son of fashion industry giant and longstanding N Brown chairman Lord David Alliance, has raised his stake in the firm from 4.61% to 6.21% after buying over 7.3 ...

Shares in recruitment firm Robert Walters (RWA) rose 9% to a one-year high of 690p as the staffing specialist said it is ‘currently confident’ that full-year profits will ‘comfortably’ beat market expectations. Positive trading conditions continued throughout the first quarter to March 2021, and Robert Walters’ 11% drop in net fee income to £77.3 million represented a marked ...

London’s FTSE 100 finished lower on Friday as travel-related stocks fell and after the S&P 500 and Nasdaq opened lower, with a rise in US bond yields weighing on highly valued tech stocks a day after the S&P 500 set a record closing high. By the close on Friday, the benchmark FTSE 100 index was down 0.38% at 6,915.75 points, though the high-flying FTSE 250 ended 0.02% higher at ...

London’s FTSE 100 traded flat by midday on Friday as banks and travel-related stocks fell, though the blue chip benchmark remained on course for its best week since early January ahead of an anticipated reopening-driven economic bounce. By lunchtime, the benchmark FTSE 100 index was down 0.12%, at 6,933.8, while the FTSE 250 was flat at 22,247.2 points. UK stocks took a breather following ...

Shares in recruiter PageGroup (PAGE) jumped 11% to a post-pandemic high of 554p after the firm filed a positive first quarter trading update and predicted a strong rebound in full year operating profits. RAPID IMPROVEMENT For the first three months of 2021, gross profits – also referred to in the industry as net fee income – rose 1% on the first quarter of last year, but more ...

UK stocks have taken a breather following a strong week which saw a return to pre-pandemic levels for the FTSE 100 and a record high for the FTSE 250. The UK’s benchmark index fell 0.23% to 6,926 in early trading on Friday, while the midcap FTSE 250 traded almost flat at 22,261. It comes after Wall Street hit record highs overnight with the S&P 500 reaching an all-time high of ...

Prior to the pandemic, £3.6 billion Evenlode Income Fund (BD0B7D5) was lauded by various fund experts as a good place to put your money. On a five-year basis, it has been in the top 25% best performing funds for its category, achieving the much sought-after top quartile status. Unfortunately, recent performance has disappointed with the fund in the bottom quartile for the past six and 12 ...

The FTSE 100 experienced some fairly wild swings in afternoon trading on Wednesday following the Budget, with a mixed reaction to announcements including the extension of furlough and support for businesses, as well as continued relief on stamp duty and a plan to raise corporate tax to 25%. Having initially rallied over 1% in morning trade before falling back to trade just 0.2% higher after the ...

The FTSE 100 climbed in morning trading on Wednesday ahead of a vital Budget that investors hope will oil the wheels of Britain's economic recovery. There has been plenty of speculation floating about ahead of the Budget, with weekend reports of tax grabs, already experts predict Rishi Sunak to be largely fiscally supportive of the pandemic-ravaged UK economy. By 12pm, the FTSE 100 rallied ...

The FTSE 100 made a storming start to trading on Wednesday ahead of a vital Budget that investors hope will oil the wheels of Britain's economic recovery. There is plenty of speculation floating about, with weekend reports of tax grabs, already experts predict Rishi Sunak to be largely fiscally supportive of the pandemic-ravaged UK economy. Events on Wall Street, which endured another soft ...