UK stocks rallied on Wednesday after two days of losses with domestically focused banks and insurers the main drivers amid thin corporate news. Leading the gains were Lloyds Bank (LLOY) and Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) up 3% apiece to 36.3p and 135p respectively, supported by insurers RSA (RSA) and Phoenix (PHNX) up 2% to 423p and 675p respectively. At 9am the FTSE 100 index was up 0.4% to ...

London’s FTSE 100 traded 78.7 points lower at 7,155.2 on Tuesday as investors fretted over the looming UK general election, the latest US decision on interest rates and the question of whether the Trump administration will go ahead with tariff hikes on Chinese goods on 15 December as scheduled. Embattled fashion label Ted Baker (TED) tumbled 20.4% to 318p as it warned on profits again ...

UK stocks eased back after last week’s strong finish, with the FTSE 100 index giving up 21 points or 0.3% to 7,303. Banks, Household Goods, Mobile Telecoms and Tobacco were the sectors weighing the most on the index. Global banking giant HSBC (HSBA) delivered a disappointing third quarter earnings update, with profits down 24% to $3bn, and abandoned its Return on Tangible Equity target of ...

London’s FTSE 100 rose 15 points to 7,568 on Monday with strength in miners and tobacco stocks helping to offset weakness in banking and utilities names. European markets were less volatile than those in Asia, where big declines were seen across China, Hong Kong, India and Japan. Market chatter suggested that investors were no longer betting on sharp interest rate cuts in the US and so appetite ...

Beaten down photobooths-to-laundry machines operator Photo-Me International’s (PHTM) growth story has been juiced up following its entry into a new and large market. The acquisition (25 Apr) of 96% of Sempa, a France-based maker of commercialised fresh fruit vending equipment, takes it into the vast $154bn fresh fruit and vegetable juice market, one underpinned by consumers’ increasing ...

London’s FTSE 100 cheapens 35.2 points to 7,436.5 on Thursday as European equities take their cue from Wall Street and with the official scrapping of a groceries mega-merger and continued commodity crunch also weighing on the blue-chip benchmark. Supermarkets giant Sainsbury’s (SBRY) slumps 4.2% lower to 217.1p as the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) blocks its proposed £7.3bn ...

Instant-service equipment specialist Photo-Me International’s (PHTM) latest profit warning is blamed on Brexit-driven consumer uncertainty. Shares in the Serge Crasnianski-steered concern cheapen 3.7% to 81.3p – they have fallen more than 57% from their January 2018 five year peak - on news which shouldn’t surprise Shares readers. We’d already put you in the picture when we said the ...

The ramifications at fashion chain Superdry (SDRY) continue in early trade on Wednesday as investors mull the impact of yesterday’s narrowly supported return of founder Julian Dunkerton. Shareholders voted for the charismatic clothing entrepreneur to take a place back on the board by the thinnest of margins, getting 50.75% of votes to back his bid to return. But that has led to more ...

UK stocks are slightly lower in early trade with the FTSE 100 giving up 8 points or 0.1% to 6,770 points while European markets drop further on growing trade concerns. Classic defensive sectors like Beverages, Pharmaceuticals and Tobacco are steadying the ship while cyclical sectors such as Oil Services and Technology are weighing. However Utilities, which are usually considered ...

Photobooths-to-laundry machines operator Photo-Me International (PHTM) is out in the cold with investors once more, marked down 9% to 96.6p on a modest first half profits miss. But the key catalyst for selling is the outlook statement, in which the instant service equipment play appears to be softening investors up for another profit warning. CLOUDED OUTLOOK CEO Serge Crasnianski expects ...

Out-of-favour photobooths-to-laundry machines operator Photo-Me International (PHTM) rallies 10.6% to 110.2p as the Epsom-headquartered company assures its Japanese business will return to growth this year. There’s also relief as Photo-Me confirms it has traded in line with downgraded expectations in the first five months of the financial year - first half results will be flat year-on-year ...

Stocks get off to a decent start on Wednesday with the FTSE100 and the 250 rising by half a percent. European markets are also firmer although it’s worth noting that US futures are pointing to a lower open. Defensive heavyweights Astrazeneca (AZN), Reckitt Benckiser (RB.) and Unilever (ULVR) are lending the market support along with the utility sector. Investors seem relaxed about ...

UK and European stocks are holding their ground in early trading on Thursday after falls in stock markets in Asia. China’s benchmark Shanghai Composite index earlier hit a 4-year low as fears of a damaging trade war linger. After their best day in six months on Tuesday, US stocks finished modestly lower last night following minutes from the Federal Reserve which confirmed market expectations ...

UK computer services and software reseller Softcat (SCT) is among the biggest risers across the FTSE All Share index in early trade on Tuesday after telling investors it will beat current forecasts. The FTSE 250 firm said its full year adjusted operating profit would be well ahead of its prior expectations, helped by favourable market conditions. Shares in the near-£1.5bn business are running ...

Instant-service equipment supplier Photo-Me International (PHTM) has downgraded 2019 profit guidance, blaming over-supply in its Japanese photo identification business for the earnings shortfall. Shares in the photobooths-to-laundry units operator slump 22.7% to 117p on disappointing news that extends their poor run year-to-date. MIXED PICTURE Listed on the London Stock Exchange since ...

The political crisis engulfing Italy continues to rattle investor cages across Europe and elsewhere around the globe, with Asian markets hit hard overnight. The UK’s FTSE 100 is making an unsettled start to trading on Wednesday, early modest gains being gradually whittled away to trade around 5 points lower at 7,627.65. It follows a 1.3% fall on Tuesday as investors took fright at the ...

Instant service vending equipment specialist Photo-Me International (PHTM) has delivered robust, better than expected half year results, with the rapid growth in its higher margin laundry operations more than offsetting lower photobooth takings in the UK and Japan. Shares in the photobooths, printing kiosks and amusement machines operator slip back 4.5p to 182.5p despite the good news. Some ...

One of the stock market’s more unusual investment opportunities, yet highly profitable and awash with growth angles, is Photo-Me International (PHTM). The £644m business operates, sells and services a wide range of instant service equipment. As of 30 April, it had a staggering 47,946 units in operation in 18 countries including France, the UK, Japan and the US. Generating 90% of its ...

With the FTSE 100 broadly flat at 7,526 points, Lloyds (LLOY) loses 1.75% at 66.2p as investors take profits off the table. This comes despite a better than expected 9% improvement in third quarter underlying profit before tax to £2.1bn, largely thanks to a fall in one-off costs and misconduct charges in the quarter. Encouragingly, the mortgages-to-current account provider's capital ...

PHOTO-ME INTERNATIONAL (PHTM) 161p Stop loss: 128.8p Market value: £600.5m   Weakness at photobooths-to-printing kiosks play Photo-Me International (PHTM) is a buying opportunity. The £600.5m cap offers a good hedge against Brexit-related uncertainties as it generates 90% of profits outside of the UK. Consensus estimates could prove conservative given positive progress ...