Stock prices in London opened in the green on Friday, as the UK could be on a path to avoid a recession according to new GDP data from the Office for National Statistics.Eyes are also on the banking earnings season, which kicks off on Friday. Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo are due to release first-quarter numbers. Asset manager BlackRock also reports.The FTSE 100 index opened up 61.11 p

Surveys point to steady growthBuyer confidence improvingConstruction sector expandingIn a further sign of returning confidence in the housing market, the latest survey from the Halifax ? part of Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY) ? shows annual prices continuing to rise despite relatively subdued activity.The news wasn?t quite enough to support the shares of the leading developers such as Barratt Develop

CRH director spends $2.5 millionPersimmon CEO buys over £100,000 sharesMelrose CFO snaps up over £99,000 sharesDean Finch, chief executive of UK housebuilder Persimmon (PSN), bought 7,621 shares at £13.15 for a total value of £100,216 on 12 March, after which he owns 24,078 in the company.Finch may be taking advantage of the 7% share price fall over the past month after Persimmon reported a 5

Full year profit ahead of guidanceNew £100 million buybackTarget of £800 million operating profitShares in Vistry (VTY) jumped 5% to a new two-year high after the housebuilder delivered better than expected annual profit and provided an upbeat outlook, supported by a new £100 million share buyback.The shares have gained 30% so far in 2024 compared with a 0.4% rise for the mid-cap FTSE 250 inde

European stocks had an unexpectedly muted reaction to the surprise acceleration of US consumer price inflation on Tuesday.The FTSE 100 index closed up 78.58 points, 1.0%, at 7,747.81. The FTSE 250 ended up 35.12 points, 0.2%, at 19,565.21, and the AIM All-Share closed down 0.23 of a point at 738.04.The Cboe UK 100 ended up 1.0% at 775.93, the Cboe UK 250 closed up 0.3% at 16,970.72, and the Cboe S

The FTSE 100 was outperforming its European peers at midday Tuesday, after market sentiment got a boost from UK employment data, which has raised the chances of a Bank of England interest rate cut.A red-hot US consumer price rise could undo all of that progress, however. According to FXStreet cited consensus, the US annual consumer price inflation rate is expected to have remained at 3.1% in Febru

Operating earnings down 65%Dividend kept at 60p per shareOutlook still challengingLeading housebuilder Persimmon (PSN) delivered a predictably downbeat set of full-year 2023 results showing earnings tumbling but still maintained its dividend in line with the previous year.The shares dropped 3.8% to a three-month low of £13.22, making them the worst performer in the FTSE 100 on a day when the inde

Stock prices in London opened largely higher on Tuesday morning, with TP ICAP topping the FTSE 250 as it mulls a minority float of its Parameta Solutions arm, while pet care firms struggled amid UK watchdog scrutiny.The FTSE 100 index rose 59.85 points, 0.8%, to 7,729.08. The FTSE 250 climbed 34.28 points, 0.2%, at 19,564.37, though the AIM All-Share fell 2.09 points, 0.3%, at 736.19.The Cboe UK 1

Leading housebuilder Persimmon (PSN) issued an upbeat full-year trading statement in January saying it had ?performed well in challenging market conditions, delivering completions ahead of expectations alongside enhanced quality metrics of our already five-star homes?.It described sales as being ?relatively robust throughout the year? while it kept a lid on costs but continued to invest in the bus

No-one could accuse the CMA (Competition and Markets Authority) of sitting on its hands, least of all this year.As well as investigating several high-profile mergers ? including this month alone Aviva (AV.)/AIG Life, SpreadEx/Sporting Image, RedBird IMI/Telegraph Media Group, Pharmacy2U/Lloyds Direct and Hitachi/Thales ? the regulator has been busy looking into pricing in the funeral market (again

Revenues fall 20% Profits down over 40%Company cooperating with CMAShares in Taylor Wimpey (TW.) were down over 3% to 135p in morning trading as the UK housebuilder said pre-tax profit had fallen 42.8% to £473.8 million for the year to 31 December compared to £827.9 million in the same year ago period.The company?s share price performance today contrasts with a 10% gain over the past year.

Prices are turning positive againLower mortgage rates helpingActivity seen picking up this yearHousebuilders and housing-related stocks got a lift going into the Bank of England?s monetary policy meeting thanks to a positive read on the property market from the latest Nationwide house price survey.Shares in Barratt Developments (BDEV), Crest Nicholson (CRST), Persimmon (PSN), Redrow (RDW), Rightmo

2023 sales and earnings down sharply2024 order book just over half-coveredBuyer confidence seen recoveringResidential developer Crest Nicholson (CRST) posted a significant drop in 2023 earnings due to a weak sales market but said house-buyer confidence had ?gradually returned? last year due to falling mortgage rates, leaving the shares trading sideways at 205p at lunchtime. The FTSE 250 fir

Fourth quarter completion top forecastsShares up 12% over the last 12 monthsFirm still cautious on 2024 outlookShares in Persimmon (PSN) were up over 3% in morning trading to £14.40 after the York-headquartered housebuilder saw a strong recovery in sales in the final quarter of 2023 in what is traditionally a slow period for the industry.The FTSE 100 company said it completed the sale of 9,922 ne

European equities traded lower on Wednesday afternoon, ahead of a host of risk events later in the week, including earnings from major US banks and an inflation reading from the world?s largest economy.AJ Bell analyst Russ Mould commented: ?The market is still trying to work out if central banks are going to under-promise and over-deliver on interest rates cuts or if they really mean it when they

UK housebuilders Persimmon (PSN) and Taylor Wimpey (TW.) have been on quite a run of late with shares in both jumping around 40% over the last two months.A shift in interest-rate expectations since the middle of November has had a positive effect on mortgage costs, while house prices have perked up after months of decline which has combined to give the downtrodden sector a much-needed boost.Both f

Gains across the sector year-to-dateSome stocks trading at new highsEyes on Berkeley Group this weekEven though the most recent results from housebuilders such as Barratt Developments (BDEV) and Bellway (BWY) were resolutely downbeat, the firms? share prices have been on the charge since the middle of October as investors have bet on the Bank of England continuing to hold interest rates at their c

The FTSE 100 outperformed as European stocks struggled on underwhelming China trade data, as eyes turn to words from more US central bankers, after one pushed back on softer interest rate expectations on Monday.The FTSE 100 succumbed to share price declines from miners and oil. Though insurers and retail prevented the blue-chip index from suffering a deeper fall.The FTSE 100 index was down just 2.

Persimmon raises completions targetPartnership deals pave the wayAverage house prices turning upA positive third-quarter trading update and evidence of a bounce in house prices helped lift shares in Persimmon (PSN) and other developers from their recent lows.Persimmon added 2.5% to £11.09 while rivals Barratt Developments (BDEV) and Taylor Wimpey (TW.) gained around 1.5% apiece. HIGHER FUL

No sign of activity picking upPrivate reservations fall furtherCompletions seen down around 20%The UK's leading housebuilder Barratt Developments (BDEV) echoed the downbeat sentiment expressed earlier this week by rival Bellway (BWY), describing the new-build market as 'uncertain' and lamenting the end of the government's Help To Buy initiative for first-time buyers.Barratt shares slid 2.8% to 412