Markets in the US and Europe moved lower on Thursday as technology-led declines continued on disappointment at the US Federal Reserve’s pledge to keep rates low for an extended period. In the UK, the Bank of England echoed the Fed by keeping interest rates near zero and warning of an ‘unusually uncertain’ recovery ahead. The FTSE 100 ended the session 0.47% lower at 6,049.92, sentiment ...

The FTSE 100 slipped lower on Thursday following the Federal Reserve’s announcement last night that it was likely to keep interest rates near zero for several years while the global economy recovers from Covid-19. At 11.25, the blue chip benchmark was 50.4 points, or 0.83%, lower at 6,028.11. Fed chair Jerome Powell said the central bank would ‘maintain an accommodative stance of ...

UK shares tracked declines on Asian stock markets in early trade on Thursday as the lack of new stimulus measures by the US Federal Reserve left investors disappointed ahead of a Bank of England policy meeting. The benchmark FTSE 100 and the mid-cap FTSE 250 were both sharply lower in opening deals with banks, miners and automakers leading the declines. The FTSE 100 was off by around ...

UK stock markets rallied on Monday morning as retailers began reopening stores following a an extended coronavirus lockdown, with Primark planning to fling open the doors to stores in England on 15 June. That saw shares in Primark owner Associated British Foods (ABF) jump 6.5% to £19.385, near the top of the FTSE 100 leader board, sharing space with various airline related stocks, such as ...

UK markets managed to nudge modestly into positive territory at midday, but there remains plenty for investors to mull over. US and European indices jumped on Monday in response to hopes that a vaccine might be developed soon, but came off again overnight. Major US markets to snap a three-day winning streak to decline overnight, led by the Dow's 1.6% fall. The S&P 500 and tech-heavy Nasdaq ...

The FTSE 100 enjoyed strong gains on Friday morning, up 0.9% to 7,307.15 in early trading as hopes of a US-China trade deal were revived somewhat overnight. A quiet day for corporate news is dominated by boardroom appointments at two FTSE 100 firms. Developer and regeneration group St Modwen Properties (SMP) says that chief executive Mark Allan was leaving to take up the same role at Land ...

UK stocks retreated on Thursday with the FTSE 100 index down 33 points or 0.5% to 7,171 led by Metals, Mining and Oil Services stocks. Mining stocks came under pressure after analysts at Liberum cut their forecast for iron ore prices and downgraded Anglo American (AAL), BHP (BHP), Ferrexpo (FXPO) and Rio Tinto (RIO) to Sell. Also weighing on the index was copper miner Antofagasta ...

Domino’s Pizza (DOM) and Restaurant Group (RTN) could potentially be targets for activist investors, based on how they screen for valuation and quality. Both companies have suffered falling share prices in recent years due to trading difficulties. Domino’s has been getting into a spat with its franchisees and its overseas operations aren’t going to plan. Restaurant Group is in the middle ...

Online gambling company GVC (GVC) has delivered earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of £755.3m for the year to December, at the top end of its range of guidance. GVC enjoyed strong growth in online revenues over the period as it gained market share in all territories with NGR rising 21%, helped by the football World Cup and effective marketing. READ MORE ...

Gambling software firm Playtech (PTEC) has sealed a new long-term agreement with online gaming giant GVC (GVC) until 2025 to provide services to its brands, but is the deal less generous than the previous one? Shares in Playtech are up 4% at 433p and GVC is flat at 670.3p, implying the market thinks the deal will be better for the former, but this may not be the case. ‘LESS SERVICE AT A ...

Shares in gambling firm Playtech (PTEC) have rallied 5.5% to 388.4p after it predicted that earnings for the year to 31 December 2019 will beat expectations as long as its Asian business contributes. Adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) is expected to reach €390m to €415m, beating broker Shore Capital’s estimate of €380m. Playtech's guidance ...

It has been a torrid year for gambling firm Playtech (PTEC) and it looks like its troubles could continue in 2019. The gaming technology company shocked the market on Christmas Eve by revealing the hefty impact on 2019 profits of new shock gambling tax hikes in Italy. The Italian Senate’s decision to increase online gaming tax in a session on Sunday comes out of the blue and leaves the share ...

UK markets continue their losing run in a predictably quiet final trading session before the holiday. The FTSE 100 index loses around 40 points in a truncated Christmas Eve session that will close for the Christmas break at 1pm when the London Stock Exchange shuts down. That leaves the blue-chip index at 6,681.07 as investors struggle to shake-off a multitude of concerns for the weeks and ...

Cigarettes giant British American Tobacco (BATS) heads the FTSE 100 lower board on Monday following newspaper reports that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) wants to ban menthol cigarettes. The story emerged from the Wall Street Journal over the weekend and it has got investors in BAT worried, with shares in the group slumping 9% in early trade to £31.07. BAT owns Newport, which is the ...

So far in 2018 stocks under Canaccord Genuity’s leisure sector coverage have dropped by 10% on average. This miserable performance, which is worse than the wider market, begs the question of what is going on with this grouping of companies. Investors should note these companies are still profitable for the most part, but have struggled following slower than anticipated profit growth, profit ...

On track for one of its worst weeks this year, London’s FTSE 100 falls 10 points to 7,309 on Friday with the banking sector on the back foot and Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), Lloyds (LLOY) and Barclays (BARC) all marked lower. British Airways-owner International Consolidated Airlines (IAG) experiences turbulence, marked down 18p (2.6%) to 663.2p as investors weigh the ramifications of a ...

Gambling firm Playtech (PTEC) has struggled with fierce competition from China as new rivals entered the market with aggressive prices, dragging on earnings in the first half of 2018. Adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) fell 13% to €145m on declining sales in Asia, although this was in line with broker Shore Capital’s expectations. In ...

London’s FTSE 100 is off 0.78 points at 7,573.5 in early trading, the blue-chip benchmark seemingly ignoring the latest tit-for-tat tariffs between the US and China. Infrastructure giant John Laing (JLG) jumps 6.6% higher to 312.4p as first half results reveal growth in both profit before tax (PBT) and net asset value, bolstered by a gain on the sale of the company’s remaining ...

Shares in gambling firm Playtech (PTEC) have tumbled 27% to 549.6p after warning of a possible miss to expectations by €70m. This is the likely outcome if things do not improve significantly in its Asia business. The region has seen aggressive pricing from emerging rival businesses, putting profits under pressure. Broker Canaccord Genuity has been quick to slash its own forecast earnings ...

London’s FTSE 100 softens 70.2 points to 7,567 on Monday, the UK stock market following parts of Asia lower with weak oil prices dragging shares in Royal Dutch Shell (RDSB) and BP (BP.) lower, as well as many of the big mining stocks. Groceries goliath Tesco (TSCO) cheapens 0.9p to 255.8p, despite announcing a potentially interesting strategic alliance with France’s Carrefour, a likely ...