Shares in housebuilder Redrow (RDW) rose 0.4% to 703p after the firm posted a strong increase in full year revenues, announced the resumption of the full year dividend and reinstated its medium-term guidance. For the period to June, sales were up 45% to £1.94 billion thanks to a 39% increase in legal completions to 5,620 units and higher average selling prices. NET CASH AGAIN Higher ...

UK stocks made little headway on Wednesday despite a spate of earnings reports which on the whole painted a picture of improving corporate health. By 9.30am the FTSE 100 index of leading stocks was unchanged at 7,033 points. In Asia, Chinese stocks closed lower after August retail sales data disappointed, sending the CSI index down for a fifth day in succession. In Japan on the other hand, the ...

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 ...

The FTSE 100 finished 0.2% higher at 7,087.55 points on Tuesday with banks and housebuilders lending support. However food delivery platform Just Eat Takeaway.com (JET) was the biggest riser on the blue chip benchmark, bid up 3.4% to £68.40 as investors bet it would benefit from a surge in orders as consumers settled on sofas to watch the Euro 2020 clash between England and Germany. A ...

London’s FTSE 100 was up 0.25% at 7,090.71 points by lunchtime on Tuesday, led by gains across sectors including banking, tobacco and beverages. A 0.3% decline in sterling against the US dollar to $1.3839 benefited some FTSE stocks with large US dollar earnings including CRH (CRH) and Ferguson (FERG). Housebuilders were lifted by the latest Nationwide house price index, which surged ...

Markets generally appear to have been somewhat quieter over the past week and the same goes for director dealing, with a lower than normal number of noteworthy trades. But there have been some interesting transactions, one of which involves Michael Dobson, the outgoing chairman and former chief executive of FTSE 100 fund manager Schroders (SDR). Dobson sold over 17,000 shares at a price of ...

We’re pleased to welcome back Malcolm from Edinburgh who is sharing his experience as someone in retirement taking charge of their investments for the first time. After a year-and-a-half of taking responsibility for investing for retirement through my SIPP and Stocks and Shares ISA, matters are becoming clearer. There is no going on endless holidays and checking my portfolio once a ...

UK shares picked themselves up in early trade after a two-day plunge with leading stocks given a helping hand by a better than forecast first quarter GDP reading. The data showed the UK contracted by 1.5% in the lockdown-hit opening months to the year, compared to the 1.6% decline forecast. A stronger sign of recovery was news that the economy actually grew 2.1% in March, instead of the ...

Investors have reacted in a mixed fashion to the Budget after Chancellor Rishi Sunak pledged to extend furlough and support for businesses, continue relief on stamp duty and refrain from raising income tax. The blue-chip FTSE 100 was trading 0.6% higher at 6,654 shortly after the Chancellor’s speech, losing half of the gains seen at the market open, while the more domestically focused FTSE ...

UK stocks traded higher on Wednesday as mining stocks found favour thanks to a sharp rally in metals and commodity prices. In Asian trading the Shanghai Composite SE index surged 1.4% and Japan’s Nikkei 225 index gained 0.2%. Gold prices were 0.3% higher at $1,845 an ounce and Brent oil prices were slightly lower at $60.8 a barrel. At 12 pm the FTSE 100 was up 27 points or 0.4% t0 6,559 ...

UK stocks opened higher on Wednesday after a clutch of positive corporate results and dividend resumptions. In Asian trading the Shanghai Composite SE index surged 1.4% and Japan’s Nikkei 225 index gained 0.2%. Gold prices were 0.3% higher at $1,845 an ounce and Brent oil prices were slightly lower at $60.8 a barrel. At 08.45 am the FTSE 100 was 14 points higher at 6,546 ...

What a year. At the start of 2020 it was all about the political certainty in the UK delivered by the 2019 General Election but within a couple of months attention had turned to a nasty new virus emerging from China. In the circumstances the 4.8% total return from our picks was a solid effort, given they were selected for a reality which was entirely overturned by the ...

Investors seem to be warming to the idea of an eleventh-hour Brexit deal if the performance of domestically focused stocks and a strong pound prove to be a good guide to future events. Shares in Housebuilders Vistry (VTY) and Redrow (RDW) and Crest Nicholson (CRST) gained 4.5%, 3.5% and 5% respectively while home improvements company Travis Perkins (TPK) was also perky on Wednesday, gaining ...

We’re pleased to welcome back Malcolm from Edinburgh who is sharing his experience as someone in retirement taking charge of their investments for the first time. Having explained out how he set up his first portfolio Malcolm turns to how he is managing his investments. In an earlier column I explained my attempts at managing new investments in a SIPP and ISA pension fund. I detailed ...

A reassuring trading update ahead of today’s AGM helped shares in housebuilder Redrow (RDW) to gain 2.8% to 453.2p. The company continues to expect to reinstate dividend payments at the half year stage and to be cash positive for the remainder of the financial year, according to the statement covering the 18-week period ending 30 October. HUGE CASH PILE The update, which will be ...

UK stocks erased their early gains to end lower on Wednesday as investors awaited an update from the US Federal Reserve due after the market close regarding the outlook for the US economy. At 4.35pm the benchmark FTSE 100 index was down 7 points at 6,078, led lower by supermarket groups Sainsbury (SBRY) and Tesco (TSCO) and engineers Melrose (MRO) and Roll-Royce (RR.). The FTSE 250 mid-cap ...

Shares in housebuilder Redrow (RDW) fell 1.8% to 448.2p as its results revealed a Covid-19 impact on margins and impairments linked to a reorganisation of its London business. Pre-tax profit for the year to 30 June dropped to £140 million from £406 million as revenue fell 37% to £1.34 billion. The company swung from a net cash balance of £124 million to a net debt position of £126 ...

UK stocks tracked sideways in early trading on Wednesday as investors awaited an update from the Federal Reserve about the outlook for the US economy. At 8.39, the FTSE 100 was ever so slightly lower, off 0.15% at 6,096.30 points. E-commerce company The Hut (THG), the Manchester-based owner of the Lookfantastic website, surged 27% higher to 635p, having priced its IPO at 500p, as conditional ...

Shares in housebuilder Persimmon (PSN) rallied 5.1% to £27.46 after it boosted recovery hopes in the sector, restoring its dividend following an ‘excellent start’ to the second half of the year. The FTSE 100 stalwart said better than expected demand for its homes had allowed it to reinstate the payout it had suspended in late March, with investors set to receive 40p per share. House ...

The decision by chancellor Rishi Sunak to temporarily waive stamp duty on the purchase of homes up to the value of £500,000 in England and Northern Ireland until the end of March 2021 has reignited the housing market after months of hibernation caused by the coronavirus. Since the announcement on 8 July, shares in the housebuilders have mostly beaten the FTSE All-Share index with gains of ...