UK stocks moved into positive territory by lunchtime on Thursday, having recouped earlier losses as Chancellor Rishi Sunak unveiled increased support for firms hit by Tier 2 coronavirus restrictions. Sunak announced significant changes to the Job Support Scheme (JSS), set to replace furlough from next month. Under the updated scheme employers will pay less and staff can work fewer hours ...

UK stocks retreated on Thursday after British Airways-owner International Consolidated Airlines (IAG) posted a quarterly loss and investors looked to a parliament address later in the day by Chancellor Rishi Sunak on the economic outlook. The benchmark FTSE 100 fell 0.3% to a five-month low of 5,760.57, dragged lower by weak real estate and energy stocks, while defence firm BAE Systems ...

While the coronavirus pandemic has been the dominant story of 2020 for global markets, ever-present in the background for UK investors has been the long and torturous road to Brexit, which is rapidly coming to a head with the UK needing to strike a trade deal with the European Union (EU) before 1 January 2021. Despite having had more than four years to prepare for a deal, both sides have taken ...

Despite a strong recovery for the share price since the big correction in March, the market is still underestimating the long-term potential at precision engineering firm Renishaw (RSW). In this article we will explore how the company is investing for future growth and why investors with a five to 10-year timeframe should buy the stock and hold it through good and bad times. A CROWN ...

The UK market remains unloved with many investors believing it to be full of old economy businesses and lacking growth. While that criticism is fair on a select basis, applying such an opinion to the whole of the market would mean missing out on some good companies. Asset manager Tellworth is hoping to convince investors that the UK is still full of money-making opportunities with the launch in ...

In a rare bit of positive news for the retail sector, discounter B&M European Value Retail (BME) has been promoted to the FTSE 100 index in the latest quarterly reshuffle, global index provider FTSE Russell has confirmed. In a rebalance that sees just one change to the FTSE 100, broadcaster ITV (ITV) suffered relegation to the FTSE 250, losing its place in the elite index after a spell ...

The 100 FTSE fell 0.9% to 6,222.52 in early trading on Thursday as investors weighed up the impact of weak economic data seen yesterday and today’s corporate updates. A number of stocks going ex-dividend, as always happens on a Thursday, was also a big contributor to the fall, with the likes of pharma giants AstraZeneca (AZN) and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and oil majors BP (BP.) and Royal Dutch ...

Metrology and healthcare technology group Renishaw (RSW) issued a mixed update on Friday. On the one hand, the FTSE 250 company warned that it expected to post a large drop in annual profit because of restructuring charges, yet it raised revenue guidance to £510 million. Investors, clearly anticipating an impact on profits this year because of Covid-19, latched on to the higher sales ...

UK stocks recovered some poise on Friday, despite an overnight fall on Wall Street amid fresh concerns over the pandemic and disappointing results from content streaming firm Netflix, with company earnings coming to the rescue. In early trading the FTSE 100 index added 0.2% to 6,261 as defensive sectors such as healthcare and tobacco offsett losses in financial and energy stocks. Sterling ...

UK stocks inched higher on Tuesday in anticipation of the government setting out details on how to make workplaces ‘Covid secure’ and restart the economy. The FTSE 100 index of leading stocks added 28 points or 0.5% to 5,968 led by telecoms and retailers, while travel stocks and property companies limited the gains. Mobile operator Vodafone (VOD) helped support the index, rising 3.7% to ...

It is too early to call the coronavirus a pandemic but the Asian outbreak is still casting a pall over the mood of investors, who retrenched back into risk off mode on Thursday. Cases and deaths continue to rise, airlines are slashing flight schedules and factories in China have been extending holidays into February. The mood in the market is one of severe concern, and that is having ma severe ...

After a difficult 2018, our latest annual portfolio of 10 stocks has delivered far superior rewards. Last year we outperformed the market, albeit still making a loss. This year we’ve smashed the returns from the FTSE All-Share and generated significant profits. Our portfolio has delivered a 23% total return (capital gains and dividends) versus 16.7% from the market. That’s one of our ...

Renishaw (RSW) £31.94 Loss to date: -16% Original entry price: Buy at £38.04, 20 December 2019 High quality engineering outfit Renishaw (RSW) has seen its share price come under considerable pressure after the latest of several downbeat updates from the company in 2019. A first quarter update, for the financial year running to 30 June 2020, showed pre-tax profit for the ...

UK markets open modestly on the front foot on Tuesday despite the blow to investors from news that Neil Woodford's Equity Income fund is to be wound up by its administrator and return cash to investors. The fund, run by the one-time star fund manager, was suspended on 4 June. At its peak, the Woodford Equity Income fund managed £10.2bn worth of assets, such as local authority pension funds ...

Last year was a vintage one for mergers and acquisitions (M&A) with deals totalling more than $4trn, the highest figure since 2007 and the onset of the global financial crisis. This year is shaping up to also be a historic period for takeovers and we believe UK-listed companies are prime targets for foreign companies. In 2018 mega deals worth $10bn or more grabbed the headlines. According ...

If you are new to stock market investing you may still have heard of the FTSE 100. It frequently appears on TV news bulletins and in the papers, its relative direction up or down giving viewers/readers a steer as to how the UK economy is going and how optimistic, or not, investors feel about the nation’s prospects. By contrast, the FTSE 350 the has a very low profile and seldom gets a mention ...

Last month’s Goodwood Festival of Speed saw the unveiling of Europe’s first roadworthy autonomous delivery vehicle. Called Kar-go, the self-driving electric-powered robot on wheels has been developed by former Formula 1 and classic car boffins. It promises to slash the cost of last-mile goods delivery by up to 90%. This is just the sort of exciting project to have captured the imagination ...

At the halfway point of the year our key selections for 2019 are doing superbly. Our average gain of 18.3% compares with an 11.2% gain for the FTSE All-Share over the same time period. Pleasingly not a single selection is in negative territory and four names are up by more than a quarter on our starting point. More than half the portfolio has enjoyed double-digit gains. WHICH IS THE BEST ...

Investors seeking to complement mainstream UK value and income-oriented funds with a concentrated, actively managed best ideas growth trust should snap up Baillie Gifford UK Growth Fund (BGUK). The only Baillie Gifford-managed investment trust trading at a significant discount to net asset value (NAV), 5% at the time of writing, a continuation of the recent pick-up in performance should trigger ...

Renishaw (RSW) £39.32 Gain to date: 3.4% Original entry price: Buy at £38.04, 20 December 2019 Just as precision measurement kit maker Renishaw (RSW) was beginning to regain some momentum following its profit warning in March, it promptly warned again (14 May). The market appears to have largely taken the news in its stride, with the stock falling 15% at the open on the news but ...