Siemens confirms it will not make offerShares fall 4% and remain 35% below highsRenishaw remains a takeover targetWith so many UK firms being picked-off by foreign buyers and private equity, it is refreshing to see German industrial giant Siemens (SIE:ETR) walk away from making an offer for engineering group Renishaw (RSW).That said, investors were not best pleased with the shares falling 4% to £

London?s FTSE 100 ended higher on Tuesday, registering its first daily gain since hawkish words from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell last week all but ensured there would be no March rate cut from the Federal Reserve.His words echoed around markets on Thursday, and there was a red-hot US jobs report on Friday, the final nail in the coffin for March rate cut hopes. Markets still digested that r

European equities were largely higher early on Tuesday afternoon, while the dollar?s progress took a breather, despite US interest rate worries still keeping a lid on enthusiasm.The FTSE 100 index was up 32.62 points, 0.4%, at 7,645.48. London?s large-cap index is on a four-day losing streak.The FTSE 250 was down 15.49 points, 0.1%, at 19,003.06, and the AIM All-Share was up 0.24 of a point at 750

UK precision engineer jumps 20%Tops FTSE 350 leaderboardCEO confident of much improved second halfUK engineer Renishaw (RSW) was the day?s standout performance among FTSE 350 companies after surging nearly 20% to £41.06 following first half results. The next best FTSE 350 performer was oil group BP (BP.), up around 6%.Grabbing the market?s attention were comments from chief executive William Lee

Retiring as a millionaire has been the dream of many people for years. In the fanciful world of 'what if' chats over a pint, it didn't matter how you did it, the endgame is what mattered, not the journey. Buying that Ferrari, taking luxurious cruises around the Caribbean, or owning that stately pile in the country was the dream of millions of us, and we played the pools or bought National Lottery

Weakness in the pound will only serve to heighten the likelihood of foreign companies buying UK businesses.We saw this happen when the pound slumped after the EU referendum on Brexit in 2016, including takeovers for chip giant Arm and broadcasting group Sky.UK stocks have been cheap on a relative basis to many other geographies since then, and now they've got even cheaper due to political, financi

With engineering software company Aveva (AVV) poised to exit the stock market thanks to a takeover, it will mean losing the UK's largest 'tech' firm by market value, at £9.15 billion.Aveva has been majority owned by French industrial group Schneider Electric (SU:EPA) since 2017 and this shareholder now wants the whole business.That's a slightly different bid situation to most of the other tech ta

UK engineering firm Renishaw (RSW) cut its annual profit forecast after warning of potential disruption to its business from the latest Covid lockdowns in key market China.Shares in the FTSE 250 company initially fell sharply before recovering as morning trading progressed, marking a 0.5% decline by 9.30am on Tuesday (10 May 2022) to £41.67. The stock had fallen around 15% this year.The company n

UK shares saw selling pressure on Thursday following the Bank of England's historic decision to deliver the first back to back interest rate increase since 2004.Sentiment was further dampened following a 24% decline in Meta shares, previously known as Facebook which sent US indices into the red with the tech heavy Nasdaq Index down 2.25% and the SAP Index off 1.4%.Meta has been impacted by competi

The Bank of England has made the historic decision to deliver the first back to back interest rate increase since 2004.The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted unanimously in favour of raising the benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points to 0.5%. The decision had been expected by the market.The benchmark FTSE 100 and the mid-cap FTSE 250 indexes traded 0.3% and 0.6% lower on the news at 7,556.6

Major shares in London opened higher on Thursday, albeit modestly, lifted by earnings from energy and consumer companies as investors braced for an expected second consecutive rate hike by the Bank of England.At 9am, the benchmark FTSE 100 is 0.1% up at 7,590.86, led by Compass (CPG), while BT (BT.A) checked further progress. Mid-caps remain under pressure, the FTSE 250 losing 0.25% at 22,198.16.U

Stocks across Europe generally lacked direction in the absence of American equity market participation due to the Thanksgiving holiday, but strong UK retail sales data lent support to the equity market.The CBI (Confederation of British Industry) monthly retail sales balance increased to a three month high of +39 from +30 and is expected to rise again in December, driven in part by consumers starti

Both the FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 continued to trade in positive territory by midday during a relatively quiet day, with the US markets are closed for the Thanksgiving holiday.The CBI (Confederation of British Industry) monthly retail sales balance increased to a three month high of +39 from +30 and is anticipated to rise again in December. This has in part been due to consumers starting their Christ

The UK equity markets ended Thursday's trading session in negative territory despite a series of positive trading updates from Barclays (BARC), Unilever (ULVR), and Relx (RELX). American equity markets provided little encouragement despite initial jobless claims dipping to a new pandemic low.According to official data just 290,000 individuals filed claims for unemployment insurance. This marks the

A rising list of economic worries kept investor sentiment firmly negative at Thursday lunchtime, while weakness in industrial commodities dragged down UK mining shares.At 12pm the benchmark FTSE 100 index, was 0.5% lower at 7,185 despite positive trading updates from Unilever (ULVR), and Relx (RELX).COMPANY NEWSAnglo American (AAL) lost 4.6% at £27.07 despite reporting a 2% rise in third-quarter

Leading UK stocks were pulled down by mining and bank stocks in early trade on Thursday, while Unilever (ULVR), which supplies all sorts of everyday goods we all use, like butter and tea, warned that inflation pressure could last far longer than many anticipate.The consumer brands firm saw its share price rise nearly 2% to £38.905 early on as its third quarter numbers proved to be resilient, with

The latest service sector data, covering everything from pubs and restaurants to industrial and business companies, has shown healthy readings in the UK and US, but problems associated with inflation are brewing.5 October saw the latest survey results from research firm IHS Markit for purchasing managers in the service sector around the world. Typically, a reading over 50 suggests rising confidenc

City of London Investment Trust (CTY) has been a popular choice for investors over the years, but a period of underperformance versus the UK Equity Income investment trust sector average on a three and five-year basis is a worry.Typically investing in FTSE 100 companies, City of London has been a hit with certain types of investors, particularly those approaching retirement or already in it. The

A key theme in the UK market in 2021 has been a spate of takeovers, mergers and strategic deals involving British businesses as buyers, often from overseas, have been attracted by lowly valuations relative to other international equities.By the reckoning of stockbroker Peel Hunt, nearly £25 billion worth of bids for more than 20 companies have been pitched in the last six months and interestingly

FTSE 250 electronics engineer Renishaw (RSW) has ended its formal sale process after unanimously concluding that none of the potential deals on offer would meet the board's strict objectives.Renishaw is a global champion when it comes to metrology equipment, or kit that can measures stuff down to the nth degree. This is vital in the world's high-tech industries which increasingly operate at the mo