Nick Robertson, founder and non-executive director of online fast fashion retailer ASOS (ASC:AIM), has sold £10 million worth of shares in the business. Between 27 and 31 January, Robertson sold a total of 450,000 shares in three separate tranches at prices ranging from £22.03 to £22.56. Robertson still holds more than 2.8 million ordinary shares representing 2.89% of ASOS’s issued ...

Airline passenger numbers are already starting to dry up in reaction to the Omicron scare, according to latest commentary from EasyJet (EZJ), news that will worry investors and dragged on sector share prices. Shares in EasyJet lost 1.6% at 494.5p as of midday Tuesday, with BA-owner International Consolidated Airlines (IAG) and Wizz Air (WIZZ), the FTSE 250 Europe-based discount carrier, also ...

The FTSE 100 finished Friday’s trading session in the red after Austria decided to impose another lockdown amid a surge in Covid cases across Europe and Germany’s health minister warned he could not rule out fresh lockdowns either, worrying developments which revived concerns over weaker economic growth. By the close, the blue chip benchmark was down 0.45% at 7,223.57 points, while the FTSE ...

London’s FTSE 100 surrendered its earlier gains to trade sharply lower by lunchtime as news of a new Covid lockdown in Austria and speculation that Germany will follow suit hit sentiment. By midday, the blue chip benchmark was down 0.6% at 7,211.23 points. Earlier, the Office for National Statistics reported that retail sales volumes rose by 0.8% in October, compared with ...

Budget airlines leader Ryanair (RYA) has confirmed that it will ditch its London stock market listing, saying the ‘volume of trading of the London Stock Exchange did not justify the costs.’ The Irish flyer had flagged that it was mulling its LSE listing in its first half results on 1 November. In that statement Ryanair said that LSE trading as a percentage of the stock’s overall trading ...

UK stocks started Friday’s trading session on a firmer note, reversing a three-day losing streak, following the release of better than expected retail sales figures for October. According to the Office for National Statistics, retail sales rose 0.8% last month, ahead of the 0.5% forecast and taking them around 6% above pre-pandemic levels. The strength was partly attributed to consumers ...

UK-listed airline stocks enjoyed a widespread rally in early trading on Friday as the UK government announced a further easing of overseas travel restrictions. The new rules will allow fully vaccinated travellers to take cheaper lateral flow tests rather than the more expensive PCR tests on their return to England and Wales – Scotland has its own regulations. This is for all countries not on ...

It’s perceived wisdom that ever since the Wright Brothers took to the skies over a century ago the airline industry hasn’t turned a profit. For every boom there has been a more severe bust which has wiped out earnings leaving the industry in net losses. Having said that, until the arrival of the perfect storm in the form of Covid-19, EasyJet (EZJ) had posted a profit every year since it was ...

UK stocks started the week cautiously, in spite of a raft of earnings upgrades, after another weak session in Asia where stocks in China and Japan were down 2% and 1% respectively as the Evergrande saga rumbled on. In energy markets, the focus was on the meeting of OPEC+ oil producers for any decision on whether to increase crude production, after a sharp rally in oil and gas prices this ...

The UK government’s relaxation of international travel restrictions and news that vaccinated passengers from the UK and the EU can now travel to the US has set a light under the shares of British Airways owner International Consolidated Airlines Group (IAG), which are up 21% over the last four trading days. Transatlantic travel between London and New York is a key route for the airline ...

Brits love their holidays; it might have rather a lot to do with our inclement climate but every conversation I’ve had over the last few weeks seems to have circled back to summer sun. Who managed to grab a few foreign rays and who didn’t? I confess my Scottish sojourn was memorable, but I still feel somehow cheated as the last three family holidays have been British-based. Covid-19 ...

The owner of British Airways is considering setting up a low-cost short-haul operation that would go into direct competition with Ryanair (RYA) and EasyJet (EZJ) and could trigger a ticket price war. Airline conglomerate International Consolidated Airlines (IAG), which owns British Airways, is investigating plans that would shift its current short-haul flights into a new low-cost subsidiary ...

Major UK shares struggled for momentum on Tuesday as banks and airlines countered gains in miners, although solid earnings and easing fears about early tapering of central bank support kept the blue-chip index on course for its best month since April. At 9am, the benchmark FTSE 100 was by and large flat, inching less than 10 points lower to 7,139.43. Miners gained 1.4% on higher metal ...

London’s FTSE 100 traded 0.15% higher at 7,136.57 points by noon on a quiet day for local corporate and economic news, as investors brace for an update from the US Federal Reserve at this week’s Jackson Hole get-together. The FTSE 250 rose 0.7% to an all-time high of 24,043.49. MAJOR STOCKS ON THE MOVE British Airways-owner International Consolidated Airlines (IAG) gained 2.3% to ...

Being in the teeth of summer holidays season was has always led to low volume and limited corporate news and the UK’s major stocks seem to be set adrift in early trading on Wednesday with no real concerted direction. That investors may be keeping their powder dry ahead of the latest Federal Reserve pronouncements at this week's Jackson Hole get-together only added to the subdued mood. At ...

The FTSE followed through on Tuesday's earnings-driven gains thanks to strong results from insurer Legal and General (LGEN) and record half year completions from housebuilder Taylor Wimpey (TW.), which lifted the whole sector. Asian markets bounced thanks largely to a recovery in technology stocks, including social media and gaming giant Tencent, which had been hit by intense regulatory ...

The FTSE followed the lead of Asian markets and rallied in early trading on Wednesday aided by strong results from insurer Legal and General (LGEN) and record half year completions from housebuilder Taylor Wimpey (TW), which lifted the whole sector. Asian markets bounced thanks largely to a rebound in technology stocks, including social media and gaming giant Tencent, which had been hit by ...

Budget airline Ryanair (RYA) lifted its full year traffic forecast and is eying breakeven as bookings rally with passengers taking advantage of discounted airfares. The Irish airline, Europe’s largest low-cost carrier, said it expected to fly between 90 million and 100 million passengers in its financial year to 31 March 2022, up from an earlier estimated range of between 80 million and 100 ...

UK stocks started the week on the back foot with the FTSE 100 index shedding 29 points or 0.4% to 6,998 points by 8.30am, even though US markets hit a new peak on Friday, as weakness in banks offset gains for mining stocks. US markets ended last week at record levels with the S&P 500 index rising 1% to a new high of 4,411 points and the Nasdaq 100 index gaining 1.2% to 15,112 points. In ...

The latest passenger figures from low-cost airlines Ryanair (RYA) and Wizz Air (WIZZ) show a sharp increase in passenger numbers as the tourist season gets into full swing, lifting some of the gloom which has dogged the sector. During June, Ryanair carried 5.3 million passengers compared with just 400,000 in the same month last year and 1.8 million in May. Ryanair’s load factor – a measure ...