The FTSE 100 finished a rather directionless Friday in the red on continuing worries over Brexit and with the S&P 500 falling as investors fretted about the fate of a US stimulus package.At the market close, the FTSE 100 was down 0.33% at 6,529.18, while the FTSE 250 softened 0.89% to 20,116.29.NEWS ROUND UPBetfair and Paddy Power owner Flutter Entertainment (FLTR) said a Kentucky court had reinst

UK stocks closed lower on Monday as investors took new localised Covid-19 restrictions outlined by prime minister Boris Johnson in their strideThe FTSE 100 index ended 15 points lower at 6,001 with gains in financial companies offsetting weakness in energy and consumer stocks.As expected, Johnson announced a three-tier grading system - medium, high and very high - for restrictions that could force

UK stocks traded almost unchanged on Monday as investors braced themselves for the introduction of new local Covid-19 meaures to be outlined later in the day by prime minister Boris Johnson.The FTSE 100 index added 5 points to 6,022 with gains in financial companies offsetting weakness in energy and consumer stocks.Johnson is expected to announce a three-tier grading system for restrictions that c

UK stocks erased earlier losses and tipped into positive territory on Friday afternoon despite US non-farm payrolls data showing the weakest gain since the recovery in jobs began in May with 0.66 million new jobs created last month compared with 1.5 million in August.The FTSE 100 closed 0.4% higher at 5,902.CORPORATE NEWSLogistics company Wincanton (WIN) rallied 5% to 223p as it stuck by its recen

UK stocks traded lower at midday on Friday following weaker European markets as risk aversion was the order of the day amid rising volatility after news that Donald Trump tested positive for Covid-19, adding an extra element of political uncertainty in the US just a month before the presidential election.At 12:00, the benchmark FTSE 100 index was down 0.8%, at 5,835 points.Trump, 74, and first lad

UK stocks opened lower on Friday following news that US President Trump and the first lady had tested positive for coronavirus, sharpening the focus on the administration's handling of the pandemic.The dollar slid against global currencies, Nasdaq futures tumbled 2%, oil prices fell further below the $40 level and gold spiked to over $1,900 per ounce.At 8.30am the FTSE 100 index of leading stocks

Bad news is seemingly starting to catch up with the FTSE 100 as the UK's benchmark index fell 1.29% to 5,751.39 in early trading on Friday.Despite a mountain of concerning economic data, which today includes UK retail sales for March falling a record 5.1%, as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, markets appear to have shrugged off most of the numbers, with many becoming in line with revised analy

The FTSE 1oo is off modestly in early trading as banking stocks take a bath on the news Deutsche Bank (DBK:ETR) faces a $14 billion fine in the US.The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) is the biggest faller down 4% at 186p.Distribution and aviation services outfit John Menzies (MNZS) is up 5.4% to 624p as it announces a £75 million rights issue to fund the purchase of commercial airline services provi

Gold miners are in demand in London during early trading as sterling slumps to its lowest level in 31 years.Britain's currency dipped below $1.30 to the dollar overnight and now buys $1.29211, lower than during the 2008 financial crisis.Gold stocks Fresnillo (FRES), up 5.3% to £19.93, and Randgold Resources (RRS), up 3.9% to £96.75, are the biggest gainers, followed by iron ore miners, utilities

Shares in London look set to finish the week with gains, up 1.1% at 6,015, after a solid overnight lead from markets in the US and Asia.The S&P 500 finished 0.3% higher, Japan's Nikkei 225 was up 1.1% and shares in mainland China advanced 0.4% as US economic data on inflation and manufacturing production came in roughly as expected.A volatile session in currency markets sees sterling trade around

Higher-rate taxpayers are increasingly looking for alternative tax benefits as the government tightens up the roles around pensions. This is making venture capital trusts (VCTs) a popular choice for people across the country.Venture capital trusts are funds that allow investors to claim up to 30% income tax relief on up to £200,000 invested in a VCT per year. You need to hold the investment for a

London shares are mixed in early trade on Wednesday with blue chips guiding higher but midcaps failing to make progress and smaller companies largely flat. Traders continue to cast wary glances towards the pricing of crude and safe-haven assets but many remain jittery about the global economy. Europe was up while Wall Street and Asia fell overnight.The benchmark FTSE 100 index nudges 12 points, or

UK shares make a modest attempt at a rally following a massive China-driven sell-off on Monday, with investors on the hunt for value-buying opportunities. The benchmark FTSE 100 index rises 25 points, or about 0.35%, to 6,114. This after a poor overnight turn on Wall Street, with Asian markets also lower.In corporate news, high street clothing colossus Next (NXT) is marked down 3.2% to £69.60 as

UK shares dip modestly lower in early trade on Friday following a two-day run of soaring gains. The FTSE 100 slips around 6 points lower to 6,095, responding to a lower Wall Street overnight, sparked by a widening US current-account deficit and weaker-than-forecast manufacturing data. Europe is weaker too.Retail powerhouse Sports Direct (SPD) puts on 3p at 579.5p after issuing a statement defendin

London shares lose early gains to drift lower as investor optimism is quickly swept aside despite a fairly robust showing on Wall Street overnight. The FTSE 100 index slips around 23 points to 6,328, matching the prevailing mood on Europe's main markets on Tuesday, although UK midcaps perform better. The FTSE 250 is up close on 30 points at 16,945, albeit a fractional gain.In corporate news, Holid

A 16.6% rise in pre-tax losses hasn't dampened investors' spirits for development-phase drug company Scancell (SCLP:AIM). The cancer-focused therapy specialist gains 1.7% to 28.5p on the positive progress achieved by its pipeline.In the year to April 30,pre-tax losses increased to £2.4 million from £2.2 million on higher R&D spend. Its cash fell to £3 million from £5.5 million during the perio

UK shares end the week on the back foot with investors perhaps a little perturbed by the US Fed's decision to hold off upping interest rates across the pond for now. Fed chairwoman Janet Yellen's fairly cautious comments on the global economic scene are maybe good reason for investors to remain cautious for now.The effect on the FTSE 100 is to push the UK's blue-chip index around 35 points in to t

London shares fail to hang on to early gains and start a steady decline as investors fret over more debt talks between Greece and Eurozone states. The FTSE 100 sags more than 50 points 6,902 despite gains made on Wall Street overnight, although once again UK midcaps put in a better showing, drifting just 10 points down to 18,209.Building services and supplies firm Wolseley (WOS) heads the blue-chi

London markets resume their positive momentum in early trade Tuesday, bucking the wider down trend of markets in the US and in trading in Asia. The UK's benchmark FTSE index rallies back over the psychologically important 7,000 again, rising around 25 points, or 0.3%, to 7,061, having first breached the landmark on Friday, closing at a record-breaking 7,022.51.Video games retailer GAME Digital (GM

Investors were confronted by renewed volatility this autumn reflected in the performance of the UK's headline index. Nudging year highs above 6,900 in early September the FTSE 100 collapsed to less than 6,200 in mid-October as worries about global economic growth dominated the agenda before recovering to the 6,600 mark as sentiment improved.The good news is there are two main ways of profiting fro