London’s FTSE 100 swung into positive territory with a 0.13% gain to 6,947.51 by lunchtime on Monday, after a volatile morning in which the index was initially weighed down by a stronger pound and concerns over the Covid situation in India. Sentiment was bolstered however by some positive company updates, while earnings upgrades among midcaps helped the more domestically focused FTSE 250 to ...

London’s FTSE 100 finished Monday’s session 0.9% to the good at 6,466.42 points, rebounding after its worst week since October on positive Chinese manufacturing data and a boost from a strong Wall Street open. Silver prices rose to an eight-year high before dropping back amid suggestions the precious metal is being targeted by day traders associated with the Wallstreetbets group on ...

London’s FTSE 100 was up 1.4% at 6,495.2 points at midday on Monday as China injected fresh funds into its money market and the price of silver surged 10% to $29.49 an ounce as retail investors piled in. The precious metal has become the latest asset to be targeted by retail investors associated with the Wallstreetbets group on community platform Reddit. Shares in silver miners ...

The FTSE 100 gained 0.66% to 6,449 shortly after trading began on Monday as China injected fresh funds into its money market, while silver prices rose on expectations the precious metal is being targeted by newly empowered day traders. The FTSE’s gain comes after a strong rally in Asian markets, with Japan’s Nikkei 225 up 1.55%, the Hang Seng in Hong Kong soaring 2.15% and China’s ...

The FTSE 100 closed 1.2% higher to 5,899 on Wednesday, regaining some of the heavy losses at the start of the week with investors seemingly relieved that the Government has chosen to implement the lightest lockdown restrictions possible. The export-sensitive index also gained some impetus from a weaker pound after the UK government unveiled long-lasting restrictions to tackle a second wave of ...

The FTSE 100 surged 2% to 9,547 by early afternoon on Wednesday, regaining some of the heavy losses at the start of the week. The export-sensitive index gained some impetus from a weaker pound after the UK government unveiled long-lasting restrictions to tackle a second wave of coronavirus infections that threaten to derail a fragile recovery in economic activity. While helping investor ...

The FTSE 100 traded 1% higher on Wednesday to 5,895 points, regaining some of the heavy losses at the start of the week. The export-sensitive index gained some impetus from a weaker pound after the UK government unveiled long-lasting restrictions to tackle a second wave of coronavirus infections that threaten to derail a fragile recovery in economic activity. The pound traded 0.3% weaker ...

UK stocks eked out relatively modest gains in early trading on Monday as investors weighed signs of economic recovery with a potential resurgence in coronavirus cases. At 0825, the benchmark FTSE 100 index was up 13.71 points, or 0.2%, at 6,173.01. Mining company Rio Tinto (RIO) shed 0.9% to £44.95, even as it reached an agreement with the government of Mongolia on a new source of domestic ...

UK were firmer at the open on Monday, taking their cue from positive grey market trading on Wall Street and strong Asian gains, after the Bank of Japan expanded its monetary stimulus again. The benchmark FTSE 100 rallied a fraction off 100 point, or 1.7%, to 5,851.95, while the mid cap FTSE 250 charged 2% higher at 15,996.93. Asia markets have got off to a positive start as a raft of ...

UK mid-cap stocks powered ahead on 'Brexit day' with the FTSE 250 index gaining 86 points or 0.4% to 21,378. The pound also gained to €1.19, which is good for domestic stocks. Meanwhile the FTSE 100 was down 0.3% or 25 points to 7,362 as Asian-exposed stocks including Diageo (DGE), HSBC (HSBA), Rio Tinto (RIO) and Standard Chartered (STAN) weighed on the index. US tech shares advanced ...

In 2019 UK companies have issued more profit warnings than at any time since the financial crisis. Research from accountant EY found that until September, 235 firms had already sounded the alarm. This year has also seen household names like Thomas Cook and Debenhams depart the stock market in disgrace. It is not hard to see why businesses have become more accident-prone given Brexit ...

The FTSE 100 was up 0.2% to 7,542.81 with sterling remaining under pressure on the revelation the new Conservative government plans to legislate against an extension to the Brexit transition period. Education group Pearson (PSON) gained 3% to 663p on news that it had agreed to sell its remaining 25% stake in book publisher Penguin Random House to partner Bertelsmann for around $675m ...

In 2019 UK companies have issued more profit warnings than at any time since the financial crisis. Research from accountant EY found that until September, 235 firms had already sounded the alarm. This year has also seen household names like Thomas Cook and Debenhams depart the stock market in disgrace. It is not hard to see why businesses have become more accident-prone given Brexit ...

UK small cap companies are dead cheap, claim managers of the popular Invesco Perpetual UK Smaller Companies Investment Trust (IPU). ‘Equity valuations within the smaller companies sector are well below their 20 year average and we believe there is potential to make money even in this highly uncertain environment’, insisted Jonathan Brown and Robin West, joint fund managers of the Invesco ...

Shares in recruitment and training firm Staffline (STAF:AIM) drop 6% to 154p on Monday after it announces that auditors PricewaterhouseCoopers LLC (PcW) have resigned from 1 August. Part of the reason for PwC’s decision is that Staffline is launching a competitive tender process for the position of auditor. However it also says that ‘matters connected with (the) resignation that need to be ...

The FTSE100 is nudging higher after a report in the South China Post hinted that the US and China had reached a tentative truce in their on-going trade dispute. The index of the top 100 shares gains three points to 7,419 in early trade. Banks, builders and miners are leading the index, up 0.72%, 0.63% and 0.95% respectively, while tobacco, down 1.2%, and personal goods, down 0.82%, are a drag ...

Shares in recruitment and training group Staffline (STAF:AIM) slide 30% to a new low of 168p after it revises up the negative impact on its 2018 and 2019 results due to non-compliance with the National Minimum Wage (NWM) Regulations, scraps its dividend and asks investors for more cash. Staffline shares were suspended at 670p the end of January after losing a third of their value in a day as ...

UK investors begin the week with takeover talk to digest after defence contractor Babcock (BAB) admits it turned down approaches of a tie-up from outsourcing peer Serco (SRP). There is also a strategy overhaul reported by troubled construction firm Kier (KIE) and a profit warning from German airline Lufthansa to mull, the latter hurting UK listed airlines that have been struggling with rising ...

UK companies this year issued the highest number of first quarter profit warnings since the financial crisis, says consultant E&Y. The number of warnings was up more than 20% year-on-year as companies were hit by domestic Brexit-related uncertainty as well as global growth fears. It can be painful for shareholders when a company downgrades profit expectations but not all profit alerts ...

Travel operator Thomas Cook (TCG) was battling all-time lows at the time of writing to trade a little above 12p. These lows were marked in response to a truly horrible set of figures for the six months to 31 March published on 16 May and showing a £1.45bn loss, with debt climbing over the £1bn mark. Panic over the financial position was exacerbated by research from Citigroup where it ...