UK stocks fell into the red by lunchtime on Thursday after the Bank of England maintained interest rates at 0.1%, which came as a host of corporate updates got an increasingly negative reception. The UK’s benchmark FTSE 100 index fell 0.35% to 6,485, while the midcap FTSE 250 index gave up earlier gains to trade almost flat at 20,732. GROWTH WORRIES HIT UNILEVER Consumer goods giant ...

UK shares opened higher on Thursday as positive earnings boosted hopes of an economic recovery, with investors looking to Bank of England's policy meeting later in the day. The BoE’s Monetary Polity Committee is widely expected to maintain base interest rates at the current 0.1%, great for mortgage borrowers and businesses looking to invest, but not so good for high street banks and ...

UK stocks closed well into the red on Thursday as the Government set out strict restrictions once lockdown ends on 2 December. Most of England will have tough measures to follow, with just the Isle of Scilly, Isle of Wight and Cornwall in the lightest tier one of the Covid tier restrictions. There was also no direction for investors from Wall Street, as US stock markets were closed due to ...

UK stocks tumbled throughout morning trading on Thursday as the Government announced England’s new regional Covid tiers. Tougher tier restrictions will see more people in England placed under the highest tier, though cities like Liverpool and the capital London have avoided the harshest measures. The new system will come into effect once lockdown ends on 2 December. By lunchtime the ...

The FTSE 100 made modest declines in early trading on Thursday in what is likely be a quiet-ish day with markets across the pond closing for the Thanksgiving holiday. At 9am, the benchmark FTSE 100 had slipped around 0.2% to was 6,376.64, led by falls for banks, construction and oil stocks, with tobacco firm Imperial Brands (IMB), Lloyds (LLOY) and house builder Persimmon (PSN) topping the FTSE ...

UK stocks opened higher on Wednesday after a vaccine candidate for Covid-19 showed promising results in early trials and after strong trading in the US driven by a good start to the Q2 results season and hopes for more support from the Federal Reserve. In early trading the FTSE 100 index was up 55.84 points, or 0.9%, at 6,235.59. Pharmaceutical company Moderna said a proposed vaccine for the ...

Global markets and investors have been held captive by the Covid-19 pandemic in recent months, and rightly so. But as the global conversation gradually moves on from saving lives to savings jobs and shoring up economies, climate change remains the elephant in the room. In April the UK economy shrank by 20.4%, an unwanted record decline that shows the severity of the current challenge to our ...

This year has seen 233 London-listed companies either cancel, cut or suspend their dividends, principally because of the coronavirus crisis. This is terrible news for anyone who relies on their investments for income. In many instances, even previously-declared dividends are not going to be paid, a terrifying trend only seen during times of massive distress that has returned as fiscal prudence ...

Advertising giant WPP (WPP) and engineering company Smiths (SMIN) have become the latest FTSE 100 firms to axe their dividends, taking the total up to 13. WPP has suspended its 2019 final dividend and a £950m share buyback having cited a recent deterioration in demand, in a move which will save it £1.1bn in cash. Smiths meanwhile has not declared an interim dividend for the first half of ...

The extent of the economic fallout from consumer self-isolation is becoming palpable with share prices in the retail, leisure and hospitality sectors falling sharply. However the enforced change in behaviour is having a positive impact in some areas. Dixons Carphone (DC.), AO World (AO.) and John Lewis have all talked about seeing an increase in demand for electrical goods including sales of ...

Retirement can be a liberating experience as finishing work gives you the freedom to enjoy life, learn new skills and embrace a wide range of hobbies. This can come at a cost as individuals may need to have saved hard through their working lives to ensure they have adequate savings and enough income to fund their desired lifestyle in older age. James from Sussex knows all about this ...

UK markets have started the day higher with the benchmark FTSE 100 up 0.5% to 7,350.4, bouncing back after yesterday’s blockbuster announcement from Google that it is barring Chinese smartphone marker Huawei from updates to its Android operating system. On Tuesday UK investors seem more willing to put ongoing Brexit uncertainty to one side as they concentrate on corporate news, led by a ...

UK water industry stocks are rallying in early trade on Thursday after the three UK listed firms – Severn Trent (SVT), United Utilities (UU.) and Pennon (PNN) – see their business plans win watchdog approval. That sends sector share prices rallying having removed a hefty unknown for investors, led by the 1.5% rise at United Utilities to 832p, the UK’s largest water company. The ...

Water is an essential resource for life – no one can live without it. Beyond its basic functions of sustaining life, water is also a precious commodity. Its supply is limited and global challenges such as population growth, urbanisation and climate change are putting existing water resources under increased stress. The global issue of water access is a two-fold problem: safe drinking water is ...

UK stocks give up yesterday’s gains with the FTSE 100 down 47 points or 0.7% to 7,003 as Engineering, Mining, Oil Services and Utilities stocks weigh on the market. The Centrica (CNA) trading update reads well with cash-flow in line, the dividend maintained and cost savings above the £200m target set out at the half year stage. However tucked away at the end is a note that changes to the ...

There’s a major business shake-up underway at Rolls-Royce (RR.) as the FTSE 100 aero-engineer confirms that it will cut 4,600 jobs as part of a plan to simplify its business and save £400m a year by the end of 2020. Those hoped-for streamlined costs go down well with investors, sending the stock more than 3% higher in early trade on Thursday to 854p, topping the FTSE 100 leader ...

A relatively tempered response from North Korea to US president Donald Trump’s decision to cancel a planned summit helped restore a measure of calm to the markets with the FTSE 100 rising 0.4% to 7,749.70. The biggest faller on the index is postal firm Royal Mail (RMG), down 4.2% to 522.6p, as investment bank Berenberg cuts its recommendation from ‘hold’ to ‘sell’ with a 460p price ...

UK water companies are trading close to four-year share price lows even after a mini rally since February, with the sector dogged by political and regulatory threats. There are few reasons why this bleak performance may reverse convincingly any time soon, according to analysts at investment bank UBS. The UK water sub-set is down between 7% and 10% year-to-date. It has fallen by nearly ...

The gambling industry once again hits the headlines following new reports that the government might slash the maximum stake on fixed odds betting terminals (FOBT) to just £2. This story has run and run but it is having a massive impact on bookmaker stocks in early trade on Tuesday, with shares in William Hill (WMH) plunging 11% on the news to 300.5p, valuing the bookie at £2.56bn. William ...

UK utility services stocks dominate the list of FTSE 100 risers in early afternoon trading on Wednesday. Water suppliers United Utilities (UU.) and Severn Trent (SVT) would be topping the Footsie leader board were it not for the shock swoop for pharmaceuticals company Shire (SHP). The pair have seen their respective share prices jump 4.6% and 3.3% today, big moves for these predictable if dull ...