Shares in Ladbrokes and Coral-owner Entain (ENT) have plunged almost 15% to £12.06 as US casino operator MGM shocked investors by calling off takeover talks two weeks after its £8 billion bid was rejected. The all-share offer had valued the FTSE 100 gaming and sports-betting company at approximately £13.83 per share, or £8.1 billion. But the deal would have left current Entain shareholders ...

London’s FTSE 100 ended Wednesday’s session broadly flat, closing 0.13% lower at 6,745.5 points. The blue chip benchmark recovered losses from earlier in the day as stocks opened higher in the US ahead of a House of Representatives debate on an impeachment of US president Donald Trump. Companies served up a mixed bag of updates, among them food delivery company Just Eat Takeaway.com ...

London’s FTSE 100 was broadly flat by midday on Wednesday, off a mere 0.2% at 6739.7 points as investors weighed vaccine optimism with lockdown fallout fears, while companies released a mixed bag of updates. Among them was food delivery company Just Eat Takeaway.com (JET), which fell 4.1% to £86.98 despite expecting annual revenue growth of more than 50% after reporting a 57% rise in order ...

The FTSE 100 edged somewhat higher on Wednesday morning as investors weighed vaccine optimism with lockdown fallout fears, while a number of companies released a mixed bag of updates. Helping the index was a higher oil price, with Brent Crude above $57 per barrel after a fall in US stockpiles, another output cut from Saudi Arabia, and economic optimism out of China, leading BP ...

Shares in Labrokes Coral owner Entain (ENT), formerly known as GVC, raced 25% higher on Monday to £14.15 after rebutting a takeover offer from its US partner MGM Resorts International. The all-share offer values the FTSE 100 gaming and sports-betting company at approximately £13.83 per share or £8.1 billion, representing a 22% premium to the last closing price, and would result in Entain ...

The coronavirus crisis has had a big impact on businesses and their finances – it has also left some firms vulnerable to opportunistic bids. Companies running the gamut from retirement housebuilder McCarthy & Stone (MCS) to telecoms firm TalkTalk (TALK), have been the subject of approaches of late. Meanwhile G4S (GFS) is doing its best, against pretty unfavourable odds, to fight off a ...

The FTSE 100 dropped 58 points or 1% to 5,832 points at lunchtime on Wednesday as markets awaited signs of progress on talks over further US stimulus. Sentiment also took a hit as Netflix disappointed the market after the market close and the shares traded down 7% in after-hours dealing. Even companies which have beaten forecasts, such as Johnson & Johnson and Lockheed Martin, have failed ...

Gambling and gaming company William Hill (WMH) reported an upbeat third quarter trading update for the 13 weeks to 29 September citing the return of live sport and the reopening of its retail estate. The shares were unmoved, trading at 280p, close to the 277p recommended cash offer from Caesars. EXPANDING US PRESENCE Online operations were 4% higher driven by a 10% increase in the US where ...

The FTSE 100 opened 1% lower Wednesday to 5,838 points following comments on Tuesday by deputy chief medical officer Jonathan Van-Tam that tighter restrictions were needed to stop the spread of coronavirus. Sentiment also took a hit in the US with Netflix disappointing the market after the market close, reporting fewer new subscribers than analysts’ expected with the shares off 7% in ...

Ladbrokes and Coral owner GVC Holdings (GVC) said third-quarter trading was strong across the group, leading management to upgrade full-year earnings expectations. The shares advanced 4.5% to £11 and are within spitting distance of the all-time high of £11.48 reached in July 2018. GOOD MOMENTUM Net gaming revenues grew 14% in constant currencies driven by continued strong online ...

Investors went full tilt on 25 September when they pushed William Hill’s (WMH) shares up 44% to 312p after the company confirmed it had received separate takeover interest from private equity group Apollo and gambling business Caesars Entertainment. The enthusiasm proved short-lived and on 28 September Caesars tabled a 272p all-cash proposal. The shares sank 12% to 272p, adjusting to ...

Despite Wall Street heading higher on stimulus package hopes on Wednesday afternoon, helping European markets to regain their footing, the FTSE 100 finished 0.53% lower at 5,866.10. Weighing on sentiment was the latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), which revealed UK GDP dropped 19.8% in the second quarter of this year, better than the first estimate of 20.4%. Despite the ...

UK shares were volatile on Wednesday, moving significantly higher initially before falling back into the red after the release of better than expected, but still bad, second quarter gross domestic product (GDP) figures. Before trading began, the blue-chip FTSE 100 index was expected to fall as investors struggled to digest last night’s messy US presidential debate between Donald Trump and Joe ...

UK shares have been volatile in early trading on Wednesday, moving significantly higher initially before falling back into the red after the release of better than expected, but still bad, second quarter gross domestic product (GDP) figures. Before trading began, the blue-chip FTSE 100 index was expected to fall as investors struggled to digest last night’s messy US presidential debate ...

London’s FTSE 100 enjoyed a positive start to the week as investors clung onto a usually ignored piece of data out of China in the search for optimism, while  HSBC (HSBA) and Diageo (DGE) rallies also helped the index. For the fourth straight month Chinese industrial profits were on the rise, surging 19.1% in August year-on-year having been buoyed by a rise in commodities prices and ...

London’s FTSE 100 enjoyed a positive start on Monday after Asian exchanges were boosted by positive Chinese industrial profit data and as HSBC (HSBA) jumped following the news a large investor has raised its stake in the beaten-down bank. At 8.30, the blue chip benchmark was 1.5% higher at 5,929.53, while the FTSE 250 was trading 0.9% higher at 17,194.20. Unloved banking behemoth HSBC rose ...

M&A excitement in the gambling space and a strong showing on Wall Street helped the FTSE 100 to a positive finish on Friday, closing 0.3% higher at 5,842.67. Bookmaker William Hill (WMH) surged 42.5% to 310p as it revealed it had received two cash bids – raising the prospect of a competitive auction for the business. This led to strength in the wider gambling sector. Online fashion ...

Investing doesn’t need to be hard, complicated or even require a lot of time, and you certainly don’t need dozens of all different kinds of investments in your portfolio. In fact, seven funds could be enough. And they needn’t be active funds either. Picking the right fund and fund manager is always a tricky task, particularly trying to find ones that have proven they can outperform the ...

UK stocks closed in positive territory on Wednesday, buoyed by strength in miners as the gold price continued to surge and with oil stocks in demand as crude prices broke higher following another significant drawdown in US weekly stockpiles. The benchmark FTSE 100 index closed up 68.72 points, or 1.14%, at 6,104.72. Motor insurer Hastings (HSTG) jumped 17.7% to 253p after it agreed to a bid ...

UK stocks were stronger on Wednesday, picking up where they left off on Tuesday and maintaining the bullish outlook for August so far. Motor insurer Hastings (HSTG) soared on the back of a £1.66 billion takeover bid from Finland’s Sampo and Rand Merchant Investment, although a new record for the gold price revealed continuing investor unease. At 11.15, the benchmark FTSE 100 index was up 62 ...