Shares in Premier Inn owner Whitbread (WTB) gained 2.8% to £33.81 as occupancy levels surged nearly 50% in the first two weeks following the easing of travel restrictions and limits on overnight stays. In a first quarter trading update, Whitbread said that up until May 17, only essential business travel stays were permitted, with occupancy levels steady at around 35%. But it added that post ...

London’s FTSE 100 opened lower on Thursday after the US Federal Reserve brought forward the timeline to begin tightening interest rates, with two hikes now forecast in 2023. AJ Bell financial analyst Danni Hewson commented: ‘For now investors seem to largely be taking these developments in their stride – perhaps reassured by Fed chair Jay Powell’s comments that the guidance for two ...

London’s FTSE 100 finished Friday’s trading session 1.2% higher at 7,043.6 points after US retail sales came in flat, short of expectations and helping to calm the recent fears over inflation that have spooked global markets. By 4.30pm UK time the S&P 500 index was up 1.2% at 4,163.67. In the UK, the domestically focused FTSE 250 finished up 1.2% at 22,336.1 points. SAGE NUMBERS ADD ...

London’s FTSE 100 built on Friday’s early gains to trade up 0.7% at 7,011.66 by midday, while the domestically focused mid-cap FTSE 250 edged 0.7% higher to 22,231.2 points. The move higher followed a rally on Wall Street overnight with the latest update on retail sales across the Atlantic likely to be in focus this afternoon. SAGE NUMBERS ADD UP On the market, accounting software ...

The FTSE 100 made a positive start to trading as it crept back above 7,000 after a volatile couple of days, helped by gains in heavyweight financial and consumer staples stocks, while asset management services firm Sanne (SNN) topped the mid-cap index after rejecting a £1.3 billion buyout proposal. On global markets, shares snapped a three-day decline, reflecting an overnight revival on Wall ...

UK stocks got off to a firm start to trading following the holiday-extended weekend with economically sensitive sectors, including miners, travel and energy, driving gains. The benchmark FTSE 100 opened around 0.6% higher, pushing back above the 7,000 market at 7,011.80 with Fresnillio’s (FRES) near 3.5% at 851.4p leading the index. Travel and leisure companies also saw firm demand as Brits ...

UK shares dipped into negative territory at midday Tuesday as investors awaited the two-day policy meeting of the US Federal Reserve where it is expected to reiterate its easy monetary policy. However, there are lingering worries that rising inflation expectations and higher commodity prices could push the bank into earlier than expected tightening. At 12pm, the FTSE 100 was 0.2% lower at ...

Shares in Premier Inn owner Whitbread (WTB) fell 3.2% to £33.02 as it reported a £1 billion annual loss and lamented the ‘most challenging’ year in its 279-year history. In the year to 25 February 2021, Whitbread reported a statutory pre-tax loss of just over £1 billion compared to a £280 million profit the year before, as revenue plunged 71.5% to £589.4 million. On an adjusted ...

UK stocks eked out modest gains in a subdued start to trading on Tuesday as various mining stocks created a headwind and investors digested a mixed batch of earnings releases, including positive updates from BP (BP.) and HSBC (HSBA) and disappointing ones from Whitbread (WTB) and Aveva (AVV). By 8.20 am, the FTSE 100 traded a mere 0.1% higher at 6,970.55 points while the FTSE 250 was down ...

Shares in GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) are on an upward path after the Financial Times reported that activist US investor Elliott Investment Management had taken a ‘significant’ multi-billion-pound stake. The $42 billion fund, known for active campaigns at miner BHP (BHP) and Premier Inn owner Whitbread (WTB), is expected to heap pressure on Glaxo chief executive Emma Walmsley. Although we ...

This time last year, the UK had just entered what turned out to be the first of a series of lockdowns, and the nation was digesting a very restrictive new normal. Today, vaccines have provided hope that soon the worst of the pandemic will be in the rear-view mirror, and expectation that the global economy will open up and record some decent growth. It’s therefore an opportune time to take ...

It was a downbeat end to the week for London’s FTSE 100 with inflation fears still at the forefront of investors’ minds amid a rise in bond yields. Investors are concerned about inflation as it erodes the purchasing power of savings, and with commodity prices creeping up as the market buys into a global economic recovery, combined with huge monetary and fiscal stimulus pumped into the ...

London’s FTSE 100 has joined the global stock market sell-off amid a rise in bond yields that shows inflation fears are still at the forefront of investors’ minds. Investors are concerned about inflation as it erodes the purchasing power of savings, and with commodity prices creeping up as the market buys into a global economic recovery, combined with huge monetary and fiscal stimulus ...

The UK’s major shares fell in early trade on Friday as data showed that UK borrowing hit record levels. London’s benchmark FTSE 100 lost 0.7% to 6,730.79 at 9am with industrial, oil tech and transport sectors posting hefty losses. The mid-cap FTSE 250, which is a little better aligned to the UK economy, also fell, down 0.5% to 21,455.37. Among the fallers, International Consolidated ...

The FTSE 100 experienced some fairly wild swings in afternoon trading on Wednesday following the Budget, with a mixed reaction to announcements including the extension of furlough and support for businesses, as well as continued relief on stamp duty and a plan to raise corporate tax to 25%. Having initially rallied over 1% in morning trade before falling back to trade just 0.2% higher after the ...

Investors have reacted in a mixed fashion to the Budget after Chancellor Rishi Sunak pledged to extend furlough and support for businesses, continue relief on stamp duty and refrain from raising income tax. The blue-chip FTSE 100 was trading 0.6% higher at 6,654 shortly after the Chancellor’s speech, losing half of the gains seen at the market open, while the more domestically focused FTSE ...

The FTSE 100 climbed in morning trading on Wednesday ahead of a vital Budget that investors hope will oil the wheels of Britain's economic recovery. There has been plenty of speculation floating about ahead of the Budget, with weekend reports of tax grabs, already experts predict Rishi Sunak to be largely fiscally supportive of the pandemic-ravaged UK economy. By 12pm, the FTSE 100 rallied ...

The FTSE 100 made a storming start to trading on Wednesday ahead of a vital Budget that investors hope will oil the wheels of Britain's economic recovery. There is plenty of speculation floating about, with weekend reports of tax grabs, already experts predict Rishi Sunak to be largely fiscally supportive of the pandemic-ravaged UK economy. Events on Wall Street, which endured another soft ...

UK stocks closed higher on Tuesday on optimism over an economic recovery and as President Biden pushed for a large US stimulus package. Trading overnight in Asia was buoyant with Japan's Nikkei 225 index up 1% while the China SE Composite index gained 0.8%. Brent Crude prices were 1% higher at $57 a barrel. After strong gains yesterday, silver dropped 5% to $27.4 an ounce while gold prices ...

UK stocks moved higher on Tuesday on optimism over an economic recovery and as President Biden pushed for a large US stimulus package. Trading overnight in Asia was buoyant with Japan's Nikkei 225 index up 1% while the China SE Composite index gained 0.8%. Brent Crude prices were 1% higher at $57 a barrel. After strong gains yesterday, silver dropped 5% to $27.4 an ounce while gold prices ...