Shares in MP Evans (MPE:AIM) cultivated a 7.5% rise to £10 in early dealings, marking a new two year high, after the Indonesia-based sustainable palm oil producer upgraded year-to-December 2024 profit guidance off the back of surging palm oil prices, which have risen some 40% year-to-date. A more favourable pricing environment for CPO (crude palm oil), the company's main product, combined with...

US stock markets were a little quieter this week following the election excitement of the prior week with 'Trump trade' stocks and sectors giving back some of their gains. Cautious comments from Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell (15 Nov) on the cadence of further interest rate cuts sent markets lower with the benchmark S&P 500 index off 0.7% and the small-cap Russell index losing 2%. One exce...

Stock prices in London, Paris and Frankfurt were mostly lower on Friday morning, as UK GDP growth came in slower than expected, ahead of US retail sales and industrial output data. UK gross domestic product is estimated to have increased in the latest quarter but edged down for September, data from the Office for National Statistics showed. The trade deficit widened on-month to £3.46 billion....

The FTSE 100 closed in the green on Thursday, following positive updates from some of London's large-cap constituents. The FTSE 100 index rose 40.86 points, 0.5%, at 8,071.19. The FTSE 250 closed up 163.80 points, 0.8%, at 20,522.81. The AIM All-Share advanced 0.09 of a point to 729.38. The Cboe UK 100 climbed 0.5% at 811.74, the Cboe UK 250 climbed 0.9% at 17,950.10 and the Cboe Small Compani...

Shares in B&M European Value (BME) gained over 3% to 392p in morning trading as the low-priced variety goods retailer said group revenue for the 26 weeks to 28 September increased by 3.7% to £2.64 billion. The increase was driven by UK sales growth, which improved across the first half of the year by 6% against 1.5% in the first quarter. The discount chain will also open a new UK import centre...

Stock prices in London were mostly in the green at Thursday midday, as US producer price inflation will soon be released amid weekly jobless figures, as investors await further updates on who will be part of Donald Trump's second administration. 'The FTSE 100 ticked higher in early trading on Thursday despite weakness in the US and Asia overnight as American inflation edged higher,' commented A...

Pubs and hotels group Young & Co (YNGA:AIM) delivered strong like-for-like revenue growth in the first half to 30 September and said recent trading has been strong with an acceleration in like-for-like growth. Investors gave the company the thumbs-up, marking the shares higher by 18.8p or 2% to 934.8p, though they remain around 17% lower year-to-date compared with a 4% drop in the FTSE AIM inde...

Quintessentially British luxury brand Burberry (BRBY) topped the FTSE 250 leader board on 14 November, the out-of-fashion firm's shares rallying 14% to 835p as its second-quarter results beat gloomy expectations and new boss Joshua Schulman unveiled a turnaround strategy. A rumoured bid target for Italian outerwear rival Moncler (MONC:BIT), the struggling trench coats-to-cashmere scarves seller...

Stocks were mixed on Thursday morning in Europe as investors await eurozone GDP and jobless data, and a US producer price inflation reading later. Also in the UK, data from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors showed signs of improvement in the housing market. A net balance of 16% of property professionals reported house prices rising in October, and a 12% balance saw fresh buyer inquir...

Stocks in London struggled for direction at the close on Wednesday, following a CPI print from the US, and amid general uncertainty in Europe. The FTSE 100 index rose 4.56 points, 0.1%, at 8,030.33. The FTSE 250 closed down 68.59 points, 0.3%, at 20,359.21. The AIM All-Share fell 1.57 points, 0.2%, at 729.29. The Cboe UK 100 climbed 0.2% at 807.56, the Cboe UK 250 retreated 0.4% at 17,791.49 an...

Stock prices in London were mixed at midday Wednesday, amid cautious optimism from the UK housebuilding sector, as eyes are set on upcoming US consumer price inflation data. 'US inflation figures will be closely watched this afternoon, with expectations for the cost of living to have edged higher,' commented AJ Bell's Russ Mould. 'The consensus is for the annual rate of inflation to move from 2...

Leading gaming and betting firm Flutter Entertainment (FLTR) jumped 4% to an all-time high of £201 after revealing third quarter earnings ahead of analysts' expectations, raising guidance and announcing a $5 billion share buyback. The shares have surged 46% this year, trouncing Ladbrokes owner Entain (ENT) and William Hill owner Evoke (EVOK), whose shares are down 22% and 34% respectively. Flu...

Shares in Spotify (SPOT:NYSE) were up 5% to $419 in after-hours trading on Tuesday (12 Nov) despite the music streaming platform missing third quarter Wall Street estimates. The company reported third quarter EPS (earnings per share) of €1.45 on revenue of €3.99 billion compared to Wall Street estimates of EPS of €4.02 billion. Monthly active users grew by 11% to 640 million in the third...