Stock prices in London were mixed on Tuesday morning as new data showed UK wage growth eased in the three months to August, after Chancellor Rachel Reeves on Monday warned her budget will be 'tough'. The FTSE 100 index opened down 9.83 points, or 0.1%, at 8,282.13. The FTSE 250 was up 31.91 points, or 0.2%, at 20,849.10, and the AIM All-Share was up just 0.28 points at 734.05. The Cboe UK 100 w...

London's FTSE 100 closed in the green on Monday, after UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer courted businesses to boost investment in the UK, declaring the nation open for business. It was a glum day for gambling firms, however. Shares in bookmakers were well and truly bashed on UK tax raid fears, which Jefferies warned 'would all but wipe out' sector profit in the nation. The FTSE 100 index closed u...

Stock prices in London were in the red on Monday midday, ahead of a slew of inflationary prints coming this week, including consumer prices from the UK on Wednesday. The FTSE 100 index was down 7.70 points, or 0.1%, at 8,245.95. The FTSE 250 was down 55.44 points, or 0.3%, at 20,709.49, and the AIM All-Share was down 0.74 points, or 0.1%, at 733.11. The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.2% at 825.83, the...

Jeremy Stakol, executive director at fashion and homeware retailer Next (NXT) and his wife Marcelle Stakol have sold 26,523 shares at £98.79 for a total value of £2.6 million on 10 October. Stakol's move comes after the company raised its year-to-January-2025 profit guidance for the second time in two months on 19 September. Stakol has been an executive director at Next since last year having...

Gambling shares were sent reeling after a media report said the government was considering doubling taxes from the sector to raise between £900 million and £3 billion of extra funding. Shares in 888-owner Evoke (EVOK) led the fallers, dropping by 14%, closely followed by Ladbrokes owner Entain (ENT) down 13% while Paddy Power owner Flutter (FLTR) and casino operator Rank Group (RNK) were down...

Struggling luxury handbag maker Mulberry (MUL:AIM) is weighing up a sweetened £111 million bid from Frasers (FRAS), although its majority owner is standing in the way of a takeover by refusing to sell its shares to the Mike Ashley-controlled conglomerate. Mulberry's biggest shareholder with a 56.4% stake, Challice has 'no interest' in selling any of its shares to Frasers, which has little chan...

Stock prices rose on Monday morning in London despite reports of new restrictions on the UK gambling sector and disappointing data from China, ahead of US consumer inflation expectations. The FTSE 100 index opened up 5.62 points, or 0.1%, at 8,259.69. The FTSE 250 was up 8.14 points at 20,772.98, and the AIM All-Share was up 0.78 points, or 0.1%, at 734.63. The Cboe UK 100 was down slightly at...

Stocks in London ended in the green on Friday, as the latest data pointed to slowing US producer price inflation. The FTSE 100 index closed up 15.92 points, or 0.2%, at 8,253.65. The FTSE 250 ended up 71.50 points, or 0.3%, at 20,779.87, while the AIM All-Share closed down 0.68 points, or 0.1% at 733.85. Over the week, the FTSE 100 lost 0.3%, while the FTSE 250 and the AIM All-Share lost 0.7% T...

Sainsbury's (SBRY) shares fell nearly 5% to 275p after the supermarket group said its biggest shareholder, the QIA (Qatar Investment Authority), had sold £306 million worth of shares at 280p each, a discount of around 3% to the prior closing price. Prior to the sale, QIA owned 14.2% of the FTSE 100 group. The timing of QIA's sale has spooked investors who are wondering why it would reduce its...

London's blue chip index was lower as Sainsbury's shares fell after its largest shareholder trimmed its stake in the supermarket chain, as investors await a producer prices print from the US. The FTSE 100 index was down 17.91 points, 0.2%, at 8,219.82. The FTSE 250 was down marginally at 20,704.76, and the AIM All-Share was slightly higher at 734.85. The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.2% at 823.63, the...

Saga (SAGA) was the top performer in the FTSE All-Share on Friday, rising by a tenth after the over 50s travel and insurance specialist revealed strong first-half profit growth, a reduction in debt and confirmed it was in exclusive talks with Belgian insurer Ageas (AGS:EBR) to sell its insurance underwriting arm. The shares are up around 37% over the last month and trade near six-month highs re...

Another winning week for US stocks shouldn't disguise the stickier than hoped for inflation that investors are seeing. US stocks retreated from record highs as headline inflation slowed on an annualised basis in September, but was still faster than expectations, providing the Federal Reserve with less impetus to cut interest rates at a fast pace. The consumer price index was 0.2% in September,...

Headhunter Hays (HAS) has had a hard time of late. Pre-tax profits plunged more than 90% in the year to June 2024 and the recruiter is on a losing streak of negative fee income growth amid a hiring slowdown. The FTSE 250 firm's fortunes failed to reverse in the first quarter of the new financial year, yet the depressed shares rallied 2.2% to 88p as Hays said it expects to 'benefit materially' o...