Equities in Europe ended higher on Thursday, overcoming some earlier uncertain trade, as comments from a US official calmed some geopolitical worries which kept a lid on investor enthusiasm. Nonetheless, Brent remained above the $73 mark, supporting oil majors. Moscow's ambassador in London said Thursday Britain was 'now directly involved' in Russia's war with Ukraine, following reports Kyiv ha...

Blue-chips in London traded in the green around midday on Thursday, as the escalating conflict in Ukraine pushed oil and gold prices higher. The FTSE 100 index added 25.97 points, 0.3%, at 8,111.04. The FTSE 250 lost 45.77 points, 0.2%, at 20,198.99, and the AIM All-Share rose 2.00 points, 0.3%, at 724.34. The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.3% at 815.30, the Cboe UK 250 was down 0.2% at 17,701.10, and th...

Technology-enabled health, safety, and environmental solutions group Halma (HLMA) topped the FTSE 100 leaderboard with a 9% rise after reporting record first half results which showed revenue breaching £1 billion for the first time. The gain extends 2024's advance to 20%, well ahead of the blue-chip index which is flat on the year. The company commented: 'These results further extend our track...

Trainers-to-tracksuits seller JD Sports Fashion (JD.) now expects year-to-January 2025 pre-tax profits will be at the lower end of its original £955 million to £1.035 billion guidance range, disappointing news that sent the shares tumbling 16% to a two-year low of 95.2p. The global footwear seller had been on course to join UK retail's exclusive £1 billion profit club but the latest update s...

Whichever way you look at it, Nvidia's (NVDA:NASDAQ) Q3 earnings crushed it, surging past forecasts while continuing to demonstrate remarkable growth across its key business segments. 'The numbers speak for themselves', said AJ Bell investment analyst Dan Coatsworth. 'Nvidia has beaten earnings and revenue forecasts for eight consecutive quarters. The scale of the latest beat was decent - earn...

Shares in Jet2 (JET2:AIM) were up nearly 5% to £14.94 in morning trading as the airline and package holidays provider reported record revenue, profit and passenger numbers for the first half year ending 30 September and said it expected the full year to be ahead of market expectations. Winter 2024/2025 on sale seat capacity is currently 14% higher than Winter 2023/2024 at 5.11 million seats. S...

European equities were mostly in the red on Thursday morning amid a threat of higher for longer interest rates, following a lofty UK inflation reading and a caution against turbocharged US easing from a Federal Reserve official. The FTSE 100 index added just 0.40 of a point at 8,085.47. The FTSE 250 lost just 7.21 points at 20,237.55, and the AIM All-Share rose 3.18 points, 0.4%, at 725.52. The...

Stocks in London were mixed at Wednesday midday, as investors digested a hotter-than-expected consumer price growth reading in the UK, while focus across the Atlantic turns to Nvidia's earnings. The FTSE 100 index climbed just 3.66 points at 8,102.68. The FTSE 250 fell 59.75 points, 0.3%, at 20,367.87, and the AIM All-Share was up 1.04 points, 0.1%, at 725.27. The Cboe UK 100 was flat at 814.74...

Ceramic products specialist Churchill China (CHH:AIM) has a well-deserved reputation for its cash generation and resilience and for making statesmanlike progress in overseas markets. But shares in the Stoke-on-trent-based outfit slumped 20% to a five-year low of 650p today (20 November) on a warning annual profits will be 'materially below' market expectations. Churchill China pinned the blame...

The accounting software space isn't very exciting and is savagely competitive so the promise of improving profitability from Sage Group (SGE) has understandably got investors fired up. Shares in the business jumped 19%, their biggest one-day rally in eons. The software supplier to small and medium-sized businesses reported a 21% rise in underlying operating profit for the fiscal year 2024 (to 3...

Animal genetics specialist Genus (GNS) jumped 4% after reporting strong trading for the four months to 31 October and reiterating full year profit guidance. The shares are down around 20% over the last year following a profit warning in February 2024, reflecting weak pork prices in China impacting demand for its services. The company also flagged currency headwinds. Consensus full year profit e...

Specialist business services group FRP Advisory (FRP:AIM) delivered a strong first-half update with chief executive Geoff Rowley saying he was 'confident' in meeting market expectations for the full year. The shares climbed 9p or 6% to a new 12-month high of 155p, topping their October peak. STRONG ORGANIC GROWTH Performance in the six months to the end of October was impressive, with the group...

European equities traded higher on Wednesday morning, as stocks in London shrugged off a hotter-than-forecast UK inflation reading for now. Sage shone on the FTSE 100, while Severn Trent also impressed. The FTSE 100 index climbed 23.61 points, 0.3%, at 8,122.63. The FTSE 250 edged up 22.23 points, 0.1%, at 20,449.85, and the AIM All-Share was up 2.56 points, 0.4%, at 726.79. The Cboe UK 100 was...