Stock prices in London were mostly lower at midday Wednesday, with the FTSE 100 mildly in the green as annual consumer price inflation remained flat in June, while services inflation was viewed as too high for comfort. Meanwhile, in political news, Labour presented a 'packed' legislative agenda in the annual King's Speech, focused on improving living standards by driving economic growth, the fi...

A bit controversial, but share buybacks are one of the easiest ways for a company to return value to shareholders without the tax complications that dividends might entail. By buying back stock, earnings are spread over a smaller share base, so in theory, earnings per share should rise, and potentially, the share price follows. Controversial, because the perceived boost to earnings, and the sha...

Shares in Cohort (CHRT:AIM) were up 4% to 859p in morning trading as the defence specialist said its subsidiary MCL (Marlborough Communications) has been awarded two orders with a total value of £21.4 million by a government customer. In addition, last month the firm's EID subsidiary signed a €33 million three-year contract with NATO's Communications and Information Agency to supply the Port...

Semiconductor equipment maker ASML (ASML:AMS) dropped more than 6% to €919, despite delivering better than expected second quarter sales and profit, after the company forecast third quarter sales below consensus estimates. The shares fell to their lowest level since mid-June but remain almost 40% higher since the start of the year and comfortably ahead of the Nasdaq Composite's 25% return. ST...

Shares in Adidas' (ADS:ETR) skipped 4.4% higher to €239 in Frankfurt after the world's second-biggest sportswear manufacturer upgraded its full year guidance for the second time this year. Hoping for a demand boost from the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris, the athletic apparel company hiked its 2024 forecast following a better-than-expected second-quarter performance which demonstrated that c...

Stocks in Europe were mostly lower on Wednesday morning, ahead of a eurozone consumer price inflation reading and the King's Speech. The FTSE 100 index opened down 10.32 points, or 0.1%, at 8,155.17. The FTSE 250 was down 55.59 points, or 0.3%, at 21,159.81, and the AIM All-Share was up 0.71 points, or 0.1%, at 787.79. The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.2% at 813.97, the Cboe UK 250 was down 0.1% at 18...

Stocks in London ended lower on Tuesday, as mining stocks, water utilities and Burberry weighed down the large-cap FTSE 100. The FTSE 100 index ended down 18.06 points, 0.2%, at 8,164.90. The FTSE 250 added 24.27 points, 0.1%, at 21,213.79, and the AIM All-Share rose 1.50 points, 0.2%, at 786.98. The Cboe UK 100 ended down 0.1% at 815.66, the Cboe UK 250 rose 0.2% at 18,466.14, and the Cboe Sma...

European markets remained downbeat on Tuesday around midday, as the prospect of a second Trump term and signs of economic weakness from China weighed on sentiment. The FTSE 100 index was down 22.59 points, 0.3%, at 8,160.37. In European equities, the CAC 40 in Paris was down 0.7%, while the DAX 40 in Frankfurt was down 0.4%. In the FTSE 100, Rio Tinto fell 3.3%. The miner said iron ore producti...

Analysts at US broker TD Cowen see AI (artificial intelligence) chips designer Nvidia (NVDA:NASDAQ) outstripping second quarter expectations in the latest earnings season, and have hiked their target price for the stock. The analysts expect a significant beat and raise, driven by sustained demand for Hopper-based systems and the anticipated ramp-up of the Blackwell platforms driven by particula...

Shares in Ocado (OCDO) were up as much as 18% this morning before falling back as the online grocer raised its full year 2024 EBITDA (earnings before interest taxation depreciation amortisation) and cash flow guidance. Underlying cash flow is expected to improve by £150 million (previously £100 million). The company's technology solutions division expects to achieve a mid-teens EBITDA margin...

Shares in B&M European Value Retail (BME) gained more than 4% on Tuesday topping the FTSE 100 leaderboard after the discount variety retailer revealed less worse than feared first quarter like-for-like trading in the UK. B&M UK like-for-like sales for the 13 weeks to the end of June declined 3.5% after adjusting for the timing of Easter against 'exceptionally' strong comparatives of 9.2% in the...

European share prices started lower on Tuesday, after a positive close in New York led into a mixed performance for Asian stock markets. On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed up 0.5% on Monday, the S&P 500 up 0.3%, and the Nasdaq Composite up 0.4%. Positive bank earnings gave the market a boost, and US investors also took confidence from a further indication from the US Federa...