Stock prices in Europe were generally lower on Friday morning, after optimism from rate cuts in the US and UK wore off, as China unveiled a huge support package under which it will raise the local government debt ceiling. China's top lawmakers have approved a proposal to increase the debt ceiling for local governments by $840 billion, state media said as a key meeting wrapped up in Beijing. Mea...

US indices hit more new highs this week after Donald Trump was declared the winner of the race to become the next US president. As well as tech stocks, which rallied on the belief a Trump administration would be less likely to impose strict regulations on the sector, energy companies and financial stocks registered strong gains. Trump's mantra of 'drill baby, drill' implies he favours increasin...

Stocks ended a mixed bag in London on Thursday, amid a number of central bank decisions, and following the US presidential election. In the UK, the Bank of England said it would not cut interest rates 'too quickly or too much' after lowering rates by 25 basis points. The US Federal Reserve is expected to follow suit later in the day. The FTSE 100 index closed down 25.94 points, or 0.3%, at 8,14...

Shares in ITV (ITV) fell more than 8% to 66p in morning trading as the free-to-air broadcaster said group revenue fell 8% at £2.7 billion in the nine months to 30 September. Total ITV Studios revenue was down 20% to £1.21 billion impacted by the expected phasing of production deliveries, the 2023 US writers' and actors' strikes and lower demand from free-to-air broadcasters in Europe in the s...

The FTSE 100 was flat on Thursday afternoon, treading water after the Bank of England reduced rates, and suggested a more gradual cutting path than some expected. The pound moved higher immediately following the decision, which was accompanied by the BoE's latest economic projections. The central bank suggested last week's UK budget was inflationary. The budget is expected to boost the level of...

The UK's largest automotive platform Auto Trader (AUTO) revised down its dealership listing volumes outlook and now expects full year average revenue per retailer to fall, sending the shares down 7% to the bottom of the FTSE 100 index. The shares have reversed nearly 12% since the beginning of October on concerns that Auto Trader's motor finance arm could get embroiled in the FCA's (Financial C...

First half sales and profits rose at Sainsbury's (SBRY) as the UK's second biggest supermarket continued to secure market share gains in groceries, making up for a soft first quarter at Argos and in general merchandise. CEO Simon Roberts insisted Sainsbury's core food business is 'making the biggest market share gains in the industry', with more and more customers 'coming to us for their big fo...

Stock prices in Europe were mixed on Thursday morning ahead of interest rate decisions by the Bank of England and the Federal Reserve, as investors digest Donald Trump's incoming second presidential term. 'The BoE is expected to cut rates by 25bp today,' noted Swissquote's Ipek Ozkardeskaya. 'The markets price in two more rate cuts by the end of next year and gives a 35% chance for a third one....

The FTSE 100 joined European peers in the red on Wednesday, while the US hit new highs following Donald Trump's win in the presidential election. The FTSE 100 index closed down 5.71 points, or 0.1%, at 8,166.68. It had earlier hit an intra-day high of 8,301.78. The FTSE 250 ended up 76.66 points, 0.4%, at 20,446.70, and the AIM All-Share rose 2.75 points, 0.3%, at 739.04. The Cboe UK 100 ended...

Stock prices in Europe remained in the green at Wednesday midday, as investors digested Donald Trump's win for a second non-consecutive term as US president. 'The dollar strengthened and ten-year Treasury yields jumped to 4.406% on the assumption that Trump's policies will stoke inflation and require interest rates to stay higher for longer,' commented AJ Bell's Russ Mould, before the Republica...

Shares in Persimmon (PSN) fell nearly 6% to £13.83 in morning trading despite the UK's second largest housebuilder saying it was on track to grow completions to circa 10,500 for the full year. During the third quarter the company delivered 1,416 homes including a 3% increase in private homes to 1,267 and 149 partnership homes. The company said the demand for homes had continued well into the a...

Marks & Spencer (MKS) reported a forecast-beating jump in half-year profits as the retail bellwether's turnaround continues to gain traction, sending shares in the FTSE 100 company up 8% to a five-year high of 414p. With its dependable food and revitalised clothing and home divisions both gobbling up market share and Marks & Spencer's cost-cutting drive on track, Shore Capital upgraded its full...

Pub group JD Wetherspoon (JDW) continues to perform better than the hospitality industry with 5.9% like-for-like sales growth in the 14 weeks to 2 November, marking 25 consecutive months of outperformance. Investors cheered the news, with the shares gaining 3% to 606.5p, although they remain 25% lower year-to-date and significantly below pre-pandemic trading levels around £16.90. Current tradi...