Global specialist consultancy services provider to the asset management and insurance industries Alpha Financial Markets (AFM) saw its shares almost double at one point to 460p after the company confirmed bid interest from private equity groups. Responding to press speculation the board said it had received a non-binding offer from Bridgepoint regarding a possible cash offer and confirmed Cinve...

Shares in Aston Martin Lagonda (AML) fell sharply in morning trading as the luxury car maker reported more quarterly losses, volumes and revenue declines, and soaring net debt that topped £1 billion. Desperately scrabbling to offer investors a positive spin, executive chairman Lawrence Stroll talked up new vehicles models due for launch later this year, but it is hard to see why investors sho...

Stock prices in London were slightly down heading into the afternoon on Wednesday, as investors awaited the latest interest rate decision from the US Federal Reserve this evening. The FTSE 100 index slipped just 1.15 points to 8,142.98. The FTSE 250 was down 35.58 points, 0.2%, at 19,929.81, and the AIM All-Share was up 3.07 points, 0.4%, at 763.81. The Cboe UK 100 was flat at 813.38, the Cboe...

Amazon (AMZN:NASDAQ) became the latest tech giant to release quarterly results after-hours Tuesday (30 Apr) and largely beat expectations as interest in AI (artificial intelligence) helped drive cloud computing growth. These were robust results, showing its e-commerce business made money both in North America and overseas, something that hasn't happened since 2021, while cloud giant Amazon Web...

Smith & Nephew (SN.) topped the FTSE gainers on Wednesday, rising 3.4% to £10.16 despite medical equipment maker missing first quarter sales estimates due to soft trading in its Advanced Wound Management franchise. Year-to-date the shares continue to lag the FTSE 100, falling 5% compared with a 6% increase in the blue-chip index. GUIDANCE REASSURES Underlying first-quarter revenue was up 2.9%...

High-street retailer Next (NXT) beat expectations with its first-quarter trading update but tempered its outlook for the second quarter so as to leave its full-year guidance unchanged. Traders took the opportunity to top-slice the shares, which have gained over 12% this year, sending them lower by 72p or 0.8%. OUTLOOK UNCHANGED Having guided the market to expect a 5% rise in full-price sales fo...

Large-cap London stocks in London opened in the green on Wednesday, despite nervy trade in New York overnight ahead of the Federal Reserve's interest rate decision later. A host of financial markets in mainland Europe and beyond, including Paris, Frankfurt and Shanghai, are closed for public holidays. The FTSE 100 index rose 24.30 points, 0.3%, at 8,168.43. The FTSE 250 was down 17.21 points, 0...

London Stocks finished down on Tuesday, despite rallies from Whitbread and HSBC, as Wall Street was in the red ahead of the Fed's major interest rate decision this week. The FTSE 100 index closed down 2.90 points at 8,144.13. The FTSE 250 ended down 119.40 points, 0.6%, at 19,965.39, and the AIM All-Share closed down 2.59 points, 0.3%, at 760.74. The Cboe UK 100 ended down 0.1% at 813.44, the C...

London's FTSE 100 pushed higher on Tuesday afternoon, as its winning streak looks set to continue, though blue-chip benchmarks in Frankfurt and Paris struggled as shares in carmakers went into reverse. The FTSE 100 index was up 47.90 points, 0.6%, at 8,194.93. The FTSE 250 slipped just 2.92 points, to 20,081.87, and the AIM All-Share was up 0.85 of a point, 0.1%, at 764.18. The Cboe UK 100 was...

Premier Inn-owner Whitbread (WTB) pleased investors with news of an extension to its buyback programme and a new cost-saving initiative as its full-year profit undershot market estimates. After languishing around the £30 level to begin with, the shares slowly climbed 110p or 3.5% to £31.50 by late morning. For the year to the end of February, the group reported revenue of £2.93 billion, an...

The world's biggest memory chips and smartphone maker Samsung Electronics (005930:KS) is getting a much-needed lift from the AI (artificial intelligence) demand boom. The South Korean technology giant clocked a 10-fold surge in its first quarter profit, aided chiefly by a recovery in chip demand thanks to the rapidly growing AI industry. Operating profit rose to 6.6 trillion won (approximately...

Shares in Card Factory (CARD) rallied 6% to 106.6p after the value-focused greeting cards-to-party supplies retailer announced a welcome return to the dividend list, having paused payouts during the pandemic. The reinstatement of dividends signalled confidence from Card Factory and alongside a surge in full-year profits driven by a strong trading performance in its stores, made the market sit u...

Investors in Anglo-Pacific bank HSBC (HSBA) had plenty to cheer as the group posted first-quarter results above expectations and increased the size of its buyback. The shares continued their recent rally, adding another 17p or 2.5% to take them to a new post-pandemic high of 685p. BETTER RESULTS AND BUYBACK For the three months to March, HSBC reported total revenue of $20.8 billion, 3% higher t...