Strange as it may sound, the pandemic turned out to be a blessing in disguise for the auction industry as it forced firms to join the 21st century and offer an online service.Whereas previously many small auction houses were limited to the number of buyers they could accommodate due to lack of physical space, today they can not only tap into their local market but a whole army of online punters at

Stock prices in London beat their counterparts in Paris and Frankfurt on Wednesday morning, edging slightly higher, despite a weaker oil price hitting Shell and BP.Shell lost 0.4% and BP 0.2% on Middle East ceasefire hope.The FTSE 100 index added 11.44 points, 0.1%, at 8,270.05. The FTSE 250 rose 36.35 points, 0.2%, at 20,605.00, and the AIM All-Share added 2.55 points, 0.4%, at 733.14.The Cboe UK

Revenue seen in line with guidanceFY EBITDA margin above first halfUS asset manager takes a puntShareholders in knocked-down FTSE 250 fintech Auction Technology (ATG) were waving their arms in the air after the firm posted a positive update on trading for the full year to the end of September.Having slowly but steadily lost more than three quarters of their value since their highs above £16 in 20

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Stock falls nearly 18% to 519p and a third of its value in 2023Total hammer value and gross merchandise value pressuredPeel Hunt sees potential if macro headwinds taperWorries about slowing growth are putting the squeeze on investor hopes for Auction Technology (ATG) as TMV (total hammer value) weakens. The London-based online auction operator said the economic environment has become ?more challen

Consensus forecasts may have been trimmed this year, largely because of currency headwinds and the delayed launch of its atgPay feature, yet the anticipated £36.4 million net profit would still smash last year's £6 million loss, based on Stockopedia data.FTSE 250 constituent Auction Technology runs an online platform that helps connect auctioneers with a global pool of bidders, including busines

Down more than 50% since the start of 2022, Auction Technology (ATG) has been hit by various factors which have led to multiple downgrades to earnings forecasts in recent months.The company provides online auction marketplaces to help auctioneers reach a bigger audience than the traditional in-person channel.Approximately 80% of sales come from the US where it faces foreign exchange headwinds. Ear

The FTSE 100 outperformed other indices in London on Tuesday thanks to bumper profits from oil major BP.The FTSE 100 index closed up 28.00 points, or 0.4% at 7,864.71 on Tuesday. The FTSE 250 ended down 220.38 points, or 1.1%, at 20,189.00. The AIM All-Share closed down 4.66 points, or 0.5%, at 879.13.The Cboe UK 100 ended up 0.4% at 786.29, the Cboe UK 250 closed down 1.1% at 17,604.98, and the C

- Revenues up 11%, EPS beats market expectations- Shares fall on second half weighting disappointment- 2023 guidance reiteratedShares in online marketplace provider Auction Technology (ATG) fell 15% to 726p on Thursday despite full year adjusted earnings per share coming in higher than market expectations.That leaves the shares down 45% for the year but around 21% above the 600p listing price in F

We believe that many smaller companies have fallen too far amid the indiscriminate sell-off this year, and that there is real scope to pick up many well-run, high-quality business at knock-down prices.One of the best ways to take advantage, in our view, is to buy the BlackRock Throgmorton Trust (THRG), one of the very best smaller company investment trusts available.This is a multi-award-winning t

UK stocks regained some of their earlier losses on Thursday but closed in the red as the debate around the potential economic damage caused by Omicron intensified.US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen weighed in on the debate by saying the new variant could slow the global economy and cause significant problems.Meanwhile oil prices rallied around 1.5% after the OPEC+ oil producers' cartel said they w

UK stocks remained in deep negative territory at midday Thursday as investment sentiment continued to suffer from worries over the Omicron variant and US central bank plans to increase its pace of tapering. Investors were also watching energy prices ahead of a meeting of OPEC+ oil producers, which it is hoped will lead to an increase in supplies after the U.S. and others released crude from their

UK stocks dropped in early trading after a selloff in overseas markets following the first case of the Omicron variant in the U.S. and a warning from technology firm Apple that demand for its latest iPhone had weakened.Meanwhile, investors were also watching energy prices ahead of an meeting of OPEC+ oil producers, which it is hoped will lead to an increase in supplies after the U.S. and others re

UK investors have witnessed a steady if unspectacular pandemic recovery for UK shares in the main. But some parts of the market have bounced further and faster, and the BlackRock Smaller Companies Trust (BRSC) is a great way to tap into the strength of the UK smaller company universe at a larger than usual discount to net asset value.In 2021 the FTSE Small Cap index has risen 22% while the FTSE 25

UK investors seem to have got over the blow of Deliveroo (ROO) and other flop IPOs (initial public offerings) with London's new listings matching Europe's bulging pipeline.Despite ongoing inflation and interest rate hike threats, supply chain blockages and a stubborn Covid virus that refuses to go away, investors continue to be willing to back high-quality businesses that have a distinctive story

Investors jumped on DNA-sequencing company Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) early on Thursday as its hotly-anticipated stock market debut went off with a bang.A favourite with one-time star fund manager Neil Woodford, Oxford Nanopore saw its share price surge nearly 45% in early trading to hit 616p in one of the UK's best-ever market debuts. That values the business at close on £5 billion.The I

The FTSE 100 finished higher on Wednesday, retracing the losses from Tuesday's sell-off amid a jump in financials and as AstraZeneca (AZN) and Next (NXT) rallied following M&A and trading updates, respectively.The benchmark FTSE 100 ended the day 1.14% up at 7,108.16, and while worries over inflation, energy and supply chain issues will remain on the market's mind, the index is chock full of multi

Leading UK stocks continued their morning rally into the afternoon session as investors turn attention to an anticipated rebound when New York opens for business later.The benchmark FTSE 100 had jumped 0.84% to 7,086.90 at 12.45pm on Wednesday, and while worries over inflation, energy and supply chain issues will remain on the market's mind, the index is chock full of multinational stocks which be

The UK equity markets started Wednesday's trading session on a firmer footing, recovering some of yesterday's losses, despite a poor performance from US equity markets.Asian markets were mixed with the Shenzhen and Nikkei indices both recording losses. The Hang Seng Index managed to record a modest gain.Concerns regarding supply chain disruptions, and elevated oil price and the potential for longe

One of the leading players in the surge in UK mergers and acquisitions since the pandemic struck has suggested the wave of deals could come to an end soon.In an interview with Bloomberg, Philip Noblet, head of UK investment banking at stockbroker Jefferies, suggests the takeover trend is 70% over and British stocks are becoming less appealing versus their global peers.'There's more to come, but th