The mood in global equities was soured by fears for Chinese economic growth, while a stronger pound also did little for the international earner-heavy FTSE 100 in London.Sterling remained above the $1.28 mark on Monday, with investors expecting the Bank of England to enact a 25 basis point rate hike later this week.The FTSE 100 index opened down 21.77 points, 0.3% at 7,620.95. The FTSE 250 was dow

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- Cancer drug candidate AVA6000 positive safety review- Dosing trial proceeds to fourth cohort- Shares resilient despite weak biotechnology sectorClinical stage cancer drug developer and diagnostics company Avacta (AVCT:AIM) said the first in-human phase one trial of its cancer drug AVA6000 will proceed to the fourth dosing following a positive review.The good news sent the shares, in positive te

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The FTSE 100 finished the first trading session of the week in the red, shedding 0.54% to close at 7,445.25 points. Housebuilders dragged on the blue chip benchmark on the UK Government's plans to force them to pay to fix the cladding crisis which has followed the Grenfell tragedy in 2017.The more domestically-focused FTSE 250 ended the day 1.5% lower at 23,001.81 points.Investor sentiment was als

London's FTSE 100 was flat by midday at 7,482.12 points, with housebuilders weighing on the blue chip benchmark as the UK Government announced plans to force them to pay to fix the cladding crisis which has followed the Grenfell tragedy in 2017.The housing secretary will unveil plans this week for a £4 billion grant scheme to pay for repairs demanded by banks and insurers in the wake of the Grenf

Shares in cancer therapies and diagnostics company Avacta (AVCT:AIM) sank 30% to 81.4p after it said laboratory analysis showed its proprietary lateral flow test was less effective at detecting lower viral loads of the Omicron variant.Today's announcement also knocked the shares of leading lateral flow test manufacturer and developer Abingdon Health (ABDX:AIM) which was scaling up the manufacture

Major UK shares defied predictions of a positive start to the trading week on Monday with investors evidently nervous about a big week of data from the US.Worries over an imminent US interest rate rise, which could be triggered by a red-hot inflation reading later this week, put a dampener on sentiment. Friday's US jobs numbers didn't help confidence, with the prospect of wage pressures adding to

Major UK share indices managed to hold on to earlier gains and finished Wednesday's trading session in positive territory.This was despite continuing concerns surrounding the potential economic impact of the Omicron coronavirus variant, and disappointment surrounding the latest UK third quarter gross domestic figure print.The FTSE 100 Index and the FTSE 250 Index ended the session 0.61% and 1.14%

Major UK share indexes traded in positive territory at lunchtime on Wednesday despite GDP growth disappointment and ongoing Omicron concerns.The UK economy saw growth of 1.1% versus the 1.3% expected in the third quarter to 30 September 2021. 'The disappointing figures on the UK economy were before the Omicron wave hit, so there will be some concern that they represent the calm before the storm an

Disappointing UK growth figures put a spanner in the works for the FTSE 100 in early trade on Wednesday, defying expectations that Tuesday's rally would continue. The benchmark index around 0.3% to 7,277.92 but the falls remain marginal, so far.Gross domestic product in the world's fifth-biggest economy increased 1.1% in the third quarter to the end of September, weaker than a preliminary estimate

Oil prices rallied hard on Monday as investors bet on speculation that major produces, the cabal known as OPEC+, may pause an output increase in response to the spread of the new Omicron Covid variant.That helped the benchmark FTSE 100 add 66 points, or about 0.94% at 7,109.95 as oil giants BP (BP.) and Royal Dutch Shell (RDSB) added more than 3% and 2% respectively to finish at 328.35p and £15.9

Oil prices were rallying hard at lunchtime on Monday as investors bet on speculation that major produces, the cabal known as OPEC+, may pause an output increase in response to the spread of Omicron.At 12.20pm, Brent crude futures had jumped almost 5% to $74.92 following the big sell-off on Friday.That helped the benchmark FTSE 100 add more than 80 points, or about 1.15% at 7,122.85 as oil giants B

Global markets regained some composure after Friday's sell-off caused by the emergence of a new virus strain Omicron which has reached at least 12 countries.Some calm was reinstalled after vaccine makers said they could make new formulae to combat the new virus strain within weeks.Asian markets steadied with China's SE Composite almost flat and Japan's Nikkei 225 index losing 1.6%. Meanwhile commo

The FTSE 100 finished 0.2% higher at 7,087.55 points on Tuesday with banks and housebuilders lending support.However food delivery platform Just Eat Takeaway.com (JET) was the biggest riser on the blue chip benchmark, bid up 3.4% to £68.40 as investors bet it would benefit from a surge in orders as consumers settled on sofas to watch the Euro 2020 clash between England and Germany.A decline in st

Shares in the developer of cancer immunotherapies and diagnostics firm Avacta (AVCT:AIM) gained 6% to 184.7p after the company said its Covid-19 test detects the more transmissible delta variant.The clinical data for the company's AffiDX SARS-CoV-2 antigen lateral flow test showed it correctly identified 100% of clinical samples of the delta variant, also known as the Indian variant.In the small s

UK stocks closed slightly higher on Monday, as gains in house builders were offset by weakness in mining shares. In the US, meme stocks were back in vogue with cinema group AMC gaining 18% while Blackberry and Gamestop added 8% and 7% respectively.At the close the FTSE 100 index of leading shares was up 0.1% at 7,077 points.COMPANY NEWSOffice property owner IWG revealed that the anticipated recove

UK stocks hit session highs at midday Monday, helped by a jump in housing builders after data showed domestic house price growth approached seven-year highs last month. Shares in Persimmon (PSN), Taylor Wimpey (TW.) and Barratt Developments (BDEV) all gained over 2.5%. Meanwhile office space firm IWG (IWG) dropped after a profit warning.At 12pm the FTSE 100 index of leading shares was up 0.3% at 7

Shares in diagnostics and cancer therapies company Avacta (AVCT:AIM) gained 5% on Monday to 250.9p after announcing its Covid-19 antigen lateral flow test for professional use had received registration confirmation from the UK's medicines regulator.Avacta submitted a Declaration of Conformity for CE mark for its rapid antigen test on 10 May and today's confirmation means the test can now enter the

UK stocks eased on Monday as a drop in crude prices sent oil stocks lower and a warning from office workspace firm IWG (IWG) pressured property stocks.At 8.30am the FTSE 100 index was down 8 points at 7,061 with just a handful of house builders and Barclays (BARC) making gains.Oil prices retreated as investors awaited the outcome of talks between Iran and world leaders over a nuclear deal which co