Bunzl CEO buys £303,110 sharesCMC deputy CEO buys £420,284 sharesC&C CEO buys 100,000 sharesFrank van Zanten, chief executive of outsourcing business Bunzl (BNZL), bought 10,000 shares for a total value of £303,110 on 6 March.Over the past month, Bunzl shares have fallen 14% despite the FTSE 100 company reporting a 2.2% rise in adjusted full year 2024 pre-tax profit (3 March), its 32nd year...

The FTSE 100 rallied at the close on Wednesday, as US markets climbed ahead of a CPI print later in the week.The FTSE 100 index closed up 53.13 points, 0.7%, at 8,243.74. The FTSE 250 ended 191.18 points higher, 0.9%, at 20,822.38, and the AIM All-Share rose 1.59 points, 0.2%, to 736.66.The Cboe UK 100 rose 0.6% 825.37, the Cboe UK 250 closed up 1.0% at 18,281.39, but the Cboe Small Companies...

Company to cut 17% of workforcePlans expected to save 18% costs against consensusFull year earnings reiteratedShares in global trading platform provider CMC Markets (CMCX) leapt 16% to 155p after cutting its workforce by 17% as part of a drive to reduce costs and increase efficiencies.Monday?s rally takes the shares up almost 40% over the last month and follows 21% gain on 8 January when the...

A rally in New York stocks on Friday has read across into stocks opening higher in London on Monday, following a strong US jobs report on Friday.The FTSE 100 index opened up 28.53 points, 0.4%, at 7,644.07. The FTSE 250 was up 39.08 points, 0.2%, at 19,211.72, and the AIM All-Share was up 0.90 of a point, 0.1%, at 755.07.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.4% at 764.80, the Cboe UK 250 was up 0.3% at...

London?s blue-chips recovered early losses to close in the green, despite falling oil stocks, but there was caution in the air ahead of US inflation figures later this week.The FTSE 100 index closed up 4.58 points, 0.1%, at 7,694.19. The FTSE 250 ended up 183.41 points, 1.0%, at 19,393.80, and the AIM All-Share closed down 0.42 of a point, or 0.1%, at 750.82.The Cboe UK 100 ended down...

Plus500 shares up 4% year-to-dateExpands US futures businessBalance sheet robust at $900 million approximatelyPlus500 (PLUS), the global multi-asset fintech group said it made ?excellent progress? in the year ending 31 December 2023.The company generated revenue of approximately $725 million and earnings before interest taxation and depreciation (EBITDA) of approximately $340 million, which...

European equities were largely lower on Monday afternoon, with the FTSE 100 the worst of the bunch, as focus turns to key inflation readings from the US and China this week.Investors are looking for US inflation to cool, which would solidify Federal Reserve interest rate cut expectations. For China, however, inflation heating up would suggest that the Asian nation?s economy is beginning to...

The FTSE 100 started the week lower on Monday, weighed down by oil majors and mining companies.The FTSE 100 index opened down 23.43 points, 0.3%, at 7,666.18. The FTSE 250 was up 64.06 points, 0.3%, at 19,274.45, and the AIM All-Share was down 0.4 of a point, 0.1%, at 750.83.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.3% at 765.81, the Cboe UK 250 was up 0.4% at 16,782.47, and the Cboe Small Companies was flat...

There were several trends in the UK stock market this year which, if you managed to identify them, served you well.Most obviously, although it may not have seemed it at the index level, large-cap stocks generally performed better than small- and mid-caps, although for the lucky few the small-cap space has been rife with takeover activity.In terms of sectors, aerospace and defence topped the...

Blue-chip equities in Europe ended lower on Tuesday, despite a promising start to the day which saw the CAC 40 in Paris spike to a record high.The afternoon?s key US inflation data went largely to plan. The annual rate of consumer inflation eased, inching ever-so-slightly closer to the Fed?s 2% target. However, stubborn month-on-month price growth tempered enthusiasm.The FTSE 100 index ended...

Shares in trading platform CMC Markets (CMCX), jumped 8.4% to 262p following the announcement of a scheduled pre-close trading update.Net operating income for the year to March 2022 is expected to be £280 million, which is considerably ahead of analysts' expectations. This has prompted a series of upgrades to earnings forecasts.During the last month the stock has risen 16.5%, but on a...

For now, the escalating conflict in Ukraine shows no signs of easing. After the initial shock, markets were hopeful the economic impact of the war might be contained as the West's opening salvo of sanctions in response to Russia's invasion (24 Feb) were weaker than some had anticipated.However, any relief soon dissipated as Ukraine put up stiff resistance against the Russian invaders and...

Leading UK shares have shrugged-off concerns currently upsetting Wall Street as expectations grow that the Federal Reserve will act more swiftly than previously predicted to try and tame rampant inflation. At the same time, tensions between Ukraine and Russia continue to grow, adding another volatile factor into the mix.At 9am, the benchmark FTSE 100 is close on 1.5% ahead at 7,479.13, not far...

London's major stocks opened modestly lower as the inflation genie continues to work its way out of the bottle, although banks defied the gravitational pull.At 9am, the benchmark FTSE 100 was 0.13% down at 7,317.61 after UK inflation rose to its highest in almost a decade. But there was plenty of demand for bank stocks, seen as benefitting from an increasingly likely rise in interest rates,...

An easing of energy crisis fears and a positive start to trading on Wall Street helped the FTSE 100 to a solid finish on Thursday. By the close, the blue chip benchmark was up 1.2% at 7,078.04 points, while the FTSE 250 finished 0.77% higher at 22,559.22.In the US the S&P 500 was up 1.35% to 4,422.55 by 4.30pm UK time.Wall Street's indices pushed higher after a temporary agreement was struck...

Hopes that Russia will pump more gas to Europe to address the current energy crisis helped boost sentiment on Thursday.Concerns over elevated gas prices started to ease after Russia offered to increase supplies while house prices rose by 1.7% in September according to the Halifax building society, the biggest monthly increase since February 2007.By noon, the FTSE 100 traded 1.1% higher at...

A late move higher saw the FTSE 100 close Thursday's session up 0.26% at 7,168.55 points, the blue chip benchmark taking its cue from a strong start on Wall Street where the S&P 500 rose 0.4% to 4,541.62 by 4.30pm UK time.MELROSE ON THE MOVEEngineering firm Melrose Industries (MRO) gained 7.1% to 184.1p to top the risers on the FTSE 100 after it confirmed alongside first half results it was...

London's FTSE 100 remained flat at midday on Thursday at 7,145.94 points, with shares in mining titan BHP (BHP) down 6.3% at £20.91 as it traded without the rights to its dividend.The high-flying FTSE 250 was 0.25% lower at 24,189.71 points by lunch.CORPORATE NEWSEngineering firm Melrose Industries (MRO) gained 4% to 179p to top the risers on the FTSE 100 after it confirmed alongside first...

The FTSE 100 index opened Thursday's trading session on a slightly firmer note, trading up by 0.07% at 7154.8, but lacking any real momentum or direction.This partly reflected the mixed performance of American equity markets. The S&P 500 index ended the session marginally higher at 4524.09, with the NASDAQ Composite also closing 0.33% firmer at 15,309.38.The Dow Jones Industrial index ended...

Investors who want to tap into the rich seam of UK small cap opportunities will struggle to find a more passionate advocate than Georgina Brittain. The seasoned fund manager has been running the JPMorgan UK Smaller Companies Investment Trust (JMI) since 1998, and alongside co-manager Katen Patel since 2017.The smaller companies space has always struggled for analyst coverage yet the manager's...