Pebble chief executive raises stake Capricorn Energy director buys stock Keller director sells £192,034 shares Christopher Lee, head of digital commerce company Pebble Group (PEBB:AIM), bought 270,000 shares at 37p for a total value of £99,900 on 14 April. The purchase represents 0.17% of the company's issued ordinary share capital. Year-to-date shares are down 22%, after the company...

- New £1.4 billion entity will be a leading African oil producer- Tullow shareholders own 57% and Capricorn 43% in new group- Plan to pay annual dividend of $60 millionShares in oil explorer Tullow Oil and (TLW) and Capricorn Energy (CNE) rose 2.3% and 3.1% respectively following the announcement of an agreement for a recommended all-share merger.If agreed the new London listed entity would...

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...

A combination of weak UK consumer confidence, renewed fears about the Evergrande crisis and fretting about the outlook for interest rates put the FTSE 100 on the back foot on Friday.By midday the index was down 0.15% to 7,067.88.Drug maker AstraZeneca (AZN) said its prostate cancer drug in combination with abiraterone developed with MSD, had met the primary goal of a phase 3 trial trial. It...

After a strong start to the week, UK stocks gave back some ground in early trading on Tuesday with the FTSE 100 index shedding 16 points or 0.25% to 7,171 points.The move came as the MSCI World Index racked up its eighth consecutive day of gains to post another record high at 3,172.5 points, as investors continue to bet on central banks supporting markets with easy money policies.Sterling...

UK stocks moved sharply higher on the last full trading day before Christmas as hopes were raised that a Brexit trade deal could be within reach.The UK and EU are continuing talks on post-Brexit trade, amid an increasing number of reports that they are close to agreeing a deal.The UK's benchmark FTSE 100 index gained 0.66% to 6,495.75, while the more domestically-focused FTSE 250 - considered...

UK stocks had a mixed morning on the last full trading day before Christmas as investors focused on Brexit and US stimulus talks, with little significant company news to steer markets.The UK's benchmark FTSE 100 index fell 0.24% to 6,437 just before midday with markets on edge as outgoing US president Donald Trump demanded changes to a crucial US stimulus package and the clock continued to run...

Less than a week after it pledged to return $250 million of cash from the sale of its assets in Senegal, shareholders in mid-cap oil and gas exploration and development firm Cairn Energy (CNE) are celebrating an even bigger win after a tribunal ruled in its favour over a long-running dispute with the Indian government.Cairn shares jumped more than 40% to 240p shortly after the open on...

It was typically very quiet start for UK stock markets on the last full trading day before Christmas. There was very little company news to steer markets one way or the other, leaving investors to ponder the possibility of a Brexit trade deal being agreed.The chances of a deal being struck between UK and EU negotiators seemed to nudge a step closer with speculation emerging overnight of...

The FTSE 100 gave up its early gains on Thursday, drifting off 2 points to 6,569 at midday despite US markets pushing to new highs on a stimulus package and a potential breakthrough regarding a Brexit trade deal.Prime Minister Boris Johnson boosted hopes last night after saying there is 'every opportunity of a deal' to be done, while European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said...

The FTSE 100 continued its gains on Thursday, rising 0.24% to 6,586.78 in early trade after potential breakthroughs regarding a Brexit trade deal and a US stimulus package.Prime Minister Boris Johnson boosted hopes last night after saying there is 'every opportunity of a deal' to be done, while European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said fishing access is the last barrier to an...

The FTSE 100 recovered some earlier losses but still fell 0.37% to 5,906 by early afternoon on Tuesday as attention turned to this evening's first US presidential debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden.Among the things to watch out for in the debate is comment from Trump on election integrity. Trump has repeatedly refused to say he will accept the results of the November election or commit...

The FTSE 100 index closed 0.2% or 12 points lower at 6,111 on Monday as travel and leisure stocks weighed on sentiment following the UK's sudden impostion of a two-week quarantine requirement on travelers from Spain.Spirits were also tempered by mounting COVID-19 cases in the US and in places that had looked to have the virus under control, including Hong Kong and Australia.Gold soared to an...

London's FTSE traded 0.3% lower at 6,108 at lunchtime on Monday, led lower by airlines after the UK imposed a two-week quarantine requirement on travelers from Spain.Sentiment was also dulled by mounting COVID-19 cases in the US and in places that had looked to have the virus under control, including Hong Kong and Australia.Gold soared to an all-time high as worsening diplomatic ties between...

London's FTSE traded 0.46% lower at 6,095.49 on Monday, led down by airlines after the UK imposed a two-week quarantine requirement on travellers from Spain.Sentiment was also dulled by mounting COVID-19 cases in the US and in places that had looked to have the virus under control, including Hong Kong and Australia.Gold soared to an all-time high as worsening diplomatic ties between China and...

Oil prices have plunged to 18-year lows of under $21 a barrel with over half of global demand wiped out amid the coronavirus pandemic, while in metals some clear winners and losers are starting to emerge.In the commodities world, oil appears to be hit hardest thanks to a huge drop-off in demand from the coronavirus pandemic combined with a price war between two of the world's largest...

The oil and gas industry contributes to 42% of global emissions according to global consulting firm McKinsey.It is little wonder that the sector has found itself in the crosshairs of environmental campaigners and a growing portion of the investment community is turning away from fossil fuel-based investments amid increasing focus on environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues.At the...

UK stock markets stayed virtually flat at the start of a relatively quiet Wednesday with investors having relatively thin corporate news to provide direction and eyes firmly being fixed on the imminent signing of an initial US-China trade deal.US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said tariffs on Chinese goods would not be repealed until the completion of a Phase 2 agreement, planting some...

The basic principle of value investing is buying stocks on low valuations and waiting for them to re-rate. Warren Buffett calls it buying a dollar of earnings for 50 cents, or in the case of UK stocks buying £1 of assets for 50p. In theory this makes a lot of sense; in practice, it's far from simple and in today's market not a lot of stocks sell for 50p on the pound.Value investing has been...

UK stocks eased back after last week's strong finish, with the FTSE 100 index giving up 21 points or 0.3% to 7,303. Banks, Household Goods, Mobile Telecoms and Tobacco were the sectors weighing the most on the index.Global banking giant HSBC (HSBA) delivered a disappointing third quarter earnings update, with profits down 24% to $3bn, and abandoned its Return on Tangible Equity target of 11%...