Stocks in London ended higher on Thursday as easing bond yields and support for Chancellor Rachel Reeves reassured investors, while upbeat UK services data added to signs of economic resilience. The FTSE 100 index closed up 48.51 points, 0.6%, at 8,823.20. The FTSE 250 jumped 250.09 points, 1.2%, at 21,702.58, and the AIM All-Share rose 8.49 points, 1.1%, at 776.25. The Cboe UK 100 closed up...

Stocks were higher in London at Thursday midday, after data showed the UK service sector grew at the fastest pace for 10 months in June, ahead of key US jobless, unemployment and trade data. The FTSE 100 index was up 29.68 points, 0.3%, at 8,804.37. The FTSE 250 was up 132.92 points, 0.6%, at 21,585.41, and the AIM All-Share was up 6.19 points, 0.9%, at 773.95. The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.4% at...

Group sales meet forecasts Pre-tax profit increases 37% Best balance sheet for 10 years Electricals retailer Currys (CURY) 'beat techspectations' with its results for the year to the beginning of May and showed confidence in its balance sheet by resuming dividend payments. The shares jumped as much as 12p or 10% to a new three-year high of 130p, taking them to the top of the FTSE 250 leader...

Any bid to be all cash But Boohoo owns controlling stake Revolution shares down 95% since IPO Mike Ashley's Frasers (FRAS) has confirmed its participation in the sale process for cosmetics company Revolution Beauty (REVB:AIM), sending the latter's share price up 5.5% to 8.3p and setting the stage for another dust up between Frasers and Boohoo (DEBS:AIM) in their quest to own the beauty brand....

Profit seen topping previous forecasts Cumulative 26% upgrade over 12 months Resumption of dividends on the cards Electricals retailer Currys (CURY) pulled another rabbit out of the hat this morning with its third earnings upgrade of 2025 thanks to what it described as 'continued robust trading' in the UK and Ireland and a pick-up in growth in the Nordic region. The shares, which have already...

TM Redwheel UK Equity Income Fund (BG34293) 124p Assets: £501 million Managed by the duo of Ian Lance and Nick Purves, the TM Redwheel UK Equity Income Fund (BG342C6) is the spiritual successor to the pair's former five-star-rated income fund which they ran at Schroders (SDR) more than 15 years ago. With a similar brief, to generate income and capital growth in excess of the FTSE All Share...

Having fended off takeover interest from private equity giant Elliott Advisors last year, omni-channel electronics retailer Currys (CURY) is demonstrating the board's decision to spurn bids opportunistic bids at 62p and 67p and go it alone was the correct one. A flurry of earnings upgrades have since ensued, driving Currys' share price higher, during a period when many rival UK consumer-facing...

Is it really less than 100 days since the Trump administration took office? The symbolically significant 100th day actually comes next week on 30 April but such has been the speed at which it has moved that it feels like the whole world has been on fast forward ever since. Nowhere has this been more evident than in precious metal prices. Having topped $2,000 for the first time in August 2020...

Shares in Currys (CURY) have gained 60% over the past year as the electrical retailer experiences meaningful recovery in its Nordic business and solid sales from its UK operation. On 3 April the company raised its profit guidance for the second time in 2025 due to 'robust' trading in the period since 4 January. Investors also welcomed news the FTSE 250 constituent expects to close the year in...

Defensives hold up in sell-offNew appetite for growth stocksBanks unable to shake off lossesAs the dust settles from the three-day 'Liberation Day'-inspired sell-off, the list of winners and losers makes for interesting reading.Not everything which held up during the market meltdown is being sold off, and not everything which racked up big losses is rebounding, unlike in previous recoveries,...

Markets tumbled on Thursday as investors digested the full force of sweeping US tariffs, with London-listed equities dragged sharply lower in a global rout that also hit Wall Street and European stocks.Panmure Liberum's Simon French said: 'Make no mistake, what was unveiled overnight by the US president was a huge deal for the global economy.'The FTSE 100 index ended down 133.74 points, 1.6%,...

Positive like-for-like growthNordics no longer a drag'Strong' net cash positionElectronics retailer Currys (CURY) continues to impress after brushing off takeover interest from private equity last year.Shares in the TVs-to-laptops seller sparked up 11% to 99p in a down market on 3 April after the retailer raised its full-year 2025 profit guidance for the second time in 2025-to-date. The...

Buy now, pay later company Klarna has filed its long-awaited IPO (initial public offering), with a $15 billion valuation mooted, according to reports.The Swedish fintech is believed to be aiming to price the New York Stock Exchange IPO in early April and is hoping to raise around $1 billion of growth funding in what could be the first of several exciting new listings this year.Klarna, founded...

Just over five years ago the stock market began to react in earnest to news of the Covid pandemic.The sell-off was short and sharp, with a modest recovery from the lows in the spring followed by sharper gains in November 2020 after AstraZeneca (AZN) made a vaccine breakthrough.However, a large number of UK stocks are still trading below the levels they were at by the close of trading on 21...

Currys (CURY) 94.1pGain to date: 56.7%After the takeover saga around Currys came to a close in 2024 we flagged that the electronics retailer was too cheap and had recovery potential.WHAT'S HAPPENED SINCE WE SAID TO BUY?Our hypothesis has proved sound, the shares making substantial progress supported by consistently strong trading, with the latest example occurring over Christmas, allowing...

With most of the big names in the retail sector having reported we can get a decent picture of how the sector fared in the run-up to and during the festive period. A weak trading backdrop for non-food retail in October and November, before Santa delivered a return to growth in December, a month that also witnessed a notable shift to online sales according to the latest data (17 January) from...

Positive peak salesUK and Nordics in growthDividend reinstatement demonstrates turnaround successCurrys' (CURY) shares sparked up 10.5% to 91p after the electricals retailer delivered yet another full-year profit guidance upgrade following a strong festive period, with the TVs-to-laptops purveyor delivering like-for-like sales growth in both the UK and Nordics.Benefiting from a technology...

UK takeovers moved up a gear in 2024 as predators targeted bigger companies. The average value of deals was £1.07 billion, nearly three times higher than the £390 million average in 2023. In total, there were £49 billion worth of recommended bids versus £17.2 billion last year.A bounty of unloved or underappreciated companies were swept off their feet, signalling the UK market as being 'on...

UK & Ireland like-for-likes up 5%Gains in UK and NordicsPost-Budget price rises 'inevitable'Shares in electrical retailer Currys (CURY) topped the FTSE 250 leader board on 12 December, surging 11.5% higher to 88p after the firm reported a rise in first-half profits and a return to sales growth for the core UK & Ireland business despite a tough consumer backdrop.Buoyed by rising demand for AI...

The UK stock market has performed robustly over the past year, with several companies standing out significantly. In this article, we will examine the top-performing large-cap, mid-cap, and small-cap stocks of 2024, dissected across four different market valuation categories.£5 BILLION+ MARKET CAPAfter a stellar 2023, aeronautical engineer Rolls-Royce (RR.) has once again rallied hard during...