London's blue chip index opened in the red on Friday morning, following a healthy start to the new year, after stocks in New York declined on Thursday.The FTSE 100 index opened down 5.86 points, 0.1%, at 8,254.23. The FTSE 250 was down 51.56 points, 0.3%, at 20,588.67, and the AIM All-Share was down just 0.01 of a point at 723.69.The Cboe UK 100 was flat at 827.68, the Cboe UK 250 was 0.1% lower a

UK high street enduringLow ticket leisure a winnerValue retail showing resilienceMany have sounded the death knell for the UK high street, notably during the Covid crisis as retail trends shifted towards online shopping. Yet, the high street has endured amid the consumer's persistent demand for physical retail.And despite many high street stocks successfully adapting to this evolving retail market

The US market lost its recent momentum in a big way this past week as shares collapsed on the 18 December with the S&P 500 enduring its worst day since 2001.The trigger for the sell-off was a hawkish tone from the US Federal Reserve even as it announced its latest interest rate cut.With officials signaling growing concern over the threat posed by inflation, the market moved quickly to reset bets o

Second-quarter results (19 December) from Nike [NKE:NYSE) will give Wall Street analysts a first opportunity to hear from new CEO Elliott Hill, tasked with turning round the world's biggest sportswear company's fortunes.Shares in the struggling sneakers-to-soccer balls titan, which recently withdrew full year 2025 guidance amidst a major restructuring, have shed a third of their value in the past

Creative guidelines agreed with AmazonFilm and TV series years awayFull-year guidance reiteratedAs expected, fantasy miniatures maker Games Workshop (GAW) has provided an update on its agreement with Amazon (AMZN:NASDAQ) to produce films and television series based on the Warhammer 40,000 universe.As usual Games Workshop has provided the bare minimum in terms of commentary and detail.Having initia

Blue-chips in London, Paris and Frankfurt were in the red midday Tuesday, as investors fretted over the outlook for China's economy after some less-than-stellar data.'Chinese exports grew at a slower pace in November versus October, and imports shrank. That doesn't install much confidence about Beijing's efforts to get the country back on top. The prospect of higher tariffs on Chinese goods export

Q3 results top forecastsInternational sales surgeBuyback programme upped by $1 billionInvestors who've soured on Lululemon (LULU:NASDAQ) of late were left chasing the stock higher after third quarter results beat estimates and the athleisure specialist raised full-year guidance, sending the shares up 9.2% to $344.8 in after-hours trading on Wall Street.The Canadian company has seen sales growth sl

Spare a thought for Laszlo Hanyecz. You may not have heard of him, but in 2010 he spent 10,000 Bitcoins on two pizzas, in one of the first ever 'real world' crypto transactions. The market value of those Bitcoins is now $950 million. Hanyecz is pretty stoic about it, but deep down he must know that no amount of melted cheese can make up for the vast fortune he might have had. Hanyecz, a computer p

MS Galleon wants change at the topCTD deal 'detrimental' to shareholdersTopps outperforming weak marketMS Galleon, the major shareholder in Topps Tiles (TPT), has called for the tile retailer to overhaul its senior management and strategy following what it describes as a series of 'costly blunders'.Shares in Topps Tiles cheapened 2.25% to 39.1p on the news, with investors concerned a boardroom bat

London's stock indices closed higher on Wednesday, contrasting with broader European declines, with confidence from easing bond yields lifting housebuilders over the session.The FTSE 100 index rose 16.14 points, 0.2%, at 8,274.75. The FTSE 250 climbed 32.98 points, 0.2%, at 20,601.63, and the AIM All-Share firmed 0.81 of a point, 0.1%, at 731.40.The Cboe UK 100 advanced 0.1% at 831.73, the Cboe UK

Strong first-half growthDividend raised by 10%Full-year outlook confirmedLeading UK food producer Cranswick (CWK) was the biggest faller in the FTSE 250 mid-cap index, losing nearly 5% despite serving up a tasty 16.5% increase in first-half adjusted operating profit to just shy of £100 million and reiterating full year guidance.Investors were clearly in the mood for some profit-taking after the s

Q3 like-for-likes down 1.1%Top end of profit guidance loweredRising costs to crimp 2026 profitsHome improvement giant Kingfisher's (KGF) sales missed guidance for the third quarter, with the retailer suffering a 6.4% revenue plunge in its second largest market, France, prompting the B&Q-to-Screwfix owner to lower the top end of its full year 2025 profit guidance.The DIY group also warned rising na

Stocks jumps 30% after appointing new audit firmRally added nearly $4 billion to market capDark clouds hanging over Super Micro since Ernst & Young resignedComputer servers maker Super Micro Computer (SMCI:NASDAQ) saw its share price surge overnight after it named BDO USA as its auditor and said it had submitted a plan to Nasdaq seeking more time to comply with listing rules. In a wild trading ses

Stocks in London climbed higher at the close on Friday, while the pound rebounded, amid renewed hopes of faster rate cuts in the US following a jobs report.The FTSE 100 index closed up 67.05 points, or 0.8%, at 8,177.15. The FTSE 250 ended up 90.78 points, or 0.5%, at 20,479.74, and the AIM All-Share closed up 1.90 points, 0.3%, at 739.00.For the week, the FTSE 100 was down 0.9%, the FTSE 250 was

London's FTSE 100 rallied on Friday, as budget nerves calmed, with investors hoping US nonfarm payrolls will not throw a spanner in the works at the end of an eventful week.The FTSE 100 index traded up 66.55 points, 0.8%, at 8,176.65. The FTSE 250 was up 49.99 points, 0.3%, at 20,438.95, and the AIM All-Share was up 1.38 points, 0.2%, at 738.48.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.8% at 820.05, the Cboe UK 25

Budget day upgradeQ3 full price sales up 7.6%Annual profit guidance hiked to £1 billionRetail star turn Next (NXT) has raised its year-to-January 2025 profit guidance for the third time in three months after this year's early arrival of cold weather boosted its third quarter sales.Shares in the FTSE 100 company ticked up 1.5% to £102 as the fashion giant upgraded its full-year pre-tax profit gui

Card Factory (CARD) 95.6pLoss to date: 3.3%We urged readers to buy Card Factory (CARD) at 98.9p on 11 July on the grounds the cash-generative retailer's growth prospects were underappreciated and its low valuation suggested significant re-rating scope.Shares also highlighted the value-focused greetings card-to-gift seller's modest share of a large TAM (total addressable market) and its capacity fo

Shares in Cheltenham-based thermal energy management and fluid technology firm Spirax Group (SPX) hit a five-year low this week, trading even below the level they reached at the peak of the pandemic sell-off, after its latest capital markets event failed to spark enthusiasm.The FTSE 100 group, whose shares are down 33% this year, making them one of the worst performers in the index, is guiding for

London's FTSE 100 went into the afternoon on decent footing, but limped over the line on Wednesday, as a weaker oil price hit BP and Shell.Hawkish words from a UK central banker did little to stir up enthusiasm for equities, though the OECD set out an encouraging outlook for the domestic economy.'With a lack of major economic news on the schedule for Wednesday and only a few big-name corporates re

Stock prices in London were higher at midday on Wednesday, with the FTSE 100 outperforming its European peers after news that the UK has overtaken several G7 countries on economic growth forecasts.The Organisation for Economic Co-operation & Development has placed the UK joint second in its economic growth forecasts for the rest of 2024.The prediction of 1.1% growth for the whole of this year puts