Retail and hospitality companies have slammed the UK government's Budget as a raid on corporate coffers that will heap extra costs on already hard-pressed sectors, with Labour's 6.7% increase in the National Living Wage and uplift in employers' national insurance contributions (NICs) forecast to lead to job cuts and price hikes.Chancellor Rachel Reeves' lowering of the employers' NIC threshold to

Over the long haul, small-caps have historically outperformed large caps, fuelling the research highlighting the so-called 'small-cap effect' ? the idea that smaller companies offer higher risk-adjusted returns than larger ones. Unfortunately, the higher interest rate environment of recent years has proved tough for the stock market's small fry, who've spent more than a decade lagging more sizeabl

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

Adjusted profits down 65.7%Final dividend passedMarket growth 'could soon return'Indebted sofa seller DFS Furniture (DFS) lurched into loss for the year to June 2024 and passed the final dividend following a year marred by weak spending on big ticket items and Red Sea supply disruption.Yet shares in the clear UK living room furniture leader ticked up 2.5% to 117.8p in early dealings on Wednesday t

The FTSE 100 opened in the red on Wednesday morning, but other London stocks were mostly in the green, as investors awaited home sale and building permit data from the US.'An incredibly quiet economic calendar awaits today,' observed Pepperstone's Michael Brown, 'with only August's new home sales figures of note, though today's five-year auction will attract some attention after solid demand for y

The FTSE 100 closed higher in London on Tuesday, as miners enjoyed a boost from stimulus efforts in China, while mid-caps retreated from earlier in the day following US data.The FTSE 100 index closed up 23.05 points, or 0.3%, at 8,282.76. The FTSE 250 ended down 75.00 points, or 0.4%, at 20,770.12, and the AIM All-Share closed down 1.52 points, 0.2%, at 742.80.The Cboe UK 100 ended up 0.3% at 828.

Gloomy start to summer spendingJune volumes worse than fearedPoor showing from weather-sensitive categoriesRetail sales fell in June as colder-than-average weather conditions and election uncertainty dampened consumer spending, with sales across department stores and clothing categories faring especially poorly.Last month's disappointing sales decline came despite hopes of a boost from above-infla

Ultimate Products (ULTP) 131.5pLoss to date: 15.7%We flagged Ultimate Products (ULTP) on 18 April 2024 as a compelling way to play the UK consumer recovery on the basis the market was undervaluing the group's brand strength, resilient business model and multiple growth opportunities.Our bull case for the homeware products brand manager behind the likes of Salter and Beldray also hinged on hopes of

Stock prices in London were up on Wednesday at midday, ahead of inflation data and an interest rate call from the US Federal Reserve.Amongst individual stocks, Rentokil led the FTSE 100 higher, as investor Nelson Peltz built a stake in the company. Financial stocks were also faring well ahead of the interest rate decision.The FTSE 100 index was up 54.55 points, 0.7%, at 8,202.36. The FTSE 250 was

Higher-than-expected shipping costsUpholstery market 'very weak'But orders up 9% in Q4Sofa seller DFS Furniture (DFS) has coughed up its second profit warning this year, pinning the blame on weak consumer spending and Red Sea disruption, news that sent shares in the Doncaster-based retailer down 11% to 100.2p.In March, the UK living room furniture leader warned pre-tax profits for the year to June

Organic sales grow 2%Tough annual comparisonPositive read for BurberryGlobal luxury goods leader LVMH (MC:EPA) eked out a small increase in first-quarter revenue against strong comparable sales in the same period last year, sending its shares up 3% to ?807 and temporarily arresting the downtrend of the past month.Growth was the weakest since the rebound from the pandemic in early 2021, held back b

Stocks in London trod a disparate path, ahead of UK inflation data, which could dictate events on Thursday when the Bank of England makes its latest decision on interest rates.The FTSE 100 index rose 15.75 points, 0.2%, at 7,738.30. But the FTSE 250 ended down 53.72 points, 0.3%, at 19,432.81, and the AIM All-Share fell 1.07 points, 0.2%, at 735.56.The Cboe UK 100 rose 0.2% to 774.76, the Cboe UK

Stocks in London made muted progress on Monday, despite further tech gains in New York, in a lull ahead of a storm of central bank announcements this week.The FTSE 100 index closed down 4.87 points, 0.1%, at 7,722.55. The FTSE 250 ended down 26.38 points, 0.2%, at 19,486.53, and the AIM All-Share closed down 1.68 points, 0.2%, at 736.63.The Cboe UK 100 ended down 0.1% at 773.55, the Cboe UK 250 cl

The IT reseller industry has enjoyed a strong bounce back from the world?s Covid reopening as customers line up to put in place digital strategies and adopt the latest technologies, and AI (artificial intelligence) levers are being pulled left, right and centre.International player Computacenter (CCC) said in September 2023 that it sees another record year for profits and analysts have been quick

H1 orders softened 1.1%Sales guidance downgradedCost cuts underpin profit forecastSofa specialist DFS Furniture (DFS) has trimmed its sales guidance for the year to June 2024 by roughly £40 million to reflect weaker than expected demand in a ?challenging? living room and upholstered furniture market.However, shares in the Doncaster-headquartered retailer rose almost 1.5% to 112.4p after the firm

We are now a little more than a fortnight away from Christmas Day with TV adverts pushing festive products, high streets adorned with Christmas decorations and shops flush with discount offers.The so-called 'Golden Quarter' including Black Friday is the most hotly contested period of the year amongst retailers and those that suffer disappointing sales or resort to overly-promotional strategies typ

London's FTSE 100 lagged European peers heading into Tuesday afternoon, with a share price slide for Barclays sending other lenders down with it and weighing on the FTSE 100.The pound made a slight - albeit unconvincing - gain, despite weaker UK economic data.Eyes will be on New York later, with earnings from Google owner Alphabet and Microsoft scheduled.The FTSE 100 index was down 7.92 points, 0.

ScS shareholders will receive 280p per shareDeal worth £99.4 millionRival DFS shares up nearly 10%Shares in ScS (SCS) soared over 60% in morning trading after the sofa and carpet specialist accepted a cash offer of 270p and a final dividend of 10 pence per share from Italian furniture retailer Poltronesofa.Poltronesofa is a pan-European sofa retailer based in Italy offering 'italian-manufactured

Organic growth slows to 9%Fashion and leather goods sales miss expectationsBut LVMH remains 'confident' of continued growthShares in LVMH (MC:EPA) lost 7% to trade at €684.2 in early dealings on 11 October after the globe's biggest luxury goods group posted a third quarter sales growth slowdown as the post-pandemic luxury spending boom continues to fade.LVMH has struggled to lure well-heeled

Shares in DFS Furniture (DFS) have lost nearly 30% of their value so far in 2023 as the sofa seller has struggled with weak demand and inflationary pressures.In the company's recent set of results, DFS saw its full year profits for the 12 months to 25 June almost halve to £29.7 million compared to last year. DFS's revenue was also down 5.3% to £1.08 billion.The company reduced its total ordinary