UK stocks began the week on a positive mood with the FTSE 100 index hitting a new post-pandemic high of 7,188 in early trading, lifted by gains in oil majors Royal Dutch Shell (RDSB) and BP (BP.) which more than offset losses for airlines and hotel firms.By the close the benchmark had retraced to 7,147, up 13 points or 0.2%, ahead of a government press conference which was widely expected to...

UK stocks began the week with new highs for the FTSE 100, helped by gains in oil majors Royal Dutch Shell (RDSB) and BP (BP.) which more than offset losses for airlines and hotel firms.By midday the FTSE 100 was up 30 points or 0.4% to 7,165, just shy of its mid-morning print of 7,188, a new 12-month post-pandemic high.Brent crude prices traded 1% higher to $73.4 a barrel, near the year's...

UK stocks made a positive start to the week on Monday helped by solid gains in oil shares Royal Dutch Shell (RDSB) and BP (BP.) which lifted the FTSE 100 by 48 points or 0.7% to a new 12-month post-pandemic high of 7,182 points.Brent crude prices traded 1% higher to $73.4 a barrel, near the year's highs as the global economic recovery boosted prices. Last week Goldman Sachs raised its target...

Shares and funds may not be at the top of every child's Christmaslist but they could be the best gift of all if you pick the right ones.Junior ISAs can be opened for any child from birth until age 16. These allow friends and relatives to invest up to £4,128 in a tax year on behalf of the account holder. Children gain control of their accounts at age 16 and are able to access the money at age...

The FTSE 100 is up 23 points to 7,362.93 as tech heavy indices in the US and Asia weakened amid news of falling demand for smart phones.Cillit Bang maker Reckitt Benckiser (RB.) falls 4.8% to £55.28 after missing its first quarter growth estimates. To March 31, the company says that its Hygiene Home division which accounts for 38% of revenue was impacted by a difficult competitive market and...

A pullback from 3.725p in August to 2.3p at premium drinks brand owner Distil (DIS:AIM) may interest investors looking for opportunities in stocks which have previously enjoyed strong rallies.Distil saw its share price more than triple in value between the start of 2017 and late summer.The micro-cap behind RedLeg Spiced Rum, Blavod Black Vodka and Blackwoods Gin and Vodka recently reported (24...

FTSE 100 opens down 16.75 points to 7,315.14 after weak trading in New York and Asia. Investors were disappointed with the weak job data coming out of the US and tensions are increasing with North Korea after it tested an intercontinental missile.Shares in oil services minnow Cape (CIU) soar 45% to 264.25p as the company recommends a £332.3m cash takeover offer. The deal comes from Altrad UK,...

Distil (DIS:AIM) 2.95pGain to date: 102%Original entry point: Buy at 1.46p, 23 February 2017Alcoholic drinks minnow Distil's (DIS:AIM) share price has doubled to 2.95p since our bullish February call. That's far exceeded our expectations, both in terms of speed and size of profit.We suggest you sell now while the going is good and reinvest your money elsewhere.We originally said to buy the...

A rising pound, coupled with growing tensions over North Korea, has sent the FTSE 100 down by over 80 points in early trading.On the other side of the Atlantic, Wall Street yesterday rallied on the back of bank and tech stocks ending a three session slide.Among UK corporate news following the Easter break, decent third quarter trading from Ashmore (ASHM) fails to excite the market. Its shares...

With domestic and overseas distribution of its premium drinks brands building, a return to breakeven then profitability is approaching at alcoholic drinks minnow Distil (DIS:AIM).Sales are bubbling higher at the supplier of high-end vodka, spiced rum and gin. Investors should get in on the story ahead of a fourth quarter update in April.Spicey potentialUnder executive chairman Don Goulding, a...

UK investors remain nervous ahead of Theresa May's speech later on Tuesday, where the Prime Minister is expected to lay out plans to exit the European Union. Her Anticipated hard line is sparking fears that Britain will lose access to the single market, potentially putting a serious dent in UK companies' ability to trade with their European counterparts.The FTSE 100 index nudges around 20...

The FTSE 100 is down amid weak consumer confidence data - falling 0.6% to 6,942.58.Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) gives back earlier gains to trade down 1.1% to 194.2p as it posts a third quarter loss at the headline level - obscuring the fact adjusted operating profit came in at £1.3bn, up from £1.1bn the year before and beating company-compiled consensus of £734m.British Airways and Iberia...

The FTSE 100 opens 0.6% higher to 6,872.31 points on Thursday following hints that the Federal Reserve could raise interest rates this year.An improving jobs market is driving confidence at the US' central bank.In company news, a 2.4% rise in the price of oil to $45.34 draws investors to blue chip commodity stocks. BHP Billiton (BLT) leads the gainers by improving 4.5% to £10.98, followed by...

Growing domestic and international distribution should drive a return to sustainable break-even then profitability at premium drinks brands owner Distil (DIS:AIM). As such, the microcap purveyor of high-end spiced rum, vodka and gin looks interesting at 1.12p.Encouragingly for the £5.62 million cap, another major UK supermarket has listed (11 Aug) its high-growth RedLeg Spiced Rum brand,...

Property and tech stocks lead the FTSE 100 in a choppy early session which sees the blue chip index swing from early losses to a 0.2% gain at 6,168 on solid economic data.Germany's Purchasing Manager Index data, a measure of private sector business activity, comes in better than expected, registering a 54.7 print for May versus 53.6 a month earlier.In the UK, corporate and economic news is...

London equities continue to lever themselves off recent lows as traders eye value buys, also liking a small overnight rise in the price of crude and responding to positive US and Asia sessions. The FTSE 100 index rally strongly in early trade on Friday, leaping 115 points to 5,888, a near-2% gain.The oil and gas sector is in demand as oil rallies to go back above $30 per barrel with Royal...

Premium drinks minnow Distil (DIS:AIM) froths up 14.4% to 1.03p early doors, as investors raise a glass to pleasing interims and a confident outlook statement. Distil also cheers with news its RedLeg Spiced Rum tipple has been listed by a major, albeit unnamed, UK grocer in 700 of its largest UK stores in time for Christmas.For the uninitiated, Distil is the micro cap owner of premium drinks...

The FTSE 100 trades almost 0.9% lower in early trading at 6,380 points. The index has been hit by disappointing earnings from some of its largest constituents. One such company is Barclays (BARC) where shares trade 4.9% lower at 240.6p as third quarter adjusted pre-tax profits fell 10.2% year-on-year to £1.4 billion. Fines for rigging the foreign exchange rate and US mortgage mis-selling...

London shares are again on the up in early trade Friday, but only just, as investors hold on to their seats ahead of this weekend's crucial Greece referendum on European bailout proposals. The benchmark FTSE 100 index nudges 10 points, or about 0.15%, at 6,620, with Vodafone (VOD) and Standard Chartered (STAN) heading the Footsie leader board early on, posting 1.8% and 2% increases...

Risk-tolerant investors might take a position in premium spirits tiddler Distil (DIS:AIM). Earnings quality is improving following a strategic transition to a brand-owning business, while a domestic pick up and US growth push could herald a profits breakthrough.Optically poor full-year results (4 Jun) showed top-line retrenchment and a significant loss amid US approval delays and a dip in...