Stocks in London ended the week higher on Friday, while unambiguously dovish remarks from US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell propelled the pound to a 29-month high against the dollar.'The time has come for policy to adjust. The direction of travel is clear, and the timing and pace of rate cuts will depend on incoming data, the evolving outlook, and the balance of risks,' Powell said in a speec

European stocks were higher going into Friday afternoon, as investors focused on potential clues about future monetary policy from both sides of the Atlantic.The Jackson Hole meeting will see both Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and and Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey speak on Friday.In other news, energy bills are set to increase by almost £150 after Ofgem raised its price cap, in bad

Romanian gambling firm acquiredCombined business will be fourth largest operatorEarnings enhancing from 2025Online betting and gaming company Evoke (EVOK), formerly known as 888 Holdings, has announced the acquisition of Romanian firm NGS (Net Gaming Solutions), the seventh biggest betting and gaming operator in the country.Evoke will inject its own Romanian business plus €10 million in cash

Stocks in London retreated on Friday, though ended the week as a whole higher, while gold notched a new record and sterling gained strength.The FTSE 100 index closed down 35.94 points, 0.4%, at 8,311.41. The FTSE 250 ended down 45.25 points, 0.2%, at 21,048.91, and the AIM All-Share closed down 0.52 of a point, 0.1%, at 774.27.For the week, the FTSE 100 ended 1.8% higher, the FTSE 250 gained 2.1%

Stock prices in London edged down at midday on Friday, although companies of all sizes in the gambling sector performed well.The FTSE 100 index was down 31.96 points, 0.4%, at 8,315.39. The FTSE 250 was down 27.94 points, 0.1%, at 21,066.22, and the AIM All-Share was down 1.92 points, 0.3%, at 772.87.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.3% at 831.21, the Cboe UK 250 was down 0.1% at 18,451.52, and the Cboe

Dowlais CEO buys 415,133 sharesEvoke director buys 250,000 sharesNew Capita CFO investsThe CEO of automotive parts supplier Dowlais (DWL), Liam Butterworth, has bought nearly a quarter of million pounds worth of shares in the company after downbeat first-half results.Butterworth snapped up 415,133 shares at 60p for a total value of £248,135 on 14 August.This came after results for the six months

Firm warns on full-year earningsFirst-half profit well behind planMedium-term guidance unchangedShares in online gambling firm Evoke (EVKOK), formerly known as 888, dropped over 8% to 79.3p after the William Hill, 888 and Mr Green branded business issued a full-year profit warning.The company said first-half adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation) was runnin

Stocks in London closed a mixed bag on Monday, as elections took top billing in a data-heavy day for Europe and the US.The FTSE 100 index ended up slightly at 8,166.76. The FTSE 250 fell 63.95 points, 0.3%, at 20,222.08, while the AIM All-Share climbed 0.80 points, 0.1%, to 765.18.The Cboe UK 100 rose marginally to 813.97, the Cboe UK 250 rose 0.2% to 17,654.04, and the Cboe Small Companies closed

Stock prices in London closed up on Friday, but investors remained tentative as Israel carried out retaliatory strikes on Iran.The FTSE 100 index closed up 18.80 points, or 0.2%, at 7,895.85. The FTSE 250 ended down 59.37 points, 0.3%, at 19,391.30, and the AIM All-Share closed up 0.38 of a point, 0.1%, at 745.67.Across the week, they were down 1.3%, 1.7% and 1.4% respectively.The Cboe UK 100 ende

Q1 revenue higher than expectedBack to year-on-year growth from Q2Target to increase margins by 1% a yearOnline gambling firm 888 Holdings (888) said first quarter revenue came in higher than its guided range and it expects to return to year-on-year growth from the second quarter onwards.The slightly higher revenue outcome and positive outlook was enough to send the shares up 3.4% to 82.5p, althou

Stock prices in London declined as investors were cautious due to concerns that the Iran-Israel conflict could escalate, following reports by Iranian state media about explosions in the province of Isfahan.The FTSE 100 index was 47.06 points, 0.6%, at 7,829.99. The FTSE 250 was down 166.79 points, 0.9%, at 19,283.88, and the AIM All-Share was down 4.00 points, 0.5%, at 741.29.The Cboe UK 100 was d

China is not on the brink of a major period of deflation, according to economists, despite the latest underwhelming growth data. China's consumer prices fell at the fastest pace in three years in November, dropping 0.5% both from a year earlier and compared with October, data from the Chinese National Bureau of Statistics showed.The manufacturing sector was even quieter than the month before, as t

The FTSE 100 closed lower on Wednesday, with China-exposed stocks on the decline, though its blue-chip peer in Frankfurt surged as automotive firms rallied and the retail sector shone on a cooler German inflation reading.Some hawkish comments from a US monetary policymaker sucked some of the initial enthusiasm out of stocks in New York. They cut the dollar some slack, though, with the pound now si

The FTSE 100 ended lower at the start of the week as its natural resources sector suffered, as increased concerns over China's struggling real estate market dampened investors' confidence.The FTSE 100 index ended down 17.01 points, 0.2%, at 7,507.15. The FTSE 250 fell 38.27 points, 0.2%, at 18,761.43, and the AIM All-Share lost 1.61 points, 0.2%, at 754.96.The Cboe UK 100 ended down 0.3% at 748.22

Equities in London had a sluggish morning on Friday, though the mood was somewhat calmer after a rocky couple of days following a US credit rating cut.After the Bank of England decision on Thursday, US data takes centre-stage on Friday. The latest jobs report is posted at 1330 BST.The FTSE 100 index was down 8.47 points, 0.1%, at 7,520.69. The FTSE 250 was up 22.81 points, 0.1%, at 18,856.46, and

Stocks in London were higher on Friday morning, as investors look ahead to the US non-farm payroll report at 13:30 BST after a busy week of economic data and monetary policy decisions.The FTSE 100 index opened up 0.56 of a point at 7,529.72. The FTSE 250 was up 48.45 points, 0.3%, at 18,882.10, and the AIM All-Share was up 0.79 of a point, 0.1%, at 760.33.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.2% at 751.88, the

Stock prices in London tumbled on Wednesday, as reverberations from Fitch downgrading its credit rating for the US were felt in equity markets on both sides of the Atlantic.The FTSE 100 index slumped 104.64 points, 1.4%, at 7,561.63. The FTSE 250 tumbled 252.78 points, 1.3%, at 18,812.88, and the AIM All-Share was down 6.54 points, 0.9%, at 758.09.The Cboe UK 100 ended down 1.5% at 753.11, the Cbo

Stocks in Europe were rocked by Fitch lowering its US rating on Wednesday, evoking memories of S&P doing the same almost 12 years ago to the day.Stocks suffered then, and they similarly struggled now. Barely a handful of London's 100-strong flagship large-cap benchmark were on the up, with BAE Systems among those shielded by the fallout after it boosted guidance.'There is a saying that when the US

Loungers (LGRS:AIM) 194.4pLoss to date: 30%We originally said to buy all-day cafe operator Loungers (LGRS:AIM) at 278.5p on 23 December 2021 as an attractive growth story, and one where its proposition fitted nicely with the rise of hybrid working where people would spend more time in their local community.WHAT'S HAPPENED SINCE WE SAID TO BUY?The shares have suffered from the broader sell-off in e

Robert Rhea's outline of a bull market in his tome, The Dow Theory, which dates back to 1932, still seems relevant today. He said: 'There are three principal phases of a bull market: the first is represented by reviving confidence in the future of business; the second is the response of stock prices to the known improvement in corporate earnings, and the third is the period when speculation is ram