Stocks in Europe returned some of the prior day's gains on Friday, as sentiment took a knock from gloomy updates from FedEx and Mercedes.The FTSE 100 index was down 40.78 points, 0.5%, at 8,287.94, above early lows. The FTSE 250 slid 199.96 points, 0.9%, at 20,962.75, and the AIM All-Share eased 1.27 points, 0.2%, at 746.81.The Cboe UK 100 fell 0.5% to 829.89, the Cboe UK 250 dipped 1.0% to...

Full year earnings to be ahead of consensus estimatesStrong start to new financial year, revenue up 8%Berenberg increases earnings by 1% to 2%Ventilation products maker Volution (FAN) topped the FTSE 250 mid-cap leader board on Wednesday, gaining 6% to 423p after upping full year earnings guidance.Despite challenging conditions in the new build market, the company said its refurbishing...

The FTSE 100 opened higher on Wednesday, as investors bought before this evening?s interest rate decision from the US Federal Reserve and despite falling UK gross domestic product data.The FTSE 100 index opened up 14.45 points, 0.2%, at 7,557.22. The FTSE 250 was up 48.00 points, 0.3%, at 18,710.12, and the AIM All-Share was up 1.31 points, 0.2%, at 725.22.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.1% at...

Volution (FAN) 370pLoss to date: 4.5%We made the argument in July that ventilation products manufacturer Volution (FAN) warranted a valuation in line with other high-quality industrial names, saying to buy at 387.6p.Volution makes everything from air ducts, extractor fans and heat exchangers and coming out of the pandemic the regulatory drivers behind air quality have really stepped up.WHAT...

If there is one thing investors can agree on, it is that the UK stock market is cheap.How cheap depends on who you ask, but the strategy team at Morgan Stanley believe the FTSE 100 is trading at a 35% discount to the MSCI World Index on a PE (price to earnings) basis.If inflation pressures continue to ease and the economy shows further signs of cooling, there is a fair chance the Bank of...

Full year sales and profit ahead of market expectationsConfident outlook despite economic headwindsDividend increased 9.6%Shares in Volution (FAN) topped the FTSE 250 leaderboard on Thursday, surging 10% to 370p after the ventilation products maker reported full year sales and profits ahead of market expectations.The shares have gained 23% over the last year but remain around a third below the...

Companies with regulatory drivers underpinning their business should be highly prized, particularly in the current economic environment. A recent pullback in the share price of ventilation products maker Volution (FAN) has created an opportunity to invest in just such an outfit.The company's quality is reflected in an adjusted operating margin of 21%, achieved despite inflationary pressures,...

Shares in Volution (FAN) have jumped 18%, from 355p to 419p, since the indoor ventilation firm posted strong first results (9 March) and said current trading remains robust.This builds on the strength the share price has shown since last autumn and has been sustained despite the recent volatility in markets.Positive trading momentum continued into the half to January 2023, with all three...

- Shares gain on trading update- New building legislation provides a tailwind- Firm confident of maintaining marginsAhead of its AGM (annual general meeting), indoor ventilation firm Volution (FAN) posted a positive update on trading over the four months to the end of November.Volution shares, which have had a see-saw week, rose 3% to 361p against a weak market backdrop.WHY ARE THE SHARES...

- Sales driven by healthy underlying demand- Current financial year off to a good start- Shares gain 15% to top mid-cap risersVentilation firm Volution (FAN), the maker of Vent-Axia and other air-conditioning brands, was the top FTSE 250 gainer was a rise of 15% to 353p in early trading after it posted results which comfortably beat market estimates.The group also sounded an upbeat note on...

Last week's trip to Taiwan by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi - the highest-ranking American politician to visit Taipei in 25 years - seems to have been the pretext for China to unleash a demonstration of both its military might and its intention to unify the island with the mainland.While the White House has sought to reduce tensions over the Speaker's visit, the strategic and economic...

An easing of energy crisis fears and a positive start to trading on Wall Street helped the FTSE 100 to a solid finish on Thursday. By the close, the blue chip benchmark was up 1.2% at 7,078.04 points, while the FTSE 250 finished 0.77% higher at 22,559.22.In the US the S&P 500 was up 1.35% to 4,422.55 by 4.30pm UK time.Wall Street's indices pushed higher after a temporary agreement was struck...

Hopes that Russia will pump more gas to Europe to address the current energy crisis helped boost sentiment on Thursday.Concerns over elevated gas prices started to ease after Russia offered to increase supplies while house prices rose by 1.7% in September according to the Halifax building society, the biggest monthly increase since February 2007.By noon, the FTSE 100 traded 1.1% higher at...

UK stocks started Thursday's session on a firmer footing, responding to a positive performance in both the US and Asia, with all the major US indices ending the session in positive territory and the Hang Seng and Shenzhen indices ending 2.8% and 1.6% higher respectively.On the domestic front, concerns over elevated gas prices started to ease after Russia offered to increase supplies while...

London's FTSE 100 finished Friday's trading session just 0.07% higher at 7,029.2 points after US markets turned lower on a PPI inflation reading of 8.3%, which highlighted the risk of inflation-driven monetary tightening.Worries over the spread of the delta variant and weaker than expected UK GDP growth also weighed on sentiment, with the more domestically-focused FTSE 250 ended 0.28% lower at...

London's FTSE 100 was up 0.4% to 7,051.64 by midday on Friday with sterling also higher despite weaker than expected UK GDP growth.Growth of 0.1% in July compared to a consensus estimate of 0.6%, inhibited by the proliferation of the Delta variant that prevented many workers from being able to participate in the labour market.Significantly the largest sector of the British economy, the...

The FTSE 100 index was 0.35% higher at 7,048.96 in early trading despite the release of official statistics indicating that Britain's economic growth in July was significant below expectations.Growth of 0.1% in July compared to a consensus estimate of 0.6%. Growth was inhibited by the proliferation of the Delta variant that prevented many workers for being able to participate in the labour...

Roland has only been looking after his own investments for around eight years, but he has already turned £350,000 into £1.7 million.This includes an injection of £100,000 after a defined benefit pension was transferred into his SIPP (self-invested pension). The performance equates to an 18% compound annual return per year. He has subsequently had to give £700,000 to his former wife as part...

One of the very few positive effects of last year's pandemic was an increase in consumers spending on the repair, maintenance and improvement of their flats and houses.Having been confined indoors for months at a time, it didn't take long for people to set about redecorating and adding more indoor or outdoor space so they could live and work remotely more comfortably.That led to an explosion...

UK stocks inched higher after two days of strong gains in US markets. At 8.30am the FTSE 100 index was up 7 points to 7,005 points led by house builders and leisure stocks while consumer goods and utility companies were on the back foot.Oil prices retreated slightly after a strong bounce overnight with Brent crude futures dipping 0.2% to $72 per barrel while the gold price retreated to $1,800...