London's blue chip index closed in the green on Friday as Smiths Group unveiled 'strategic actions' to unlock shareholder value, including divestment and an increased buyback programme.The FTSE 100 index closed up 27.08 points, 0.3%, at 8,673.96. The FTSE 250 ended up 145.41 points, 0.7%, at 20,950.48, and the AIM All-Share closed down 0.10 points at 718.13.The Cboe UK 100 ended up 0.3% at 869.89,

Merged entity to rival BBC Studios, FreemantleITV shares up 22% in past yearTalks come after RedBird IMI 'sells' TelegraphShares in ITV (ITV) were marginally lower at 73p in early trading this morning on reports the free-to-air broadcaster is in talks with Abu Dhabi-backed media group RedBird IMI over a combination of their respective production businesses.If a deal goes ahead, it would centre aro

European stocks edged higher at Friday midday ahead of US inflation figures which are expected to show pricing pressures remained stable in December.The latest strength means London's FTSE 100 is on track to post a gain of around 6.2% for January, its biggest monthly gain since November 2022.Russ Mould at AJ Bell said: 'Investors will be relieved that the markets have successfully negotiated a wee

Detection and Interconnect for saleFocus on John Crane and Flex-TekBuyback increased to £500 millionFTSE 100 engineering firm Smiths Group (SMIN) surprised the market in a good way this morning with the news it was planning 'a number of strategic actions to unlock significant value and enhance returns to shareholders'.The shares jumped as much as 323p or 17% to a new life-high of £21.88 before s

Quarter sets new sales and earnings recordsiPhone revenues light of estimatesServices revenue hits all-time highCalifornia-based colossus Apple (AAPL:NASDAQ) set new records for revenue and earnings in its first quarter to 28 December 2024 and has now beat earnings expectations for eight quarters in a row, positives that propelled the shares up 3.1% to $245 in pre-market trading across the pond.Ho

Blue chip stocks in Europe were largely higher, with Smiths Group the star performer in London, but looming tariff worries could unnerve equities.Convera analyst Boris Kovacevic said the 'tariff clock is ticking'.'The February 1st tariff deadline clouds the outlook. Investors are confused by the unclear tariff rollouts from the Trump administration. Recently, the White House confirmed a 25% levy o

London stocks climbed on Thursday, with the FTSE 100 reaching a new high, driven by strong performances from gold miners and upbeat corporate earnings, while investors also assessed weak economic data from the US and eurozone.The FTSE 100 index ended up 89.07 points, 1.0%, at 8,646.88. It had earlier set a new intra-day high of 8,655.19.The FTSE 250 ended up 245.37 points, 1.2%, at 20,802.07, and

Stocks in Europe were higher before a eurozone rate decision on Thursday, while US equities are called to open in the green despite tech earnings that received mixed reviews.The FTSE 100 index added 37.09 points, 0.4%, at 8,594.90. The FTSE 250 was up 174.66 points, 0.9%, at 20,734.36, and the AIM All-Share added 5.22 points, 0.7%, at 717.41.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.5% at 861.67, the Cboe UK 250 r

Stock futures point to 4% declinesResults solid across the boardAnalysts/fund managers throw support behind firmIt's often the case that share prices react less to figures reported than the tone of the commentary and steer of what markets can expect down the line, and so it's the case with Microsoft's (MSFT:NASDAQ) latest earnings.Stock futures point to a 4% decline (to $424.80) when Wall Street r

Guidance cut from €350-€450 million to €250-€300 millionCost headwinds hit European budget carrierShares down 37% over the past yearShares in Wizz Air (WIZZ) fell nearly 12% in early morning trading after the European budge carrier cut its full year 2025 profit guidance from a range of €350 million to €450 million to €250 million to €300 million, before any

First-half revenue up 13%Operating profit up 55%Full year to be ahead of expectationsCasino and bingo operator Rank Group (RNK) said it expects full-year operating profit to be slightly ahead of market expectations after delivering continued strong momentum in revenue and profit growth in the first half to 31 December 2024.The shares responded positively to the update, rising almost 3% to 92.3p, t

Partnership to put fizz into US growthMolson Coors to buy 8.5% stake£71 million buyback to comeShares in Fevertree Drinks (FEVR:AIM) fizzed 20% higher to 801p after the premium mixer company announced a transformational strategic partnership with beer maker Molson Coors (TAP:NYSE), one that represents a big endorsement of the brand Fevertree has built up across the Atlantic.Not only will the tie-

Stock prices in Europe opened higher on Thursday morning, before a European Central Bank decision which is expected to be a 25 basis point cut.The ECB decision follows what was deemed a hawkish hold by the Federal Reserve overnight.The FTSE 100 index added 11.86 points, 0.1%, at 8,569.67. The FTSE 250 was up 135.96 points, 0.7%, at 20,695.66, and the AIM All-Share added 3.13 of a point, 0.4%, at 7

Beeks Financial Cloud (BKS:AIM) 260pMarket cap: £174 millionThere is a lot to like about Beeks Financial Cloud (BKS:AIM). Namely rapid and (largely) profitable growth and improving cash flow and margin profiles from an expanding market niche.Compound average revenue growth since 2019 runs at 31.5%, and while profit has been lumpy, due to expansion investment, the shares have returned 18.5% a year

If you picked up a newspaper in the last few weeks you probably read about the mini-meltdown in the bond market. Gilt yields, which move in the opposite direction to prices, started to rise all of a sudden, and it looked like things might spiral out of control.These yields dictate the rate of interest the UK government pays to borrow money, which is one of the reason they are so important. As it h

Keen investor Phil first got the bug in the mid-1980s when his mum bought him 100 shares in Cable & Wireless shares.Cable & Wireless was a trailblazing cable company set up more than a century ago and by the start of 2000, C&W Group, as it was then, had a market value of around £38 billion. When the business was demerged in 2010 its value had shrunk to £4 billion ? with the now two separate busi

Streaming giant Netflix (NFLX:NASDAQ) is the talk of Tinseltown after serving up a blockbuster quarter. Earnings smashed expectations and it delivered strong subscriber growth. It's no wonder the shares soared on the news.It grew fourth quarter revenue by 16% to $10.2 billion and paid memberships increased by the same percentage to 301.6 million.Netflix has proved its success is not waning ? it is

Capri Holdings (CPRI:NYSE) $24.93Market cap: $2.94 billionRisk-tolerant investors might want to take a look at Capri (CPRI), the global fashion luxury group behind iconic brands Versace, Michael Kors and Jimmy Choo.Shares in the New York-listed company have plunged 50% in the past year after its planned $8.5 billion takeover by Tapestry (TPR:NYSE) was blocked by the FTC (Federal Trade Commission),

Shares in WH Smith (SMWH) jumped 5% to £12.11 on 27 January after the storied retailer confirmed it was 'exploring potential strategic options' for its High Street business, which opened its first shop in London back in 1792.These options include a potential sale of all 500 High Street stores at a time when bricks-and-mortar retailing faces online competition, subdued footfall and a sharp rise in

Sage Group (SGE) has put in a robust performance over the last three months, with shares in the accounting software provider gaining 21% since late November to hit an all-time high last week.Much of the increase came on the 20 November when the company reported full-year results, which included a 7% increase in revenue to £2.3 billion for the 12 months to 30 September buoyed by progress made with