Stocks in Frankfurt and London were boosted by defence stocks at midday Monday, as European leaders prepared for talks in Paris with a focus on Ukraine.Among individual shares, BAE Systems rose, Barclays and NatWest recovered and Wood Group continued to slide.The FTSE 100 index rose 15.78 points, 0.2%, at 8,748.24. The FTSE 250 added 18.56 points, 0.1%, at 20,931.57, and the AIM All-Share rose 0.9

Q4 earnings beat Street estimatesStrong demand in China and BrazilPlans to create the Amazon of travelShort-term lettings platform Airbnb (ABNB:NASDAQ) jumped more than 14% on Friday (14 Feb) to $161.2, the biggest one day move in the shares since listing on Nasdaq in 2020, after the company reported better than expected fourth quarter earnings and announced bold expansion plans.The gain took the

Buyout firm offers 48p per shareFourth attempt to reach a dealAnalyst calls premium 'fair'Investors in healthcare facilities provider Assura (AGR) will have received the news of an approach from buyout giant KKR (KKR:NYSE) with mixed feelings given the FTSE 250 firm is an income stalwart with an attractive yield.The shares immediately jumped 7p or 18% to 46p, just short of KKR's 48p per share offe

Adjusted EBITDA at all-time highSuperSaveClub exceeds one million members£30 million buyback launchedShares in MONY Group (MONY) rallied 6% to 201.2p after the price comparison site reported record full-year revenues and its highest ever adjusted earnings and signalled the strength of its cash flows and balance sheet by launching a £30 million share buyback.There was also relief as the tech-enab

The FTSE 100 opened in the green on Monday despite geopolitical concerns and tariff worries continuing to hang over equities.The FTSE 100 index rose 13.43 points, 0.2%, at 8,745.89. The FTSE 250 added 64.96 points, 0.3%, at 20,977.97, and the AIM All-Share rose 1.33 points, 0.2%, at 727.39.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.3% at 877.63, the Cboe UK 250 also added 0.3% to 18,333.89, and the Cboe Small Compa

London stocks were mixed on Friday, on the back of geopolitical uncertainty as world leaders come together at the Munich Security Conference.US Vice President JD Vance said Friday the US was prepared to put pressure on Russia to end the war in Ukraine, ahead of a meeting in Munich with President Volodymyr Zelensky. Zelensky meanwhile said that once Kyiv reached a common position with the US and Eu

London's blue chip index was in the red around midday on Friday, as investors await US retail sales and industrial production data.The FTSE 100 index traded down 17.80 points, 0.2%, at 8,747.10. The FTSE 250 was up 65.80 points, 0.3%, at 20,981.66, and the AIM All-Share climbed 2.18 points, 0.3%, at 725.38.The Cboe UK 100 was flat at 877.76, the Cboe UK 250 firmed 0.3% to 18,337.27 and the Cboe Sm

Shares down 70% over the past yearExpects negative free cash flow in 2025Deloitte review into firm continuesShares in John Wood Group (WG.) plummeted 30% in early morning trading as the Scottish-based oil and gas engineering and services firm reported weaker-than-expected trading in the fourth quarter.John Wood said it has taken actions to mitigate fourth quarter weakness by cancelling executive a

Video games retailer struggling to adapt to fast changing marketFinancial performance has suffered badlyGameStop could join likes of Tesla and Block with crypto investmentsThe old MicroStrategy, now called simply Strategy (MSTR:NASDAQ) following a splashy rebrand on 5 February, has enjoyed such success over the past year that its cryptocurrency playbook was bound to gather mimics.GameStop (GME:NYS

Full year to be materially aheadRegulatory change tailwindAnalysts upgrade earningsIn an unscheduled trading update, pension consulting and administration group XPS Pensions (XPS) said it expects full year results to March to be 'materially' ahead of prior expectations.The shares raced 14% ahead, hitting an all-time peak of 396p in early trading before settling around the 386p level.Over the last

Investors seem remarkably relaxed ? possibly even complacent ? given the slew of bad economic news being thrown at the US market at present.Both wholesale and retail prices are rising faster than forecast, mainly due to higher food and energy costs, with underlying inflation in consumer goods and services rising at the fastest rate in more than a year.Although Fed chair Jerome Powell told the Sena

Stock prices in London and Frankfurt opened in the red on Friday, as investors prepare for eurozone economic data and digest another tariff plan from the US president.In London, NatWest faced some selling pressure despite better-than-expected results. Hermes boosted Paris, keeping the CAC 40 in the green.The FTSE 100 index fell 30.67 points, 0.4%, at 8,734.05. The FTSE 250 added just 2.35 points a

London stocks were mixed on Thursday, but European equities closed in the green on news of progress towards a possible peace deal in Ukraine.The FTSE 100 index closed down 42.72 points, 0.5%, at 8,764.72. The FTSE 250 ended up 35.64 points, 0.2%, at 20,916.14, and the AIM All-Share closed down 0.19 of a point at 723.20.The Cboe UK 100 ended down 0.5% at 877.79, the Cboe UK 250 closed up 0.3% at 18

London's FTSE 100 traded lower around midday on Thursday, as poorly received earnings weighed, missing out on a Ukraine peace hope-led rally elsewhere in Europe.The FTSE 100 index traded down 58.01 points, 0.7%, at 8,749.43. The FTSE 250 was down 16.97 points, 0.1%, at 20,863.53, and the AIM All-Share fell 0.71 of a point, 0.1%, at 722.68.The Cboe UK 100 fell 0.6% at 876.73, the Cboe UK 250 lost 0

Amsterdam the primary Ice Cream listing destinationOrganic growth deceleratesMarket growth to remain 'soft'Packaged consumer goods powerhouse Unilever (ULVR) delivered encouraging full-year 2024 results with volume growth across every division and margins on the rise.The cash-generative Hellmann's mayonnaise-to-Dove soap maker also announced a new €1.5 billion share buyback.Which begs the que

Shares fall 8% to £31 in early morning trading£900 million share buyback planned in 2025Full year revenue down 5.2% but in line with expectationsShares in British American Tobacco (BATS) took a turn for the worse in early morning trading as the FTSE 100 tobacco giant reported a 5.2% fall in revenue to £25.8 billion for the year ending 31 December.The stock fell 8% to £31, although it is still

2024 revenue and earnings beat2025 outlook in line with forecasts£1 billion also meets estimatesAs the first bank to report earnings, there was a great deal of focus on what Barclays (BARC) would say about 2024 and the outlook for 2025, and although it more or less met market forecasts for last year, the lack of upgrades to current-year forecasts left investors feeling flat.The shares, which had

London's FTSE 100 was lower early Thursday, hurt by the likes of BAT, Barclays, Unilever and oil majors, but European peers confidently moved higher on hopes of a Russia-Ukraine peace deal.Barclays fell despite reporting improved earnings. Unilever announced listing plans for its ice cream unit, meanwhile.The FTSE 100 index traded down 45.80 points, 0.5%, at 8,761.64. The FTSE 250 was up 42.78 poi

BlackRock Frontiers Investment Trust (BRFI) 158.5pMarket cap: £300 millionInvesting in frontier markets might seem too risky for some, yet the world's youngest economies present exciting growth opportunities for adventurous portfolio builders. When high quality, lowly valued companies with their own growth drivers and significant re-rating scope are held in a portfolio diversified by stock, geogr

There may be a sense of poignancy when Europe's biggest bank HSBC (HSBA) reports full-year earnings next week as for several hundred staff it will be the last call.At the end of January, the company informed managers in its UK, European and US corporate advisory and equity underwriting teams it was closing down operations as it finally gave up chasing a place at investment banking's top table.Whil