Stocks in Europe traded lower at midday Wednesday, amid a threat from US President Donald Trump to impose 25% tariffs on imported cars, and higher duties on semiconductors.In London, housebuilders declined as the UK consumer price inflation rate accelerated at a faster pace than predicted.The FTSE 100 index fell 36.70 points, 0.4%, at 8,730.03. The FTSE 250 fell 151.06 points, 0.7%, at 20,730.50,

Winter load factor down 2.2%Margins to come under pressureCEO 'satisfied' with early Summer 2025 bookingsAirline and package holidays provider Jet2 (JET2:AIM) assured investors that despite continued late bookings and competitive pricing, profits for the year to 31 March 2025 should be 8% to 10% higher.So why did the shares drop 10% to £14.10 in early dealings on 19 February?The catalyst was the

London's FTSE 100 opened lower on Wednesday, as earnings from a handful of large-caps failed to impress, while the pound remained above $1.26 after a hotter-than-forecast UK inflation reading.The FTSE 100 index fell 29.57 points, 0.3%, at 8,737.16. The FTSE 250 fell 32.06 points, 0.2%, at 20,849.50, and the AIM All-Share lost 2.59 points, 0.4%, at 721.93.The Cboe UK 100 fell 0.4% to 876.80, the Cb

The number of companies on London's AIM market worth more than £1 billion has hit a nine-year low. A mere six stocks were worth more than £1 billion at the end of November 2024 compared with 30 at the end of 2021.From those 30 companies and excluding those still worth more than £1 billion, seven have disappeared through takeovers, three have moved to the Main Market, and the rest have fallen be

Airline and package holidays provider Jet2 (JET2:AIM) is an example of why treating your customers well is not just a good ethical position to adopt but also makes excellent business sense.The company recently won European Airline of the Year and scores highly on review platforms TripAdvisor and Trustpilot and its excellence in this area, including during Covid when it stood out compared with seve

Blue-chips in London traded in the green around midday on Thursday, as the escalating conflict in Ukraine pushed oil and gold prices higher.The FTSE 100 index added 25.97 points, 0.3%, at 8,111.04. The FTSE 250 lost 45.77 points, 0.2%, at 20,198.99, and the AIM All-Share rose 2.00 points, 0.3%, at 724.34.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.3% at 815.30, the Cboe UK 250 was down 0.2% at 17,701.10, and the Cbo

Revenue up 15% to £5.08 billionWinter 2024/2025 on sale seat capacity 14% higherShares up 31% over the past yearShares in Jet2 (JET2:AIM) were up nearly 5% to £14.94 in morning trading as the airline and package holidays provider reported record revenue, profit and passenger numbers for the first half year ending 30 September and said it expected the full year to be ahead of market expectations.

European equities were mostly in the red on Thursday morning amid a threat of higher for longer interest rates, following a lofty UK inflation reading and a caution against turbocharged US easing from a Federal Reserve official.The FTSE 100 index added just 0.40 of a point at 8,085.47. The FTSE 250 lost just 7.21 points at 20,237.55, and the AIM All-Share rose 3.18 points, 0.4%, at 725.52.The Cboe

There is a lot to be said for being boring, especially when markets are volatile, and no firm quite captures that essence like FTSE 100 specialist distribution group Diploma (DPLM), whose shares have already sailed serenely to half a dozen all-time highs so far this year.Diploma operates a decentralised model with three divisions: Controls, which supplies components including specialised wiring, S

Equities in London ended lower on Friday, with miners and other China-exposed stocks hurting the FTSE 100, though a reassuring update from the British Airways parent lifted travel shares.Broker cuts hurt Greggs and Mitchells & Butler, while investors fretted for Vistry again after the housebuilder warned on profit.The FTSE 100 index fell 68.35 points, 0.8%, at 8,072.39, fading 1.3% this week. The

Over the long haul, small-caps have historically outperformed large caps, fuelling the research highlighting the so-called 'small-cap effect' ? the idea that smaller companies offer higher risk-adjusted returns than larger ones. Unfortunately, the higher interest rate environment of recent years has proved tough for the stock market's small fry, who've spent more than a decade lagging more sizeabl

Jet2 founder Meeson sells five million sharesMajor Costain shareholder sells upWeir director snaps up £60,277 sharesPhilip Meeson, founder and largest shareholder of airline and package holidays provider Jet2 (JET2:AIM) has sold five million shares to a limited number of institutional investors on 11 September, representing approximately 2.3% of the issued ordinary share capital in the company.Th

Summer 2024 on sale seat capacity up 12.4%Booked-to-date holiday customers up 8%Shares up 41% over the past yearShares in Jet2 (JET2:AIM) flew 1.6% higher to £14.78 as the market responded positively to the airline and package holidays provider's strong late booking momentum in July and August which helped lift on sale seat capacity for summer 2024 to 17.17 million seats, up 12.4% from last summe

Investors will be keen to discover if insurer Direct Line Insurance (DLG) has continued its positive start to the year when it reports first-half results on 4 September after a tumultuous 12 months.The business delivered a strong first quarter, with double-digit written premium growth in Motor, Home and Commercial businesses and overall growth of 15% for ongoing operations.Chief executive Adam Win

Dividend resumedTotal revenue €14.72 billionIAG shares up 8% year-to-dateShares in International Consolidated Airlines (IAG) rose over 6% in morning trading to 169p as the British Airways owner said strong demand for travel helped lift its results in the six months to 30 June 2024.Total revenue increased 8% to €14.72 billion compared to €13.58 billion in the same year ago period.

Markets in London edged higher on Thursday around midday, after news that the Bank of England has cut interest rates for the first time in over four years.Against the dollar, the pound slipped to $1.2768 early on Thursday afternoon in London, from $1.2844 at the London equities close on Wednesday. Sterling traded as low as $1.2755 earlier on Thursday, its weakest level in around a month.The FTSE 1

Burberry chair shows faith after profit warningMotorpoint CEO sells 100,000 sharesJet2 chairman snaps up stockDr Gerry Murphy, chairman of Burberry (BRBY), bought 20,000 shares in the luxury goods group at 725p for a total value of £145,000 on 16 July.Murphy's move followed another poor update from the heritage trench coats-to-cashmere scarves seller, which suspended its dividend, and said chief

European markets and the pound had a strong day on Thursday, with the afternoon's US inflation reading boosting risk appetite.Markets in New York got off the line slowly, however, amid an apparent rotation out of tech following a bullish run in recent days.The FTSE 100 index closed up 29.83 points, 0.4%, at 8,223.34. The FTSE 250 was surged 261.15 points, 1.3%, at 21,188.91, and the AIM All-Share

Progress made with growth strategyFull year pre-tax profit up 43%Over the past year shares have gained 16%Shares in Jet2 (JET2:AIM) were up over 1% in morning trading at £13.08 as the airline and package holidays provider reported a 43% jump in pre-tax profit to £529.5 million for the year ending 31 March 2024.Total revenue was up 24% to £6.25 billion compared to £5.03 billion last year.The ai

Share prices in London closed up on Wednesday as New York climbed midday, following Fed Chair Jerome Powell's testimony and ahead of key US inflation data on Thursday.The FTSE 100 index closed up 53.70 points, 0.7%, at 8,193.51. The FTSE 250 ended up 282.74 points, 1.4%, at 20,927.76, and the AIM All-Share closed up 0.91 of a point, 0.1%, at 772.85.The Cboe UK 100 ended up 0.7% at 816.35, the Cboe