Stock prices in London were in the red on Tuesday morning, as non-food sales in the UK remained in decline, while retail sales edged up only mildly in May.The FTSE 100 index opened down 31.15 points, or 0.4%, at 8,229.30. The FTSE 250 was down 105.98 points, or 0.5%, at 20,794.74, and the AIM All-Share was down 1.27 points, or 0.2%, at 803.84.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.4% at 821.19, the Cboe UK 25

Given the depressed valuation of the UK stock market ? and the even more depressed valuation of UK commercial property ? it was only a matter of time before someone came up with a fund to seize on the opportunities on offer.Enter Special Opportunities REIT, a new internally-managed real estate investment trust aimed at capitalising on the abundance of value in the UK commercial property sector 'at

At Shares, we have been flagging the potential for M&A in the investment trust space for months, not least in the REIT (real estate investment trust) sector due to the abundance of companies trading well below their net asset values.In the last month alone, three real estate mergers have been announced ? between LondonMetric (LMP) and LXI (LXI), Tritax Big Box (BBOX) and UK Commercial Property (UK

In this third part of our investor survey, we asked some of the UK?s leading fund managers which sectors or stocks they thought were the most promising for 2024.The responses were as varied as they were thought-provoking, with only a couple of managers singling out technology stocks.As before we would like to thank all those who took part for sharing their views, and we hope readers enjoy them. WH

For the second part of our annual survey, we asked fund managers if they had changed their view on any stocks this year, for better or for worse, and what lay behind their decisions.As with the winners and losers survey last week, the answers were often frank and once again we would like to thank everyone who took part.Thomas Moore - Aberdeen Equity Income Trust (AEI)THE STOCK THAT I CHANGED MY MI

Combined portfolio valued at £6.4 billionMerged group would be worth £3.9 billionPromotion to the FTSE 100 could followIn a sign consolidation in the UK real estate market is far from over, LondonMetric Property (LMP) and LXI REIT (LXI) have confirmed market rumours they are in talks over a possible all-share merger.Shares in potential acquirer LondonMetric traded sideways at 197p, giving it a m

Jefferies cuts stocks to 'hold' or 'sell'Analysts see 'recession' in officesMorgan Stanley takes a more positive viewShares in four of the UK's biggest property companies fell after analysts at investment bank Jefferies cut their recommendations on the basis office rents in the capital are headed for recession.British Land (BLND) shares eased 1.9% to 320p, Derwent London (DLN) shares were 1.6% low

Shares drop 13% on full year profit warningRapid customer destocking means profit cut by 13%Shares have halved in last 18 monthsShares in Croda International (CRDA) dropped 13% to £52.44 on Friday after the speciality chemicals company issued a full year profit warning following weaker than expected trading in the first five months of the year.It is one of the biggest daily falls seen in the shar

We suggested at the start of 2023 that commercial property stocks could prove to be a good bet this year, with valuations offering significant upward reversion potential from their depressed levels and dividend yields at the top end of their historic range.While valuations have improved slightly, if anything sentiment is even more negative than it was in January, especially after April's stubbornl

The boss of electric vehicle charging provider Pod Point (PODP), Erik Fairbairn, recently told the Sunday Express he believed the switch to EVs (electric vehicles) would bring about the demise of the petrol station as we know it. It's an interesting and not so far-fetched view of the future. Think about the way we already live our lives.When Asda opened the first ever supermarket petrol station ba

Income specialist Murray Income Trust (MUT) delivered a total return in net asset value of 7.2% for the six months to 31 December 2021.Performance was comfortably ahead of the FTSE All-Share return of 6.5% and means the trust is ahead its benchmark over one, three and five years. The shares reacted positively, gaining 1.3% to 833p.The company said it continued to benefit from its enlarged scale fo

Major UK share indices managed to hold on to earlier gains and finished Wednesday's trading session in positive territory.This was despite continuing concerns surrounding the potential economic impact of the Omicron coronavirus variant, and disappointment surrounding the latest UK third quarter gross domestic figure print.The FTSE 100 Index and the FTSE 250 Index ended the session 0.61% and 1.14%

Major UK share indexes traded in positive territory at lunchtime on Wednesday despite GDP growth disappointment and ongoing Omicron concerns.The UK economy saw growth of 1.1% versus the 1.3% expected in the third quarter to 30 September 2021. 'The disappointing figures on the UK economy were before the Omicron wave hit, so there will be some concern that they represent the calm before the storm an

Disappointing UK growth figures put a spanner in the works for the FTSE 100 in early trade on Wednesday, defying expectations that Tuesday's rally would continue. The benchmark index around 0.3% to 7,277.92 but the falls remain marginal, so far.Gross domestic product in the world's fifth-biggest economy increased 1.1% in the third quarter to the end of September, weaker than a preliminary estimate

London's FTSE 100 traded 0.3% lower at 7,214.80 points by midday on Monday, extending its earlier losses, as investors reacted to weak Chinese growth announced overnight.China's gross domestic product grew at a relatively measly 4.9% in the September quarter amid supply bottlenecks and property developer Evergrande's woes.Moreover, property construction in China continued its decline and factory o

The UK equity market started Monday's trading session on a negative note, as the market digested the implications of third quarter Chinese economic growth slowing at a faster rate than had been anticipated.In the third quarter, the Chinese economy grew by 4.9% year on year, versus an anticipated 5.2%. Moreover property construction in China continued its decline and factory output recorded its wea

The FTSE 100 index opened Thursday's trading session on a slightly firmer note, trading up by 0.07% at 7154.8, but lacking any real momentum or direction.This partly reflected the mixed performance of American equity markets. The S&P 500 index ended the session marginally higher at 4524.09, with the NASDAQ Composite also closing 0.33% firmer at 15,309.38.The Dow Jones Industrial index ended the tr

London's FTSE 100 finished Friday's trading session 1.2% higher at 7,043.6 points after US retail sales came in flat, short of expectations and helping to calm the recent fears over inflation that have spooked global markets.By 4.30pm UK time the S&P 500 index was up 1.2% at 4,163.67. In the UK, the domestically focused FTSE 250 finished up 1.2% at 22,336.1 points.SAGE NUMBERS ADD UPIn corporate n

London's FTSE 100 built on Friday's early gains to trade up 0.7% at 7,011.66 by midday, while the domestically focused mid-cap FTSE 250 edged 0.7% higher to 22,231.2 points.The move higher followed a rally on Wall Street overnight with the latest update on retail sales across the Atlantic likely to be in focus this afternoon.SAGE NUMBERS ADD UPOn the market, accounting software firm Sage (SGE) saw

The FTSE 100 made a positive start to trading as it crept back above 7,000 after a volatile couple of days, helped by gains in heavyweight financial and consumer staples stocks, while asset management services firm Sanne (SNN) topped the mid-cap index after rejecting a £1.3 billion buyout proposal.On global markets, shares snapped a three-day decline, reflecting an overnight revival on Wall Stree