Blue chip stocks were up a bit in London, Paris and Frankfurt at Tuesday midday, with banks and defence stocks in the UK enjoying a boost.The UK's aviation regulator has noted the 'benefits to consumers' of England's Gatwick airport expanding. The Civil Aviation Authority, CAA, made the comments as it announced support for the West Sussex airport's proposed new commitments over the next four...

UK stocks continue to make new highsLower rates and stronger economy fan gainsBest-performing stocks over the last yearUK stocks continue to make new highs buoyed by increasing hopes interest rates will be cut this summer and decreasing worries of economic Armageddon.A dovish tone from Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey at this week?s (9 May) interest rate policy meeting and today?s (10...

All divisions profitable in first halfFull year operating profit upgradedNet debt significantly reducedOne of 2023?s best share price performers, private-label cleaning products maker McBride (MCB), has upgraded earnings guidance again as the cost-of-living squeeze continues to stoke demand for its affordable products, news that sent the stock up 16% to 85.2p in early dealings on...

BT finance chief sells £200,000 worth of stockMcBride non-exec buys £32,000PayPoint CEO buys £231,000BT FINANCE CHIEF SELLSSimon Lowth, chief financial officer of BT (BT.A), offloaded £200,000 worth of shares in the UK telco on 13 December.Vodafone (VOD) and BT shares fell this week following news the telecoms regulator has proposed banning inflation-linked price rises in the middle of...

It has been an up and down year for the UK stock market but some names have really shone over the course of the last 12 months. In this article we go through the market cap ranks to identify the best performing large-, mid- and small-cap stocks in 2023.£5 billion+ market capWhile Nvidia (NVDA:NASDAQ) has dominated headlines globally as excitement around AI (artificial intelligence) helped...

The GfK consumer confidence index fell nine points from minus 21 to minus 30 in October amid a slowing jobs market and the uncertainty engendered by the Middle East conflict which have dampened the Christmas spending outlook.This consumer squeeze was in evidence in the quarterly volume declines reported by FTSE 100 consumer goods giants Unilever (ULVR) and Reckitt Benckiser (RKT).Unilever...

Q1 earnings ahead of forecastsPrivate label growth of 10.8%But inflationary pressures persistPrivate-label cleaning products maker McBride (MCB) has delivered another earnings upgrade as the cost-of-living crisis continues to drive demand for its budget laundry detergents, dishwasher liquids and surface cleaners.In an unscheduled update that sent the shares 22% higher to 39.75p, taking...

Although the latest UK inflation figures are easy off, the cost-of-living crisis is still alive and kicking, as food, energy and petrol costs remain stubbornly high.This is bad news for consumers but good news for some companies who are benefiting from the doom and gloom on the high street and in households. Here are 10 names doing well.Shoe ZoneFootwear retailer Shoe Zone (SHOE:AIM) sells...

Rising interest rates designed to cool inflation are squeezing consumers' disposable incomes around the globe with spending on big ticket and discretionary items coming under pressure.Yet spending on everyday necessities, mass daily-use items that billions employ every day, is holding up rather well. That's good news for the makers of mundane products which consumers trust and depend upon;...

Calls from both the Bank of England?s governor, Andrew Bailey, and its chief economist, Huw Pill, for wage restraint do not sit easily alongside the current headline inflation figures. Nor does Unilever?s (ULVR) statement (10 Feb) that it raised prices by 4.9% in the fourth quarter of last year and has planned further hikes in 2022, thanks to expected input cost inflation of 3% to 4%.A few...

London's FTSE 100 closed Thursday's session 1.25% higher at 7,260.61, the blue chip benchmark taking the Bank of England's surprise interest rate hike from 0.1% to 0.25% in its stride, despite sterling gaining as a result.Around 70% of the FTSE's constituents earn in foreign currencies so a rising pound is negative for them.The central bank was widely expected to keep rates on hold due to the...

The FTSE 100 managed to hold onto most of its earlier gains despite a surprise interest rate hike from the Bank of England which pushed up the pound.Around 70% of the FTSE's constituents earn in foreign currencies so a rising pound is negative for them.The central bank was widely expected to keep rates on hold due to the uncertainty created by the Omicron variant. However, it has acted now due...

UK equity markets started Thursday's trading session on a positive note ahead of key interest rate decisions from both the Bank of England and the European Central Bank.Last month inflation reached a 10 year high of 5.1%, which is more than double the official target.However the emergence of the Omicron variant, and recent government guidance to restrict socialising has added a new degree of...

Shares in white-label cleaning products company McBride (MCB) slumped 8.5% to 76.5p after the company delivered a major downgrade to its earnings outlook just seven weeks into the new financial year.The Manchester-headquartered company is now forecasting pre-tax profits for the year to next June between 55% and 65% lower than last year due to supply chain disruption and an inability to pass on...

UK stocks fell sharply in early trading on a combination of weak commodity prices, which hammered mining stocks, and growing worries that the delta variant and its impact on businesses could knock the global recovery off course.Sentiment wasn't helped by a late sell-off in US markets on the latest Fed minutes which did nothing to dispel fears that the central bank's easy money policy could...

A 'profit warning' is where a company's actual profit is materially lower than forecasts set by sell-side analysts and can cause an investor acute portfolio pain; reports of an earnings 'miss', a material deterioration in trading or an unforeseen shock are typically punished by brutal share price slumps.Profit warnings come with the territory when putting money into equities and you'll...

Shares in private-label consumer goods maker McBride (MCB) collapsed more than 25% to 68p at the open after the firm unexpectedly cut its earnings forecast for the year due to a combination of slower sales growth and a 'rapid, significant and sustained price escalation' in many of its raw materials.INPUT COSTS RISINGIn its half-year results statement in February, McBride pointed to increasing...

London's FTSE 100 opened higher on Wednesday with mining companies boosted by rising commodity prices buoyed by global recovery hopes.At 08.35 am, the blue chip benchmark was up 0.8% at 6,981.24 points, having lost ground on Tuesday due to a sell-off in US tech stocks.Miners led the charge early on, with BHP (BHP), Glencore (GLEN) and Rio Tinto (RIO) up 2.4%, 2.2% and 2.2%, respectively. Other...

UK blue chip stocks have taken direction from Wall Street and ended the week at a nine-month high as US stocks hit new records, following a weak jobs report which is expected to put pressure on US policymakers to greenlight a stimulus package.The US economy, which is the world's largest, added just 245,000 jobs - less than half the 500,000 jobs analysts had been expecting - in November as the...

The FTSE 100 has continued to climb throughout trading on Friday with a steady flow of positive news boosting investor sentiment.Reuters reports that a Brexit trade deal could be 'imminent' with an agreement expected by the end of the weekend barring any last minute breakdown in talks, while construction industry data released earlier today also provided optimism having beat all forecasts,...