European stocks were higher going into Friday afternoon, as investors focused on potential clues about future monetary policy from both sides of the Atlantic.The Jackson Hole meeting will see both Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and and Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey speak on Friday.In other news, energy bills are set to increase by almost £150 after Ofgem raised its price cap, in bad

European stocks were in the green on Friday morning, as regulator Ofgem reported it will increase the energy price cap in Great Britain, pushing up average household bills by 9.5% from October.'Just when temperatures begin to plummet and nights draw in, households will be faced with the exact scenario they'd hoped was behind them,' warned AJ Bell's Danni Hewson.Meanwhile, eyes remained on the Jack

Dowlais CEO buys 415,133 sharesEvoke director buys 250,000 sharesNew Capita CFO investsThe CEO of automotive parts supplier Dowlais (DWL), Liam Butterworth, has bought nearly a quarter of million pounds worth of shares in the company after downbeat first-half results.Butterworth snapped up 415,133 shares at 60p for a total value of £248,135 on 14 August.This came after results for the six months

There is a phrase in business ? 'shrink to greatness' ? meaning companies selling or demerging assets and focusing on what they do best.You might call it streamlining, others might say it is an admission that the previous strategy did not work and the company was too bloated.This trend is firmly in motion across the UK stock market with nine companies in the FTSE 100 either in the middle of shrink

Automotive parts supplier hit by slowing EV volumesBuybacks no substitute for business growthStock drifts to around 60p, half its Melrose spin-out levelThere are a many reasons why global electric vehicles markets are in a slump ? still pricey compared to petrol engine versions, reduced, or axed government subsidies for buyers, renewed interest for hybrids, are some of them.The problem is, the mot

Hot on the heels of the UK election and the float of Raspberry Pi (RPI) comes another highly-anticipated UK IPO (initial public offering), this time on AIM.Rosebank Industries (ROSE:AIM) placed 20 million shares at 250p last week raising £50 million, yet as it stands the company has no assets, revenue or profits ? instead it is a holding company set up to buy, improve and sell other companies.If

French firm lowers forecastsBlames supply-chain issuesUK companies closely linkedUK aerospace and defence suppliers were knocked lower by a warning from Toulouse-based Airbus (AIR:EPA), which cut both its production forecast and its earnings outlook for this year due to continuing geopolitical and supply chain tensions.UK engineering companies such as Rolls-Royce (RR.) and Melrose (MRO), together

Firm has received four bidsFinal bid pitched at 230pDeadline for talks extendedThe board of oil services and consulting firm Wood Group (WG.) last night published a statement saying while they were confident in the company's strategic direction and its prospects they had decided to engage with bidder Sidara.Wood Group shares jumped 19p or 10% to 205p, which is still some way short of Sidara's cash

Sales fall on automotive weaknessYear-to-date shares have lost 33%Revenues seen below last yearShares in Dowlais (DWL) were down over 6% to 72p in morning trading as the automotive products group released a trading update for the four months to 30 April 2024 ahead of its AGM (annual general meeting) later today.The group reported adjusted revenue of £1.7 billion in the period, a year-on-year fall

If we took a straw poll of readers and asked which country has the world's biggest sovereign wealth fund, the chances are Saudi Arabia and Singapore would come high up the list if not at the top.In fact, the largest is Norway's Government Pension Fund Global which has a value of more than $1.6 trillion.When the country discovered large offshore oil fields at the end of the 1960s, the government de

This feature explores spin-offs or de-mergers, looking at the rationale for them and how they have performed, and asks if they can be a promising hunting ground for investors.One of the UK?s largest recent spin-offs was GSK?s (GSK) demerger of its consumer healthcare division in 2022.GSK reportedly rebuffed a £50 billion offer from personal goods giant Unilever (ULVR) to buy the division, named H

Investors in automotive products maker Dowlais (DWL) were drowning their sorrows as the shares hit their lowest level since the firm spun out of conglomerate Melrose Industries (MRO) last year and listed as a stand-alone entity.The group?s underlying performance for 2023 was steady if not spectacular, helped by a banner year for UK vehicle production with output topping one million units for the f

Sales and margins increasedAuto sector growing stronglyCharge for Powder Metallurgy unitAutomotive products group Dowlais (DWL) posted a steady increase in sales and earnings last year and announced a £50 million share buyback.However, the good news was overshadowed by a large impairment charge for the powder metallurgy business which pushed the group to an operating loss of £450 million.The sha

CRH director spends $2.5 millionPersimmon CEO buys over £100,000 sharesMelrose CFO snaps up over £99,000 sharesDean Finch, chief executive of UK housebuilder Persimmon (PSN), bought 7,621 shares at £13.15 for a total value of £100,216 on 12 March, after which he owns 24,078 in the company.Finch may be taking advantage of the 7% share price fall over the past month after Persimmon reported a 5

European equities were largely lower on Monday afternoon, with the FTSE 100 the worst of the bunch, as focus turns to key inflation readings from the US and China this week.Investors are looking for US inflation to cool, which would solidify Federal Reserve interest rate cut expectations. For China, however, inflation heating up would suggest that the Asian nation?s economy is beginning to fire. T

Melrose director offloads nearly £280,000 sharesShaftesbury Capital director snaps up 50,000 sharesVianet director splashes out after HSBC fundingDavid Lis, non-executive director at Melrose Industries (MRO) sold 30,000 shares at 541p for the total value of £162,400 on 16 November.The sale comes a day after Lis sold 21,400 shares at 542p for the total value of £115,914 on 15 November.The dispos

Stock prices in London opened tepidly on Thursday, amid both positive and negative developments from blue-chip companies.The FTSE 100 index opened up 1.63 points at 7,488.54. The FTSE 250 was down 25.89 points, 0.1%, at 18,650.59, and the AIM All-Share was up 1.33 points, 0.2%, at 716.90.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.1% at 747.26, the Cboe UK 250 was flat at 16,152.02, and the Cboe Small Companies was

Spin-offs, demergers and disposals are often good news for investors, although it's not often a firm sees its share price rise when it has to pay someone to take assets off its hands, especially when those assets were previously thought to be earnings positive.In the case of hospitality firm Restaurant Group (RTN), however, that is exactly what happened.The group, best known for its Wagamama chain

Stocks in London were a mixed bag around midday on Thursday, as the FTSE 100 ticked higher after Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey hinted at a peak in interest rates.The FTSE 100 index was up 25.33 points, or 0.3%, at 7,451.50. The FTSE 250 was virtually flat at 18,445.22, and the AIM All-Share was down 4.34 points, or 0.6%, at 732.64.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.4% at 741.94, the Cboe UK 250 w

Full-year guidance upgraded£500 million buyback brought forwardFounders set to leave in 2024A key part of industrial turnaround specialist Melrose Industries' (MRO) mission has been to improve profitability. It is therefore encouraging to both management and shareholders that margin improvements are a driving force behind today's upgrade to guidance.This accompanied a strong set of first half res