Things were really looking up for North Sea oil and gas producer Serica Energy (SQZ:AIM) in May.On 14 May, the firm announced that Chris Cox, formerly chief executive of Spirit Energy and currently a director at Caspian Basin-focused Nostrum Oil & Gas (NOG), would bring his considerable expertise and M&A know-how to the business starting in July.On 20 May, the company said it had received the fina

The dust may be settling for now on the recent unrest in Kazakhstan, but the ructions are still being felt in the markets.Prices of oil and uranium, of which Kazakhstan is a major producer, moved higher amid the disruption. The country is a key centre for bitcoin mining and concerns over the violence helped contribute to volatility in the cryptocurrency, which recently hit a four-month low.Several

Once a constituent of the FTSE 250 index, Kazakh energy play Nostrum Oil & Gas (NOG) is now worth just a fraction of what it was just 12 months ago as it falls a further 47.6% today to 5.5p.The latest bad news comes from Well 41 where despite extensive testing the company has been unable to sustain a commercial flow of hydrocarbons.To quote Cantor Fitzgerald, this is 'a very disappointing result.

The FTSE 100 was down a handful of points at 7,179.26 as optimism over trade talks between the US and China was outweighed by strength in sterling.The pound moved higher after a meeting between prime minister Boris Johnson and his Irish counterpart Leo Varadkar on Thursday raised hopes of a Brexit deal.Owner of airline Jet2 Dart Group (DTG:AIM) gained 13.2% to £10.58 as it increased its profit gu

The FTSE 100 moved nearly 1% higher to 7,192 as investors awaited the publication of the minutes from the latest meeting of the US Federal Reserve. These might offer some clues into the future direction of interest rates across the pond.Plumbing group Ferguson (FERG) gained 1.6% amid reports it was considering switching to a US listing under pressure from activist investor Trian Fund Management.Oi

The FTSE 100 is off to a steady start in early trading, up 0.2% to 7,419.26 buoyed by oil stocks.Due to concerns over oil supply disruptions thanks to the increasingly tense standoff between the US and Iran, two of the world's biggest oil exporters, prices of the most-traded futures in crude oil have been pushed higher.That spells good news for the likes of Shell (RDSB) and BP (BP.), with the form

The FTSE 100 is trading 17 points higher at 7,532 after positive performances on Wall Street and in Asian markets.British Airways owner International Consolidated Airlines (IAG) is one of the main risers on the Main Market, up 1.7% to 646p.All eyes will be on UK jobs data due out on Wednesday morning.Cilit Bang and Durex condom maker Reckitt Benckiser (RB.) falls 1.8% on revealing its third quarte

Today is a day of contrasting fates for two E&P companies whose balance sheets are under strain amid depressed oil prices.Kazakh-based producer Tethys Petroleum (TPL) is down 25% to 3.3p as it reports that its former suitor Nostrum Oil & Gas (NOG) says it is in default on a $5 million loan while Independent Oil & Gas (IOG:AIM) rises 11.4% to 5.15p in relief as lender Darwin Strategic agrees to con

London shares decline for the second day running, reacting to disappointing China inflation data and sparked by moderate profit taking. The benchmark FTSE 100 index slides around 50 points, or 0.8%, lower to 6,293, roughly matching falls on Wall Street and on Asian markets overnight.In corporate news, a heavily-discounted share placing sends Sula Iron & Gold (SULA:AIM) falling 32% to 0.34p. It has

Kazakh oil firm Tethys Petroleum (TPL) is up 2.9% to 5.4p despite its larger peer Nostrum Oil & Gas (NOG) - itself up 0.6% to 535p - walking away from a mooted takeover.Nostrum had agreed a deal with Tethys last month (23 Sep) which included $20 million of interim funding but the latter's largest shareholder Pope Asset Management has spiked the agreement. Before the Nostrum deal emerged, a strate

London shares shrug-off expectations of a lower start to make steady gains in early trade on Wednesday, with miners making strong gains on commodity price speculation. The blue-chip FTSE 100 index rallies 50-points, or 0.8%, to 6,376 dragging midcaps and smaller company indexes along for the ride. The FTSE 250 is up 0.13% at 17,155, while the FTSE Small Cap index rises 0.3% to 4,610.Mining giant A

London shares begin the week on the back foot with investor concerns focusing on selected corporate announcements and ongoing worries about China and its economy. In early deals on Monday the FTSE 100 index sags around 50 points to 6,669, although the sell-off is less severe among Britain's midcaps, the FTSE 250 index also down but not as much, at 17,607.Mining groups are unsurprisingly weak given

The FTSE 100 trades 50.27 points higher at 6,723 following news that Greece is to remain in the Eurozone after securing a third bailout from its creditors.Asset managers are boosted by gains overnight in Asia and improved investor sentiment. Schroders (SDR), the largest-listed UK asset manager, gains 1.5% to £31.51, while Henderson (HGG) adds 1.6% to 266p and Jupiter (JUP) gains 0.9% to 440p. Sto

Quindell (QPP:AIM) shoots up 25.3% to 124.63p on a report in the Sunday Times that the insurance services group's board is about to recommend a £640 million offer for its legal services arm from Slater & Gordon. That's greater than Quindell's current market cap (£548 million). Quindell has finally responded to the speculation by confirming discussions have involved various deal structures includ

London markets nudge a fraction higher thanks to forecast-beating results from asset manager Standard Life (SL.), although there's precious little else to draw the interest of investors on an otherwise quiet Friday. Overnight, Wall Street was mixed, while Asian markets remain firme.In early deals the FTSE 100 index is 4.3 point higher, just 0.06%, at 6,893, just 1.6% off the psychologically import

The goal of every investor is to make money. We may all have different time horizons and risk appetite but the ultimate goal is the same. The challenge is knowing which companies or funds to buy and how long to hold them, which is why we've written this handy guide to helping you become a better investor.This article provides five checklists that contain the essential information you need in order

There is an opportunity to snap up Kazakh hydrocarbons producer Nostrum Oil & Gas (NOG) before it joins the FTSE 250 and its impressive organic growth story - funded by internal cash flows - is picked up by a wider audience.We think the combination of incremental catalysts as the company aims to more than double production to 100,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd) by 2016 and the inject

The past month's recommended cash offers for Heritage Oil (HOIL) and Caracal Energy (CRCL) and mooted bid for Salamander Energy (SMDR) suggests that investors may wish to re-consider some of the sector's beaten-down constituents. Meanwhile, FirstEnergy Capital highlights Bankers Petroleum (BNK), Nostrum Oil & Gas (NOG), Ophir Energy (OPHR) and Tullow Oil (TLW) as possible new targets.According to

Even the best-run companies sooner or later bang their heads up against cyclical ceilings and it's the turn of Oxford Instruments' (OXIG) boffins to bash their noggins. The scientific and research tools developer is feeling the pinch of research budget cuts in the west, particularly in the US where they insist on calling it 'sequestration', and particularly on its nanotechnology side.Interestingly