Weaker demand for discretionary toys and treats and an ongoing vet industry investigation by the CMA (Competition & Markets Authority), driven by concerns market consolidation has led to pet owners being overcharged for medicines and prescriptions, have kept Pets at Home's (PETS) shares on a tight leash this past year.Having previously expressed 'disappointment' over the CMA probe, the UK pet care

Whether you love or hate cryptocurrencies, you cannot deny the spectacular performance. Since Donald Trump's White House race victory (5 November) Bitcoin has surged 35% to an all-time $94,795 high. Since the start of 2024 it has more than doubled. Ethereum and Elon Musk pet crypto Dogecoin, are up 33% and 300% respectively this year.If you own crypto assets, or are considering doing so, it's valu

Full year guidance reiteratedOn target for £700m profit in 2025Substantial free cash flow expectedAerospace components maker Melrose Industries (MRO) defied the malaise in the sector caused by supply shortages after confirming full year- year profit expectations on increased demand for aftermarket parts and services.Investors welcomed the resilient performance by marking the shares up 7% to a new

Stocks were mixed on Thursday morning in Europe as investors await eurozone GDP and jobless data, and a US producer price inflation reading later.Also in the UK, data from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors showed signs of improvement in the housing market. A net balance of 16% of property professionals reported house prices rising in October, and a 12% balance saw fresh buyer inquiries

Retail and hospitality companies have slammed the UK government's Budget as a raid on corporate coffers that will heap extra costs on already hard-pressed sectors, with Labour's 6.7% increase in the National Living Wage and uplift in employers' national insurance contributions (NICs) forecast to lead to job cuts and price hikes.Chancellor Rachel Reeves' lowering of the employers' NIC threshold to

Q3 sales and profit beatFull year profit guidance raisedNew $5 billion share buybackLeading gaming and betting firm Flutter Entertainment (FLTR) jumped 4% to an all-time high of £201 after revealing third quarter earnings ahead of analysts' expectations, raising guidance and announcing a $5 billion share buyback.The shares have surged 46% this year, trouncing Ladbrokes owner Entain (ENT) and Will

Stocks in London slipped at the close on Tuesday, joining the pound, which failed to pack a punch against the dollar amid political uncertainty.The FTSE 100 index slumped 99.42 points, 1.2%, at 8,025.77. The FTSE 250 closed down 295.73 points, 1.4%, at 20,427.80. The AIM All-Share fell 7.07 points, 1.0%, at 730.86.The Cboe UK 100 declined 1.2% at 805.89, the Cboe UK 250 retreated 1.6% at 17,865.50

Expects Scottish Widows legacy costs of £8 billionInstitutional clients losses of circa £2 billionYear-to-date Schroders shares fall 24%Schroders (SDR) shares fell over 12% to 319p in morning trading despite the fund management group reporting record total AUM (assets under management) of £777.4 billion for the nine months to 30 September.There were positive net flows in the fund management gro

Computacenter director offloads £13 million of stockMoonpig boss in £2.47 million saleMorgan Sindall CEO sells 449,080 sharesA person closely associated with Computacenter (CCC) non-executive director Peter Ogden sold 562,284 shares at £23.12 for a total value of £13 million on 30 October.These ordinary shares have been sold to trusts of which the beneficiaries are members of the Ogden family.

Equity markets are buoyant, fixed income markets seem more nervous judging by the way yields are rising (at least for government-issued in the developed West), and commodity prices continue to march to their own beat, with gold and silver surging, industrial metals largely flat and oil and gas remaining subdued.The relative calm pervading hydrocarbon prices is in many ways surprising, given the on

The recent legal wrangling between UK chip architecture designer Arm Holdings (ARM:NASDAQ) and one of its major clients Qualcomm (QCOM:NASDAQ) is likely to be one of the big talking points when the firm reports second-quarter earnings for fiscal 2025 next week (6 November).The dispute is over a license agreement which Qualcomm obtained through its acquisition of Nuvia back in 2021.Arm has been una

Quarterly growth slows to 1.5%Greater China contracts by 10%2024 shareholder return over $1bnThe message from InterContinental Hotels Group's (IHG) seems to be the global travel boom is petering out after the Holiday Inn-owner revealed slower revenue growth in the third quarter.Investors didn't appear too bothered though - after falling 1.8% in early trading the shares perked up into positive terr

Stocks in London slipped at the close on Monday, as the FTSE 100 joined European peers in negative territory.The FTSE 100 index closed down 40.01 points, or 0.5%, at 8,318.24. The FTSE 250 ended down 242.98 points, or 1.2%, at 20,906.60, and the AIM All-Share lost 5.74 points, 0.8%, at 734.95.The Cboe UK 100 closed down 0.4% at 833.19 on Monday, the Cboe UK 250 ended down 1.1% at 18,461.11, and th

Despite the strong market reaction to results from the US banks last week, we can't see investors getting quite so excited when the UK's biggest financial institutions unveil their latest earnings over the coming weeks.As usual, the country's largest mortgage lender Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY) gets proceedings under way with its third-quarter trading update on Wednesday 23 October.Although it post

European stocks made a limp start to trading on Monday as investors eye this week's US inflation data in the wake of Friday's blow-out payrolls report.The FTSE 100 index was down 12.60 points, 0.2%, at 8,268.03, having briefly seen slight gains immediately after the opening bell. The FTSE 250 was down 55.56 points, 0.3%, at 20,844.52, but the AIM All-Share was up 1.72 points, 0.2%, at 740.08.The C

Shares in Yorkshire-based pork and poultry producer Cranswick (CWK) leapt 280p or 6% to a new life-high just shy of £50 on Friday as the firm raised its outlook yet again following a better-than-expected second quarter. Led for the last decade by chief executive Adam Couch, a Cranswick 'lifer', the company has expanded its production in recent years to serve UK supermarkets and 'food-to-go' clien

Stocks in London retreated on Monday, after downgrades to the UK's economic growth estimates, while automotive weakness continued.The FTSE 100 index ended down 83.81 points, 1.0%, at 8,236.95. The FTSE 250 closed 187.37 points lower, 0.9%, at 21,053.19, and the AIM All-Share shed 5.22 points, 0.7%, at 740.43.The Cboe UK 100 ended 1.0% lower at 824.66 on Monday. The Cboe UK 250 fell 1.0% to 18,506.

Next CEO sells £29 million sharesDunelm founder's son sells 10 million sharesHollywood Bowl director sells 275,000 sharesSimon Wolfson, CEO of clothing retailer Next (NXT) has sold three tranches of shares during the period 20 to 24 September.Wolfson sold 204,349 shares at £100.65 for a total value of £20,568,376; 57,962 shares at £101.57 at a total value of £5,887.051 and 27,689 at £100.04

European stocks were in the green at Friday midday after a slew of fiscal stimulus measures from China, and as investors await key US inflation data which is crucial in the Federal Reserve's interest rate decisions.The core personal consumption index remains traders' main focus going into Friday afternoon, and is expected to remain unchanged at 0.2% on a monthly basis with a small annual uptick fr

Trading ahead of forecastsHalf-year seen up on 2023Full-year profit top end of rangeFood producer Cranswick (CWK) has once again seen trading top expectations due to strong demand leading it to raise its half-year and full-year earnings guidance.The shares leapt 280p or 6% to £49.95 taking them not only to the top of the FTSE 250 leader board but to an all-time high. ONWARDS AND UPWARDSCra