Stock prices in London opened in the green on Friday, as the UK could be on a path to avoid a recession according to new GDP data from the Office for National Statistics.Eyes are also on the banking earnings season, which kicks off on Friday. Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo are due to release first-quarter numbers. Asset manager BlackRock also reports.The FTSE 100 index opened up 61.11 p

Stock prices in London were predominantly lower on Friday morning, as big news for several FTSE 100 and 250 constituents failed to adequately combat nervousness around the latest US jobs report.The FTSE 100 index opened down 18.03 points, 0.2%, at 7,674.43. The FTSE 250 was down 65.78 points, 0.3%, at 19,518.20, and the AIM All-Share was up 1.58 points, 0.2%, at 739.48.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.3

As we approach the end of the year it is an opportune moment to shine a light on some of this year's least-loved stocks.Rather than look at the stocks which have lost the most, we have collected together those trading at or near their lows for the year along with those with the fewest friends in the analyst community and those which the hedge fund community thinks are outright shorts.If we first t

?Exceptional? flow of new ordersNet loss smaller than expectedMost shorted listed UK companyOilfield services group Petrofac (PFC) delivered a triple whammy of good news to investors today with a positive trading update and a narrower projected loss for the full year.The firm also revealed it had secured a performance guarantee for $1.4 billion from Dutch utility company TeneT under a multi-year c

Stock prices in London closed down on Monday, with stocks in New York following in their footsteps.The FTSE 100 index closed down 16.39 points, 0.2%, at 7,512.96. The FTSE 250 ended down 47.40 points, 0.3%, at 18,361.25, and the AIM All-Share closed down 1.05 points, or 0.2%, at 715.24.The Cboe UK 100 ended down 0.3% at 749.31 and the Cboe UK 250 closed down 0.3% at 15,878.49. However, the Cboe Sm

European equities were largely lower on Monday afternoon, with share price declines for miners and oil majors causing the FTSE 100 to underperform.The mood in equity markets was subdued, with enthusiasm lacking as investors cautiously await Friday?s US jobs data.The FTSE 100 index traded down 26.87 points, 0.4%, at 7,502.48. The FTSE 250 was up 59.36 points, however, 0.3%, at 18,446.98, and the AI

The Schroder Recovery Fund (B3VVG60) aims to generate capital gains superior to the FTSE All-Share Total Return Index, net of fees, over a three- to five-year horizon by investing in 'UK companies which have suffered a severe setback in either share price or profitability'.The fund was launched back in 1970 and has stood the test of time, beating its target return over one, three and 10 years and

Stock prices in London look set to end a tough three months with a gain on Friday, following a second quarter beset by interest rate worries, stubborn inflation and Chinese growth worries.The FTSE 100 is still on track to end the second quarter on worse footing than it started it, however. Peers in mainland Europe look set to achieve lukewarm gains.London's blue-chip benchmark was up 54.00 points,

NAV (net asset value) up by 18.5%Outperforms company's benchmark return of 15%Increases interim dividend of 5.5p by 10%Schroder UK Mid Cap's (SCP) net asset value for the six months ending 31 March rose by 18.5%, 'comfortably' outperforming the company's benchmark, the FTSE 250 ex Investment Trusts Index, which returned 15% over the same period.The company attributed the rise to successful stock

Making the decision to click the buy button and invest your hard-earned cash in a stock is an important step in an investment journey and often the most difficult part.Knowing your money is at risk inevitably makes it tricky to commit and any reticence could mean you miss exciting opportunities.To help you get over this hurdle we are going to look in detail at when you should consider buying a sto

Sometimes contract awards are genuinely transformational for a business and, at first glance, the €13 billion award unveiled by Petrofac (PFC) is in that category.The agreement, the largest in Petrofac's history, will see the UK firm work alongside Hitachi Energy to supply multiple offshore wind platforms and onshore converter stations in the North Sea on behalf of the Dutch-German transmissi

- Company wins biggest contract in its history- Collaboration marks major step in bulk renewables- Earnings upgrades could be significantEnergy services group Petrofac (PFC) stunned the market with the news it had won a share of a multi-year offshore wind framework agreement worth around €13 billion or £11.4 billion.The shares leapt as much as 36p or 73% to 85p in early trading before settli

- Three new faces in the FTSE 100- Five stocks join the FTSE 250- Changes take effect from 19 DecemberIndex compiler FTSE Russell, owned by London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG), has just released the results of its December quarterly review.Three stocks are being promoted to the FTSE 100 large-cap index, meaning three stocks are leaving to join the FTSE 250 mid-cap universe, as Shares explains.WHO I

London's FTSE 100 finished Tuesday's trading session 0.76% higher at a fresh 20-month high of 7,277.62 points as UK investors reacted to strong corporate results and a recent decline in Covid cases boosted travel and services sector stocks.Meanwhile, US and European markets rose as excitement around the technology sector grew ahead of earnings from the likes of Microsoft, Google-owner Alphabet and

London's FTSE 100 gained 0.6% to trade at 7,267.11 at midday, a new post-pandemic high as investors reacted to a record close on Wall Street overnight and strong corporate results.Equity markets have adopted a more optimistic tone with the Dow Jones Industrial and S&P 500 closing at record highs on Monday.The NASDAQ composite index also performed strongly driven by gains in PayPal and Tesla.WHITBR

UK equity markets rose for a third consecutive session on Tuesday with the FTSE 100 was 0.39% higher at 7251.1, and the FTSE 250 up by 0.38% to 23,029.07.Equity markets have adopted a more optimistic tone with the Dow Jones Industrial and S&P 500 closing at record highs on Monday. The NASDAQ composite index also performed strongly driven by gains in Pay Pal and Tesla. NASDAQ is within 1% of its 7

There was a lot of hype around the recent stock market flotation of HeiQ (HEIQ), with investors excited about its ability to make materials work better and kill Covid-19 from surfaces.HeiQ. Price: 200p. Market cap: £251 millionIt raised money by issuing shares at 112p and reversing into cash shell Auctus Growth in December 2020. A month later the stock had more than doubled in price to 240p but t

UK stocks fell into the red by lunchtime on Thursday after the Bank of England maintained interest rates at 0.1%, which came as a host of corporate updates got an increasingly negative reception.The UK's benchmark FTSE 100 index fell 0.35% to 6,485, while the midcap FTSE 250 index gave up earlier gains to trade almost flat at 20,732.GROWTH WORRIES HIT UNILEVERConsumer goods giant Unilever (ULVR) l

UK shares opened higher on Thursday as positive earnings boosted hopes of an economic recovery, with investors looking to Bank of England's policy meeting later in the day. The BoE's Monetary Polity Committee is widely expected to maintain base interest rates at the current 0.1%, great for mortgage borrowers and businesses looking to invest, but not so good for high street banks and savers.The ben

UK stocks closed lower on Friday as fresh lockdowns and rising virus cases dampened hopes of a swift economic recovery.Also dampening sentiment was disappointing December retail sales data in the US with the core figure coming in at -1.4% compared with -0.1% expected.US markets opened weaker as a result with the Russell 2000 losing 1.5% and the S&P 500 0.5% weaker. US bank Wells Fargo reported dis