Stocks in London were in the green going into Friday afternoon, as investors kept their eyes on US inflation data due out this afternoon.The FTSE 100 index traded up 58.40 points, or 0.7%, at 8,244.06. The FTSE 250 was up 221.33 points, 1.1%, at 21,105.17, while the AIM All-Share rose 3.17 points, 0.4%, at 776.20.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.8% at 823.02, the Cboe UK 250 rose 1.1% to 18,493.38,...

Shares in drinks-maker Diageo (DGE) hit a new all-time high of £39.48 this week after the firm released an ambitious set of sales targets reaching from the current financial year out to 2030.Chief executive Ivan Menezes said: 'We believe our sales growth trajectory has accelerated, underpinned by the strength of our advantaged position across geographies, categories and price tiers,' adding...

Food-to-go retailer Greggs (GRG) has filed a £100 million legal claim against Swiss insurance giant Zurich for losses it incurred while its stores were closed during the pandemic.The company argues it is due the money as compensation for 'business interruption' under the terms of its insurance agreement. The claim is significant as if successful it could open the floodgates for other firms to...

Shares in leisure operator Brighten Pier (PIER:AIM) leapt 18% to 78.1p on Monday after the group said revenues in the first 13 weeks of the new financial year to the end of September were 145% ahead of last year and 44% above pre-pandemic levels.For the year to 27 June, the group was severely impacted by lockdown restrictions with late-night bars closed while the Pier was only open for 27...

The collapse over the weekend of package holidays firm Thomas Cook (TCG) dominates market talk in early trade on Monday as the 178-year old business falls into liquidation after emergency funding talks broke down.Shares in the business are immediately suspended at the 3.45p level that they closed on Friday, although investors have effectively been treating the equity as worthless for...

Investors who missed out on Merlin Entertainments' (MERL) 40% share price gain since floating on the stock market in November 2013 could get another chance at glory through leisure and entertainment business Brighton Pier (PIER:AIM). That's if chairman Luke Johnson's claim that it can be a smaller, more nostalgic version of the Alton Towers and Legoland giant proves to be correct.At first...