Blue chip stock prices in London, Paris and Frankfurt were in the green at Wednesday midday, while British pub operator JD Wetherspoon was down a notch as it warned on higher costs amid an incoming increase in national insurance contributions for UK employers.The UK Chancellor is unlikely to be celebrating after public sector net borrowing rose to £17.81 billion in December, far outpacing FXStree

Stocks in London, Paris and Frankfurt were down at midday Monday, as producer price inflation data from the US, to be out Tuesday, was nearing.In disappointing news for Chancellor Rachel Reeves, a survey of UK chief financial officers by consultancy Deloitte found a net 26% felt more pessimistic about their businesses than they did three months ago. However, sentiment is still well above the lows

Q1 return to sales growthTrade and digital businesses shineRob Parker to retireTopps Tiles' (TPT) shares rallied 8% to 40.2p after the tile specialist reported a return to sales growth for the first quarter ended 28 December 2024, buoyed by improved trading in the run-up to Christmas.The kitchen tiles-to-laminate flooring firm also announced that CEO Rob Parker plans to retire after 18 years with

Stocks in London opened lower on Thursday morning following the US Federal Reserve's rate cut yesterday, as investors prepare for the Bank of England's decision this afternoon.The Fed announced another 25 basis point cut as expected, but hinted that that it will be slowing down next year in contrast with its 'jumbo' 50bp cut in September.'The market reaction was very aggressive, of course,' said S

Pubs group JD Wetherspoon's (JDW) value credentials continue to shine through. According to fund manager Anna Farmbrough at Ninety One the company has doubled its average price advantage over competitors to 40% since the pandemic.Farmbrough notes that a few years ago there were three pubs in her local area while today there is just a single Wetherspoons, demonstrating its ability to benefit as con

Stock prices in London closed lower on Monday, as Canal+ shares slumped on their first day of London trading and Entain fell as it faces an Australian investigation.The FTSE 100 index closed down 38.28 points, 0.5%, at 8,262.05. The FTSE 250 ended 76.12 points lower, 0.4%, at 20,813.03, and the AIM All-Share gave back 3.87 points, 0.5%, at 729.49.The Cboe UK 100 ended down 0.5% at 828.87, the Cboe

Shares in Mike Ashley's retail empire Frasers (FRAS) have fallen more than 15% in one month and are down almost 30% year-to-date, with investors worried about the UK consumer outlook and potential distractions from a boardroom battle with Boohoo (BOO:AIM) and overseas acquisitions dragging on the stock.An unexpected profit warning on 5 December, blamed on a Budget-induced dip in consumer confidenc

With US stocks trading close to all-time highs, valuations looking stretched and one of the narrowest markets on record, this could be an opportune moment to consider adding some defensive qualities to your portfolio through capital preservation funds and trusts.These products aim to protect your capital during periods of heightened volatility and equity market drawdowns as well as growing capital

FY25 profit guidance loweredWeak pet retail marketVet business coming on leaps and boundsPets at Home's (PETS) shares plunged 11.5% to a two-year low of 245.5p after the UK pet care leader downgraded profit guidance for the year to March 2025, pinning the blame on 'subdued' conditions in the traditionally resilient pet retail market.The FTSE 250 pet specialist also warned the government's planned

Profit guidance downgradedHospitality markets 'remain subdued'Budget to impact cost baseCeramic products specialist Churchill China (CHH:AIM) has a well-deserved reputation for its cash generation and resilience and for making statesmanlike progress in overseas markets.But shares in the Stoke-on-trent-based outfit slumped 20% to a five-year low of 650p today (20 November) on a warning annual profi

Recent changes to the UK's listing rules should lead to a host of new names joining the FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 indices in the new year, generating more interest in the UK stock market and putting more companies on the radar of investors.This matters to investors whether they own UK stocks directly, have exposure via actively-managed funds or simply track certain parts of the market through an excha

First quarter like-for-like sales up 5.9%Budget plans adds £60 million to costsIndustry primed for further price risesPub group JD Wetherspoon (JDW) continues to perform better than the hospitality industry with 5.9% like-for-like sales growth in the 14 weeks to 2 November, marking 25 consecutive months of outperformance.Investors cheered the news, with the shares gaining 3% to 606.5p, although t

The FTSE 100 made a tepid start to the week on Monday, ending just about in the green and falling below earlier highs, as caution prevailed ahead of the US presidential election.The FTSE 100 index closed up 7.09 points, or 0.1%, at 8,184.24. The FTSE 250 ended down 18.45 points, or 0.1%, at 20,461.29, and the AIM All-Share closed down 3.63 points, 0.5%, at 735.37.The Cboe UK 100 ended up 0.1% at 8

Personal thresholds to rise from 2028Capital gains and carried interest tax to riseEmployers' NI bill to rise significantlyIn terms of lowering expectations among the business community, the Labour party did a good job heading into today's autumn statement by letting slip potentially negative information such as the intention to raise employers' NI (National Insurance) contributions and a hike in

Earnings beat despite sluggish revenuesWealth and investment bank deliverNew buyback and restructuring in focusRounding out the results of the Big Four UK banks, HSBC (HSBA) delivered third-quarter earnings which beat market forecasts and announced it would launch a fresh $3 billion share buyback.After rallying 4% in Hong Kong earlier in the day, the shares had popped 28p or 4% to 720p by mid-morn

Q3 profit plunges 30%Weak refining margins and oil trading weighBuybacks rate maintainedOil major BP (BP.) delivered a better-than-feared drop in profits for the third quarter to September and said it will keep the rate of its share buyback programme unchanged at $1.75 billion (£1.35 billion) over the next three months.Nevertheless, the energy major's shares were marked down 1% to 395p with inves

Stock prices in London opened lower on Tuesday, as the odds of a US Federal Reserve interest rate hold at its next meeting moved higher, while the pound went back above $1.30, despite an unfavourable UK government borrowing reading.The FTSE 100 index traded down 29.08 points, 0.4%, at 8,289.16. The FTSE 250 was down 34.05 points, or 0.2%, at 20,872.55, and the AIM All-Share was down just 0.10 of a

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

London's FTSE 100 was in the red during midday trade on Monday, returning the morning's gains as optimism fuelled by China's interest rate cuts ebbed.There was some sparkle in commodity markets from gold, however. Oil prices also climbed, supporting Shell and BP, which rose 1.1% and 1.9%.The FTSE 100 index went into the afternoon in a tepid fashion, despite the heavyweight oil majors rising. The l

The FTSE 100 started the week on the front foot as an interest rate cut in China boosted share prices of UK-listed miners.The FTSE 100 index traded up 28.35 points, 0.3%, at 8,386.60. The FTSE 250 was up 36.02 points, or 0.2%, at 21,185.60, and the AIM All-Share was up 2.31 points, or 0.3%, at 743.00.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.4% at 839.69, the Cboe UK 250 also rose 0.4% to 18,742.74, and the Cboe S