UK shares were decimated on Friday as panic selling swept the market on Black Friday leaving investors facing an equities sea of red.The benchmark FTSE 100 finished the day 266 points lower, or 3.6% down, at 7,044.03, with the state of mid-caps barely any better. The FTSE 250 lost nearly 750 point, or 3.2% as it closed at 22,573.89.Sharp falls in anything travel or leisure related bore the brunt o

Leading UK shares continue to plunge at lunchtime with panic selling on Black Friday leaving investors facing a stock market sea of red.At 12.30pm, the benchmark FTSE 100 is trading almost 200 points lower, or 2.7%, at 7,133.63, with the state of mid-caps barely any better, the FTSE 250 down more than 2% at 22,779.34.Sharp falls in anything travel or leisure related bore the brunt of the selling a

London's FTSE 100 slumped on Friday morning, led by sharp falls in travel and leisure stocks after the UK re-imposed travel restrictions on several African countries following a potentially more infectious strain of Covid-19.At 08:58 am, the blue chip benchmark was down 200 points, or 2.74%, to 7,110.22 with aero-engineer Rolls-Royce (RR.), British Airways-owner International Consolidated Airlines

Renewable energy funds and investment trusts have rapidly gained in popularity in the last few years as investors look to do good with their money while also making a return on their investment.But it's important to note that for all the talk about the growth in renewable energy and the 'opportunities' available in the sector, the share price returns from trusts and funds with generating assets in

Investment trusts differ from other types of fund as they can trade at a discount or premium to the value of their underlying assets. This can present interesting opportunities, particularly when trusts are trading at larger than usual discounts to net asset value (NAV).To offer insights into some of the trends in this area Shares is going to start regularly tracking movements in trust share price

London's FTSE 100 firmed 18.3 points to 7,311 on Friday as investors latched onto White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow's comment that current US/China negotiations are 'very constructive'.This was enough to drive stock markets up across the UK, mainland Europe and most of Asia. Miners Rio Tinto (RIO), Glencore (GLEN) and Anglo American (AAL) led the charge on the FTSE, supported by gains from

The FTSE 100 opens 17 points lower at 7,369.17, weighed down by weakness among utility and mining stocks.United Utilities (UU.) is the biggest faller among FTSE 100 stocks, down 3.4% to 806.25p. Severn Trent (SVT) drops 2% to £21.01.Media group Sky (SKY) is top riser on the FTSE 100 thanks to reports that two US companies want to buy 21st Century Fox's interest in the business.Reports suggest Com

Fancy doubling your money in a year by investing in an exciting stock? Sounds great, doesn't it? It's harder than you think, but certainly not impossible.Over the past 12 months, robotic process automation specialist Blue Prism (PRSM:AIM) is up by 439%; online musical equipment retailer Gear4Music (GFM:AIM) has increased by 341%; and computer games service group Keywords Studios (KWS:AIM) is tradi

In the best tradition of its founder and executive chairman Tom Cross, Parkmead (PMG:AIM) continues to execute on its buy-and-build strategy in North Sea oil.The shares are up 11% to 54.5p as proved and probable reserves (2P) increase by nearly a fifth to 27 million barrels of oil equivalent through an increase its interest in the Perth and Dolphin fields from 52% to 60.05%.The company has not dis

A buy-and-build effort in a depressed oil industry, underpinned by low-cost gas production, could be a winning formula for Parkmead (PMG:AIM).As we have discussed on a number of occasions Parkmead's founder and executive chairman Tom Cross' plans to replicate the success he enjoyed with Dana Petroleum.For those who aren't aware of the background, Cross established Dana as an M&A-led play in the No

UK oil exploration and production (E&P) outfit Parkmead (PMG:AIM) may not be budging on the publication of its interim results - the shares flat at 62p - but year-to-date the stock is up more than 40% and the company's relative financial strength could underpin founder and executive chairman Tom Cross' plans to replicate the success he enjoyed with Dana Petroleum.For those who aren't aware of the

A new ISA aimed at getting the under-40s to save more, tax on sugary products, a cut in tax for oil and gas firms and a likely increase in insurance premiums are some of the themes relevant to UK investors.We?ve covered the new Lifetime ISA in a separate story, but here are the main stories in terms of key stock movements following the Budget.SOFT DRINK SELLERSChancellor George Osborne unveiled a

Fulcrum has upgrade potentialAt 21.5p gas pipeline engineer Fulcrum Utility Services (FCRM:AIM) should be in line for earnings upgrades after a stellar set of half-year results (1 Dec). Pre-tax profit of £1.6 million suggests the £2.4 million forecast for the full year will have to be hiked. (TS)Tlou Energy's AIM debutBotswana-focused coal bed methane (CBM) firm Tlou Energy (TLOU:AIM) is making

The collapse in the oil price is universally bad news for the oil and gas sector, right? Not quite. For those companies with healthy enough balance sheets to invest in exploration it could work out very nicely. A big reduction in costs makes drilling wells significantly less expensive. A potential recovery in crude down the line could make discoveries particularly lucrative once they are brought o

Latham (James) (LTHM:AIM) 577.5pSheet and hardwood supplier Latham has been consistently profitable for the past 10 years, more than doubling operating profit in the same period. The Hemel Hempstead-based company is expected to grow earnings per share 19% to 39.5p this year.Leaf Clean Energy (LEAF:AIM) 34pRenewable energy investor Leaf Clean is a closed-end fund in run-off. At a meeting in July 20

Having safely navigated the potential hazard of the Scottish independence referendum in September, any hope of respite for North Sea oil and gas companies is proving forlorn as they are rocked by a massive slump in crude oil prices. We see scope for a recovery but also believe there are a number of key issues which need addressing. Our best long-term idea to play a rebound in the UK Continental Sh

Investors on the hunt for value in the bombed-out oil sector could take a look at North Sea-focused Parkmead (PMG:AIM) at 166.1p.The shares have lost nearly a quarter of their value amid the slide in oil prices which has seen the European benchmark Brent dive from summer highs above $115 a barrel to less than $80 a barrel. Parkmead's operational progress was reflected in a maiden full-year pre-tax

Selling pressure continues to drag on UK stocks in early trade Friday, the FTSE 100 opening at its year low 6,431.85. Ongoing concerns over macro growth is still stalking sentiment and the UK's blue-chip index dives another 65 points this morning to hit 6,367, extending the 2014 nadir still further.Oil prices sink to four-year lows the oil and gas sector is under significant pressure. Exploration

The term 'alpha' refers to the gain generated by a fund manager's portfolio over and above that predicted by the capital asset pricing model (CAPM), or in simpler terms its returns relative to a benchmark on a risk-adjusted basis. As it approaches its tenth birthday under the expert guidance of Richard Penny, L&G UK Alpha (GB00B28PT700) continues to deliver what it is supposed to. After seven year

In our search for challenger companies we turn the spotlight on the Oil & Gas industry this week. The majors are auctioning off assets fast with Royal Dutch Shell (RDSB) selling most of its stake in Aussie producer Woodside Petroleum (WPL:ASX) for $5.7 billion on 18 June. And with the incumbents retrenching, the emerging companies in this space are likely to take one of three main routes to crack