London's FTSE 100 opened largely flat on Tuesday, underperforming continental peers which opened in the green despite a Wall Street sell-off.The housing sector offered some respite in London, following well-received numbers from Persimmon but travel shares fell, with IAG the worst of the lot down 3.7%. Lloyds Banking fell 2.1% as a UK watchdog signalled a possible redress as part of the motor...

Over the last 15 years the electronics and electronic equipment space, home to some of the UK market's highest-quality engineering and capital goods firms, is the best performing sector in the FTSE 350 with an 11.7% compound annual return.The industrial engineering sector is not too far behind with its own annualised return of 9.7%. For comparison, the FTSE All-Share's annualised return over...

- Company sticks with 2022 guidance- Seeing strong order intake- Expects to start 2023 with record order bookEngineering outfit Rotork (ROR) was in demand as it pointed to successful management initiatives driving a strong recovery in revenue in recent months.Headquartered in Bath, the company makes flow control solutions for a variety of industries including oil and gas, water and wastewater...

Austria imposing a full lockdown and Germany possibly following suit is not what the markets want to hear. Despite the ongoing rollout of Covid vaccinations, this pandemic is still raging on, and with it comes more disruption to consumers, businesses and the flow of goods.We've just seen what happens when companies trading on high earnings multiples disappoint the market - their share prices...

The FTSE 100 slipped lower on Thursday, as miners declined and investors digested news Royal Dutch Shell (RDSB) could be hit with an exit tax in the Netherlands ahead of its move to relocating its headquarters to the UK.Early on, the blue chip benchmark traded 0.22% lower at 7,275.32 points, not helped by rising inflation as this raised the likelihood of a pre-Christmas rate rise, thereby...

UK stocks edged lower into the close on Wednesday as investors awaited clues to the speed of a possible US rate rise from the publication of the latest meeting notes from the Federal Reserve.At 4.45pm, the benchmark FTSE 100 index was down 12 points or less than 0.2% at 7,169, with losses for miners offsetting gains for house builders after more strong data on home prices.COMPANY NEWSPersimmon...

UK stocks edged higher in early trading on Wednesday as any optimism generated by another batch of positive earnings updates was offset by concerns about the spreading Delta coronavirus variant.At 08.15am, the benchmark FTSE 100 index was up 4.28 points, or less than 0.1%, at 7,185.39.The modest rise came after the release of inflation data, with the UK's consumer price index up 2.0% in July,...

UK stocks eked out small gains despite a pause in the commodity rally, with financial and house building stocks making headway while energy and mining stocks took a back seat after recent gains.At 9.15am the FTSE 100 index was up just 6 points or 0.1% to 6,595 points while the FTSE 250 mid-cap index gained 58 points or 0.3% to 21,280.Sterling recovered from overnight selling to trade at $1.389...

UK stocks continued their advance on Wednesday on the back of a swathe of positive news and upgraded guidance and encouraged by the Dow Jones index in the US hitting a record 30,000 points.At 8.45am the FTSE 100 index was up a further 24 points or 0.4% to 6,456 led by gains in industrial and utility stocks.Aerospace and auto parts maker Melrose (MRO) was the biggest climber on the FTSE,...

After swinging between gains and losses throughout the day, UK stocks finished virtually unchanged on Tuesday as pleasing updates from BP (BP.), Melrose (MRO) and Direct Line (DLG) were offset by a profit slump at Diageo (DGE).At 4.35pm the benchmark FTSE 100 index was down 5 points or 0.08% at 6,028, just about holding above the 6,000 level.WINNERSBP was the biggest points contributor, rising...

After a weak opening, UK stocks turned higher on Tuesday as investors responded positively to updates from BP (BP.) and Direct Line (DLG), offsetting disappointment at a profit slump at Diageo (DGE).At midday the benchmark FTSE 100 index was up 19 points or 0.3% to 6,052, consolidating yesterday's move back above the 6,000 level.WINNERSBP was the biggest gainer and leading points contributor,...

UK stocks opened moderately lower on Tuesday amid a mixed bag of earnings updates that included market-pleasing numbers from BP (BP.) and Direct Line (DLG) that were offset by a profit slump at Diageo (DGE). At 8.30, the FTSE 100 was off 0.24% at 6,018.15.Oil major BP rallied 5.6% to 296.8p, despite cutting the dividend for the first time in a decade, after reporting a record $6.7 billion...

UK shares made gains in early trade on Tuesday as stable oil prices, on track GDP and positive factory data out of China were encouraging even though the blue-chip FTSE 100 was set for its worst quarter since 1987.The UK's GDP rose 1.1% in the quarter to March, bang on target with forecasts.China's manufacturing purchasing managers index jumped to 52.0 in March, up from 35.7 in February.The...

After a strong recovery overnight in US markets, with the S&P500 gaining 4.6% and the Dow Jones index gaining 5%, European markets posted increases of 2% or more in early trading on Tuesday.The FTSE 100 rallied 1% to 6,728 with every sector registering gains although notably defensive areas such as Tobacco and Utilities were still among the best performers suggesting investors are hedging...

In a sign of where markets are heading, the FTSE 100 opened below the 7,200 mark as investors worry over a big escalation in the US/China trade war.For the first time since 1994, the United States has officially called China out as a currency manipulator. In response, China has accused the US of 'deliberately destroying international order'.Investors around the world are clearly spooked. Asian...

The FTSE 100 starts Friday in a subdued state amid mixed corporate news and ahead of the release of US GDP data later. In early trading the index is down 23.68 points at 7,410.45.Lender Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) slumps 4.5% as it books a fall in first-quarter profit and delivers a soft warning on its annual guidance, a day after announcing chief executive Ross McEwan was leaving.Food...

Engineering firm Rotork (ROR) sinks 8.4% to 271.3p as it warns revenue growth will slow in 2019 (after a strong showing in 2018) thanks to macroeconomic uncertainty.The Bath-headquartered company designs and makes industrial flow control equipment. Because they share a West Country base and a reputation as quality operators in the metal bashing space, Rotork is often paired with Spirax-Sarco...

Markets start the week on a positive note on signs that the US and China are close to agreeing a tariff deal which could put an end to the trade war.Asian stocks climb with China's Shanghai Composite and Japan Nikkei index both gaining 1% while oil prices also gain ground and the US Dollar slips.In the UK the FTSE 100 index gains 0.3% to 7,127 points with most sectors trading higher bar...

We think the generous and growing income on offer from Murray Income Trust (MUT) coupled with its focus on quality companies at an attractive price will prove a winner with investors.The investment trust offers a dividend yield of 4.3% and has grown its dividend in every one of the last 45 years. Like all closed-end funds, Murray can hold back cash to act as a buffer if its underlying...

UK stocks give up yesterday's gains with the FTSE 100 down 47 points or 0.7% to 7,003 as Engineering, Mining, Oil Services and Utilities stocks weigh on the market.The Centrica (CNA) trading update reads well with cash-flow in line, the dividend maintained and cost savings above the £200m target set out at the half year stage.However tucked away at the end is a note that changes to the new...