Jefferies cuts stocks to 'hold' or 'sell'Analysts see 'recession' in officesMorgan Stanley takes a more positive viewShares in four of the UK's biggest property companies fell after analysts at investment bank Jefferies cut their recommendations on the basis office rents in the capital are headed for recession.British Land (BLND) shares eased 1.9% to 320p, Derwent London (DLN) shares were 1.6%...

Fevertree director snaps up nearly £130,000 sharesUnited Utilities boss Louise Beardmore sells upSafestore director buys just under £100,000 sharesKevin Havelock, non-executive director of posh tonics maker Fevertree (FEVR:AIM) has taken advantage of the recent dip in the share price to buy 10,243 at £12.69 for the total value of £129,984 on 14 September.Earlier on in the week Fevertree...

- Marketing firm has shown robust growth of late- Acquisitions likely to be on the agenda this year- Safestore C-suite pair lock away more stockQuick out of the blocks is how you might describe Tim Dyson, the chief executive of billion-pound marketing and PR firm Next Fifteen Communications (NFC:AIM). Just four months ago shares in the London-based company were trading at 755p, before an end...

If you'd been keeping an eye on news from the UK commercial property market, you might be forgiven for thinking the sector was a complete basket case.Bankrupt retailers have left gaping holes on the high street, while office occupancy has been decimated by the pandemic.Meanwhile many open-ended commercial property funds suspended trading for over a year, with some ultimately shutting their...

Income specialist Murray Income Trust (MUT) delivered a total return in net asset value of 7.2% for the six months to 31 December 2021.Performance was comfortably ahead of the FTSE All-Share return of 6.5% and means the trust is ahead its benchmark over one, three and five years. The shares reacted positively, gaining 1.3% to 833p.The company said it continued to benefit from its enlarged...

The cost of living in the UK rose at its fastest pace since 2008 in November, surging 5.1% and adding to Bank of England pressure to raise interest rates.The Office for National Statistics reported on Wednesday (15 December) that consumer prices increased far faster than analyst predictions of 4.7%, and up from 4.2% in October.The monthly rate of inflation rose 0.7%, compared with a fall of...

London's major stocks opened modestly lower as the inflation genie continues to work its way out of the bottle, although banks defied the gravitational pull.At 9am, the benchmark FTSE 100 was 0.13% down at 7,317.61 after UK inflation rose to its highest in almost a decade. But there was plenty of demand for bank stocks, seen as benefitting from an increasingly likely rise in interest rates,...

As the world economy starts to get back to something approaching normal, and with supply chains struggling to keep pace, inflation has once again reared its head.From the UK to Europe, the US and China, consumer and producer prices are rising at a faster pace than politicians and central bankers would like.For investors, this year has been a test of how their portfolios might perform if there...

The FTSE started the week on the back foot, giving up its morning gains as with few major company announcements or macro-economic events due traders scrabbled around for focus.Despite the lack of big market-moving news, there were healthy gains for several mid- and small-cap firms which raised earnings guidance.In the US, a cyber-attack on a company managing a vital east-coast oil pipeline...

The FTSE was slow out of the gate as the week began with few major company announcements or macro-economic events for traders to focus on.Despite the lack of market-moving news, there were healthy gains for several mid- and small-cap firms which raised earnings guidance.In the US, a cyber-attack on a company managing a vital east-coast oil pipeline boosted crude prices, with Brent futures...

UK stocks inched higher with the week getting off to a slow start and few major company announcements for traders to focus on. That said, there were healthy gains for several mid- and small-cap firms which raised earnings guidance.A cyber-attack on a US oil pipeline company boosted crude prices, with Brent futures moving back towards $69 per barrel, while gold prices looked comfortable around...

UK stocks opened higher on Tuesday thanks to increasing investor confidence that US lawmakers will push through a large stimulus package, while major miners released some positive dividend news.By 8.50 am, the FTSE 100 was up 0.4% at 6,781.8 points, while the FTSE 250 index edged 0.3% higher to 21,474.4 points.CORPORATE NEWSMining titan BHP (BHP) softened 0.3% to £22.21 despite hiking its...

It's been a relatively quiet week in terms of directors buying and selling shares in their respective companies, but there a few deals which have caught the eye.FTSE 250 software company Kainos (KNOS) has continued to have a strong run in recent months after its shares bounced back significantly from the market selloff in March 2020, and it seems senior business development executive Paul...

The FTSE 100 remained in positive territory on Wednesday afternoon as a positive coronavirus vaccine update from US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer lifted markets across Europe and the US.Having started the day in the red, the UK's benchmark index closed 0.31% higher to 6,385.24, mirroring gains seen in other markets with Germany's DAX closing 0.52% higher and the S&P 500 in the US advancing...

The FTSE 100 moved back into positive territory by midday on Wednesday as it emerged the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine is more effective than previously thought.The coronavirus vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech has now been revealed to be 95% effective, and appears to protect 94% of adults over 65 years old. More data released from their ongoing phase three trial suggests it works just as...

UK stocks slipped into reverse in early trading on Wednesday as a stronger pound pressured exporters, while investors mulled higher inflation, the economic impact from surging coronavirus cases and ongoing Brexit negotiations.The benchmark FTSE 100 fell 0.3% in early deals at 6,345.72, while the more domestically focused mid-cap FTSE 250 recovered opening losses to stay roughly flat at...

UK stocks were softer on Thursday on worries that a spike in coronavirus cases in the US and China could presage a second wave of infections.In line with European indices, the FTSE 100 slipped 0.3% to 6,232 points with housebuilders and travel stocks racking up losses while defensive stocks like supermarkets limited the downside.Oil prices were steady with Brent crude futures trading up 0.75%...

Lok'n Store (LOK:AIM) 730pGain to date: 28.7%Original entry price: Buy at 574p, 7 November 2019Self-storage play Lok'n Store (LOK:AIM) is rewarding our faith with the latest trading update for the six months to 31 January 2020 revealing decent momentum in the business (10 Feb).Like-for-like revenue was up 7%, with occupancy also increasing and the price let per square foot unchanged...

As the supermarket Christmas trading reporting season kicked off investors seem pretty relieved by Tuesday's Morrisons' (MRW) update. Buyers sent the stock soaring 3% and to the head of the FTSE 100 leader board at 198.35p on Tuesday, while there was a none too surprising profit warning from luxury car maker Aston Martin Lagonda (AML) to digest.The supermarket chain is the first of the listed...

Luxury brand Burberry (BRBY) shot to the top of the FTSE 100 leader board on Thursday after reporting a rise in half year profit as new collections boosted sales.Shares in the company rallied close to 7% in early trading to £22.02 as the £9bn business delivered an 11% hike in pre-tax profit to £193m for the 26 weeks ended 28 September, although the UK fashion brand said it expected a...