London's FTSE 100 rounded off a strong week with another gain, with hope on the tariff front and a stronger-than-forecast US jobs report boosting investor morale. The FTSE 100 index ended up 99.55 points, 1.2%, at 8,596.35. The FTSE 250 rose 105.54 points, 0.5%, at 20,240.51, and the AIM All-Share climbed 7.77 points, 1.1%, at 707.75. For the week, the FTSE 100 added 2.2%, the 250s rose 3.2%...

Q1 earnings top forecasts 14 quarters of at least $3 billion in buybacks But net debt ticks higher Shell (SHEL) and BP (BP.) are both finding life difficult at the moment due to slumping commodity prices, a weak outlook for oil markets and the uncertainties stoked by the US Administration's trade tariffs. Shares in the former bounced 3.5% to £25.15 in early dealings on 2 May after the energy...

Together, BP (BP.) and Shell (SHEL) accounted for more than 10% of the FTSE 100 index at the end of the first quarter, meaning their fortunes matter to anyone with exposure to the UK market through a tracker fund. Both firms are finding life difficult thanks to slumping commodity prices, although BP gave investors a rare bit of good news on 14 April as it unveiled a major oil discovery at its...

Bad weather in Australia hits LNG Oil and gas prices under pressureShell failing to fire on all cylindersThe impact of Donald Trump's new tariffs on energy prices and a cut to LNG (liquefied natural gas) volumes and natural gas production guidance conspired to send shares in Shell (SHEL) sharply lower on 7 April.The FTSE 100 energy giant pinned the blame for the LNG output downgrade on the...

Helge Lund to step downSuccession process underwayCEO Auchincloss feeling the heatBP (BP.) shares cheapened 2.9% to 389p in early dealings after the oil major said chair Helge Lund will step down 'in due course', news that arrived just weeks after the FTSE 100 group announced a pivot away from green energy.London-headquartered BP has kick-started a succession process to select a new chair to...

Stocks in London closed higher on Tuesday, boosted by stronger American markets while higher metal prices pushed up Anglo American and Antofagsta.The FTSE 100 index closed up 25.79 points, 0.3%, at 8,663.80. The FTSE 250 rose 58.78 points, 0.3%, at 19,981.21, and the AIM All-Share climbed 4.32 points, 0.6%, at 693.44.The Cboe UK 100 ended up 0.2% at 866.14, the Cboe UK 250 closed 0.3% higher...

Cost-cutting target raisedInvestment spend trimmedBigger buybacks and dividendsEnergy giant Shell (SHEL) released a statement ahead of today's Capital Markets Day outlining how it intended to 'strengthen its commitment to value creation' while maintaining a focus on performance, discipline and simplification.Investors liked what they read, sending the shares up 50p or 1.8% to a new six-month...

Blue chip stock prices in London and Paris opened higher on Tuesday, as investors await US house price index data.The FTSE 100 index opened up 24.40 points, 0.3%, at 8,664.22. The FTSE 250 improved 69.80 points, 0.4%, at 19,992.23, and the AIM All-Share was 3.98 points higher, 0.6%, at 693.00.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.4% at 867.61, the Cboe UK 250 was 0.2% higher at 17,437.22, and the Cboe...

Part of being a successful leader of a public company is managing expectations ? setting achievable targets which you can tick off and, by doing so, build credibility with the market.The under-pressure boss of oil and gas outfit BP (BP.) Murray Auchincloss will have been aware he needed to make a splash during a big strategy event on 26 February but telling the Financial Times he wants to get...

It already felt like a day of destiny, postponed so chief executive Murray Auchincloss could undergo an undisclosed medical procedure, but the stakes have been raised ahead of BP's (BP.) strategy day on 26 February.News US activist investor Elliott has joined the share register has got the share price moving in the right direction for the first time in a while, but has also ratcheted up the...

Auchincloss under pressureHedge fund expected to push for changeBoardroom shake-up, asset sales a possibilityBP (BP.) shares rallied 6% to a six-month high of 458.4p on reports feared activist Elliott Investment Management has built a stake in the oil major, which has underperformed rivals Shell (SHEL) and TotalEnergies (TTE:EPA) over the past five years.The US hedge fund's intervention stoked...

London stocks climbed on Thursday, with the FTSE 100 reaching a new high, driven by strong performances from gold miners and upbeat corporate earnings, while investors also assessed weak economic data from the US and eurozone.The FTSE 100 index ended up 89.07 points, 1.0%, at 8,646.88. It had earlier set a new intra-day high of 8,655.19.The FTSE 250 ended up 245.37 points, 1.2%, at 20,802.07,...

The market is alive with chatter about a mega-merger in the mining space after the revelation of a failed coupling between Rio Tinto (RIO) and Glencore (GLEN). That's understandable for several reasons, but recent history shows flirtations between corporate giants often go unconsummated.Having covered the oil and gas sector for nearly 20 years, I have seen the topic of a combination...

In just the first 20 days of 2025 the FTSE 100 index of blue-chip stocks has equaled its gains for the entirety of 2024, in the process closing at an all-time high of 8,505 points on 17 January.A better-than-expected inflation report for December together with weaker-than-expected retail sales for the same month appeared to open the door to faster Bank of England rate cuts, pushing the index...

Oil prices have hit a six-month high amid cold weather and new US sanctions on Russian sales of crude.This is not entirely bad news for the FTSE 100 given the heavy weighting of oil giants BP (BP.) and Shell (SHEL) in the index, but not for nothing is oil known as a tax on economic growth.Higher prices are likely to feed into higher inflation, which will only reinforce assumptions about...

London's blue chip index opened in the red on Friday morning, following a healthy start to the new year, after stocks in New York declined on Thursday.The FTSE 100 index opened down 5.86 points, 0.1%, at 8,254.23. The FTSE 250 was down 51.56 points, 0.3%, at 20,588.67, and the AIM All-Share was down just 0.01 of a point at 723.69.The Cboe UK 100 was flat at 827.68, the Cboe UK 250 was 0.1%...

Blue-chips in London traded in the green around midday on Thursday, as the escalating conflict in Ukraine pushed oil and gold prices higher.The FTSE 100 index added 25.97 points, 0.3%, at 8,111.04. The FTSE 250 lost 45.77 points, 0.2%, at 20,198.99, and the AIM All-Share rose 2.00 points, 0.3%, at 724.34.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.3% at 815.30, the Cboe UK 250 was down 0.2% at 17,701.10, and the...

Results exceed gloomy estimatesSignificant drop in net debtFresh $3.5 billion buybackShares in Shell (SHEL) ticked up 1% to £25.15 after the energy giant delivered better-than-expected third-quarter results as headwinds from lower oil prices and weaker refining margins were partially offset by higher gas sales.There was also relief as the oil major reported a quarter-on-quarter decrease in...

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...

Both the tobacco and oil and gas industries face a similar quandary right now - they are generating lots of cash from activities which many perceive as being unethical and damaging, but their transitions into other areas are currently not offering anywhere near the same levels of return. This matters to anyone who has meaningful exposure to the UK market in their portfolio, say through a FTSE...