Paramount shares gain Initial talks in June failedCommittee considering new dealShares in Paramount Global (PARA:NASDAQ) gained 7% yesterday and added a further 3% to $19.32 in after-hours trading after the US media firm said it had resumed merger talks with Californian-based TV and film production company Skydance Media.In June, talks between the two were called off after both parties failed to r

Q3 like-for-likes down 9.7%But signs of sales stabilisation'Significant' online gainsTopps Tiles' (TPT) shares slid 4.2% to a 52-week low of 39p after the UK's leading tile specialist reported a 9.7% plunge in third quarter like-for-like sales as 'challenging' market conditions persisted.The share price reaction might have been harsher had Topps not stressed that sales stabilised through the quart

Full year forecast cut againPoor weather affected tradingShipping costs have surgedIt is perhaps not surprising that footwear retailer Shoe Zone (SHOE:AIM) lowered its full-year profit forecast amid increasing shipping disruption in the Suez Canal, which has led to 'significantly' higher container prices over the last six months.Investors were already braced for such news after the company referen

Some end of quarter nerves meant the FTSE 100 returned solid gains by the closing bell on Friday, despite a cooler US inflation reading spurring on stocks in New York.The FTSE 100 index ended 15.56 points lower, 0.2%, at 8,164.12. The FTSE 250 fell 45.77 points, 0.2%, at 20,286.03, while the AIM All-Share fell just 0.09 to 764.38.For the week, the FTSE 100 lost 0.9%, the FTSE 250 fell 0.8% and the

Blue chips were in demand at midday on Friday, ahead of a US inflation print later in the session, which is expected to show a softening of the core personal consumption expenditures inflation gauge.The FTSE 100 index traded 46.01 points higher, 0.6%, at 8,225.69. The FTSE 250 rose 50.55 points, 0.3%, at 20,382.352, while the AIM All-Share climbed 1.52 points, 0.2%, at 765.99.The Cboe UK 100 rose

Aviva director buys £484,000 sharesBalfour Beatty CEO buys £129,696 sharesCakebox CEO Sukh Chamdal ups stakeT Neil Morrison, non-executive director at life insurer Aviva (AV.) has bought 100,000 shares at 484p for a total value of £484,000 on 25 June.Over the past year Aviva shares have gained 23%.Morrison's move comes after the life insurer reported a strong set of results for the first quarte

Q4 revenue shy of expectationsFull year 2025 outlook loweredNorth America and digital sales disappointNike (NKE:NYSE) continues to look flat footed after warning investors to expect its slowest sales growth since 2010, barring the pandemic. Out of hours trading data shows the stock plunging nearly 14% to around $80, not half 2021's near-$180 dollar peaks. It may be the world's biggest sportswear c

London's FTSE 100 made a decent start to the final trading day of the quarter, and cooler-than-expected US data could offer it impetus for further gains.The blue-chip benchmark in Paris struggled, however, as pre-election nerves kicked in.The US data is released at 1330 BST. The core personal consumption expenditures inflation gauge is expected to have faded to 2.6% in May, from 2.8% in April, acc

If, like many people, you have moved jobs over the years and accumulated two or more occupational pensions, now is a good time to think about bringing them all under one roof.As well as allowing you to work out how much is in your pension pots and where they are invested, by consolidating them into a single pot you can manage them more easily.In this article we'll show you how to go about this pro

For all of its current challenges, China's economy is still the second largest in the world, trailing that of only America. According to data from the International Monetary Fund, Chinese GDP had from $1.2 trillion in 2000 to almost $18 trillion in 2023 (and thus as big as Germany, Japan, India, the UK and Brazil combined). That is a compound annual growth rate of 12.4%.Yet for all of this phenome

I am planning on finishing work in a few months' time and want to take my tax-free cash from my pension pot. I understand the rest of my pot will remain invested. However, I have been reading up on this and how to manage the investment.A couple of sources have mentioned 'pound cost ravaging'. What is this and how can I guard against it?DanRachel Vahey, AJ Bell Head of Public Policy, says:Pension s

Rockwood Strategic (RKW) 267.5pGain to date: 42.7%We highlighted the investment merits of Rockwood Strategic (RKW) at 187.5p in November 2023, arguing the value-focused trust was a way to gain differentiated exposure to a small cap asset class with exciting re-rating scope. We explained how manager Richard Staveley's tried-and-tested strategy identifies undervalued stocks where the company will b

European equities opened higher on Wednesday, after US tech shares, including chipmaker and artificial intelligence titan Nvidia, returned to form overnight.In London, investors had a host of corporate updates to sink into, including bullish earnings from pandemic winners AO World and ProCook. A merger agreement between Witan Investment Trust and Alliance Trust also grabbed some of the spotlight.T

Travel and cruise booking aheadInsurance improving despite tough marketOn track to meet full year targetsOver 50s travel and insurance specialist Saga (SAGA) had a bounce in its step on Tuesday after revealing a good start to its new financial year, putting the business on track to meet full-year expectations.Investors welcomed the trading update for the four months to 24 June ahead of the firm's

Stocks in Europe took a hit on Tuesday around midday, as election nerves in the UK and France heat up.Amongst individual stocks, Rolls-Royce and Melrose took a hit following a forecast warning for Airbus.The FTSE 100 index traded 15.07 points lower, 0.2%, at 8,266.48. It has risen some 3.9% so far in the second-quarter of the year.The FTSE 250 was down 130.67 points, 0.6%, at 20,431.90, though the

European stocks struggled early Tuesday, though the FTSE 100 managed a slight gain, with the mood in markets uncertain after US tech shares were sold off overnight.The FTSE 100 index traded 5.88 points higher, 0.1%, at 8,287.43. The FTSE 250 was down 57.93 points, 0.2%, at 20,504.64, though the AIM All-Share fell 0.72 of a point, 0.1%, at 771.14.The Cboe UK 100 fell 0.1% to 824.77, the Cboe UK 250

Full year revenue to be at upper end of expectationsProfit guidance reiteratedShare buybacks continueInternational events group Informa (INF) said strong operational performances across all its businesses in the first five months of the year mean it is on track to deliver full year results at the upper end of market expectations.The shares ticked up 0.6% to a new 12-month high of 872p in early tra

Stock prices in London were in the green on Friday morning, making tentative gains despite blue-chip equities in mainland Europe starting the day slowly.The FTSE 100 index traded 8.57 points higher, 0.1%, at 8,281.03. The FTSE 250 was up 22.01 points, 0.1%, at 20,520.73, though the AIM All-Share added 1.85 points, 0.2%, at 774.23.The Cboe UK 100 rose 0.1% to 823.76, the Cboe UK 250 added 0.2% at 1

Stock prices in London closed mostly higher on Thursday a day after inflation cooled to the Bank of England's target, with European markets also rising.The FTSE 100 index closed up 67.35 points, 0.8%, at 8,272.46. The FTSE 250 ended up 117.67 points, 0.6%, at 20,498.72, and the AIM All-Share closed down 5.12 points, 0.7%, at 772.38.The Cboe UK 100 ended up 0.8% at 822.72, the Cboe UK 250 closed up

£1.4 billion CP Kelco takeover agreed'Significant' synergies expected£215 million share buyback beginsGlobal ingredients group Tate & Lyle (TATE) has agreed to buy US-based 'mouthfeel' specialist CP Kelco from Huber for $1.8 billion (£1.4 billion) with the food producer hungry to accelerate growth in its specialty food and beverage business.The cash and shares transaction should sweeten Tate &