FTSE 100 down more than 3% at 7,763.65Defensive and utilities stocks hold steadyEntain and Taylor Wimpey 'winners'UK housebuilder Taylor Wimpey (TW.) and gambling firm Entain (ENT) bucked the trend by falling less than the blue-chip FTSE 100 index.Taylor Wimpey and other housebuilders were perhaps anticipating the possibility of the Bank of England cutting interest rates this year as...

European equities traded higher on Wednesday morning, as stocks in London shrugged off a hotter-than-forecast UK inflation reading for now.Sage shone on the FTSE 100, while Severn Trent also impressed.The FTSE 100 index climbed 23.61 points, 0.3%, at 8,122.63. The FTSE 250 edged up 22.23 points, 0.1%, at 20,449.85, and the AIM All-Share was up 2.56 points, 0.4%, at 726.79.The Cboe UK 100 was...

European equities were on the decline early Friday, with water utilities hurting the FTSE 100, but NatWest limiting the damage.The FTSE 100 index traded down 6.76 points, 0.1%, at 8,262.62. The FTSE 250 was down 22.47 points, 0.1%, at 20,768.08, and the AIM All-Share was up just 0.12 of a point at 725.81.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.1% at 827.45, the Cboe UK 250 was down 0.3% at 18,324.35, and...

Shares have been out of favourOfwat ruling seen as positiveThames Water in special measuresHaving lagged the market all this year, water utilities were the star turn following an announcement from the regulator Ofwat that the firms could raise their bills over the next five years.In the FTSE 100, Severn Trent (SVT) gained 66p or 2.5% to £26.85 and United Utilities (UU.) added 25p or 2.3% to...

Stock prices in London were mixed on Thursday morning while water companies enjoyed a boost from Ofwat announcing an increase in water prices for customers in England and Wales.The FTSE 100 index opened up 13.36 points, 0.2%, at 8,206.87. The FTSE 250 was down just 0.88 of a point at 20,926.88, and the AIM All-Share was up 3.30 points, 0.4%, at 776.15.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.3% at 818.38, the...

£7 billion rights issueInvestment to double2023 earnings lowerMultinational electricity and gas provider National Grid (NG.) surprised the market with the launch of a £7 billion fund-raise to finance investments in its network to the end of the decade.The shares, which had enjoyed a strong run from the £10 level in April up to £11.40 last week, went into reverse falling 103p or 9% to...

Stocks in London were up on Thursday midday, with JD Sports shares in the FTSE 100 jumping as it outlined its financial 2025 profit forecast, while water utilities struggled.The FTSE 100 index was up 20.39 points, 0.3%, at 7,952.37. The FTSE 250 was up 52.23 points, 0.3%, at 19,862.89, and the AIM All-Share was up 1.29 points, 0.2%, at 743.40.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.2% at 794.61, the Cboe UK...

London?s FTSE 100 opened in the green on Wednesday as UK consumer price inflation came in tamer than expected for January, giving equity market investors something to cheer about after a hotter than forecast US reading on Tuesday.The FTSE 100 index opened 37.64 points higher, 0.5%, at 7,549.92. London?s flagship index is down around 2.3% so far this year, however.The FTSE 250 was up 74.47...

For the second part of our annual survey, we asked fund managers if they had changed their view on any stocks this year, for better or for worse, and what lay behind their decisions.As with the winners and losers survey last week, the answers were often frank and once again we would like to thank everyone who took part.Thomas Moore - Aberdeen Equity Income Trust (AEI)THE STOCK THAT I CHANGED...

Costain (COST)Price: 64.8p. Gain to date: 18.7%Original BUY @ 54.58p on 31 August 2023When we recommended buying shares in infrastructure and engineering group Costain (COST) we flagged its superior revenue and earnings visibility, thanks to the size of its order book and the security of its customers, which tend to be county councils and major utilities.We also suggested the firm's lowly...

Severn Trent CEO Olivia Garfield sells over £800,000 sharesQinetiq CEO cashes in on positive trading updateAO World CFO sells over £100,000 share due to schemeQINETIQ CEO BANKS COOL MILLION Stephen Wadey, CEO of UK defence technology company Qinetiq Group (QQ.) has sold 300,000 shares in aggregate for a total value of £1.036 million.The sale comes not long after the company's first quarter...

Stocks in Europe started lower on Thursday, with the FTSE 100 falling for a fourth consecutive day following hawkish Federal Reserve Minutes.The FTSE 100 index opened down 57.06 points, 0.8%, at 7,385.04. The FTSE 250 was down 118.41 points, 0.8%, at 18,274.92, and the AIM All-Share was down 5.01 points, 0.7%, at 747.36.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.8% at 736.54, the Cboe UK 250 was down 0.6% at...

The potential collapse of Thames Water and a mooted move into public ownership amid spiralling debts has put the spotlight on the contingent of water utility firms on the UK stock market.Saddled with their own significant borrowings and with investment required to fix the UK's ageing water infrastructure, questions are being asked about their ability to continue to pay generous dividends to...

- Dividends to be linked to performance and resilience- Regulatory powers to take action- Better transparency of credit rating changesThe UK's water regulator Ofwat (Office of Water Services) announced new powers on Monday to prevent companies paying dividends if it risked their financial resilience and to take enforcement against water companies which don't link dividend payments to...

Seasoned investors should be familiar with Alfred Rappaport's view that 'profits are an opinion, cash is fact', yet a great deal of company analysis still relies on traditional measures of profits such as EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation) and EPS (earnings per share).Rappaport argued that since bond holders valued their investments by discounting back future...

It's time to sell shares in FTSE 100 oil producer Shell (SHEL), according to Henderson Opportunities Trust (HOT) manager James Henderson.The trust will slowly reduce its position and recycle the proceeds into unloved AIM shares.Sentiment has shifted for AIM stocks. Two years ago, a wave of retail money bid them up but now many of these investors have bailed out, and few institutional investors...

- Private equity investor proposes 445p per share- M&A interest in waste management and recycling growing- Tax issue could prompt investors to accept offerWaste management and recycling group Biffa (BIFF) revealed it had recently received 'a series of unsolicited and indicative proposals' from affiliates of private equity firm Energy Capital Partners (ECP) resulting in a possible cash offer of...

The utilities sector has historically attracted investors for its defensive and reliable revenue streams which in turn funded a decent level of dividend income.More recently, several connected factors have shaken up this industry. These include a transition away from fossil fuels into renewables in the face of a climate emergency, greater appetite for investments in ESG (environmental, social...

Every chief executive talks about creating shareholder value, but which ones walk the walk?While the investment trust industry can count on 27 managers with at least 20 years under their belt at the same firm, there are very few FTSE 100 chief executives with that kind of track record.The most obvious is Simon Wolfson (pictured), who has headed Leicestershire-based high street retailer Next...

A significant number of FTSE 100 companies could face shareholder rebellion over the coming weeks as investors increasingly put pressure on boards over key issues.There is a long list of topics which could dominate this year's annual shareholder meeting season, which gets into full swing at the end of April.These include environmental policy and climate change action, boardroom and workforce...