Shares in Blackpool-based specialty chemical-maker Victrex (VCT) touched 10-year lows last week after the firm said trading in its markets remained tough and it would take a sustained upturn in its medical division to meet its annual profit target.The FTSE 250 supplier of high-performance polymers has been facing de-stocking by its medical customers along with lower utilisation rates at its...

Hilton Food CEO offloads £129,110 worth of stockGreencore director buys 30,000 sharesVictrex CEO invests £37,873Robert Watson, chairman of retail meat packing outfit Hilton Food Group (HFG) sold 14,747 shares at 876p in a trade with a total value of £129,110 on 6 June.Watson joined the group as CEO back in 2002, over the past year Hilton's shares have gained 28%.There could be a spot of...

Balfour Beatty CEO sells sharesCarr's director snaps up stockVictrex CFO buys after first-half resultsLeo Quinn, chief executive of construction group Balfour Beatty (BBY), sold 189,921 shares at 384p for a total value of £730,423 on 16 May.Quinn's move could be seen as 'cashing in' on good news after Balfour Beatty shares have gained over 9% year-to-date. The FTSE 250 company recently said...

High-performance polymer-maker Victrex (VCT) delivered a downbeat assessment of the outlook for the current financial year last week citing weakness in demand in several end-markets.The update caused the shares to fall almost 15% to a new multi-year low of £11.52 before clawing their way back gradually to the £13.40 level.In December, the firm warned it was seeing a slow start to the year,...

Shares down 15% year-to-dateIssues revised guidance of £80-85 millionPlastics firm blames weak industrial volumesShares in plastics firm Victrex (VCT) fell over 10% to £13.71 in early trading as the company issued a profit warning via an unscheduled trading update, but recovered somewhat to trade 4% lower.Its shares have fallen over 15% year-to-date (YTD).Victrex said it is now likely to see...

Equity markets were trading more confidently early Wednesday in Europe, amid growing confidence that the US central bank will pause its current cycle of interest rate hikes.Data showing renewed growth in UK economy and a promise of higher returns by key dividend payer Shell were contributing to the positive mood in London.The FTSE 100 index opened up 10.82 points, or 0.1%, at 7,605.60. The...

Retiring as a millionaire has been the dream of many people for years. In the fanciful world of 'what if' chats over a pint, it didn't matter how you did it, the endgame is what mattered, not the journey. Buying that Ferrari, taking luxurious cruises around the Caribbean, or owning that stately pile in the country was the dream of millions of us, and we played the pools or bought National...

The US dollar is trading at 20-year highs against a basket of major currencies. It has benefited from the twin tailwinds of big interest rate hikes from the US Federal Reserves and recession fears.When rates are rising faster in the US than in other parts of the world, the higher returns on offer attract more money into the US currency. In addition, the dollar is considered a safe haven...

Aerospace, hospitality and oil stocks are driving early progress for UK stocks as Omicron concerns subside, with the benchmark FTSE 100 0.73% at 7,174.48 at 9am. Oil majors BP (BP.) and Royal Dutch Shell (RDSB) added more than 1% each as crude prices jumped more than 2% after Saudi Arabia raised its crude prices.Heavyweight AstraZeneca (AZN) climbed 0.6% to £82.39 after a report quoted the...

UK stocks opened the week on the back foot amid rising fears of slowing global growth and persistent inflationary pressures, leading to stagflation.Spiraling natural gas prices have led to a spike in electricity prices, causing smaller suppliers to struggle while some fertiliser plants have curtailed production after they became uneconomic to operate.Shares in Hong Kong were 3% lower as the...

Following on from our introduction to technical analysis for beginners, this article looks at moving averages, describing why and how they can be used along with some basic strategies.Contrary to popular perceptions even fundamentally driven fund managers will often use charts to quickly get a picture of price trends of stocks in their portfolio, focusing on those which look particularly weak...

Constituents of the UK chemicals sector span both a wide range of market capitalisations and end markets.These include aerospace, automotive, coatings, semiconductors, sports and leisure and the global flavour and fragrance industries. The largest company in the UK chemicals sector, Croda (CRDA) has a market capitalization of £12.6 billion, this contrasts with AIM-quoted Biome Technologies...

UK stocks got off to a positive start on Friday despite GDP data for May coming in below expectations.Data from the office of national statistics showed the economy grew 0.8% year-on-year in May, slower than the 2% recorded in April.Construction and manufacturing output contracted slightly indicating the economic recovery may be losing some steam. Despite this, the pound remained stable...

UK stocks got off to a positive start on Friday despite GDP data for May coming in below expectations.Data from the office of national statistics showed the economy grew 0.8% year-on-year in May, slower than the 2% recorded in April.Construction and manufacturing output contracted slightly indicating the economic recovery may be losing some steam. Despite this, the pound remained stable...

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 jumped in afternoon trading on Friday after it emerged that coronavirus cases across the country are falling at the fastest pace in months.The UK's R value has dropped below 1 for the first time since July, and the Government has confirmed it will issue its roadmap out of lockdown on 22 February.The UK's benchmark FTSE 100 index gained 0.94% to 6,589.79, while the midcap FTSE 250...

Blue chip UK stocks edged higher by lunchtime on Friday despite the UK economy shrinking by the highest amount on record with a 9.9% slump in 2020, as gross domestic product (GDP) numbers beat expectations.According to analysts at Saxo Bank, GDP quarter-on-quarter beat expectations at 1% vs 0.5% surveyed, whilst GDP year-on-year highlighted that the UK economy contracted less than expected at...

UK stocks were weak in opening trading on Friday as the mood of investors took a cautious turn at the end of a week marked by a general lack of direction.Domestic-facing stocks came under particular pressure after the UK suffered its worst GDP slump in 300 years, according to some reports, shrinking a record 9.9% as coronavirus restrictions hit output, the Office for National Statistics (ONS)...