Stocks in London were higher on Friday, as the market eagerly awaited a critical US inflation print.The FTSE 100 index was up 27.47 points, or 0.3%, at 8,407.11. The FTSE 250 was up 59.36 points, or 0.3%, at 21,090.44, and the AIM All-Share was virtually unchanged at 772.41.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.3% at 840.52, the Cboe UK 250 was up 0.2% at 18,563.70, and the Cboe Small Companies was down 0.1% a

Total revenue for six months £13.4 billionPre-tax profit for six months £5.3 billionShares up 3% year-to-dateBritish American Tobacco (BATS) said it was on track to deliver full year 2024 guidance of low-single digit revenue and profit growth with a second half weighting, which disappointed investors.The company highlighted a challenging macro environment in the US and 'stretched' consumers with

The American financial markets writer and publisher Jim Grant once observed that: 'Successful investing is having everyone agree with you ?. Later.' This makes perfect sense, as it distils the concept of going against the crowd to buy cheaply and then sell expensively to lock in the gain and the initial thesis is now the consensus view and thus reflected in the valuation.However, this column does

£27.3 billion non-cash impairment chargeGlobal settlement with rival Philip Morris Strong performance from new categories Investors in British American Tobacco (BATS) ?rewarded? the global tobacco giant this morning despite it reporting a loss from operations of £15.75 billion for the year ending 31 December after incurring a £27.3 billion non-cash impairment charge mainly related to its US com

Even today?s market giants started out small. Microsoft (MSFT:NASDAQ) may now be the world?s largest company with a $3 trillion valuation which rivals the GDP of some major global economies but it began life as a start-up founded by Harvard College drop-out Bill Gates and his childhood friend Paul Allen. Few then would have predicted its global domination today.While we are not expecting the names

Shares fall on full-year warningSlower demand and mild weather to blameNew contract win benefits to come later than expectedShares Speedy Hire (SDY) sank 17% to 29.9p after the tool and equipment hire company said full year profit to the end of March would be below prior expectations.Today?s fall is the biggest since 22 November after the company reported a 58% drop in first half profit but foreca

On 11 December 2023, a teeny company on the UK stock market saw a sudden surge in interest.Shares in Yorkshire-based EV (electric vehicle) technology firm DG Innovate (DGI:AIM) almost tripled as three former senior Tesla (TSLA:NASDAQ) executives joined the board.Taking over as chief executive is the magnificently-named Peter Bardenfleth-Hansen, joined by Christian Eidem and Jochen Rudat as executi

Shares in British American Tobacco (BATS) took a proper pounding after the firm lowered its full year 2023 sales outlook and said it would incur an impairment charge of around £25 billion.Newly-appointed chief executive Tadeu Marroco explained the charge was due to 'the current macro-economic headwinds impacting the US combustibles industry' and a reassessment of some of its US cigarette brands w

Stocks in London climbed on Wednesday afternoon, buoyed by softer US employment data which strengthened the case for the Federal Reserve to move interest rates lower soon enough.Investors are increasingly pricing in a similarly dovish outlook for the European Central Bank, hurting the pound but lifting stocks in mainland Europe.?The rate cut narrative continues to gather pace, leading to a fresh b

Stock prices in London opened mixed on Monday morning, making few moves in anticipation of UK fiscal announcements and US central bank minutes.The FTSE 100 index opened down 25.58 points, 0.3%, at 7,478.67. The FTSE 250 was up 5.81 points at 18,573.68, and the AIM All-Share was up 0.39 of a point, 0.1%, at 719.44The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.3% at 746.20, the Cboe UK 250 was slightly lower at 16,070.

Stock prices in Europe were up at midday on Tuesday, ahead of interest rate decisions by the US and the UK over the coming days, after data showed the Eurozone could sink into recession.The FTSE 100 index was up 35.88 points, 0.5%, at 7,363.27. The FTSE 250 was up 144.35 points, 0.9%, at 17,161.94, and the AIM All-Share was up 1.02 points, 0.2%, at 679.59.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.5% at 734.40, the

Miner Adriatic Metals (ADT1) is set to commence production from its Vares silver-zinc-lead-copper-gold-antinomy project in the fourth quarter of 2023 and has exciting exploration potential.It is a good time to invest in the stock and we see scope for significant gains in both the short and medium-term. The relatively small footprint of the project means costs are low and based on Berenberg's sums

Stock prices in London were up at midday on Thursday, as investors held onto hopes that interest rates may soon hit their peak.The FTSE 100 index was up 33.15 points, or 0.5%, at 7,353.68. The FTSE 250 was up 77.97 points, or 0.4%, at 18,304.46, and the AIM All-Share was up 1.43 points, or 0.2%, at 735.88.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.4% at 732.63, the Cboe UK 250 was up 0.3% at 16,027.03, and the Cboe

Revenue up 4.4% in first halfNew category business profits up 29%On track for full year 2023Shares in British American Tobacco (BATS) were up nearly 3% to £26.92 as one of the world's largest tobacco companies announced a 4.4% rise in revenue to £13.4 billion for the six months ending 30 June 2023.Today's rise in share price is in sharp contrast to its year-to-date performance with the shares ex

Stocks prices in London were lower on Monday morning after further weakness in Chinese economic data concerned investors.The FTSE 100 index opened down 7.20 points, 0.1%, at 7,249.74. The FTSE 250 was down 37.29 points, 0.2%, at 17,966.68, and the AIM All-Share was down 0.66 of a point, 0.1%, at 741.05.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.1% at 722.59, the Cboe UK 250 was down 0.3% at 15,722.60, and the Cbo

Stocks in London closed significantly down on Thursday after the Bank of England hiked interest rates by 50 basis points, surprising investors after initial expectations of a 25 basis points hike.'The UK economy is verging on a doom spiral and this latest super-sized interest rate hike is only adding to it,' lamented Laura Suter, head of personal finance at AJ Bell.The FTSE 250 ended down 243.48 p

Stock prices in London were broadly lower on Tuesday, though the FTSE 100 finished in the green due to well-performing miners like Antofagasta, Glencore and Rio Tinto as well as oil majors BP and Shell.The FTSE 100 index closed up 9.31 points, or 0.1%, at 7,370.62. The FTSE 250 ended down 104.20 points, or 0.6%, at 18,544.76, and the AIM All-Share closed down 1.80 points, or 0.2%, at 821.74.The Cb

- Contract with GKN Aerospace worth $100 million over five years- Set to commence in 2023- Represents first entry into the USMicro cap aerospace firm Velocity Composites (VEL:AIM) may not have been too familiar to many investors before now but it will be on the radar of a fair few after today's big contract win.The company has snared a contract with GKN Aerospace (owned by Melrose Industries (MRO)

A small move by the Bank of Japan made a big impact on the currency market on Tuesday, providing a focus for trading, as European equities followed Asian indices lower on worries about global economic growth.The FTSE 100 index opened down 45.50 points, 0.6%, at 7,315.81. The FTSE 250 was down 183.26 points, 1.0%, at 18,465.70, and the AIM All-Share was down 2.66 points, 0.3%, at 820.88.The Cboe UK

London shares were lower at midday on Monday, with the UK domestic-focused FTSE 250 index underperforming the FTSE 100, after a positive surprise from data on the UK economy was not enough to remove concern about a coming recession.'October's bounce back was expected, and the fact the growth was a little more enthusiastic than economists had anticipated is welcome. But this is just an aside. The s