Melrose director offloads nearly £280,000 sharesShaftesbury Capital director snaps up 50,000 sharesVianet director splashes out after HSBC fundingDavid Lis, non-executive director at Melrose Industries (MRO) sold 30,000 shares at 541p for the total value of £162,400 on 16 November.The sale comes a day after Lis sold 21,400 shares at 542p for the total value of £115,914 on 15 November.The dispos

The FTSE 100 struggled for direction on Tuesday as inflation levels continued to accelerate in the US, with the blue chip benchmark ending the session pretty much flat at 7,124.72 points.By 4.30pm UK time the S&P 500 index in the US was up 0.1% at 4,390.52.The CPI print of 0.9% for June was very much stronger than expectations of a 0.5% advance, leaving the Federal Reserve's repeated assertions th

London's FTSE 100 was broadly flat by midday at 7.128.43 points as initial momentum in the UK banking sector, after the Bank of England lifted dividend restrictions on the sector's heavyweights, began to wane and worries over rising coronavirus infections kept gains in check.By lunchtime, NatWest (NATW) was off 0.4% at 206p, with Barclays (BARC) flat at 172.7p, although HSBC (HSBA) and Lloyds (LLO

UK banks gave leading stocks a push higher in early trade on Tuesday afternoon the Bank of England lifted dividend restrictions on the sector's heavyweights but worries over rising coronavirus infections kept gains in check.At 9am, the benchmark FTSE 100 was around 0.3% at 7,174.34, with NatWest (NATW) topping the leaderboard with gains just shy of 2% to 210.4p. HSBC (HSBA), Lloyds (LLOY) and Barc

The FTSE 100 rallied strongly through the late morning trading session on Friday to give bulls a glimmer of hope of closing a pretty dismal week for UK stocks on the front foot.Banks led the way after Barclays (BARC) posted better-than-expected earnings, although industrials, oil and aerospace were also in the ascendant.At 12.40pm, the benchmark FTSE 100 was up 1.5% at 5,874.84, while the mid cap

UK stocks opened higher on Friday after Barclays (BARC) posted better-than-expected earnings and retirement home company McCarthy & Stone (MCS) soared on a takeover bid.At 0824, the benchmark FTSE 100 index was up 42 points or 0.7% at 5,827.72 with banks and house builders leading the way.The rise comes after the conclusion of a more civilized US presidential debate that most pundits agreed wouldn

UK stocks rallied during the afternoon session finishing the day slightly positive, up 0.1% to 6,043 points, helped by a positive opening for stocks in the US.Markets were anticipating more stimulus measures when central bankers meet virtually at Jackson Hole tomorrow. Meanwhile a report from the Commerce Department on Wednesday showed an uneven recovery in investment as spending moved away from e

UK stocks were subdued at lunchtime Wednesday as investors weighed stimulus measures and vaccine progress against climbing Covid-19 cases in Europe.The focus now turns to the U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's address at the virtual Jackson Hole Symposium on Thursday, where he is expected to provide an update on the U.S. central bank's future monetary policy approach.At 12:00, the benchmar

UK shares started Wednesday on the back foot with investors still wary of climbing Covid-19 cases in Europe and elsewhere, while bracing for a key update on the state of the US economy from the Fed on Thursday.9.30am, the benchmark FTSE 100 was down 0.15% at 6,027.96, although mid-caps were firmer. The FTSE 250 added 0.35% to 17,638.75.LOW BAR BEAT SURPRISESubprime lender Provident Financial (PVR)

Modification work on vending machines ahead of the introduction of a new pound coin in 2017 represents a big sales opportunity for service specialist Vianet (VNET:AIM).Chief executive Stewart Darling says the cost to vending operators of making the modifications is likely to make them seek to 'future proof' their machines by installing Vianet's contactless/card-enabled payment systems.'It's an opp

Price to earnings (PE) ratios are one of the most common valuation techniques for equities. Seasoned investors can judge if a share looks cheap or expensive by looking at the PE figure. Yet less-experienced individuals could benefit from having a better understanding of what the PE represents, its role in stock picking and in what situations it shouldn't or couldn't be used. To help you become a b

Is the mooted tie-up between AG Barr (BAG) and Britvic (BVIC) doomed? The Competition Commission has provisionally cleared the potential merger on the grounds it is unlikely to substantially lessen competition. A final decision is expected by the end of July yet Britvic's shares have today fallen 1.1% to 495.1p after the group made some odd comments. Britvic's chairman Gerald Corbett said the grou

Investors may have breathed a sigh of relief that Vianet (VNET:AIM) hasn't cut its dividend following February's profit warning, yet there remain significant risks hanging over the group. Its core pubs monitoring business faces the threat of UK government intervention and there's no guarantee that a large delayed contract in its vending arm will actually go ahead. The market is clearly worried, se

Why did the shopping centre and fruit juice carton cross the road? To invest in a Russian gold miner. Investors today were scratching their heads as to why two Russian investors have snapped up more than a third of Russian miner Polyus Gold (PGIL), given their backgrounds in vastly-different industries. Market talk says there is logic in the transaction.Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov's Onex