US tech stocks slide as Microsoft rout sharpens AI spending doubts Tech US technology stocks sold off sharply on Thursday, as a bruising slump in Microsoft sparked investor unease over how long it will take for mass AI investments to pay off. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite closed down 0.72 per cent at 23,685, weighed down by heavy losses across software giants. The S&P 500 slipped 0.13 per [...]
Games Workshop shares slip despite Warhammer sales surge Tech Games Workshop has dished the cash back to its shareholders after a record-breaking half-year performance driven by a surge in global demand for its Warhammer miniatures. The £6bn gaming giant – which entered the FTSE 100 in December 2024 – reported a 10.9 per cent increase in revenue, breaking £332m for the half-year ending 30 [...]
Lloyds shares to offer best cash-back rate in Europe, analysts say Banking Lloyds shareholders are set for a bumper few years as analysts predict the bank will continue to splash cash on dividends and buybacks. The bank has been tipped to move to a half-year buyback, in a move that will majorly ramp up the money it hands back to investors. In 2025, Lloyds beat out its [...]
Ex-Jefferies banker pleads not guilty in FCA insider dealing case January 7, 2026 A former banker at investment bank Jefferies pleaded not guilty to one count of insider dealing ahead of a trial listed for January 2028. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) revealed in November that it started criminal proceedings against Bobosher Sharipov, 44, and Bekzod Avazov, 43, for alleged insider dealing. Sharipov worked at investment bank Jefferies [...]
Labour versus the bond markets, businesses and ballots July 3, 2025 Birthdays aren’t best celebrated on a hangover but Labour’s senior leaders will be waking up with a painful headache this morning after haemorrhaging support from both bond markets and backbenchers. As dozens of Labour MPs discovered the level of influence they held over whips in parliament, unsympathetic bond traders flexed their own powers as medium-term [...]
Augmentum leads fundraise for Peel Hunt-backed Retailbook May 12, 2025 Investment platform Retailbook has secured a £4.5m fundraise as the Peel Hunt-backed firm attempts to survive a lacklustre spell for the UK’s capital markets. The business, which helps retail investors get access to share issues normally reserved for institutional investors, has seen investors such as Augmentum Fintech join its list of shareholders. Previous investors in [...]
Buy Persimmon and Taylor Wimpey ahead of Spring Statement says broker March 24, 2025 Investment bank Jefferies has said investors should ‘Buy’ shares in UK housebuilders like Persimmon and Taylor Wimpey ahead of this week’s Spring Statement. Chancellor Rachel Reeves is set to present her Spring Statement later this week. Due to her commitment to just one major fiscal event, it was intended as an update rather than a [...]
IG Group extends share buybacks after Freetrade acquisition January 23, 2025 IG Group is set to spend £50m more on share buybacks following its acquisition of trading app Freetrade. In the firm’s six month results to 30 November, the FTSE 250 firm said it would be extending its previous share buyback programme from £150m to £200m. “It is pleasing to show how we can both invest [...]
Resurgent inflation fears drive global sell-off in government debt January 8, 2025 Government bonds suffered a major sell-off on Tuesday as fears about the potential persistence of inflation continued to build.
British Gas-owner Centrica adds £300m to share buyback plan December 10, 2024 FTSE 100 giant Centrica has added another £300m to its existing share buyback plan, meaning it will have snapped up some £1.5bn in shares over the last two years. In a trading update today, the owner of British Gas said that it expected its 2024 full-year earnings and net cash to be broadly in line [...]