FTSE closes higher as US stocks pause after busy week for earnings April 30, 2021 The FTSE 100 closed higher today as the economic recovery optimism poised the index for its largest monthly gain since November last year. The blue-chip index rose 0.2 per cent, boosted by positive earnings updates from AstraZeneca and Smurfit Kappa. Meanwhile, the mid-cap FTSE 250 also rose by 0.56 per cent. Both indexes have risen [...]
Asda beats competitors to become fastest growing Big Four supermarket for first time in more than two years April 27, 2021 Asda beat its competitors to become the fastest growing of the biggest UK supermarkets for the first time in more than two years as consumers ventured further for their food shopping. The latest data showed Asda, which was recently sold by US retail giant Walmart to the Issa brothers and TDR Capital, increased its market [...]
Waitrose expands Deliveroo partnership to 150 stores, creating 400 jobs April 27, 2021 Waitrose has expanded its partnership with Deliveroo as it aims to ramps up its online delivery capabilities, in a move that will create up to 400 new jobs. The supermarket announced this morning that it will increase the number of Waitrose shops available on the delivery app from 40 to 150, serving around 13m people. [...]
London stocks end the week lower despite strong economic data April 23, 2021 London’s blue-chip stocks were little changed on Friday but finished the week lower as growing concerns over a surge in global coronavirus cases eclipsed optimism from recent data pointing to a rapid UK economic rebound. The exporter-heavy index ended the session flat, with a fall in heavyweight energy shares and large dollar earning companies including [...]
London market recovery continues following grim start to the week April 22, 2021 London’s main market continued to rise on Thursday, after rebounding yesterday following a disastrous Tuesday, in which the market fell two per cent in one day. By mid-afternoon the FTSE 100 was up 0.42 per cent, boosted by mining and industrials stocks, although the gains were capped by a stronger pound. Meanwhile, the mid-cap FTSE [...]
Markets: Wall Street slips from record levels April 19, 2021 Major U.S. stock indexes fell from record levels on Monday as investors sought cues from first-quarter earnings reports to justify the rich valuation of equities. Tesla was the biggest drag on the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq, with the electric-car maker down three per cent after a Tesla vehicle, which was believed to be operating [...]
FTSE 100 pushes above 7,000 for first time since Covid crash as Wall Street hits new records April 16, 2021 London’s FTSE 100 rose above the 7,000-mark today for the first time since Covid pummelled financial markets last year. Across the Atlantic, Wall Street again hit new record highs on the back of a bumper set of earnigns from America’s banking giants. Speedy vaccine rollouts and government policy support has lifted investor confidence about a [...]
Ørsted enters European onshore market with purchase of €570m Brookfield April 16, 2021 Danish energy giant Ørsted has today made its first foray into the European onshore wind market with the acquisition of Brookfield Renewable Ireland (BRI). The Irish firm, which has a portfolio of 389 megawatts of capacity either fully developed or under construction, is valued at €571m (£497.5m). It also has a further 1 gigawatt of [...]
Ocado invests £10m in self-driving vehicle company Oxbotica April 16, 2021 British online grocer Ocado said on Friday it would invest £10m in autonomous vehicle software company Oxbotica in a bid to reduce delivery costs. The partnership will include all aspects of self-driving vehicle development, with the aim of boosting retailers’ customer value proposition through a shift to electrically powered cars. However, vehicles that operated in [...]
The future of commercial property post-Covid March 25, 2021 Will Fulton, Lead Manager, UK Commercial Property REIT The pandemic has brought real challenges for commercial tenants and landlords Strong asset allocation, prudent negotiation with tenants and strategic portfolio shifts have helped mitigate the impact of the crisis From here, the portfolio is geared into a number of long-term structural changes This has been a [...]