Sportswear group Frasers defies retail downturn as it posts rise in profits
Frasers Group, the owner of Sports Direct and other high-street brands, defied the retail downturn and posted a rise in sales and profits in the first half of the year. At its full-year results in July, it forecast adjusted pre-tax profit of £450mn-£5...
US stocks move higher as investors weigh slowdown risks
US stocks rose on Thursday, but the move did little to recoup this week’s decline on worries about the effect of sustained high interest rates on the American economy. Wall Street’s benchmark S&P 500 gained 0.8 per cent and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Compo...
Hong Kong stocks rally as investors eye plans to ease Covid curbs
Hong Kong stocks shot higher on Thursday, reversing a steep fall in the previous trading session as the territory followed China in easing some Covid-19 restrictions. The Hang Seng index gained 3.4 per cent on Thursday, after a fall of 3.2 per cent in...
FTSE 100 opens flat as poll predicts Bank of England to raise interest rates
Markets struggle in early trading.
Smaller stocks haven’t been this cheap since 2008 – and this fund picks the best ones
It has been a painful year for investors in Britain’s smaller listed companies as the weak pound, political instability, high inflation and the prospect of a lengthy economic slump combined to create a perfect storm.
European stocks largely flat; investors wary ahead of central bank meetings
European stock markets traded largely unchanged Thursday, with investors wary about the state of the global economy ahead of next week’s crucial central bank meetings. European investors appear reluctant to engage in much activity as the week nears th...
Audit reform should not dance to the Big Four’s tune
Britain’s biggest companies and their auditors are playing a £10bn game of musical chairs. When the music stops we will have learnt something about how seriously we should take the Big Four accountants’ opposition to audit market reforms. Mandatory a...
DS Smith raises guidance after H1 revenue advances 28%
By Geoffrey Smith
European stock futures mixed; recession fears breed nervousness
European stock markets are expected to trade mixed Thursday, with investors fretting about the state of the global economy ahead of next week’s crucial central bank meetings. At 02:00 ET (07:00 GMT), the DAX futures contract in Germany traded 0.1% hig...
Interest rates: Record rise in 30-year mortgages for first-time buyers
The proportion of mortgages borrowed over longer terms has increased almost continuously since the global financial crisis and accelerated sharply since 2021.