Forescout Technologies has agreed to be bought by Advent International for $1.9bn (£1.5bn) in cash in the private equity firm’s latest purchase on its buying spree. Advent will pay $33 for each Forescout share – almost 30% more than Forescout’s closing price on 18 October – before two other investment …
Read More »FTSE 250 movers: Beazley boosted by results; Royal Mail fails to deliver
London’s FTSE 250 was up 0.3% at 21,576.49 in afternoon trade on Thursday. Insurer Beazley was the standout gainer after it posted a better-than-expected surge in full-year pre-tax profit as three of its six divisions achieved double-digit growth. In the year to the end of December, pre-tax profit surged 250% …
Read More »London pre-open: Stocks seen higher after China tariff cut
London stocks were set to rise at the open on Thursday amid signs of easing trade tensions between the US and China. The FTSE 100 was called to open 55 points higher at 7,537. CMC Markets analyst David Madden said: “In a bid to improve China-US trading relations, overnight Beijing …
Read More »FTSE 250 movers: Kaz rallies; Micro Focus tumbles on results
Kaz Minerals rallied as copper prices advanced. Science and engineering company Qinetiq pushed up as it said it continued to perform in line with its expectations in the third quarter and announced the acquisition of Newman & Spurr Consultancy for £14m. Electrocomponents was on the rise as its trading statement …
Read More »US consumer confidence hits November 2018 high in January
A widely-followed gauge of US consumer sentiment picked up more quickly than anticipated at the start of 2020, pointing to a still solid outlook for spending. The Conference Board‘s consumer confidence index rose from December’s upwardly-revised print of 128.2 to 131.6 (consensus: 128.0). A sub-index tracking consumers’ assessment of current …
Read More »FTSE 250 movers: AG Barr fizzes higher; Avast dented by Peel Hunt note
London’s FTSE 250 was up 0.7% at 21,459.06 in afternoon trade on Tuesday. Irn-Bru maker AG Barr was the standout perform as it said full-year adjusted profit before tax was expected to be at the top end of current market expectations, “just ahead” of £37m. Revenue for the period was …
Read More »Week ahead: UK data, US-China trade deal in focus
At home, foreign trade data for November are scheduled to be published on Monday, followed by readings on consumer prices and retail sales in December set to follow on Wednesday and Friday, respectively. Investors will be scrutinising those reports for further signs of weakness which might cement expectations in financial …
Read More »FTSE 250 movers: Aston Martin stalls, Tullow recovers
London’s FTSE 250 was 0.60% lower at 20,796.68 in afternoon trade on Tuesday, with Aston Martin Lagonda leading the index downward. Hunting followed close behind as it was knocked lower by a downgrade to ‘neutral’ at Credit Suisse due to falling US shale activity levels and disappointing results from internationally-exposed …
Read More »FTSE 250 movers: Dunelm surges, AJ Bell stumbles
London’s FTSE 250 was 0.20% higher at 20,706.34 in afternoon trade on Thursday, with Dunelm leading the charge upward. Shares of the homeware retailer surged after it said full-year pre-tax profit was set to come in higher than previous expectations. AJ Bell analyst Russ Mould said: “A lot can happen …
Read More »Thursday preview: OPEC meeting, Victrex in focus
Analysts at Capital Economics forecast that the cartel and allied producers will only agree to roll-over their existing production curbs due to Saudi balking at the risk of seeing its share of the global oil market being eroded further by ‘free riders’. “If we are right and OPEC+ simply rolls …
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