London's FTSE 100 extends yesterday's bull-run, tacking on an additional 17.2 points to trade at 7,515. Stocks continue to rise on renewed hopes of a US-China trade deal and headlines like 'US equities hit a new record high' are certainly helping to improve investor sentiment.Peer-to-peer lending platform Funding Circle (FCH) is firmly out of favour, the shares slumping 14% to 140.4p on a...

One of the key ingredients in the success or failure of a company is the quality of its management. When change at the top of a struggling company occurs, it can often act as a catalyst for an underperforming business and trigger a share price boost.Evaluating the skill sets of boardroom leaders is no easy feat, yet there are CEOs out there with proven pedigree in turning companies around or...

Shareholders in LED lighting systems designer Dialight (DIA) are pinning their hopes on new leadership drawing a line under manufacturing execution problems.The £195m company is at the cutting edge of LED technology, specialising in lighting solutions for hazardous and challenging industrial applications, such as mobile masts, power plants and oil rigs.Struggles to meet output led to the...

London's FTSE 100 edges 6.8 points lower to 7,717.5 early on Monday, investors bracing themselves for a blizzard of Christmas trading updates this week with Tesco (TSCO), Morrisons (MRW) and Sainsbury's (SBRY) all due to report.Maternity products retailer Mothercare (MTC) slumps 27.4% to 45p after issuing another profit warning following disappointing Christmas trading.UK like-for-like sales...

Dialight (DIA) calls itself 'a global leader in sustainable LED lighting for industrial applications.'What it does is design new energy efficient lighting systems that go into vast factories, warehouses, distribution centres and the like. It also supplies warning lights slapped on to tall buildings, mobile masts and wind turbines, among other things, designed to stop planes and helicopters...

Private hospital group Spire Healthcare (SPI) has rejected a takeover approach from FTSE 100 group and 29.9% shareholder Mediclinic (MDC), saying it significantly undervalues the business. Mediclinic's cash and shares deal valued Spire at c300p, versus the target's closing price of 261.3p last Friday. Spire's shares today jump 11% to 290.05p following the bid news.British telecoms giant Arqiva...

The decision earlier this month by Tesco (TSCO) to reinstate dividends after a two year absence represents a major turning point in its recovery story. It suggests the company's turnaround, following an accounting scandal and slump in earnings, is making good progress.Recommencing dividends or indeed paying dividends for the first time is a very positive signal for investors.Respectively, it...

Investors will want to start seeing firm evidence that real growth is back on the cards for industrial lighting systems designer Dialight (DIA). A pre-AGM trading update on 20 April is a chance to access the launch of its growth story now the operational streamlining is largely concluded. There's plenty of opportunity in industrial LEDs; Dialight must start delivering to match the hopes...

A weak mining and oil sector drags London's FTSE 100 lower on Tuesday, while news Black Friday had the now customary effect of slowing retail sales in the run up to the end-of-November event also weighs on sentiment. While British Retail Consortium statistics showed spending up year-on-year, the like-for-like growth number was almost a third lower than October amid frenzied discounting.In...

London stocks make modest declines again on Tuesday amid the release of UK gross domestic product data that, as expected, show economic growth slowing in the third quarter. Analysts had anticipated a slowdown in UK economic growth from 0.7% in the second quarter to 0.6%, although the figures are worse, GDP actually edging just 0.5% ahead.That weighs on investor sentiment, the FTSE 100 index...

The forecast downgrade deluge has begun at LED lighting systems designer Dialight (DIA) in the wake of worse-than-expected half-year results (27 Jul). Operating profits crashed 75% year-on-year from £6.5 million to just £1.7 million, largely thanks to a slump in oil industry demand.'We expect estimates to be reduced significantly reflecting the first-half shortfall, doubts about the size and...

London's blue chip index bounced back in early trading after closing 36.24 points lower on Tuesday over HSBC's (HSBA) turnaround plans. The FTSE 100 trades 13.12 points, or 0.20%, higher at 6,766 on Wednesday thanks to better than expected results from unloved supermarkets giant Sainsbury's (SBRY). The company gathers up 2.4% at 254.9p, despite reporting a 2.1% decline in first quarter...

UK markets again drift lower in opening deals as investors mull a weak end to Wall Street trading and a similarly fade out on Asian markets overnight, although gains by oil giant BP (BP.) limited today's declines. The FTSE 100 index is trading 0.3% off at 6,482 in early action as China's economy showed renewed weakness and crude oil remained below $50 a barrel. Britain's mid caps struggle...

Britain has dozens of challenger companies in the wider technology space, and that's before we even get to the exciting medical and biotech spaces (see Healthcare Challengers next week, 14 August), built on a rich history of innovation and technological breakthroughs.Our key selections are chip designer CSR (CSR) LED lighting specialist Dialight (DIA), training software provider NetDimensions...

The £4.9 billion cap distributor of Costa coffee cups-to-construction safety helmets Bunzl (BNZL) rises 3% to £15.27 after better-than-expected results. It has revealed a 17% rise in pre-tax profit to £372.2 million. Its 2013 full-year resultsalso include a 15% rise in the dividend and there's news of two acquisitions in Germany and the Czech Republic, the former taking Bunzl into the...

A share price swoon suggests the market is too pessimistic about LED lighting developer Dialight (DIA) and a trading update could help to dispel concerns over its industrial lighting revenues, perhaps as early as net week. The fourth quarter between October and December is typically the £274 million cap's busiest time, as capital investment decisions are often only taken at the last minute by...

Mothercare (MTC) slumps 30% to 292.63p on a profit warning. Over the 12 weeks to 4 January, the mother and child retailer's international sales were crimped by currency deflation and weaker-than-expected conditions in key markets. In the UK, where Mothercare remains loss-making, like-for-like sales softened 4% amid sluggish high street footfall over Christmas, while heavy promotions hit...

Car parts-to-bicycles retailer Halfords (HFD) pedals 10.3% higher to 462p as excellent first-half figures to 27 September prompt analysts to upgrade earnings forecasts. Pre-tax profits rise 6.4% to £44.6 million with the help of strong like-for-like sales growth in the key areas of cycling, where better weather helped, and car maintenance.Fashion retailer SuperGroup (SGP), a running Shares...

If you walk down any high street today you will notice a whole host of electronic devices in use. The mum, taking a picture of her baby with a camera phone, the suited office worker prodding away at an iPad, teenagers tuning in to their MP3 music players, or using mobile interfaces to update friends on Facebook or Twitter. We have truly entered the age of the gadget.As the digital revolution...

Energy efficiency is driving huge growth in the light-emitting diode (LED) space and that promises to spark a market rethink of industry leader Dialight (DIA). The company is one of the world's biggest suppliers of specialist industrial LEDs to large manufacturing, warehousing and retail sites. Interims (22 Jul) revealed half-year Lighting revenues up more than 70%, from £17.2 million to...