Stock prices in Europe opened in the green on Tuesday morning, with investors awaiting a manufacturing PMI print from the US later in the day.The FTSE 100 index opened 6.38 points, or 0.1%, at 8,370.22. The FTSE 250 was up 34.51 points, or 0.2%, at 21,015.02, and the AIM All-Share was up 1.94 points, or 0.3%, at 768.84.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.1% at 837.86, the Cboe UK 250 was up 0.1% at...

This is the second part of a three part series looking at the best performers from each of the super sectors which make up the London market.There are a total of 19 super sectors if you excluding investment companies.We have focused on companies with market caps of £100m or more - all data is taken from SharePad as at 5 Oct 2017 and refers to share price performance since the start of the...

On a really quiet day for corporate news the FTSE 100 takes its cue from strong trading on US and Asian markets overnight to advance 0.4% to 7,299.65.Transport stock Stagecoach (SGC) ticks up 0.4% to 214.2p as it reveals it has sold its interest in the Twin America joint venture for an undisclosed sum. The concern principally operates sightseeing bus services in New York.Financial broker NEX...

Oil and gas firm Falcon Oil & Gas (FOG:AIM) offers exposure to a fully-carried drilling programme on its Beetaloo shale asset in Australia which could act as an ongoing catalyst for the share price.Under the terms of the farm-out agreement with Australian giant Origin (ORG:ASX) and South Africa's Sasol (SOL:JSE) agreed in August 2014, Falcon's share of the drilling costs on Beetaloo are...

We would all like a crystal ball to pick future market winners and broker price targets are perhaps the closest we'll ever get to one. Issued alongside broker research, they are an attempt to predict the trajectory of a share price and offer a window into potential capital gains.Sometimes a change in price target can lift a share price on its own, particularly if it comes from one of the...

UK investors are in mean mood in early trade on Thursday after sell-offs overnight on Wall Street and Asian markets, and a smattering of corporate news disappointment. The benchmark FTSE 100 index slides around 17 points, or 0.25%, to 6,333.Builders merchant Travis Perkins (TPK) leads the blue-chips lower, its 7% slump to £18.23 topping the Footsie loser board as management confirm ongoing...

UK shares collapse again in early trade on Tuesday following the Bank Holiday weekend reflecting major losses overnight in the US and earlier today in Asia. The FTSE 100 tumbles 150 points, or nearly 2.5%, to 6,090, with major indexes across Europe also taking a hammering. Miners are particularly weak, with Glencore (GLEN) heading the Footsie loser board with a 5% slump to 140.8pIn corporate...

Eagle Eye (EYE:AIM) 165pAIM is littered with strugglers chasing the mobile commerce dream but Eagle Eye is off to a decent start. SMS marketing and vouchers space has potential, but this is also high-risk territory.Earthport (EPO:AIM) 45.25pNew management is key to ending years of failure and cash calls. Making rapid progress to promised global platform for medium-sized cross-border payments...

The completion of a farm-out deal on its unconventional Bentaloo asset in Australia highlights an interesting valuation anomaly in Falcon Oil & Gas (FOG:AIM) and also promises a catalyst-heavy period ahead for shareholders.Australian firm Origin Energy (ORG:ASX) and South Africa's Sasol (SSL:NYSE) have farmed into 35% of Falcon's shale exploration permits in Beetaloo for an upfront cash...

Insurance services group Quindell (QPP:AIM) drops 4.4% to 201p despite reportinga 193% rise in in adjusted pre-tax profit. Cenkos says the shares, trading on a mere 3.2 times forecast earnings for 2014, 'continue to discount balance sheet risk rather than any fundamental value across the Group's two divisions'. It forecasts 61.7p earnings per share for 2014, rising to 99.6p in 2015. The...

The price of even relative failure in the oil and gas sector remains high as Falcon Oil & Gas (FOG:AIM) plunges earthwards on disappointing results from a well test in Hungary. The shares are down 15.9% to 7.25p.We were enthusiastic about the company's A$200 million farm-out deal in Australia - announced earlier this month (2 May) - and still think this agreement could pay long-term dividends...

Embattled grocery giants, whose margins are being squeezed by price cuts and competition from hard discounters Aldi and Lidl, top the FTSE 100 risers leaderboard. Bombed-out Morrisons (MRW) bounces 4% higher to 213.5p, heavily-shorted Sainsbury's (SBRY) skips 3% higher to 342.7p, while Tesco (TSCO) ticks 1.7% higher to 307.7p.Online domestic appliances retailer AO World (AO.) edges up 2.5p to...

The market is not recognising the full value of Falcon Oil & Gas' (FOG:AIM) portfolio of conventional and unconventional oil and gas assets. This is in spite of the catalyst provided by last week's (2 May) A$200 million farm-out of an interest in its Beetaloo project in Australia.Results next month from flow tests on a well in the Mako Trough project in Hungary could help drive a further...

Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) soars by 12.3% to 344.2p as the market applauds its first quarter performance. Pre-tax profit doubles to £1.6 billion. Impairments are down and there's cost savings achieved across the business. Espirito Santo says the results, which significantly beat expectations, suggest the bank may exceed its capital targets, potential triggering higher dividends in the...

Oil and gas play Falcon Oil & Gas (FOG:AIM) storms ahead 27.6% to 11p as it agrees a farm-out deal for its Beetaloo unconventional acreage in Australia worth some A$200 million.Despite today's healthy rise the shares are still down 21.4% on last March's 14p issue price and 28.6% since its decision last June to reject an extension to US firm Hess' (HES:NYSE) option over taking a 62.5% interest...

Hopes of a Santa rally are dashed as yesterday's rebound in the FTSE 100 proves to be a false dawn. The blue chip index slips back 35 points to 6,486. The final slug of mid and large cap stocks reporting financial results sees news from the retail sector and a handful of trading updates in the technology, service and healthcare industries.A surge in half-time profits triggers earnings upgrades...

Property and casualty insurer Beazley (BEZ) continues to tumble following yesterday's interim results. Down a further 10% to 217p, investors don't like the 27% drop in pre-tax profits during the first half of the year. Analysts have questioned how the returns from Beazley's underwriting operations will perform in an increasingly competitive market. Yet Joanna Parsons at Westhouse reckons the...

Shares in service giants Serco (SRP) and G4S (GFS) were hit by a probe into billing practices for electronic tagging work. All government contracts held by the two companies will now be reviewed, prompting analysts to downgrade earnings forecasts. Serco fell 8.6% to 622p and has decided not to re-bid for electronic monitoring work. There's also a delay to a decision on giving Serco a contract...

A near-13% fall in Falcon Oil & Gas (FOG:AIM) following the decision by US partner Hess (NYSE:HESS) to walk away from the Bentaloo project in Australia (1 Jul) represents an interesting entry opportunity as the news could prove to be a medium-term boon for the company.The £105.2 million cap has a portfolio of conventional and unconventional assets in three separate countries. In July 2011...

Drilling in Hungary and an update on a deal with Hess Corporation (HES:NYSE) in Australia could lead to a near-term reassessment of the potential of Falcon Oil & Gas (FOG:AIM). Now may be an ideal time to take a position.The £121 million cap is broadly flat on its 14p placing price at the time of admission to Aim earlier this year (28 Mar). It has been a difficult period for Aim-quoted...