Major UK shares are under heavy selling pressure in early trading on Tuesday as traders dial down recent optimism, with shares of consumer firms and precious metals' miners leading the decline, while improving employment conditions in the UK and rising US Treasury yields signalled growing bets of tighter monetary policies.At 9.20am, the benchmark FTSE 100 is down 0.8% at 7,549.57 after the...

The UK's FTSE 100 fell on Tuesday, dragged down by heavyweight retail, insurance and energy stocks, although employment numbers highlighting a steady UK economic recovery helped limit losses.The UK blue-chip index was affected by worries over the economic slowdown of China, the world's growth engine, which continued to dog international stock markets on Tuesday.The FTSE 100 drifted 0.15% lower...

London's FTSE 100 was broadly flat on Friday, the blue chip benchmark off 0.22% to 7,004.45 points early doors despite news of very strong UK retail sales last month, boosted by non-essential retailers being allowed to reopen on 12 April.Bitcoin's extreme volatility this week has only added to existing worries like inflation and the pandemic, which have impeded the progress of equity markets...

UK stocks closed higher on Friday as investors held out hope that stimulus measures and vaccines would get the global economy through the Covid-19 crisis, even as cases continued to jump in the US and elsewhere.London's FTSE 100 finished 39.6 points higher, or up 0.63%, at 6,290.3, while the FTSE 250 ended the session up 0.15% at 17,347.90.LARGE AND MID CAP RISERS AND FALLERSMining giant Rio...

UK stocks were in positive territory at lunchtime on Friday as investors held out hope that stimulus measures and vaccines would get the global economy through the Covid-19 crisis, even as cases continued to jump in the US and elsewhere.The benchmark FTSE 100 was up 0.5% at 6,282.84, while the FTSE 250 was up 0.1% at 17,339.2.LARGE AND MID CAP RISERS AND FALLERSMining giant Rio Tinto (RIO)...

Specialist staffer Gattaca (GATC:AIM) recent trading update gave the market mixed messages. Brian Wilkinson CEO says that Brexit is unlikely to lead to an increase 'in customer demand' at the same time says that the company's specialised staff should mitigate the effects of 'business uncertainty'.The company has a dividend yield of about 8% which would usually be a warning that the market...

Specialist tech and engineering recruitment agency Gattaca (GATC:AIM) implies it could have avoided a profit warning on 13 April by cutting costs. Instead it made the decision to continue investing in the business in the hope of longer-term gains.Gattaca has suffered from a higher cost base and subdued net fee income amid softer demand, clients taking longer to make hiring decisions in the UK,...

This week has been good for investors in recruitment firms, all the major listed companies have produced pleasing results, with some far exceeding market expectations.Then specialist engineering and technology staffer Gattaca (GATC:AIM) goes and spoils the party by issuing a profit warning, sending its share price tumbling more than 9% to 272p.The firm believes profit for the year to 31 July...

A lengthy list of stocks going ex-dividend weighs on the FTSE 100, off 34 points at 7,315 early on, the blue chip benchmark tracking falls on Wall Street overnight and in Asia this morning.Royal Mail (RMG) posts a 2.2% gain to 428.4p despite warning its pension plan surplus will run out in 2018. Annual contributions of £400m could more than double to £1bn-plus in 2018 'if no changes are...