London's FTSE 100 firmed 0.36% to 7,052.58 on Friday, while the FTSE 250 improved 0.53% to 23,758.83, as steadying Asian markets and a potential easing of UK travel restrictions provided the backdrop for some decent gains heading into the weekend.Airlines and other stocks whose fortunes are tied to the travel industry, including International Consolidated Airlines (IAG), TUI (TUI) and WH Smith...

The FTSE 100 slopes underneath the 7,000 mark, down 0.7% at 6,972.62, as a number of stocks trade ex-dividend and after mixed trading on major exchanges overnight.Pay TV broadcaster Sky (SKY) ticks up 1.9% to 881.2p posts a more than 5% rise in like-for-like revenue in the first quarter of its financial year.Mining firm BHP Billiton (BLT) is down 4.5% to £11.83 after being forced to defend...

A string of strong corporate announcements excite investors in early trade on Wednesday, powering UK share prices higher. The benchmark FTSE 100 index rallies more than a 100 points, or about 1.8%, back over the 6,000 barrier to 6,016, while midcaps and smaller companies are also in demand. The strong start to the day's trading matches a fairly robust performance on Wall Street and across...

London shares remain largely flat in early trade on Tuesday with Monday's strong session causing investors to pause for thought even with hopes increasing that a short-term EU debt deal can be struck with Greece. The benchmark FTSE 100 index nudges modestly higher, making single-digit gains to 6,833, although midcaps are a stronger markets, the FTSE 250 up 0.3% at 17,960.Retail powerhouse and...

Oil and gas fans were treated to a plethora of news today as companies big and small updated on projects and issued financial results. Leading the pack was £1.9 billion cap Premier Oil (PMO) which advanced 3.7% to 376.1p after the group flagged a 'potentially significant' oil discovery in Norway. The Luno II prospect in the Norwegian North Sea will now be flow tested to establish if it is a...