London close: Stocks mixed at end of quiet Wednesday
Wed, 26th May 2021 16:18
(Sharecast News) - London stocks finished in a mixed state on Wednesday, as investors digested the latest comments from Federal Reserve officials and sifted through corporate news.
The FTSE 100 ended the session down 0.04% at 7,026.93, while the FTSE 250 was 0.9% higher at 22,640.08.
Sterling was heading in different directions as well, last trading 0.21% weaker against the dollar at $1.4123, while gaining 0.22% on the euro to €1.1576. A bit of a dreich day for European equity markets, with nothing moving much at all, quipped Markets.com chief market analyst Neil Wilson, adding that all the main bourses traded flat.
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LONDON BRIEFING: Vodafone shares slide 6% after annual revenue decline
Tue, 18th May 2021 08:21
(Alliance News) - Telecommunications firm Vodafone posted a resilient performance for its recently ended financial year, despite a decline in revenue.
Vodafone shares down 6.2% early Tuesday while the broader FTSE 100 index was higher.
Revenue for the financial year to March 31 was EUR43.81 billion, down 2.6% from EUR44.97 billion the year before but beating market expectations of EUR43.64 billion. Vodafone cited the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on roaming charges, amid foreign travel restrictions, for the decline in revenue. This was offset somewhat by the acquisition of assets from Liberty Global.
Phoenix confirms talks ongoing to sell European business in £550m deal
Insurer Phoenix is in talks to sell its European business.
Life insurance consolidator Phoenix Group has confirmed it is in discussions to sell its European businesses, in a deal reportedly worth £550m.
The group – which bought out the majority of Standard Life Aberdeen’s insurance business in 2018 – said that talks were ongoing and there was no certainty a deal will be struck.