The London market struggled to find direction today as falls from heavyweight miners and Vodafone offset relief over Royal Bank of Scotland’s losses.

H Samuel and Ernest Jones owner Signet posted a further slide in sales today as the jeweller saw no let-up in tough trading conditions in the US and UK.

H Samuel and Ernest Jones jeweller Signet revealed a slump in first quarter earnings today after weak trading in America offset rising UK sales.

Reassuring news from the high street saw retailers take the starring role today during an otherwise subdued London session.

Mortgage lender Halifax Bank of Scotland led a depressed session for banking stocks and the wider London market today.

Marks & Spencer added to the retail blues in the UK this week after its Christmas sales disappointment, but it was not all doom and gloom in a mixed week for the sector.

The London market staged a late session turnaround today after positive US economic data helped offset hefty falls among UK retailers.

A host of the biggest names on the British high street were under pressure today as concerns over trading in the crucial Christmas season mounted.

Jewellers H Samuel and Ernest Jones today signalled the continued revival of its UK brands as the group posted a second quarter sales rise of 6.6%.

Ernest Jones and H Samuel owner Signet today said the performance gap was widening between its UK and US divisions after trading remained weak in America.

Shares in H Samuel and Ernest Jones jeweller Signet were hit today after the company warned of weaker trading in the United States since February.

An upturn in sales at H Samuel gave owner Signet a boost today as the company insisted its UK business was not up for sale.

A strong performance from financial stocks boosted the London markets today, offsetting heavy losses from steel maker Corus.

Shares in H Samuel owner Signet slumped today as the market reacted to the decision of two private equity firms to opt against a joint bid for the jeweller.

Entrepreneur Gerald Ratner’s interest in buying the Ernest Jones and H Samuel jewellery businesses was under pressure from a familiar quarter today.

The London market finished just below its opening mark today following a mixed session for leading shares as fears of an imminent interest rate rise across the Atlantic loomed again.

The Bank of England’s first move on interest rates in a year sent leading shares into freefall today as the FTSE 100 Index slumped by almost 2%.

A flurry of takeover speculation failed to keep the London market out of the red as investors continued to fret over higher interest rates today.

Jewellery retailer Signet – owner of H Samuel and Ernest Jones – confirmed today it is in merger talks with US rival Zale Corporation.

Renewed merger and acquisition speculation proved insufficient to keep the FTSE 100 Index in positive territory today.

H Samuel jeweller Signet made another loss in the UK today after promotional activity required to offset tough trading conditions affected margins.

Retailers in the UK ran for cover today after a gloomy Christmas update from Waterstone’s owner HMV cast a shadow over a clutch of mid-cap firms.

Retailers in the UK kept up their cautious stance today despite better-than-expected sales figures from the likes of Boots, Sainsbury’s and Argos.

Jeweller Signet saw third-quarter profits fall sharply today as the slowdown in spending on the UK high street hit sales at its Ernest Jones and H Samuel stores.

Jewellery retailer Signet revealed today that its Ernest Jones and H Samuel chains had sunk deeper into the red.

The FTSE 100 Index racked up its fifth consecutive session of gains today to close at its highest level since mid-April.

H Samuel and Ernest Jones jeweller Signet today provided more evidence of belt-tightening by its consumers after seeing recent sales go into reverse.

Jewellery group Signet lost some of the sparkle from “excellent” first half results today after reporting that trading conditions cooled in August.

British jewellery retailer Signet continued its recent glittering performance today after first half like-for-like sales rose 7.4% to £671.6m (€1bn).

British jewellery chain Goldsmiths was today reported to be in the sights of the Icelandic retail group Baugur.