Sanderson Design has warned that its profits will slump by more than half this year after hopes of a pick-up in trading were dashed by a “challenging consumer and industry environment.” The luxury furnishing supplier said underlying pre-tax profits for the 12 months to end January will be in the region of £4 million to £4.

Jon Smith considers both sides of the argument as to whether it really makes sense to buy FTSE 100 shares give the current index price. The post At a record high, is it time to buy or sell FTSE 100 stocks?

The blue-chip index has a high proportion of internationally-exposed companies that benefit from a weaker pound, plus a large number of defensive stocks that investors tend to favour during times of market tumult.