Record annual salesAsia Pacific slowdown hits Q4 revenuesNicolas Bos named as CEOSales at Swiss luxury watches-to-jewellery retailer Compagnie Financière Richemont (CFR:SWX), typically known as Richemont, slowed in the fourth quarter of the year to March 2024 amid softening demand for high-end goods in the Asia Pacific region.However, shares in the Cartier-to-Montblanc owner rose 5% to 144

Blue-chip stocks in Europe ended lower on Thursday, with a handful of ex-dividend shares hurting the FTSE 100, though there was bullishness in New York, as major benchmarks across the Atlantic hit record highs.The mood in New York was supported by retailer Walmart's first-quarter earnings beat and outlook raise.The FTSE 100 index edged down 7.15 points, 0.1%, at 8,438.65. The FTSE 250 added 47.21

Activist Elliott halves stakeDiscount to NAV narrowed to 6%Elliott maintains big holdingActivist investors usually prepare for a long and hard-fought battle when targeting underperforming companies and management teams. It must therefore be rather pleasing when events conspire to allow a profitable early partial exit.That seems to be the case for Elliott Investment Management after the investor re

Warren Buffett is probably the only professional investor who needs no introduction. Over a long and illustrious career stretching back to 1965, he?s produced a mind-boggling 4,384,749% return for investors through his investment vehicle, Berkshire Hathaway. In other words, $100 invested in 1965 would today be worth over $4.3 million. For some context, the same $100 invested in the S&P 500 would n

The last couple of years have seen outsized returns for stocks, especially those in the US, but that doesn?t mean now is a bad time to invest. The truth is there is never a bad time to invest as long as you are looking to stay invested for the long term.From its inception in 1984 to 2022, the FTSE 100 index has gained around 5.5% per year in price terms and 7.5% per year in terms of total return,

London?s FTSE 100 registered a bullish start to the holiday shortened week on Tuesday, with US interest rate optimism sending equities into the green.Financial markets in London were closed on Monday for the May Day bank holiday.Missing out on the confident trade were budget carriers, as the likes of easyJet and Wizz Air fell after a summer pricing warning from peer Ryanair.The FTSE 100 index clos

Weaker oil and gas prices weigh$1.75 billion buyback maintained$2 billion-plus cost-saving targetShares in BP (BP.) fell 0.75% to 506.6p in a rising market after the energy producer?s first-quarter results missed expectations with weaker oil and gas prices and an unplanned US refinery outage curbing profits.However, the FTSE 100 energy titan?s shareholder-friendly focus helped limit the price dama

Stock prices in London were slightly down heading into the afternoon on Wednesday, as investors awaited the latest interest rate decision from the US Federal Reserve this evening.The FTSE 100 index slipped just 1.15 points to 8,142.98. The FTSE 250 was down 35.58 points, 0.2%, at 19,929.81, and the AIM All-Share was up 3.07 points, 0.4%, at 763.81.The Cboe UK 100 was flat at 813.38, the Cboe UK 25

Large-cap London stocks in London opened in the green on Wednesday, despite nervy trade in New York overnight ahead of the Federal Reserve?s interest rate decision later.A host of financial markets in mainland Europe and beyond, including Paris, Frankfurt and Shanghai, are closed for public holidays.The FTSE 100 index rose 24.30 points, 0.3%, at 8,168.43. The FTSE 250 was down 17.21 points, 0.1%,

London?s blue-chips remained in demand, pushing to new highs, with investors hoping US inflation data later does not derail the optimistic mood.In the FTSE 100, ConvaTec was an outlier, after Peel Hunt downgraded the firm?s investment rating. On the other side of the index was NatWest, with a set of well received results.The FTSE 100 index was up 35.73 points, 0.4%, at 8,114.59. The FTSE 250 was u

Board recommends all cash 620p offerPrice pitched at 20% premium to prior closeBid ends tumultuous three years for DarktraceIt has certainly not been a dull time for shareholders in cybersecurity firm Darktrace (DARK) since it listed three years ago and now it looks like its short sojourn has come to an end after agreeing an all-cash offer from private equity outfit Thoma Bravo at 620p per share.H

With shares in UK high-street bellwether Next (NXT) trading close to all-time highs above £90 despite the recent pull-back in markets, there is a fair bit riding on its upcoming first-quarter trading update (1 May).When it posted full-year results in late March, the firm said it had been ?a long time since we started a year in a more positive frame of mind? after a better-than-expected performanc

Interest rates are expected to stay higher for longer to combat the sticky inflation which remains a threat to investors? hard-earned wealth and purchasing power. During periods of high inflation, it is crucial to invest in companies that possess pricing power, because these firms can pass on increased costs to customers, enabling them to maintain profit margins and generate the robust cash flows

Followers of Bitcoin will have been closely watching the latest ?halving event? in the cryptocurrency which took place on 19 April.For the fourth time, the number of new Bitcoin entering the market has been slashed by cutting the rewards earned by Bitcoin miners by 50%.Mining Bitcoin involves using powerful computers to solve extremely complicated mathematical problems in order to verify transacti

It?s been a busy month in small-cap land with good news, bad news and downright weird news for investors to digest.First the good news, as the persistent undervaluation of UK companies ? and small caps in particular ? draws increasing numbers of corporate buyers.Financial services software provider Gresham Technologies (GHT) agreed a 163p per share cash offer from funds managed or advised by STG P

There was a general wringing of hands on 19 April over the latest monthly retail sales figures published by the ONS (Office for National Statistics) which showed the volume of goods bought flatlined from February to March rather than increasing by 0.3% as expected.However, when measured on an annual basis rather than a month-on-month basis ? which to our mind seems a much fairer comparison ? volum

Stocks in London ended in the red on Wednesday, despite the FTSE 100 hitting another record high earlier in the day, while Tesla was the star in New York, where wider markets mixed.The FTSE 100 index gave back 4.43 points, 0.1%, at 8,040.38. The blue-chip index traded as high as 8,092.19 earlier Wednesday, its best-ever level. Selling pressure in the afternoon prevented it from achieving another c

Net interest income fallsCost-to-income ratio jumpsFull-year guidance maintainedThe UK?s largest mortgage lender, Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY), delivered a weak first-quarter trading update with most of the key metrics seemingly heading in the wrong direction.The lack of mention of share buybacks or guidance on the dividend also disappointed investors, however confirmation of the bank?s full-year t

Deal represents a 35% premiumOffer includes a share elementFirms cite ?strong commercial logic?Building products group Tyman (TYMN) is the latest UK mid-cap to attract a trade buyer with US firm Quanex (NX:NYSE) offering 400p per share for the business in a mix of cash and stock.Tyman shares jumped 29% to 381p although volumes were fairly light compared with previous days. SUBSTANTIAL SHARE

They say you can lead a horse to water but you can?t make it drink, however that?s exactly what we are trying to do with this week?s cover story on the compelling value being offered in UK stocks right now.We may be sowing our seed on stony ground ? indeed according to figures from one newspaper there has been a £2.5 billion outflow of money from UK funds and trusts in the last four months compar