Specialist business services firm FRP Advisory (FRP:AIM) is one of those businesses which many investors may have heard of but few are sure exactly what it does.Put simply, FRP helps companies through each stage of their development, giving advice on raising capital, managing debt, acquisitions, corporate finance and forensic accounting. It is probably best-known for 'crisis management' where it h

I am 67 and currently have a SIPP worth approximately £500,000. Because the favourable IHT regime is now ending I am now considering whether to reduce the amount in my SIPP and look at alternatives.My understanding is that I can take 25% tax free from my SIPP at any point and then the remaining pot is taxed on withdrawal at marginal rates. We do not need the cash immediately as we have other reso

Pubs group JD Wetherspoon's (JDW) value credentials continue to shine through. According to fund manager Anna Farmbrough at Ninety One the company has doubled its average price advantage over competitors to 40% since the pandemic.Farmbrough notes that a few years ago there were three pubs in her local area while today there is just a single Wetherspoons, demonstrating its ability to benefit as con

In the first part of a three-part series featuring opinions and ideas from some of the UK's leading fund managers, we asked which stocks have surprised them the most over the course of the 2024 and why.While it was hard to avoid the influence of AI (artificial intelligence) on portfolios, the breadth of responses was surprising and goes to show how skilled stock-pickers can turn up gems in parts o

What a mixed year this has turned out to be for Shares' best ideas for 2024.That our one star turn stock was an annuities and lifetime mortgage specialist, even if it was 'screamingly cheap at its current price', as we originally noted, and the supposedly exciting tech growth picks have been dull-to-dismal, might make you hark back to school days studies of Christopher Hill's The World Turned Upsi

VT Argonaut Absolute Return Fund(B79NKW0) 356.4pFunds under management: £212 millionWith stock markets trading close to highs, rising geopolitical risks and uncertainties over a Trump administration, investors are understandably concerned about increasing stock market volatility.A great way of playing both the upside and downside potential is to invest in the VT Argonaut Absolute Return Fund (B79

It's ingrained in us as investors that the best way to get superior, risk-adjusted long-term returns is to distance ourselves from the crowd and seek out value.That approach has always needed courage and patience, and 2024 has proved to be a particularly fierce test of this discipline for the simple reason that what worked last year worked well again this year.It did so because the consensus macro

Lots of parents and grandparents default to cash when saving for their children or grandchildren, but most have a very long time until they will give the money to the children, meaning investing can be a great option. If we look at someone saving £1,000 a year from birth of the child until the age of 18, they'd hand them almost £8,000 more if they invested the money and earned 5% return a year a

Predicting what will happen to the global economy and markets over the next 12 months is hard enough at the best of times, but with Trump's election victory on 5 November that job has become even more difficult.As Deutsche Bank's head of global economics and thematics Jim Reid put it, the outlook is no longer 'business as usual' which opens up a much wider range of potential outcomes for the globa

Dividends are a key component of successful investing whether taken as an income to support retirement or reinvested to compound future total returns.With interest rates set to fall as inflation is gradually brought back under control dividend yields will become more competitive as a source of income compared with income from cash and bonds.In this article we scour the FTSE 350 for the companies w

Silicon Valley giant Intel (INTC:NASDAQ) is facing more upheaval after announcing the unexpected retirement of chief executive officer, Pat Gelsinger. Effective immediately, the decision marks a significant shakeup for the chip maker as it grapples with ongoing challenges and competitive pressures in the semiconductor industry.Gelsinger returned to Intel in February 2021, having previously been it

European indices had a mixed finish on Wednesday in the face of French political uncertainty while British Airway's owner IAG rallied on analyst support.The FTSE 100 index fell 23.60 points, 0.3%, at 8,335.81. The FTSE 250 ended up 112.41 points, 0.5%, at 21,005.15, and the AIM All-Share rose 3.13 points, 0.4%, at 738.22.The Cboe UK 100 ended down 0.4% at 836.98, the Cboe UK 250 advanced 0.6% at 1

European equities were higher heading into Tuesday afternoon, boosted by hope that China's top leaders will meet to set out lofty economic aims and discuss stimulus measures for next year. The FTSE 100 index rose 58.76 points, 0.7%, at 8,371.65. The FTSE 250 added 125.89 points, 0.6%, at 20,894.94, and the AIM All-Share rose 2.10 points, 0.3%, at 735.14.The Cboe UK 100 added 0.8% at 840.75, the Cb

Quarterly index changes this weekThree new names to join FTSE 100Four new stocks to join FTSE 250This Wednesday, FTSE Russell ? part of the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) ? will announce the results of its latest quarterly index review.This includes potential changes to the FTSE 100, FTSE 250 and FTSE Small-Cap indices which will become effective from the start of trading on 23 December.WHO'S

Identifying genuine growth stories is not easy but can be extremely rewarding. Nvidia (NVDA:NASDAQ) may be the ultimate growth stock example now but who was flagging its potential 10 years ago when revenue and profit was just a fraction of what it is today and when the widespread application of AI was still restricted to think pieces in periodicals. Some did catch on early and would have enjoyed e

Associated British Foods (ABF)Price: £21.93Market cap: £16.1 billionAs the proverb says, mighty oaks from little acorns grow, and that has certainly been the case for conglomerate Associated British Foods (ABF), which has transformed itself from a single bakery in 1935 to a group of market-leading food and clothing businesses.Best-known for its Primark low-cost fashion stores, which are a featur

US stock and bond prices moved higher on 25 November after president-elect Donald Trump revealed his pick for Treasury secretary was hedge fund manager Scott Bessent.The reaction was partly relief that Trump opted for a market savvy individual and a 'safe pair of hands' rather than someone with little capital markets experience to implement his economic agenda.Secondly, Bessent is seen as pragmati

When you purchase shares, you are not just buying numbers on a screen - you are becoming a part-owner of a business. It's important to remember this fact because, as a part-owner, you have a say in how the business is run and the ability to vote at annual general meetings (AGMs) and extraordinary general meetings (EGMs).AGMs provide a platform for shareholders to engage with the company's manageme

Shares up 67% year-to-dateInterim dividend up 20%Knock-on effect from BudgetShares in Supreme (SUP:AIM) drifted in afternoon trade despite the fast-moving consumer products maker reporting an 8% rise in revenue to £113 million for six months ending 30 September.Supreme supplies products across six categories: batteries, lighting, vaping, sports nutrition & wellness, branded distribution and soft

Q3 like-for-likes down 1.1%Top end of profit guidance loweredRising costs to crimp 2026 profitsHome improvement giant Kingfisher's (KGF) sales missed guidance for the third quarter, with the retailer suffering a 6.4% revenue plunge in its second largest market, France, prompting the B&Q-to-Screwfix owner to lower the top end of its full year 2025 profit guidance.The DIY group also warned rising na