People have continued to spend on the health and wellbeing of their pets during the pandemic, implying that retailers and service providers in this area should be fairly resilient.While the UK pet population has been broadly stable for the past decade, spending on pets has grown by 7% annually over the same period according to investment bank Liberum.Spend on vet services has also seen strong...

London's FTSE 100 is doing its best to get back through the psychologically-important 7,000 level as the new trading week kicks off, ticking 4.5 points higher to 6,973 early on with oil producers, pharmaceuticals and tobacco stocks powering the advance in the blue-chip index.Bookie William Hill's (WMH) poor run of form continues, the shares marked 3% lower to 170.5p on a mixed trading update...

Typically people invest in small cap biotechnology and pharmaceutical stocks in the hope they can enjoy returns of many times their initial investment as the share price reacts to the discovery of the next wonder drug.However, stories like these are actually few and far between and lots of companies in this space instead burn through their cash quickly and end up going bust.Profitable...

Although the momentum of the blue-chip benchmark has stalled since it hit new record highs in late May, London's FTSE 100 recovers some of yesterday's losses early on, ticking 39 points higher to 7,615.In corporate news, Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) rises 3.1% to 257.8p as half year results not only reveal adjusted profitability comfortably ahead of consensus forecasts, but the bank also...

Shares in animal health products supplier Animalcare (ANCR:AIM) are down 15.9% to 225p after a warning that earnings will miss market expectations in 2018.Animalcare blames the impact on gross margins from a changing sales mix and competitive pressures for lower than anticipated earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA). 'The company is expected to deliver further...

Investors on the lookout for relative safe havens in the wake of Brexit and ahead of a stormy US presidential election should consider the pets, vets and animal medicines market.This niche offers exposure to pockets of high-quality earnings, strong cash flows and rising dividends. The UK is renowned as a nation of animal lovers and the resilience of spending on the wellbeing of pet companions...

London's blue chip index trades 0.7% higher at 6,715.80 in early trading as the pound rises against the dollar after Theresa May walked into 10 Downing street as prime minister for the first time on Wednesday night.Expectations that the Bank of England could cut interest rates later today have also been welcomed by the market.Convenience store retailer McColl's (MCLS) jumps 14% to 150p on...

London shares decline for the second day running, reacting to disappointing China inflation data and sparked by moderate profit taking. The benchmark FTSE 100 index slides around 50 points, or 0.8%, lower to 6,293, roughly matching falls on Wall Street and on Asian markets overnight.In corporate news, a heavily-discounted share placing sends Sula Iron & Gold (SULA:AIM) falling 32% to 0.34p. It...

The stock market's smallest and riskiest companies have always held fascination for private investors. On the premise that 'elephants don't gallop, but fleas leap,' to borrow Jim Slater's often quoted phrase, it's easier for a tiny company to double its size, and investor's money, than for a big one. Let's face it, a blue chip company worth £1 billion will find it much harder to double or...

One of a flurry of retailers to float year-to-date, Pets at Home's (PETS) IPO (12 Mar) raked in £280 million to pay down debt and enabled private equity group KKR and members of management to reduce holdings. Vigilance is always required when weighing up private equity floats (see The Big Debate, Shares, 13 Mar '14) and Pets was a reminder of the potential pitfalls here, at 220p trading 10%...

Alternative growthInvestors will get a close up look at the return to growth ambitions of business telecoms supplier Alternative Networks (AN.) when it gives a first-quarter trading steer alongside its annual general meeting next Tuesday (28 Jan). It recently acquired virtual desktops business Intercept IT for £13 million. (SFr)US SynergySeveral contract wins in the US should drive long-term...

Luxury goods leader Burberry (BRBY) bounces 5.4% higher to £15.48 as its third quarter and Christmas trading statementtrounces expectations. Over the three months to December, the £6.5 billion cap grew retail sales 14% to £528 million and like-for-like sales 12%, a strong showing over the festive period. The quintessentially British brand, famed for its high-end trench coats and leather...

The most recent statistics show a 10.5% business birth rate (as a percentage of all active firms) in Yorkshire and Humberside and 11.2% in the North East. They are below the national figure of 11.4% but failure rates of 10.0% and 9.9% suggest a net gain in the number of new companies. Such entrepreneurial spirit helps explain the highly successful stock market listings of Tyneside's...

BUY VETERINARY MEDICINES specialist Animalcare (ANCR:AIM) ahead of an expected return to growth this year following the re-entry to the market of Buprecare single dose ampoules, an analgesic for cats and dogs.Supply of the product was disrupted in July 2011 when contract manufacturer Recipharm announced the immediate closure of its sterile injectable unit.This not only caused the £29 million...