On 5 September, asset manager Abrdn (ABDN) announced that veteran and very successful fund manager Harry Nimmo will retire from the firm and the industry at the end of 2022 after the best part of four decades with the company.The news will have certainly set the nerves of investors in Abrdn UK Smaller Companies Growth Trust (AUSC) and Abrdn UK Smaller Companies (B7FBH94) jangling, given that Nimmo

- Second-half weighting spooks investors- Management confident in meeting full-year expectations- Supply chains expected to normaliseInternational healthcare group Alliance Pharma (APH:AIM) spooked investors after warning of disruption that will skew revenues and profits towards the second half this year.The company told investors that lockdowns in Shanghai and disruption to the supply chain had

Many growth funds are facing the same problem. What do they do when their investing style is out of favour after a long period of being successful?In this scenario investors should be most concerned when a fund manager changes their approach to try and make gains from whatever is working in the market.It rarely works out well when portfolio managers move out of their comfort zone and change their

International healthcare group Alliance Pharma (APH:AIM) delivered better than expected full year revenues and profit, driven by a strong performance in consumer brands and continued recovery in prescription medicines.The company is confident of delivering 'significant' organic growth in 2022 and beyond as prior investments in distribution and marketing capabilities bear fruit.The shares reacted p

Terry Smith might be Britain's favourite fund manager. Having built up an army of retail investor fans with his flagship Fundsmith Equity (B41YBW7) vehicle, he is often compared to Warren Buffett, such is his laser focus on a deceptively simple three-point investment strategy; buy good companies, don't overpay, do nothing.But it's been a tough start to 2022 for Fundsmith, with two of its largest s

Shares in international healthcare group Alliance Pharma (APH:AIM) gained 7.3% to 110.4p after it said full-year pre-tax profit to 31 December is expected to be comfortably ahead of market expectations.A strong contribution from scarring product Kelo-Cote helped deliver 27% growth in revenues to £169.6 million, around 4% above consensus expectations according to Refinitiv data.Kelo-Cote delivered

In his twelfth annual letter to shareholders in the Fundsmith Equity Fund (B41YBW7), Terry Smith has put the boot into Unilever (ULVR), the consumer goods goliath that was one of the fund's worst five performers in 2021.Smith, the analyst turned investment chief turned fund management guru, said the Marmite-to-Magnum ice cream maker 'seems to be labouring under the weight of a management which is

Alliance Pharma (APH:AIM) 104pGain to date: 45.3%Original entry point: Buy at 71.6p, 3 October 2019Pharmaceutical specialist Alliance Pharma's (APH:AIM) recent first-half results (21 Sep) demonstrate the strength of the business with like-for-like revenue growth in the consumer healthcare division (70% of the business) and prescription medicines division both up 12% year-on-year.The star performer

Individuals looking to shield wealth from inheritance tax should consider London's AIM stock market as investing in certain shares can help keep the taxman at bay. The standard rate of inheritance tax is 40% which is a meaningful amount.AIM shares that qualify for business property relief and held for at least two years do not form part of the estate for inheritance tax purposes and can be passed

There are good reasons to be excited by the prospects for the global cannabis industry as more countries legalise recreational usage and a plethora of new medical applications are developed.In addition, an increasing number of cannabis-based consumer products are slated to enter the market over the next few years which should help to bring cannabis into the mainstream.According to consultancy Rese

Shares in prescription and consumer products company Alliance Pharma (APH:AIM) gained 3% to 87.4p after delivering better than expected full-year growth in pre-tax profit, up 2% to £33.5 million despite Covid-19 headwinds last year.Full-year revenues to 31 December fell 5% to £137.5 million as already reported with the consumer product portfolio, representing two-thirds of sales up 1% while pres

Cannabis has jumped back into the investment headlines after pot stocks became the latest topic of talk among the same Reddit group that set shares in GameStop soaring.Nasdaq-listed Tilray was the big mover, with its stock jumping more than 50% on 10 February, and pre-market indicators imply another 14% rally when the US market opens on 11 February.In addition to being caught up in the Reddit-insp

UK stocks ended the last full day of trading of 2020 in the red after the Government placed large swathes of the country under the tightest restrictions with three-quarters of England in tier four and almost all the rest in tier three from tomorrow.Parliament passed the necessary legislation to ratify the Brexit deal announced on Christmas Eve.The FTSE 100 index of leading stocks closed 0.71% lowe

UK stocks dipped into negative territory at midday Wednesday in quiet trading ahead of the last session of the year. Parliament was recalled for an emergency session to approve the Brexit deal ahead of the deadline.The pound gained almost 1% against the US dollar to trade at $1.36 and Brent crude prices were also 1% ahead at $51.6 a barrel.At 12pm the FTSE 100 index of leading stocks was 0.1% lowe

UK shares made small gains in early trading on Wednesday while European markets took a step back after overnight weakness in US, Asian and Indian technology stocks following their record run this year.A fall in the dollar also drove investors to sell US stocks and helped lift defensive assets including gold, which rose to $1,881 per ounce pre-market.At 8.30am the FTSE 100 index of leading stocks w

We're pleased to welcome back Malcolm from Edinburgh who is sharing his experience as someone in retirement taking charge of their investments for the first time. Having explained out how he set up his first portfolio Malcolm turns to how he is managing his investments.In an earlier column I explained my attempts at managing new investments in a SIPP and ISA pension fund.I detailed how half of the

Shares in consumer self-care company Venture Life (VLG:AIM) vaulted 17% to a three-year high of 84p on news of an 80% surge in first-half revenue amid a wave of new manufacturing and distribution agreements.Investors responded to a positive outlook from chief executive Jerry Randall.He said the performance demonstrated 'the resilience and opportunity within our business, along with the strength an

Alliance Pharma (APH:AIM) 77.4pGain to Date: +8%Entry point: Buy at 71.6p, 3 October 2019Pharmaceuticals firm Alliance Pharma (APH:AIM) continued its trend of strong revenue and profit growth when it reported results for the year ended 31 December 2019 on 7 April, with revenue up 16% to £144m and pre-tax profit up 36% to £31m.Free cash generation was 81% higher at £29m, which reduced net debt t

As the UK continues to step lightly through the coronavirus pandemic's social distancing minefield, many investors have turned their back on the small cap space. This is a mistake.We can understand why small caps might not appeal to everyone at the moment, given this space can include unproven business models and fragile balance sheets. It can also be harder to sell small cap shares when you want

One of this column's favourite aphorisms from master investor Warren Buffett (and there are admittedly quite a few of those) is: 'speculation is most dangerous when it looks easiest'.The strong returns offered by most asset classes in 2019 could tempt some investors to think making money is easy and yet American foreign policy in the Middle East means that equities are already off to a bumpy start