Former YouGov chairman sells upArbuthnot chairman increases stakeNational World COO sells up to cover tax costsStephan Shakespeare, the former chief executive of YouGov (YOU:AIM), the international online research and data analytics group has sold 350,000 shares at £11.80 for a total value of £4.13 million on 5 February.The sale was made by his wife Rosamund Shakespeare for the purposes of ?pers

Johnson Matthey CEO buys 15,000 sharesBarclays chairman snaps up 200,000 sharesArbuthnot CEO increases stakeLiam Condon, CEO of Johnson Matthey (JMAT) has bought 15,000 shares at £15.45 for a total value of £231,701 on 6 December.Condon?s purchase signals that he has faith in the chemicals company. Several weeks ago, the chemicals company raised its full year operating performance despite report

For a private bank which made its name financing foreign trade in the 19th century and coming up for its 190th anniversary, Arbuthnot Banking (ARBB:AIM) has a very up-to-date approach.Thanks to a major investment in technology in 2017, the entire workforce was able to work from home seamlessly when the pandemic struck last year, allowing the bank to remain fully operational and averting the need t

Broadband and calls supplier TalkTalk (TALK) is firmly backed by investors in early trade on Tuesday, the stock rallying around 6% to 116.7p, after the company lays out a promising trading update.The embattled company has been gripped by an intense price war with big rivals like BT (BT.A), Sky (SKY) and Virgin and has faced other issues, but news today that it has added 80,000 customers, taking it

Firmer metal prices help miners to early gains in London as the FTSE 100 treads water ahead of a speech by Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen this evening.A second reading of US first quarter GDP at 12.30 BST could provide some clues on Yellen's outlook for interest rates in an address which is scheduled after markets close in the US.Overnight, stocks gained in Tokyo and Hong Kong but fell slightl

London stocks open on a mildly softer footing in early trade on Thursday with another mining rally failing to lift the UK market as investors continue to assess the impact of the UK Budget yesterday. A dovish US Federal Reserve maintained interest rates overnight.The FTSE 100 index drifts around 4 points lower, staying roughly flat at 6,171, while micaps and smaller companies also struggle to find

Investment bankers and footballers have a lot in common. They receive too much of their employers' revenues in salary and bonuses, instead of the funds being redeployed in the company or football club to drive growth.Such continued re-investment is needed to create long-term value for shareholders, a strategy that is evident at Lloyds Banking (LLOY), Aldermore (ADL), OneSavings Bank (OSB), Shawbro

The £115 million proceeds from the sale of retail lender Secure Trust Bank's (STB:AIM) Everyday Loans business could be used to super-charge its growth potential in 2016.Secure Trust's pre-tax profit is already forecast to rise 52% to £56.8 million in 2016, according to Canaccord Genuity. The leap in profit is the result of an expected £600 million rise in business lending during the year to £

At The Stock Market Show in September we asked the audience how many people in the room held shares in Lloyds Banking (LLOY) before the global financial crisis in 2008, and how many still hold the stock today. More than half the room put their hands up, with people admitting they still held the stock in the hope that it would eventually go back to the glory days of paying 7%+ dividend yield.Banks

Arbuthnot Banking (ARBB:AIM) £16.11Gain to date: 23.9%Original entry price: Buy at £13.00, 8 January 2015London-based Arbuthnot Banking (ARBB:AIM) exceeded analysts' forecasts in the six months to the end of June but larger gains are expected in the second half. Underlying pre-tax profit grew 30% to £17.1 million in the first half (versus the same period a year earlier). This figure is expected

London investors start Tuesday largely sitting on their hands with a raft of US technology majors set tp report results after the close of trading, while traders also remain wary ahead of the release of tomorrow's MPC minutes and a barrage of economic data scheduled for release at the end of the week.US tech giants Apple (AAPL:NDQ), Microsoft (MSFT:NDQ) and Yahoo (YHOO:NDQ) are all set to post ear

You might think it would be difficult to outperform the equity market at present. As we write, UK shares are rattling along nicely with the FTSE 100 back above 7,000. Yet our Plays of the Week portfolio continues to show the benefits of well-researched stock picking and is outpacing the wider market by some distance.In the past 12 months, our portfolio has produced an 9% average return (before div

The UK's big banks are struggling to offer sound investment propositions eight years after the financial crisis took hold. Steer clear of HSBC (HSBA), Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), Barclays (BARC) and Standard Chartered (STAN). Instead examine some of the emerging players providing credible alternatives to the established names.On the surface the larger banks appear to be fixing their balance shee

Arbuthnot Banking (ARBB:AIM) £14.15Gain to date: 8.8%Previous Shares view: Buy at £13.00, 8 Jan 2015Upgrades are on the way for private and retail bank Arbuthnot Banking (ARBB:AIM) after pre-tax profit grew by a forecast-beating 43.3% to £22.5 million in 2014.This is 4% above the £21.7 million expected by broker Numis. It is now preparing to upgrade forecasts, currently pencilled in for a 51.1

With cash and bonds seemingly unattractive, the market backdrop is ripe for further gains in equities. The stock market remains a better place to generate good returns on your money. The FTSE 100 has certainly had a good run this year and many of the other major indices have delivered positive returns. But that's not going to be enough for some investors, as many people are intent on BEATING the m

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 even tr

Private and retail bank Arbuthnot Banking (ARBB:AIM) is expected to generate huge profit growth after expanding its balance sheet. Analysts expect its assets and funds under management to grow, while bad debts remain low (2%) as the bank steps up its lending in an improving economy.The bank, which trades under the Arbuthnot Latham brand, raised £25 million through a placing at £24.00 a share in

One of the most effective ways to spot potential winners is to use a stock screener. These can quickly scan a vast number of shares to identify those that meet your preferred technical or fundamental criteria.If you have never used a screener before you might want to start by having a look at one of the free ones available on financial websites such as Digital Look, the Motley Fool, or Shares's si

Looking for shares which have slipped beneath the radar of investors is a good way of identifying possible re-rating opportunities. A decent measure of a company's market profile is the number of sell-side analysts which cover the stock.The table shows companies in the FTSE 250, FTSE Small Cap and FTSE AIM 100 which are covered by the fewest analysts. Very often they are only followed by the house

Investors remain fixed in sell-off mood as weak inflation data from China and Germany reignites fears about a global economic slowdown. The benchmark FTSE 100 in gets pushed sharply lower in early trade Wednesday, slumping 75 points to 6,318, a rough 0.8% decline.The Footsie loser board is led by UK drugs maker Shire (SHP) as it faces a likely knockout blow to its agreed takeover. US rival Abbvie