Spare a thought for Laszlo Hanyecz. You may not have heard of him, but in 2010 he spent 10,000 Bitcoins on two pizzas, in one of the first ever 'real world' crypto transactions. The market value of those Bitcoins is now $950 million. Hanyecz is pretty stoic about it, but deep down he must know that no amount of melted cheese can make up for the vast fortune he might have had. Hanyecz, a computer p

The first Budget from a Labour Government in 14 years continues to stir heated debate and sceptics readily point to the increase in the yield in the UK's 10-year gilt to a one-year high to support their case that chancellor Rachel Reeves is on the wrong track. It does not look great that yields are rising in the wake of August's interest rate cut from the Bank of England, but 10-year government bo

Indices in London closed higher on Monday as the market reacted favourably to President-elect Trump's choice of Scott Bessent to head the US Treasury, although oil majors suffered amid falling brent prices.AJ Bell's Russ Mould said Bessent is perceived as being a relatively 'conventional and safe pair of hands candidate'.'Importantly, Bessent is seen as being less aggressive on tariffs than some o

A year after fast-fashion sensation Shein was first thought to have filed registration papers for a UK IPO, reports suggest the company is targeting the first quarter of 2025 for a London float that could value the business at £50 billion.Shein's position as a fast-growing retailer expanding across multiple geographies and taking market share from established players ? it is no coincidence that t

AstraZeneca CEO buys 20,000 sharesTravis Perkins CEO buys 249, 218 sharesASOS director buys £430,135 sharesPascal Soriot, CEO of pharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca (AZN) has bought 20,000 shares at £102 for a total value of £2.04 million on 15 November.Soriot's purchase comes after the pharmaceutical giant delivered earnings ahead of consensus forecasts and raised its outlook on 14 November.Over t

Frasers stake is a 'conflict of interest'Board representation calls rejectedKamani has 'no intention' of making offerStruggling online fashion group Boohoo (BOO:AIM) has accused Mike Ashley's Frasers (FRAS) of using its stake in the Debenhams-to-Karen Millen owner and other retailers to promote its own 'commercial self-interest'.The defiant comments came as Boohoo hit back at Frasers' demands for

Stock prices in London were mostly higher at midday Tuesday as US voters are choosing their next president, as data showed UK service sector growth softened but outperformed its flash reading in October.The S&P Global UK services purchasing managers' index declined to 52.0 points in October from 52.4 in September, but beat the flash score of 51.8 points. The PMI composite output index fell to 51.8

Funds inevitably have their up and downs in performance. When a fund has gone through a particularly poor spell, does this represent a buying opportunity for investors in the expectation it will bounce back to form?Likewise for existing investors, should they stick or twist? Fortunately, there are lots of studies from the institutional fund management world which provide answers to that question a

Debt deal characterisation 'inaccurate and unfair'Search for new CEO underwayFurther drama to unfoldHard-pressed online fashion group Boohoo (BOO:AIM) has given a robust response to Frasers' (FRAS) bid to install Mike Ashley as its new CEO, questioning whether putting the retail tycoon in charge would be in the interests of shareholders other than Frasers.Boohoo's bombed-out shares ticked up 1% to

European shares went into reverse early Tuesday, as the lack of new stimulus in China disappointed the market, while the story in London was Vistry, which slumped by a third after a profit warning.'Having persuaded a sceptical audience that it was managing the transition from mainstream to partnership housebuilder, and outperformed the sector by over 30% in the last twelve months, Vistry now has t

Stocks in London were higher at midday Tuesday, as the UK manufacturing sector continued to outperform its peers in France and Germany.The FTSE 100 index was up 26.97 points, or 0.3%, at 8,264.19. The FTSE 250 was up 18.02 points, or 0.1%, at 21,071.21, and the AIM All-Share was down 0.48 points, or 0.1%, at 739.95.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.4% at 827.69, the Cboe UK 250 was up 0.2% at 18,539.63, an

It's time to break out the birthday candles as Shares marks 25 years since its first issue hit the newsstands in September 1999.I'm just the latest custodian of this publication, having had the pleasure of editing Shares for a just under a year, and while there has been an enormous amount of change over the last quarter of a century both internally and in the broader financial markets, the one con

Sales remain weakTopshop and Topman brands sold to Bestseller£150 million reduction in debtOnline fast-fashion retailer ASOS (ASC) has sold a majority stake in the iconic Topshop and Topman brands for £135 million to Heartland, an investment vehicle of the Holch Povlsen family and their Bestseller business, ASOS' biggest shareholder with a 28% stake.ASOS shares rallied almost 15% to 417.4p as th

Entain (ENT) 630.4pMarket Cap: £4.13 billionInvesting in the gambling sector may not be everybody's cup of tea but we believe embattled sports betting and gambling firm Entain (ENT) has become so unloved and neglected that the upside potential now comfortably outweighs the downside risks. With several activist investors on the share register pushing for change, rumours of private equity interes

CEO unexpectedly steps downPre-tax profits plunge in H1Strategic review ongoingShares in Chapel Down (CDGP:AIM) cheapened 16% to 58.5p after England's largest winemaker uncorked a first half profits plunge and said CEO Andrew Carter is leaving to take up a new role at Timothy Taylor & Co.Drinks industry veteran Carter's exit is a bitter blow to Chapel Down.During his three year stint as CEO, he ov

It's now three years since the cost of living crisis began to grip the nation. In August 2021, CPI inflation jumped to 3.2%, up from 2% in July of that year. It then climbed all the way up to a peak of 11.1% in October 2022 before gradually, and painfully, falling back to current levels.Consumers are undoubtedly still finding things hard after such a big price shock, but the worst now looks firmly

Investors will be keen to discover if insurer Direct Line Insurance (DLG) has continued its positive start to the year when it reports first-half results on 4 September after a tumultuous 12 months.The business delivered a strong first quarter, with double-digit written premium growth in Motor, Home and Commercial businesses and overall growth of 15% for ongoing operations.Chief executive Adam Win

Takes 14.65% stake in Aussie retailer'Mutually beneficial opportunities' for both groupsStrengthens ties with Hoka, SkechersDespite already having fingers in multiple pies, Mike Ashley-controlled Frasers (FRAS) has swooped on yet another opportunity to expand its international footprint.The deal-hungry conglomerate has taken a 14.65% stake in Australian sports and lifestyle brands seller Accent, a

Tate & Lyle (TATE) 645pMarket cap: £2.5 billionInvestors have soured on Tate & Lyle (TATE) since the global ingredients group announced the $1.8 billion (£1.4 billion) acquisition of 'mouthfeel' specialist CP Kelco in June.The food producer's shares have fallen more than 20% from May's 831.5p five-year high on concerns over price and integration risk, since large acquisitions have an unfortun

There has never been a better time to be an income investor in UK equities, as payouts for the period from April to June hit an all-time quarterly record of £36.7 billion according to the latest Dividend Monitor from Computershare.Most of the increase was thanks to one-off special dividends, leaving the underlying growth rate at just 1%, but for those clipping the coupons or reinvesting the incom