No investment style works year in, year out and even Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway (BRKA:NYSE) has fallow spells in its history. Indeed, the so-called Sage of Omaha freely acknowledges this in his latest Letter to Shareholders, when he notes: 'During the 2019-23 period, I have used the words "mistake" or "error" 16 times in my letters to you.'Such humility is commendable, especially as some

London's FTSE 100 outperformed peers on the continent on Friday, ending the week positively and rounding off a 1.6% rise over the course of this month.The FTSE 100 index ended up 53.53 points, 0.6%, at 8,809.74. For the week, it added 1.7%. The FTSE 250 lost 88.35 points, 0.4%, at 20,326.38, and the AIM All-Share fell 3.89 points, 0.6%, at 703.83.The Cboe UK 100 ended up 0.6% at 882.15, the Cboe U

Fourth-quarter sales rise 17.6%Group continues to outperform peersShares test new all-time highsHaving risen more than 300% over the past five years, Hermes' (RMS:EPA) shares were marked up another 3.5% to an all-time high of €2,912 in Paris after the high-end handbag-maker defied the depressed luxury goods market by delivering forecast-beating fourth-quarter sales.Revenue rose across the boa

2024 profits up 30%New year off to 'positive' startGrowth slowdown, upgrades absence weighAs per usual, there was plenty to like about the latest trading update from affordable cosmetics supplier Warpaint London (W7L:AIM). The company, which supplies its wares to Tesco (TSCO), Boots and Walmart (WMT:NYSE), reported a 'strong' performance for the year to December 2024 and hailed a 'positive start'

Allianz Technology Trust (ATT) 431pMarket cap: £1.63 billionBig technology stocks have dominated growth for more than a decade yet one of the valuable lessons to come out of recent DeepSeek developments is that financial markets are not a one-way street, and key tech stocks don't always go up.Less experienced investors may not realise it, but such shake-outs are not rare, and volatility is built

Market is worried that growth is in long-run slowdown$180 billion wiped off market cap$75 billion AI infrastructure capex spooks investorsAfter a 7% stock drop overnight for Google parent Alphabet (GOOG:NASDAQ), headlines across the internet are screaming revenue miss, but that doesn't really capture the detail of the tech giant's fourth quarter.Alphabet reported $96.47 billion Q4 revenue, below t

Guidance cut from €350-€450 million to €250-€300 millionCost headwinds hit European budget carrierShares down 37% over the past yearShares in Wizz Air (WIZZ) fell nearly 12% in early morning trading after the European budge carrier cut its full year 2025 profit guidance from a range of €350 million to €450 million to €250 million to €300 million, before any

With most of the big names in the retail sector having reported we can get a decent picture of how the sector fared in the run-up to and during the festive period. A weak trading backdrop for non-food retail in October and November, before Santa delivered a return to growth in December, a month that also witnessed a notable shift to online sales according to the latest data (17 January) from The O

Americas hit by weak seasonal salesSome big customers in difficultyOther customers delaying ordersIt was a dark day for shareholders in celebration products maker IG Design (IGR:AIM) after the firm warned full-year earnings would be 'significantly below' current market forecasts due to problems in its Americas division.The shares lost 86p or more than 60% to 56p, wiping out £80 million of market

Domino's Pizza Group (DOM) 270pMarket cap: £1.05 billionWe aren't a willfully contrarian bunch at Shares, but now and then we come across a stock which seems so beaten-down with so much bad news priced in we just have to take a closer look.A case in point is FTSE 250 fast-food firm Domino's Pizza Group (DOM), the UK's leading pizza brand with over 1,360 stores in the UK and Ireland.Ironically, ei

Stocks in London were in the red at Tuesday midday, while the CAC 40 in Paris and the DAX 40 in Frankfurt were in the green, ahead of US trade balance data.The FTSE 100 index was down 23.05 points, 0.3%, at 8,226.61. The FTSE 250 was down 98.05 points, 0.5%, at 20,514.60, and the AIM All-Share was down 0.88 points, 0.1%, at 728.07.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.3% at 824.19, the Cboe UK 250 was down 0

Strong festive salesOnline and international drive growthTougher FY26 expectedFirst out of the blocks with its Christmas trading statement, fashion and homewares colossus Next (NXT) raised full-year profit guidance yet again following better-than-expected festive trading with online sales growth accelerating in the fourth quarter.Shares in the FTSE 100 retailer ticked up 3% to £98.40 on the news,

UK indices remained in the red at midday on Thursday but with water companies bucking the trend following UK regulator Ofwat green lighting a substantial industry investment package.Interest rate calls on either side of the Atlantic dominated events with the Bank of England leaving rates unchanged, after a 'hawkish' cut by the US Federal Reserve on Wednesday.The BoE's Monetary Policy Committee vot

Key UK indices were broadly flat at Thursday's close as the ECB decided to 'play it safe' with interest rate cuts.Also, the UK prime minister has said providing homes for people must be the 'top priority' over nature and the environment as government reforms are set to allow more building on the green belt.A shake-up of planning rules means councils have been given mandatory targets to deliver a t

UK indices slipped into the red on Tuesday as the London exodus continues, with Ashtead unveiling plans to shift its primary listing to the US.The FTSE 100 index closed down 71.72 points, 0.9%, at 8,280.36. The FTSE 250 ended down 75.33 points, 0.4%, at 20,973.94, and the AIM All-Share shed 3.28 points, 0.4%, at 737.57.The Cboe UK 100 ended down 0.8% at 831.35, the Cboe UK 250 closed down 0.5% at

With US stocks trading close to all-time highs, valuations looking stretched and one of the narrowest markets on record, this could be an opportune moment to consider adding some defensive qualities to your portfolio through capital preservation funds and trusts.These products aim to protect your capital during periods of heightened volatility and equity market drawdowns as well as growing capital

Fidelity Special Values (FSV) 311.5pMarket cap: £1.01 billionWider than the five and 10-year average of 4%, a near-9% share price discount to NAV (net asset value) at Fidelity Special Values (FSV) presents an attractive entry point into a fund with an impressive long-run record and a contrarian, value-focused investment philosophy that's proven to work.The trust, which recently celebrated its 30

1. Republicans win: The US presidential election outcome is a resounding vote in favour of the policies proposed by Donald Trump, the new president-elect. Voter concerns about inflation and immigration also played a role in his success. The implications of the election outcome for emerging markets (EMs), particularly China, are significant. The president-elect has proposed a 10% tariff on all impo

Market speculation ITV might demergeITV has made no commentYear-to-date ITV shares have gained 11%Shares in ITV (ITV) were nearly 9% higher at 71p in morning trading as rumours circulated of potential suitors for the free-to-air-broadcaster.According to Sky News, a number of possible bidders for part or all ITV have emerged including a European broadcaster France's Groupe TF1 and CVC Capital Partn

Fans of Gene Roddenberry's long running Star Trek television and film franchise will know that any would-be captain of a Starfleet vessel had to complete the so-called Kobayashi Maru test, a simulation from which there was no way out, to see how they responded to extreme pressure. The first captain of the USS Enterprise, James T. Kirk, earned his place at Starfleet Academy by reprogramming the com