Share prices in London started lower on Friday after the two-day Christmas break, as investors dissected initial readings on the strength of holiday sales and the weekly reading on US employment.Out on Boxing Day, US seasonally adjusted initial jobless claims were 219,000 in the week that ended this past Saturday, down 1,000 from the previously week's unrevised total of 220,000, the US Department

Next year should prove a sweet one for Treatt (TET) and its shareholders. The extracts-to-ingredients supplier has the recipe for long-term growth and many of the hallmarks of a high-quality company including an unwavering focus on innovation, strong cash generation and double-digit returns on both equity and capital employed.Well-placed to profit as its end-markets recover from an unhelpful spell

Q3 results top forecastsInternational sales surgeBuyback programme upped by $1 billionInvestors who've soured on Lululemon (LULU:NASDAQ) of late were left chasing the stock higher after third quarter results beat estimates and the athleisure specialist raised full-year guidance, sending the shares up 9.2% to $344.8 in after-hours trading on Wall Street.The Canadian company has seen sales growth sl

Stock prices in Europe opened in the green on Monday as Donald Trump picked hedge fund manager Scott Bessent as the next US Treasury secretary, a 'clear nod' to New York equity markets.Bookending the FTSE 100, meanwhile, were two retail names. JD Sports added 3.5%, recovering after slumped 16% on Thursday and losing another 2.1% on Friday. B&Q owner Kingfisher plunged 11% after trimming the top en

To date, a small, exclusive club of UK retailers have exceeded £1 billion in annual profits, a high street elite that includes Tesco (TSCO), Marks & Spencer (MKS) and Kingfisher (KGF). Some may view this £1 billion figure as merely symbolic, but breaching this barrier is no mean feat and demonstrates a retailer has a lasting place in consumers' affections and the scale to win in a competitive ma

Weaker demand for discretionary toys and treats and an ongoing vet industry investigation by the CMA (Competition & Markets Authority), driven by concerns market consolidation has led to pet owners being overcharged for medicines and prescriptions, have kept Pets at Home's (PETS) shares on a tight leash this past year.Having previously expressed 'disappointment' over the CMA probe, the UK pet care

Better-than-feared second quarterNew recovery strategy unveiled£40 million-cost saving initiativeQuintessentially British luxury brand Burberry (BRBY) topped the FTSE 250 leader board on 14 November, the out-of-fashion firm's shares rallying 14% to 835p as its second-quarter results beat gloomy expectations and new boss Joshua Schulman unveiled a turnaround strategy.A rumoured bid target for Ital

Stocks ended a mixed bag in London on Thursday, amid a number of central bank decisions, and following the US presidential election.In the UK, the Bank of England said it would not cut interest rates 'too quickly or too much' after lowering rates by 25 basis points. The US Federal Reserve is expected to follow suit later in the day.The FTSE 100 index closed down 25.94 points, or 0.3%, at 8,140.74.

Turning a lacklustre 2024 on its head, Tesla (TSLA:NASDAQ) delivered stronger third-quarter profits than Wall Street expected after the close on 23 October 2024. Elon Musk's electric vehicle maker reported its first year-on-year bottom line growth of 2024 to the delight of investors, sparking a 22% rally in the share price, its biggest one-day jump in more than a decade.The share price rally added

Stock prices in London opened mostly lower on Friday morning as China posted its slowest growth in a year and a half, while UK retail sales performed better than expected last month.The FTSE 100 index opened down 28.63 points, or 0.3%, at 8,356.50. The FTSE 250 was down 37.28 points, or 0.2%, at 21,063.64, and the AIM All-Share was up 1.39 points, or 0.2%, at 743.78.London's FTSE 100 had hit a fiv

4imprint (FOUR) £50.80Market cap: £1.43 billionWe think the sell-off in shares of 4imprint (FOUR) since the direct marketer of promotional products released its first-half trading update in August presents a good opportunity to buy into a high-growth, cash-generative business at an attractive price.The firm is one of the leading players in the $25 billion-a-year North American promotional market

London's blue chip index was in the green while its European peers were in the red, following better-than-expected consumer price index inflation data, with on-year CPI falling below the 2% target in September.The FTSE 100 index was up 46.02 points, or 0.6%, at 8,295.30. The FTSE 250 was up 95.54 points, or 0.5%, at 20,889.98, and the AIM All-Share was up 1.34 points, or 0.2%, at 735.20.The Cboe U

Next executive director sells £2.6 million sharesRamsdens director sells 125,000 sharesGreggs director sells £1.85 million sharesJeremy Stakol, executive director at fashion and homeware retailer Next (NXT) and his wife Marcelle Stakol have sold 26,523 shares at £98.79 for a total value of £2.6 million on 10 October.Stakol's move comes after the company raised its year-to-January-2025 profit g

Stocks in London closed in the red on Thursday, following a mixed bag of economic data from the US, with inflation surprising to the upside while jobless claims came in higher than expected.The FTSE 100 index closed down 6.01 points, 0.1%, at 8,237.73. The FTSE 250 ended 114.01 points lower, 0.6%, at 20,708.37, and the AIM All-Share fell 2.13 points, 0.3%, to 734.53.The Cboe UK 100 ebbed 0.1% to 8

Acquisition accretive to earningsShares placed at a discountSmaller REITs struggle to surviveThe divergence in fortunes between large listed commercial property companies and some of the smaller players was thrown into relief today with the announcement by British Land (BLND) it had raised capital for a large retail acquisition on the same day two small REITs (real estate investment trusts) reveal

On track to open between 140 and 160 net new shopsFull year outcome unchanged from previous guidanceCompany-managed shop like-for-like sales up 5%Shares in Greggs (GRG) were down more than 3% to £30.07 as investors expressed mild dissatisfaction with the UK bakery chain's third-quarter trading update.Reporting a 10.6% rise in total sales for the 13 weeks to 28 September, and 12.7% year-to-date, t

Stocks in London closed in the green on Friday, as Chinese stimulus measures continued to give equities a boost.The FTSE 100 index ended up 35.85 points, 0.4%, at 8,320.76. The FTSE 250 closed up 230.12 points, 1.1%, at 21,240.56, and the AIM All-Share added 4.00 points, 0.5%, at 745.65.For the week, the FTSE 100 rose 1.1%, the FTSE 250 added 2.0%. The AIM was unmoved from this time last week.The

This feature marks two new beginnings. The first is a three-part-series exploring portfolio construction, management and how to adapt for major life milestones. It is also the start of a brand-new section in the magazine. We want to find out how readers approach their own investment portfolios and the methods they use to construct and manage them. You can read more about how to get involved at the

Solid first four months90% of annual earnings in the bagBerkeley supports planning system changesHigh-end housebuilder Berkeley (BKG) welcomed planning reforms proposed by the new UK government as the FTSE 100 company assured investors it is 'on target' to meet recently upgraded earnings guidance for the year ending 30 April 2025.The London-focused property developer and housebuilder said 'trading

Stocks in London were in the red on Monday during midday trading, as downbeat Chinese manufacturing data cast a cloud over equities.It is likely to be a quieter day, given that US markets will be closed today for the Labor Day holiday.The FTSE 100 index was down 13.03 points, or 0.2%, at 8,363.46. The FTSE 250 was down 61.15 points, or 0.3%, at 21,025.39, and the AIM All-Share was down 4.31 points