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

Stocks in London drifted lower by the close on Thursday, as more weak US jobs data tested nerves ahead of Friday's nonfarm payrolls data.The FTSE 100 index closed down 27.89 points, 0.3%, at 8,241.71. The FTSE 250 ended down 46.11 points, 0.2%, at 20,762.50, and the AIM All-Share closed down 0.54 of a point, 0.1%, at 759.12.The Cboe UK 100 ended down 0.2% at 825.08, the Cboe UK 250 closed up 0.2%

Stock prices in London were lower at midday ahead of US jobs data, but alongside news that the UK construction sector is recovering from a 'difficult start' to the year.The FTSE 100 index was down 16.37 points, or 0.2%, at 8,253.23. The FTSE 250 was up 53.03 points, or 0.3%, at 20,861.64, and the AIM All-Share was up 1.09 points, or 0.1%, at 760.75.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.1% at 825.66, the Cboe

Stock prices in Europe opened in the red on Thursday morning in a data-heavy week for the US, as investors await US jobless figures.The FTSE 100 index opened down 7.81 points, or 0.1%, at 8,261.79. The FTSE 250 was down just 4.44 points at 20,804.17, and the AIM All-Share was down 1.03 points, or 0.1%, at 758.63.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.1% at 826,40, the Cboe UK 250 was up marginally at 18,292.1

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

Bakkavor's (BAKK) shares have rebounded more than 80% to 153.5p year-to-date, investors regaining their appetite for the fresh prepared food provider amid evidence CEO Mike Edwards' reset is paying off, an improving outlook with margin-crimping inflation moderating and with debt on the way down.In March Bakkavor, which supplies UK and US grocers and food brands in China with everything from meals,

Crude oil could cost over $150 a barrel if conflict in the Middle East intensifies, according to the World Bank's recent warning. Brent crude (which we'll use as the benchmark through this feature) last hit those sorts of elevated levels in the summer of 2008, when per barrel prices went close to $147. That was just before irresponsible bank lending blew a massive hole in the global economy, trigg

Shares in Bakkavor (BAKK) are trading 20% lower than their February year-to-date high, with strike action being the latest issue to worry investors.Production staff in its London pizza factory have voted to down tools in a dispute over pay. This could affect supplies for big name clients including Sainsbury's (SBRY), Tesco (TSCO) and Waitrose.Bakkavor was hit by a slowdown last year in the UK fres

Construction equipment rental specialist Ashtead (AHT) has setitself quite a high bar when it comes to its first-quarter earnings report on 5 September.The firm has beaten revenue forecasts in nine out of the last 10 quarters. Moreover, the comparison with the same quarter last year is a tough one as rental revenue was up 26% to just over $2 billion and adjusted pre-tax profit was up 29% to $555 m

AdmiralInvestors are hoping the insurer doesn't deliver the scale of bad news served up by Direct LineOver the past year, a nasty profit warning by Direct Line (DLG), the cancellation of its dividend and suspension of a share buyback programme have put the shivers into anyone holding shares in the general insurance sector. The company was hit by a rise in claims and an increase in costs associated

When supermarket giant Tesco (TSCO) posted its first quarter trading update, chief executive Ken Murphy made a reference to 'changing customer behaviour as a result of the inflationary environment'.His comment reverberated through the market, unsettling investors who had come to rely on the grocery sector as dull but dependable - after all, whatever else is happening in the world, we all must eat.

After more than a decade of domination for growth stocks, global markets are finally seeing a shift into value.This in turn has benefited funds pursuing a value investing style. Growth performed relatively well through the initial course of the pandemic with technology stocks leading the way, but the key catalyst for the long-awaited rotation into value was 'Pfizer Monday' on 9 November last year.

London's FTSE 100 finished Tuesday's session down 2% at 6,859.87 as stronger sterling and resurgent concerns about the course of the global Covid-19 pandemic weighed on investor sentiment, while tobacco stocks remained weak amid reports of US regulatory pressure. On Wall Street the S&P 500 was down 0.9% at 4,128.07 by 4.30pm UK time.TOBACCO STOCKS TUMBLEShares in British American Tobacco (BATS) an

UK stocks continued to slide on Tuesday following some mixed company updates and modest profit-taking after the big gains of last week, with weakness also reflecting the pound's continued rise on UK recovery hopes and share price declines for London's two tobacco firms.By midday, the FTSE 100 was down 1.1% at 6,923.5 points while the FTSE 250 was off 0.7% at 22,339.TOBACCO STOCKS TUMBLEShares in B

The FTSE 100 dipped back below 7,000 in early trading on Tuesday following some mixed company updates and modest profit taking after the big gains of last week.The UK's benchmark index fell 0.2% to 6,986.18, taking its cue from Wall Street where stocks also fell overnight, with the tech-heavy Nasdaq dropping 1% and even the Dow Jones falling 0.3% as banks, energy firms and consumer-facing companie

The news on 9 November of successful early trials of a coronavirus vaccine sent global markets soaring with the most beaten-down sectors like travel, leisure and hospitality, energy and banks enjoying their best daily or weekly performance in years. This has been followed by further positive news on other vaccines in development.It remains the case, however, that many of the top-performing stocks

Shares in Bakkavor (BAKK) softened 2.1% to 77.15p on Friday after the supermarket pizzas-to-salads supplier warned the outlook for the second half of the year was fraught with 'significant' uncertainty.This caution overshadowed a fairly positive trading update from the fresh prepared food play, in which it assured investors sales volumes have stabilised and are 'showing early signs of recovery in

Stocks around the world took something of a pause today after a heavy sell-off yesterday, though the FTSE remains volatile, with markets concerned over a second wave of coronavirus infections.US markets all closed over 5% lower last night, with the Dow Jones tumbling 6.9%, as pockets of the country battle with a rapidly rising number of cases again, something which appears to be happening in some

Yesterday saw the latest FTSE Russell quarterly index review, resulting in significant changes to the composition of both the FTSE 100 large-cap index and the FTSE 250 mid-cap index.Four stocks left the FTSE 100 - cruise ship operator Carnival (CCL), utility group Centrica (CNA), low-cost airline EasyJet (EZJ) and aerospace firm Meggitt (MGGT).Travel related stocks bore the brunt of the sell-off i

FTSE bounced on Thursday, up 0.6% at 5,460 points, driven by energy stocks after China increased US Crude Oil purchases, snapping up cargoes at the widest discounts ever as sellers seek to offload supplies in Asia.Brent Crude jumped 9% to $25.3 lifting UK oil stocks with Royal Dutch Shell (RDSB) up by 7% to £14.5 and BP (BP.) 6% higher at 353p. Premier Oil (PMO) was 11% higher at 17.5p and Tullow