Anyone lucky enough to have enjoyed a long summer holiday and focused on the beach rather than their portfolio might not have noticed the recent jolt in global stock markets.While the second half of July was a miserable time markets amid fears of a US recession, the scale of the subsequent rebound has been remarkable.Glance at your portfolio now and you might only see a small dent. There is certai

With the UK economy seemingly headed for a 'soft landing' and interest rates set to fall at some point this year, more adventurous investors will be looking to add a little more risk to their portfolios.Given the UK market, and the mid-cap space in particular, is widely acknowledged to be cheap, the passive option would be to buy a mid-cap ETF (exchange-traded fund) such as the iShares FTSE 250 (M

Investor excitement surrounding weight-loss drugs has arguably been as great if not greater than that seen for everything AI (artificial intelligence) in the last two years.Market leaders Novo Nordisk (NOVO-B:CPH) and Eli Lilly (LLY:NYSE), makers of Wegovy and Zepbound respectively, have seen their share prices soar as investors seemingly extrapolate their initial success years into the future.Ben

Is BT (BT.A) finally worth owning? For years it has been a complete dog of a stock and despite spinning back through our archives, Shares struggled to find the last time we had anything positive to say about the company or its shares.Yet suddenly in May 2024, the stock jumped, chalking up rough 30% gains within days and now at roughly 138p. 'There is a surge of energy running through BT after the

Total revenue for six months £13.4 billionPre-tax profit for six months £5.3 billionShares up 3% year-to-dateBritish American Tobacco (BATS) said it was on track to deliver full year 2024 guidance of low-single digit revenue and profit growth with a second half weighting, which disappointed investors.The company highlighted a challenging macro environment in the US and 'stretched' consumers with

Stock prices in London were in the red on Tuesday morning, as non-food sales in the UK remained in decline, while retail sales edged up only mildly in May.The FTSE 100 index opened down 31.15 points, or 0.4%, at 8,229.30. The FTSE 250 was down 105.98 points, or 0.5%, at 20,794.74, and the AIM All-Share was down 1.27 points, or 0.2%, at 803.84.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.4% at 821.19, the Cboe UK 25

UK stocks look cheap on so many different valuation metrics, not just one or two, suggesting a robust, genuine investment opportunity is available to long-term investors. So why does nobody seem convinced?This article explores the scepticism surrounding the UK?s market?s attractive valuation and examines the underlying evidence to support it. Shares concludes UK stocks really are a compelling inve

This year, Apple (AAPL:NASDAQ) shares have fallen nearly 9%. If that doesn?t sound like a big deal, consider that for the world?s second most valuable company it means the loss of something like $230 billion. That?s the equivalent of an entire PepsiCo (PEP:NASDAQ), or Shell (SHEL) ? the UK?s current largest company ? plus a British American Tobacco (BATS) thrown in.On a one-year view, the stock ha

Oil prices recently hit a four-month high with Brent crude topping $86 per barrel after US inventories came in lower than expected and amid reports of attacks on Russian facilities.Yet the FTSE 350 Oil & Gas Producers sector is pretty much flat, like the wider UK market. In the US, energy stocks are underperforming the S&P 500 with a 7.4% gain against 9.4% for the wider market.Writing in mid-March

NI cut by 2% as predictedFuel and alcohol duty frozenTobacco tax increaseWith the UK having recently experienced a technical recession after two quarters of negative growth to December last year, and the spectre of a general election looming, today?s Budget decisions are ?more critical than ever? says the AccountancyAge website.?This budget is anticipated to navigate the tightrope of stimulating e

The end of the tax year is fast approaching and with it the opportunity to maximise your £20,000 ISA allowance for the year.In this article we have identified six names from a list of some of the most consistent funds and fund managers in the UK which could be a good fit for your tax wrapper. While we have aimed for a balance across different investment styles and asset classes this is not intend

£27.3 billion non-cash impairment chargeGlobal settlement with rival Philip Morris Strong performance from new categories Investors in British American Tobacco (BATS) ?rewarded? the global tobacco giant this morning despite it reporting a loss from operations of £15.75 billion for the year ending 31 December after incurring a £27.3 billion non-cash impairment charge mainly related to its US com

Vaping supplier shares down over 6%UK ban on disposable vapes announcedVape sales have grown in recent yearsShares in vaping supplier Supreme (SUP) were down over 6% to 98.50p and Chill Brands (CHLL) fell more than 20% to 3p in morning trading as the UK government announced its intention to ban disposable vapes.Last year prime minister Rishi Sunak said at the Conservative Party conference that he

As we approach the end of the year it is an opportune moment to shine a light on some of this year's least-loved stocks.Rather than look at the stocks which have lost the most, we have collected together those trading at or near their lows for the year along with those with the fewest friends in the analyst community and those which the hedge fund community thinks are outright shorts.If we first t

For the second part of our annual survey, we asked fund managers if they had changed their view on any stocks this year, for better or for worse, and what lay behind their decisions.As with the winners and losers survey last week, the answers were often frank and once again we would like to thank everyone who took part.Thomas Moore - Aberdeen Equity Income Trust (AEI)THE STOCK THAT I CHANGED MY MI

Shares in British American Tobacco (BATS) took a proper pounding after the firm lowered its full year 2023 sales outlook and said it would incur an impairment charge of around £25 billion.Newly-appointed chief executive Tadeu Marroco explained the charge was due to 'the current macro-economic headwinds impacting the US combustibles industry' and a reassessment of some of its US cigarette brands w

Recent dovish discourse from the European Central Bank and US Federal Reserve boosted investor sentiment across Europe on Wednesday.The FTSE 100 index closed up 25.54 points, 0.3%, at 7,515.38. The FTSE 250 ended up 179.20 points, 1.0%, at 18,666.73, and the AIM All-Share closed up 1.44 points, 0.2%, at 718.12.The Cboe UK 100 ended up 0.6% at 751.85, the Cboe UK 250 closed up 1.1% at 16,183.77, an

Stocks in London climbed on Wednesday afternoon, buoyed by softer US employment data which strengthened the case for the Federal Reserve to move interest rates lower soon enough.Investors are increasingly pricing in a similarly dovish outlook for the European Central Bank, hurting the pound but lifting stocks in mainland Europe.?The rate cut narrative continues to gather pace, leading to a fresh b

Group revenue at lower end of rangeShares down 31% year-to-dateRemains committed to 'building a smokeless world'Shares in British American Tobacco (BATS) fell over 8% to £22.66 as the global tobacco firm made no change to full year 2023 guidance and earnings per share delivery in its latest trading update.Group organic revenue growth is now expected to be at the low end of the 3%-5% range as the

NatWest share offer mulledAlcohol duty freezePlans to simplify ISAsShares in NatWest (NWG) were down slightly at 205p as the chancellor Jeremy Hunt floated the idea of a share offer.The Government still owns a 39% stake in the UK high street bank. The concern may be that shares will be offering to investors at a discount, acting as an overhang on the share price.PUBS AND BOOZE STOCKS TOAST DUTY FR