Ongoing weakness in Asian demand Spirits sales especially poor -17% Diageo owns 34% of Moet-Hennessy Investors hoping for a rebound in luxury stocks faced disappointment after France's LVMH (MC:EPA) posted weaker-than-expected first-quarter sales due mainly to softer demand in Asia. LVMH shares fell €35 or 7% to a four-year low of €495, dragging with them shares in British luxury...

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...

With a sense of anticipation Shares scurried along to Finsbury Growth & Income Trust's (FGT) latest AGM (annual general meeting) at London's Guildhall on a wet and windy day (28 January), where shareholders turned up in droves and one or two left the assembled board members squirming in their seats.While the total return-focused trust's long-run record under star manager Nick Train remains...

Burberry (BRBY) £12.01Loss to date: 7.2%When we suggested buying shares in UK fashion house Burberry (BRBY) at £12.94 in February 2024, little did we know the bottom was about to fall out of the luxury goods market.WHAT HAS HAPPENED SINCE WE SAID TO BUY?At their nadir in September, after exiting the FTSE 100, the shares closed at 575p handing us a paper loss of more than 55%, but...

Capri Holdings (CPRI:NYSE) $24.93Market cap: $2.94 billionRisk-tolerant investors might want to take a look at Capri (CPRI), the global fashion luxury group behind iconic brands Versace, Michael Kors and Jimmy Choo.Shares in the New York-listed company have plunged 50% in the past year after its planned $8.5 billion takeover by Tapestry (TPR:NYSE) was blocked by the FTC (Federal Trade...

Q4 and full year sales beat expectationsFashion and leather see sales decline2025 started wellLuxury goods giant LVMH (MC:EPA) dropped 6% despite posting full year 2024 sales ahead of consensus forecasts after revealing weakness across its fashion and leather goods divisions.The Louis Vuitton, Moet and Chandon and Hennessy brand owner arguably had a high bar to clear following upbeat sales...

Q3 sales better-than-fearedTurnaround strategy showing promiseFull-year 2025 guidance upgradedBritish luxury fashion house Burberry (BRBY) topped the FTSE 250 on 24 January, its shares rallying 16% to £12.41 after the footwear-to-leather accessories designer delivered a far better-than-feared drop in third quarter sales.This performance stoked optimism that new chief executive Joshua...

Ocado still the number one shortRetailers in general unlovedEnergy services stocks drilledShort-selling, or borrowing shares to sell in the hope of buying them back at a lower price, is not something most retail investors have the nerve or the skill-set to pull off as it requires a certain mindset and a willingness to tolerate heavy losses on occasion until your bets come right.For the pros,...

It may not seem much to non-China watchers, but the Communist party's politburo has changed the wording of its stance on monetary policy for the first time since the 2007/8 financial crisis from 'prudent' to 'moderately loose'.Chinese and Hong Kong listed shares jumped, as did those of UK and European stocks which have large exposure to the region including miners Antofagasta (ANTO) and Rio...

Fourth year of underperformanceConsumer brand exposure reducedTrain optimistic for better future returnsVeteran fund manager Nick Train, manager of the well-followed Finsbury Growth & Income Trust (FGT), insisted he is more enthused by the company's prospects than at 'any time this century', despite the company reporting a fourth consecutive year of underperformance versus the...

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...

Takeover tilt by Italian rival expectedBurberry results due 14 NovemberAnalysts expect lurch into lossFirmly out of fashion with investors this year amid a slowdown in luxury goods demand, shares in Burberry (BRBY) rallied 2% to 822p on 11 November as excitement surrounding a bid from Italian outerwear rival Moncler (MONC:BIT) continued to build.According to correspondence viewed by The Mail...

A dividend is quite simply a portion of a company's earnings distributed to its investors.In the UK most companies pay two ordinary dividends per year, one at the half-way stage (the interim or first-half dividend) and one at the end of the year (the final dividend). Some UK firms pay quarterly dividends.Sometimes, companies will decide to pay a special dividend on a one-off basis if their...

Stocks in Europe were higher at midday on Wednesday, recouping some of Tuesday's losses, despite heavy falls in Shanghai.The FTSE 100 index was up 21.49 points, 0.3%, at 8,212.10. The FTSE 250 was up 137.16 points, 0.7%, at 20,768.36, but the AIM All-Share rose 1.01 points, 0.1%, to 736.08.The Cboe UK 100 added 0.3% at 822.38, the Cboe UK 250 climbed 0.8% to 18,253.79, and the Cboe Small...

As Sabuhi Gard covers in a piece of news analysis this week, China-related stocks and funds are flying thanks to Beijing's announcement of a big stimulus package.However, there is one industry with ties to the world's second largest economy which is very much not joining in the party ? the car manufacturers.On 30 September, Stellantis (STLAM:BIT) ? one of the biggest European car producers...

On 24 September, the PBOC (People's Bank of China) unveiled a major stimulus package to support economic growth, promote the expansion of consumption and investment and throw a lifeline to struggling industries and sectors.The central bank also announced a 800-billion-yuan ($114 billion) lending pool to help fund managers, insurers and brokers buy more stocks and initiate share...

Stocks in Europe returned some of the prior day's gains on Friday, as sentiment took a knock from gloomy updates from FedEx and Mercedes.The FTSE 100 index was down 40.78 points, 0.5%, at 8,287.94, above early lows. The FTSE 250 slid 199.96 points, 0.9%, at 20,962.75, and the AIM All-Share eased 1.27 points, 0.2%, at 746.81.The Cboe UK 100 fell 0.5% to 829.89, the Cboe UK 250 dipped 1.0% to...

Stock prices in Europe were in the red on Friday morning, despite the upbeat mood in New York after the Federal Reserve's 50 basis point rate cut earlier this week.The FTSE 100 index fell 36.33 points, 0.4%, at 8,292.39. The index is up around 0.2% so far this week. The FTSE 250 shed 86.37 points, 0.4%, at 21,076.34, and the AIM All-Share slipped 1.29 points, 0.2%, at 746.79.The Cboe UK 100...

At the start of 2024, I speculated that interest rate cuts could lead to takeovers involving bigger companies than the type of deals seen in 2023. While the rate-cut journey still remains in its infancy for the UK and other key geographies, the predicted wave of large-cap takeovers is firmly in motion. It's a reminder there is value on the UK market in droves.There have been bids or...

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...