Everyone likes a bargain and the biggest global companies are no exception. The post-Brexit collapse in sterling against most major currencies makes UK companies cheaper and therefore more attractive to overseas buyers. And the Bank of England's decision to cut interest rates to a new record low of 0.25% (4 August) has piled further pressure on the pound. Tapping into this theme Shares...

JD Sports scores againRetail star turn JD Sports Fashion (JD.) has hit the back of the net again, its AGM trading statement (17 Jun) flagging a sales boost from the UEFA Euro 2016 football tournament. We flagged this as a possibility in our 'Invest in the summer of sport' feature (Cover, Shares, 2 Jun 2016). (JC)Stay cautious on CircassiaDon't be tempted to buy into the recovery rally at...

London shares make modest gains as traders return to their desks after the Easter break. Bargain hunters provide support for several financial stocks, including insurer Prudential (PRU), which heads the FTSE 100 leader board up 2.3% at £13.045. Wall Street was mixed overnight, Asian markets were lower, although there are firmer gains across Europe.The FTSE 100 index rises 24 points, or about...

While deleterious to wallets and damaging to sentiment, 'The Great Fall of China', triggered by fears over the flagging Chinese economy, has at least served to remind investors of the need to preserve wealth through a focus on quality, as well as pursue profits.Assets were sold down across the board in the market mayhem, yet investors who remain disciplined, stick with high-quality names and...

Computer-aided design (CAD) software specialist AVEVA (AVV) is taking proactive action to strengthen its strategic position after striking a deal to merge with the software arm of French industrial software supplier Schneider Electric (SCHN:PA).The market welcome the news (20 Jul), sending the shares soaring. They are now 78% above the price at which we said to buy six months ago (see Shares,...

Well-run companies are always open to potential, even in difficult times, and investors should take encouragement from the computer-aided design (CAD) software suppliers neat little acquisition. True, the £6.5 million purchase of FabTrol won't set the needle dancing on the M&A Richter scale, which explains why the shares have barely moved, at £19.39, but it does represents a clever bit of...

Plans by major oil and gas exploration companies to rein in capital expenditure (capex) could maintain the pressure on computer-aided design (CAD) software specialist AVEVA (AVV). The £1.3 billion Cambridge company earns around half of its revenue from the oil and gas industry, supplying software and services to both upstream development and downstream refining projects. That implies about...

Stockmarkets around the world have suffered a poor start to the week amid escalating tension between Russia and Ukraine. Equities with exposure to those countries have plummeted on the London market as well as wider sell-off in most sectors. The gold price, unsurprisingly, is back in favour with a 1.1% rise to $1,345 per ounce.The FTSE 100 is down 1% to 6,740. In contrast, Moscow's MICEX index...

The robot - an unyielding, emotionless and relentless mechanical conception - has haunted the public imagination ever since the term was first coined in Czech playwright Karel ?apek's play R.U.R. in 1921. The intervening nine decades may not have produced the kind of advances promised by science fiction but robotics is still one of today's most important long-term investment stories.According...

A trading update from FTSE 100 constituent Capita (CPI) feels like a firm rubbing salt in the wounds of its disgraced rivals. As Serco (SRP) struggles with a profit warning and G4S (GFS) continues to be surrounded by negative market sentiment, Capita makes a big point of how well its business is doing. Yet record levels of new contract wins and strong cashflow is not news to the market which...

Car parts-to-bicycles retailer Halfords (HFD) pedals 10.3% higher to 462p as excellent first-half figures to 27 September prompt analysts to upgrade earnings forecasts. Pre-tax profits rise 6.4% to £44.6 million with the help of strong like-for-like sales growth in the key areas of cycling, where better weather helped, and car maintenance.Fashion retailer SuperGroup (SGP), a running Shares...

Racking up the profits on the back of central bank interest rate decisions with spreadbetting on the foreign exchange (forex) markets requires a good ear, a sharp eye and attention to detail.With the global economy clawing its way back from recession traders' attentions are fixed on benchmark interest rates, which reflect a central bank's monetary policy on what the cost of borrowing should...

Gold miners are having to take drastic action in response to the sharp fall in the precious metal price. Petropavlovsk (POG) has announced plans to cut costs across the business and preserve cash. The market initially welcomed the plan with the shares rising in early trade. This trend has since reversed with the stock down 2.1% at 135.1p.Petropavlovsk has outlined several options including a...

The long-awaited merger between Glencore (GLEN) and Xstrata (XTA) has finally got the green light. China has approved the deal, conditional on selling Xstrata's Las Bambas copper project in Peru and certain supply commitments for copper, zinc and lead to the Asian country. Xstrata is set to delist on 2 May and shares in the combined group to start dealing on 3 May.Glencore jumped 3.5% to...

On a poor day for the markets, with the FTSE 100 down 1.6%, Britain's biggest sporting goods retailer Sports Direct (SPD) has brought a welcome smile to investors. It sprinted 5% higher to 435p on a stonking third quarter update. The cash-generative £2.49 billion cap known for its competitive pricing is mopping up market share, increasing online penetration and expanding internationally.In...