The cruise industry is enjoying an unprecedented boom with around 35.7 million passengers expected to book a trip this year, up from 31.5 million in 2023 and 6% more than the number of passengers who set sail in 2019 according to the CLIA (Cruise Lines International Association).Going on a cruise holiday is slowly become a more popular alternative then jumping on a plane or a high-speed train...

Record fourth quarter salesShares up 140% year-to-date2024 cruises already two-thirds bookedShares in Carnival (CCL:NYSE) have sailed ahead by an impressive 140% year-to-date to the $19 mark, making the cruise operator one of the best performing stocks of 2023.This meteoric rise is not surprising considering how Carnival has cashed in on the post-pandemic travel boom and the fact that UK...

It has been an up and down year for the UK stock market but some names have really shone over the course of the last 12 months. In this article we go through the market cap ranks to identify the best performing large-, mid- and small-cap stocks in 2023.£5 billion+ market capWhile Nvidia (NVDA:NASDAQ) has dominated headlines globally as excitement around AI (artificial intelligence) helped...

Should we be worried that meme stocks are back in fashion? I think so. Traditionally associated with lower-quality companies, the fact traders are chasing these types of names could be seen as being top of the market behaviour, certainly for the US where returns have been very good in 2023.Big money has been made on companies classified as meme stocks this year. For example, food container...

You have almost certainly never heard of RC365 (RCGH). The payments business joined London's Main Market in March 2022, raising £2 million at 6.2p per share for a £6.7 million market cap. Fifteen months on, the share price has surged more than 2,000% to 154p. The stock is up more than 600% since the start of June this year.Why? Because last month it jumped into the AI (artificial...

Best performing stocks in the first half include lots of consumer-facing namesMarks & Spencer, Rolls Royce and Aston Martin Lagonda make the listRecovery plays among the top 10The flagship index for the UK stock market, the FTSE 100, may not have kept pace with global peers at the halfway point of 2023 but some stocks in the broader FTSE 350 have really impressed.The 10 best performers on the...

Shares in cruise operator Carnival (CCL) are trading 75% higher versus the start of 2023 thanks to strong customer demand for its voyages. Despite the strong rally, the shares have become more volatile in recent sessions after the company guided for lower than expected profit in the current quarter.The cruise industry has seen a surge in bookings this year from seasoned cruise travellers as...

UK investors will be well aware of the lopsided performance of the US stock market in recent months, with a handful of stocks accounting for almost the entire index gains so far this year.However, a similar phenomenon is occurring right under our noses with most of the gains in the FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 down to the outperformance of some of their larger stocks.This concentration on a select...

Nvidia and Meta among top US performers this yearShares in both stocks have more than doubledTesla shares have also doubled in six monthsHalfway through the year and it's already easy to see who the big winners are on the S&P 500 index.Leading the pack is the AI (artificial intelligence) 'darling' Nvidia (NVDA:NASDAQ) which has seen an 189% rise in its shares in the past six months, which are...

Shares in travel companies have been among the best performing stocks over the past six months as investors recognise that more people are flying and falling oil prices raise the prospect of reduced fuel costs.The cost-of-living crisis does not appear to have prevented consumers from booking their summer getaway, even if the cost of flights or cruises is rising.The latest results from British...

After nearly two years of heavy losses, the travel sector is showing serious signs of bouncing back, despite the ongoing drag of the Omicron variant. Increased vaccination rates, pent-up demand and accumulated savings are helping to spur demand for global tourism nations roll back border restrictions.Organisations from across the travel industry welcomed the UK Government's decision to ditch...

Major UK shares enjoyed a strong start on day one of 2022 trading as investors anticipate a brighter outlook for the global economy in the New Year as fears of the Omicron variant fade.At the close, the UK benchmark FTSE 100 rose more than 1.6% to finish above the 7,5000 mark at 7,505.15, with a reopening trade firmly in effect. BA-owner International Consolidated Airlines' (IAG) led the FTSE...

London's FTSE 100 slumped on Friday morning, led by sharp falls in travel and leisure stocks after the UK re-imposed travel restrictions on several African countries following a potentially more infectious strain of Covid-19.At 08:58 am, the blue chip benchmark was down 200 points, or 2.74%, to 7,110.22 with aero-engineer Rolls-Royce (RR.), British Airways-owner International Consolidated...

The end of the pandemic could finally be in sight after US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer said its Covid-19 oral antiviral pill Paxlovid could be a 'game changer' that reduced the risk of hospitalisations and death by 89% in high-risk patients. Add that to the existing mass-market vaccines and the pharmaceutical industry looks to have won the war against Covid-19.Pfizer will apply for emergency...

After more than 130 years, the board of the once-pioneering Scottish Investment Trust (SCIN) has decided it is to be subsumed into a rival global trust and will cease to be. The trust has suffered in recent years from poor performance and the board of directors has rightfully called for change.Shares takes the view that shareholders should vote in favour of the merger with JPMorgan Global...

An easing of energy crisis fears and a positive start to trading on Wall Street helped the FTSE 100 to a solid finish on Thursday. By the close, the blue chip benchmark was up 1.2% at 7,078.04 points, while the FTSE 250 finished 0.77% higher at 22,559.22.In the US the S&P 500 was up 1.35% to 4,422.55 by 4.30pm UK time.Wall Street's indices pushed higher after a temporary agreement was struck...

Hopes that Russia will pump more gas to Europe to address the current energy crisis helped boost sentiment on Thursday.Concerns over elevated gas prices started to ease after Russia offered to increase supplies while house prices rose by 1.7% in September according to the Halifax building society, the biggest monthly increase since February 2007.By noon, the FTSE 100 traded 1.1% higher at...

UK stocks started Thursday's session on a firmer footing, responding to a positive performance in both the US and Asia, with all the major US indices ending the session in positive territory and the Hang Seng and Shenzhen indices ending 2.8% and 1.6% higher respectively.On the domestic front, concerns over elevated gas prices started to ease after Russia offered to increase supplies while...

City of London Investment Trust (CTY) has been a popular choice for investors over the years, but a period of underperformance versus the UK Equity Income investment trust sector average on a three and five-year basis is a worry.Typically investing in FTSE 100 companies, City of London has been a hit with certain types of investors, particularly those approaching retirement or already in it....

London's FTSE 100 jumped 85 points or 1.2% to 7,066 points on Wednesday lunchtime after beleaguered Chinese property developer Evergrande cooled fears of an imminent collapse, stoking a sharp rebound in mining shares.Asian markets also recovered and US index futures were pointing up ahead of the open, while Brent crude advanced 1% to $75.40 per barrel and sterling recovered from overnight...