What a mixed year this has turned out to be for Shares' best ideas for 2024.That our one star turn stock was an annuities and lifetime mortgage specialist, even if it was 'screamingly cheap at its current price', as we originally noted, and the supposedly exciting tech growth picks have been dull-to-dismal, might make you hark back to school days studies of Christopher Hill's The World Turned...

Beazley and Lancashire shares rallyLancashire to pay a special dividendConduit Holdings shares drop 10%Given the succession of devastating storms which hit the US this autumn, investors in insurers covering catastrophe loss had every right to be nervous when it came to reporting season.In the event, two of the biggest UK-listed property and casualty insurers - Beazley (BEZ) and Lancashire...

Now that the dust has settled after the UK elections and attention has turned back to markets, we have updated the performance stats on our tips for 2024. Overall, our picks have gained 8.7% year-to-date compared with an 8.3% rise in the FTSE All-Share. That's not to say it has been plain sailing ? our returns range from a gain of almost 60% to a loss of more than 40%, the latter is in a US...

Our portfolio of picks for 2024 is off to a solid start in what proved an uneven first quarter for the stock market as a whole.Our return of 9% is comfortably ahead of our FTSE All-Share benchmark at 3.9%. It?s a tale of feast and famine, however, with half of our selections achieving double-digit gains while 40% are in the red.!function(){"use...

Conduit Holdings (CRE) is the parent company of Conduit Re, a Bermuda-based pure-play reinsurance company which launched in December 2020 when the holding company listed on the London Stock Exchange.The firm writes reinsurance policies across property, casualty and specialty lines, always making sure its risk is neutral across different sectors and geographies based on an in-depth view of the...

AdobeIt may look like odd timing to back Adobe (ADBE:NASDAQ) just after lukewarm guidance, but we think this is a great opportunity.The creative digital software firm called for fiscal 2024 earnings per share of $17.60 to $18 on $21.3 billion to $21.5 billion revenue, a little light compared with the consensus of $18 and $21.7 billion revenue respectively.The shares plunged 7%, which seemed...

Takeovers are back on the agenda for the UK stock market. We aren't surprised, given favourable conditions for M&A (mergers and acquisitions) have been in place for some time.The cost of borrowing is low; sterling devaluation makes British companies a more attractive proposition to overseas buyers; and volatile conditions in certain sectors have left some decent businesses in a vulnerable...

Shares in marketing communications group Creston (CRE) are up 31.5% to 123p as it recommends a cash bid of 126p per share from asset manager DBAY Advisors.Despite the reasonably healthy looking premium of 35% analysts suggest the bidder may be looking to acquire the company on the cheap.Creston also posts half year results, which reveal pre-tax profit more than tripled year-on-year from £1.1m...

London's blue chip shares open modestly higher, up 0.1% at 6,756 in a busy day for corporate updates.Royal Mail (RMG) is among the bigger movers in the FTSE 100, down 2.7% to 485p, as first half results show revenue grew 1% and operating profit declined 5% to £320m. Chief executive Moya Greene upped a cost cutting target from £500m to £600m over the next three years.Infrastructure play Hill...

The housebuilding sector is once again in focus as Berkeley (BKG) and Redrow (RDW) update on trading. Their mixed fortunes build on the conflicting messages recently coming out of the sector with McCarthy & Stone (MCS) having last week warned on a pullback in trading versus positive messages from other housebuilders.Berkeley says reservations were down 20% in August year-on-year reflecting...

The better than expected year end net cash of £1 million reported by PR and marketing outfit Creston (CRE:AIM) in an otherwise in-line pre-close trading update (18 Apr) underpins a decent looking prospective dividend yield of 4.1%.After a period of weakness prompted by two relatively mild profit warnings around the turn of the year we think the market is being too pessimistic on the company's...

FTSE indices are mixed in early deals with larger companies fading but small caps on the rose, modestly. Among the blue-chips, Sage (SGE) rallies 5% to 598.25p as it confirms that it remains on track for full year guidance, with analysts anticipating largely flat earnings of 25.7p per share.The FTSE 100 index nudges close on 40 points lower to 5,878, with Wall Street and Asian markets firm...

Public relations and marketing firm Creston (CRE) warns on profits for the second time in a matter of months citing project delays and clients cutting back due to uncertainty in the global economy.The shares dive 16.9% to 101.8p as the market focuses on this part of the statement rather than a solid third quarter performance.The £60 million cap, whose financial year runs to 31 March, says it...

PR and marketing outfit Creston (CRE) disappoints the market today assoft first half numberslead it to warn full year results will fall 'slightly' short of expectations. A 15.8% fall to 117p is unsurprising given the shares had been on a decent run heading into the announcement.However Liberum's take on the results implies this is an over-reaction. It reiterates its 'buy' recommendation and...

Escalating tension in the Middle East weighs on markets as Turkish fighters down a Russian jet near the border with Syria.Leisure stocks and airlines in particular bear the brunt of the pressure which sees the FTSE 100 index trade 0.8% lower at 6,257 and the FTSE 250 fall 0.7% to 16,988.British Airways and Iberia operator International Consolidated Airlines (IAG) falls 3.3% to 549p and easyJet...

Small to mid cap broker N+1 Singer has published its top picks for the second half of 2015, highlighting 15 stocks that it believes should outperform in the run up to Christmas.While investors should treat the list as ideas to research further, and definitely not investment advice, there is certainly merit in studying N+1 Singer's list given that its first-half portfolio of 'best ideas' beat...

Pubs go contactlessThe rise in contactless payment devices in pubs could boost sales as people are no longer able to rely on a lack of cash to avoid buying a round, Langton analyst Mark Brumby says. Margins are unlikely to be affected because banks are discounting their services and cash handling charges should fall. (EP)Creston's growth breakthroughMarketing firm Creston (CRE:AIM) has...

Alcohol blues hit EclecticBar and club operator Eclectic Bar (BAR:AIM) is continuing to suffer from poor spending by its core student market. It has closed underperforming Sakura bar in Bournemouth and remains cautious about second half trading. It looks exceedingly likely that its annual dividend will be cancelled. (EP)Shell's reserves dilemmaOil major Royal Dutch Shell (RDSB) disappointed...

UK stocks rally strongly in early trade on Tuesday bolstered by optimism surrounding Greece's proposed debt plan, while rising commodity prices give resource shares a boost. The benchmark FTSE 100 index shoots 82 points higher, or 1.2%, to 6,865, with oil and mining sectors leading the charge.The new government in Greece is hoping to push through a debt swaps deal in exchange for a new wave of...

Marketing firm Creston (CRE) offers the combination of an attractive valuation, good dividend prospects and a more integrated strategy which should deliver organic growth. These virtues are all likely to be underlined at half-year results on 25 November.Based on Liberum Capital's forecast earnings per share of 12.8p and 13.6p for the March 2015 and March 2016 financial years respectively the...