The end of the tax year is now just a couple of weeks away so if you want to make use of any remaining ISA allowance your window to do so is rapidly closing.In this article the Shares team has put its collective heads together to identify a quintet of funds which we think are worthy of inclusion as part of a diversified portfolio. Some of these names may already be familiar but others are...

Diageo director buys on five-year lowB&M director buys 70,053 sharesLBG Media directors snap up stockA person closely associated with Dan Mobley - a member of the executive committee at Diageo (DGE) - Diana Mobley has bought 2,280 shares at £21.81 for a total value of £49,727 on 14 February.The alcoholic drinks giant's shares recently took a turn for the worse dropping to a five-year low of...

In a fitting irony for our high-tech 21st century world, it was an old-fashioned technology which brought markets back from the brink on 3 February after Donald Trump's telephone conversations with the presidents of Mexico and Canada resulted in planned 25% tariffs being delayed by a month.Mexico agreed to station 10,000 members of its National Guard on the border and Canada deployed Canadian...

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...

Organic sales improvementOutlook clouded by tariffsMedium-term guidance withdrawnAlcoholic drinks giant Diageo (DGE) served up a return to organic growth for the first half as a palate-pleasing performance from the iconic Guinness brand, a shoot-the-lights-out showing from tequila label Don Julio and price increases helped to offset a modest decline in volumes.There was also relief as Diageo...

Stock prices in Europe opened lower on Tuesday, amid low risk sentiment, as investors track developments in a US and China trade spat.The FTSE 100 index fell 57.72 points, 0.7%, at 8,525.84. The FTSE 250 shed 142.70 points, 0.7%, at 20,569.06. The AIM All-Share fell 1.40 points, 0.2%, at 710.73.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.6% at 853.75, the Cboe UK 250 fell 0.7% at 17,968.56, and the Cboe Small...

Prevailing negative sentiment towards alcoholic drinks companies reflects tariff and regulation risk, the fact drinkers' disposable incomes are under pressure and the younger demographic is quaffing less alcohol, as well as worries over the demand impact of weight loss drugs on the sector.Little wonder then that global beverages behemoth Diageo's (DGE) shares have underperformed the FTSE 100...

The FTSE 100 fell slightly on Wednesday, as international earners put pressure on the index and as easyJet sank on a 'woolly' update.The FTSE 100 index fell just 3.16 points at 8,545.13. The FTSE 250 lost 15.43 points, 0.1%, at 20,580.30, and the AIM All-Share ended up 1.89 points, 0.3%, at 721.00.The Cboe UK 100 lost 0.1% at 856.60, the Cboe UK 250 fell 0.2% at 17,962.96, and the Cboe Small...

US surgeon-general calls for warning labelsCancer link underappreciatedShares in beer, wine and spirit-makers under pressureInvestors in a selection of alcohol stocks are nursing portfolio hangovers following the US surgeon-general's call (3 January) for more prominent warning labels on alcoholic drinks to raise awareness of their link to cancer.Alcohol stocks sank on both sides of the...

Alcoholic drinks outfit Diageo (DGE) has endured a rough period of late, partly thanks to problems of its own making. We think that has put the valuation in a place where, if there are signs the business is getting its act together, the shares can deliver significant upside for investors in 2025.Unless there is evidence of improved performance soon then activist investors could be tempted to...

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...

Industry backdrop 'challenging'But expectations unchangedSpirits giant confident growth will returnIn a thin trading update, alcoholic drinks behemoth Diageo (DGE) warned that the global backdrop for the industry 'remains challenging' with consumers continuing to exercise caution.However, shares in the Johnnie Walker-to-Smirnoff vodka maker rallied 4% to £26 on relief that things aren't...

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...

Diageo(DGE) £25.12Market cap: £55.9 billionInvestors seeking a high-quality consumer staple that is currently on sale should consider buying Diageo (DGE), the world's largest premium spirits company which is growing its market share around the globe. Shares in the premium drinks maker behind iconic brands Johnnie Walker whisky, Smirnoff vodka and Guinness stout are down 20% over one year....

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...

China drops subsidy plans on imported EU brandyPernod Ricard and Remy Cointreau surgePernod reports inline full yearFrench spirits companies Pernod Ricard (RI:EPA) and Remy Cointreau (RCO:EPA) received a shot in the arm on Thursday, rising as much as 8% and 12% respectively after the Chinese authorities decided not to impose a provisional anti-dumping subsidy on imported brandy from the...

Investor expectations are depressed ahead of first quarter results (29 August) from Jack Daniel's distiller Brown-Forman (BF.B:NYSE) given the difficult market conditions facing the Lawson Whiting-led group and peers ranging from Diageo (DGE) and Pernod Ricard (RI:EPA) to Remy Cointreau (RCO:EPA).Growth is slowing in the global spirits industry following the strength seen during and...

Alliance Trust(ATST) £12.23Market cap: £3.45 billionPart of the excitement of investing is actively running your own portfolio, or a portion of it, digging around company fundamentals, assessing opportunities and threats, and owning a piece of a business that you think will produce attractive returns.It is why thousands invest in smaller companies and AIM stocks, the ability to test...

The FTSE 100 closed in the red on Tuesday, underperforming against its European peers, as investors wait for three major interest rate decisions.The FTSE 250, however, got a boost. St James's Place took the spotlight, soaring 25%.The FTSE 100 index closed down 17.94 points, 0.2%, at 8,274.41. The FTSE 250 ended up 180.44 points, 0.9%, at 21,432.51, and the AIM All-Share closed up 0.84 of a...

Full-year sales and profit disappointStrong growth in operating cash flowDividend hiked by 5%Spirits maker Diageo (DGE) managed to undershoot consensus full-year sales and profit expectations despite a fairly 'low bar' driven by downward estimate revisions.The disappointment spurred a 9% fall in the shares to a new seven-year low of £23.05, taking 12-month losses to 33% compared with a 7%...