Stocks in London ended the week higher on Friday, while unambiguously dovish remarks from US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell propelled the pound to a 29-month high against the dollar.'The time has come for policy to adjust. The direction of travel is clear, and the timing and pace of rate cuts will depend on incoming data, the evolving outlook, and the balance of risks,' Powell said in a speec

Schneider pays price for lacklustre performanceNestle forced to slow price increasesNo quick fix for FreixeShares in Nestle (NESN:SWX) cheapened 2.5% to CHF 87.3 on Friday as investors digested news of the abrupt departure of Mark Schneider, who is being replaced as CEO of the world's biggest packaged food company by Laurent Freixe following eight years in the hot seat.The Swiss multinational enjo

Q2 like-for-likes up 2.4%Full year profit guide maintainedOutlook caution limits gainsShares in JD Sports Fashion (JD.) jumped 6% to 136p after the trainers-to-tracksuits purveyor reported improved second quarter sales and reiterated full year guidance for 6% to 9% organic growth and adjusted pre-tax profit in the £955 million to £1.035 billion range.This came as a relief to investors given the

Stock prices in Europe were mildly higher on Thursday morning, as investors await the start of the Jackson Hole conference on Thursday which could indicate clues on the trajectory of US interest rates.Amongst individual stocks, JD Sports Fashion saw its shares jump, after updating shareholders on its second quarter growth. Eckoh also took some of the spotlight, after receiving a takeover offer fro

On 1 August the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee made a 5-4 decision to kickstart its rate-cutting cycle. A 25 basis point reduction in the base rate to 5% marking The Old Lady of Threadneedle Street's first cut since March 2020.This means cash savings rates are heading in one direction, down. And the lower-than-expected jump in UK inflation reported on 14 August only boosted market exp

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 yourself

Regular readers of this column will be well aware of its faith in the Philadelphia Semiconductor index, or SOX, as a valuable indicator to follow and after the summer stock market stumble the 30-stock benchmark is well and truly in the headlines. At its early-August low, the SOX had lost 25% of its value in just a month. It has since rebounded by a sixth. Given the SOX's importance as both a guide

It seems wise to follow what the most successful investors have been buying and selling. US Investment managers are required to file quarterly 13F reports detailing their holdings which gives investors a small insight into what the gurus have been doing.Second-quarter filings for the end of June were released on 14 August and reveal some intriguing moves.Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-B:NYSE) chairman Wa

Positive momentum continues in H2Utrecht store sales continue to scaleConfidence in meeting full year expectationsAngling Direct (ANG:AIM) was in demand with investors on Wednesday, shares in the specialist fishing tackle retailer rallying 4.2% to 37p on news of a robust first half performance delivered despite challenging weather conditions and a tough consumer backdrop.There was relief as the ne

Earnings seen accelerating over the next few yearsOptimism around China sales rebound firmingAI-driven iPhone 16 set for September 2024 launchCould Apple (AAPL:NASDAQ) be on the cusp of a new iPhone sales 'supercycle'? That's the question posed by analysts at Wedbush, and their answer is firmly, YES!The Cupertino-based tech giant has faced accusation that it was slow at getting its AI (artificial

Stocks in London put in a subdued performance during midday trade on Thursday, as the market digested UK economic growth data.The FTSE 100 index was up 3.42 points at 8,284.22. The FTSE 250 was down 69.37 points, or 0.3%, at 20,882.92, and the AIM All-Share was down 1.12 points, or 0.2%, at 770.39.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.1% at 828.00, the Cboe UK 250 was down 0.2% at 18,299.22, and the Cboe Small

Full-year operating profit doublesLike-for-like net gaming revenue upCompany returns to dividend listShares in Rank (RNK) gained more than 7% to 75p in morning trading as the casino and bingo operator said it would re-start dividend payments after underlying operating profit for the year to June reached £46.5 million, ahead of analysts' forecasts and more than double prior year's £20.1 million.T

Stock prices in London opened mixed on Thursday while European counterparts were in the green, amid news that the UK economy flatlined monthly in June amid investor caution before the general election in July.The FTSE 100 index opened up 8.31 points, or 0.1%, at 8,289.36. The FTSE 250 was down 41.98 points, or 0.2%, at 20,910.54, and the AIM All-Share was down 0.87 points, or 0.1%, at 770.64.The C

There is a phrase in business ? 'shrink to greatness' ? meaning companies selling or demerging assets and focusing on what they do best.You might call it streamlining, others might say it is an admission that the previous strategy did not work and the company was too bloated.This trend is firmly in motion across the UK stock market with nine companies in the FTSE 100 either in the middle of shrink

Shares in specialist insurance underwriter Beazley (BEZ) reached an all-time high at the beginning of August after the firm posted sharply higher half-year earnings and said it saw more business opportunities in underwriting cyber risk insurance. The company, which manages six Lloyd's of London syndicates, reported pre-tax profit of $729 million for the six months to June or almost double last yea

West Country engineering firm Spirax Group (SPX) is being shunned by investors after its first-half results.The numbers themselves were pretty disappointing but more damaging was the downgraded guidance for 2024 and the implications this has for 2025. The company moved from mid-to-high-single-digit growth to mid-single-digit growth in revenue and from modest margin growth to flat margins. The comp

Stock markets across the globe have just emerged from a short, sharp shock, with the sell-off on 5 August one of the worst days in years as investors mull the frightening thought that the US economy is slowing and could be sent spinning into recession.Combined with the impact of the unwinding in the yen 'carry trade' discussed in this explainer and some stretched valuations and you had the recipe

Hot on the heels of updates from Walmart (WMT:NYSE) and Home Depot (HD:NYSE), hard-pressed Target Corporation (TGT:NYSE) is the next major retailer to give a read on the health of a US consumer struggling with the rapid rise in inflation and interest rates of the past few years. The discounter's second-quarter earnings are slated for 21 August, when Target will need to assure investors it is on tr

Dunelm (DNLM) £11.70Market cap: £2.4 billionWe have been watching homewares retailer Dunelm (DNLM) for some time now and we think the cycle-low is in for the share price.In fact, the low occurred in April just after the firm released its third-quarter trading update warning of 'challenging' homeware and furniture markets but confirmed full-year earnings would meet the consensus. We believe the g

Stocks closed in the green in Europe on Wednesday, following encouraging inflation data, and with housbuilders and gaming stocks leading the winners.The FTSE 100 index closed up 45.82 points, 0.6%, at 8,281.05. The FTSE 250 ended up 208.21 points, 1.0%, at 20,952.29, and the AIM All-Share closed up 3.53 points, 0.5%, at 771.51.The Cboe UK 100 ended up 0.6% at 827.47, the Cboe UK 250 closed up 0.7%