Recent trading 'encouraging'Cost savings at top of guidanceInventory and net debt downHard-pressed footwear company Dr Martens (DOCS) lurched into loss for the half ended 29 September 2024 as higher costs and a slump in wholesale revenue, notably in the US, took a heavy toll on its performance.Yet despite this swing into the red, shares in the boots, shoes and sandals seller rallied 15% to 67p aft

Stock prices in London, Paris and Frankfurt were in the green on Thursday morning, with Direct Line shining on the FTSE 250, as traders in New York sit on the sidelines amid the Thanksgiving holiday.The FTSE 100 index added 17.45 points, 0.2%, at 8,292.20. The FTSE 250 rose 133.28 points, 0.7%, at 20,734.91, and the AIM All-Share added 0.32 of a point at 731.72.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.2% at 833.2

Staying on top of fundamental developments for companies in your portfolio can seem like a daunting task. Share prices can be volatile around earnings reports and trading updates, so getting to grips with what has happened and why is an important part of successfully managing investments.This feature reveals three simple steps to demystifying a typical earnings report and getting a good steer on w

Stocks in New York were called lower at midday on Thursday, but European stocks were stable with Auto Trader and Currys among the top performers.The FTSE 100 index was up 17.00 points, 0.2%, at 8,200.07. The FTSE 250 was up 175.00 points, 0.9%, at 20,611.34, and the AIM All-Share was up 2.16 points, 0.3%, at 802.43.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.2% at 818.16, the Cboe UK 250 was up 0.8% at 18,070.82, an

Full year profits plunge2025 year of transitionCost savings of £20 million to £25 millionInvestors in Dr. Martens (DOCS) have endured a torrid time since the iconic footwear firm's 2021 IPO (initial public offering), with the shares booted around 80% lower following a slew of profit warnings.Results for the year ended 31 March 2024 revealed another drop in profits after a challenging year, mostl

Dr. Martens (DOCS) 72.1pLoss to date: 21.6%In mid-December 2023 we said the knock-down share price of iconic footwear brand Dr. Martens (DOCS) was too tempting to resist despite the company delivering four profit warnings.Our rationale was simple ? either the self-inflicted operational issues would be fixed by the current management or the business would be taken over by an opportunistic predator

Stock prices in London closed lower on Tuesday as hopes continued fading for three US Federal Reserve interest rate cuts this year, and as tensions between Iran and Israel added to investors? fears.The FTSE 100 index closed down 145.17 points, 1.8%, at 7,820.36. The FTSE 250 ended down 354.35 points, 1.8%, at 19,344.54, and the AIM All-Share closed down 12.00 points, down 1.6%, at 738.28.The Cboe

Shares down 59% over the past yearCEO Kenny Wilson to step downChallenging performance in the USShares in Dr. Martens (DOCS) fell 31% at one point to 66p in morning trading - a new 52-week low - as the iconic British footwear brand issued a profit warning.The Camden Town-headquartered company said US wholesale revenue ?is anticipated to be double-digit down year-on-year,? adding ?the decline in wh

Equities in London were firmly in the red Tuesday afternoon, with market confidence knocked by geopolitical tensions and US interest rate concerns, as a hat-trick of cuts by the Federal Reserve this year looks an increasingly distant prospect.The interest rate picture in the UK was muddied by the latest batch of jobless data. The unemployment rate rose, though pay growth remained sticky, giving th

Nelson Peltz?s failure to get a seat on the board of directors at Disney (DIS:NYSE) has raised the question: are activist investors losing their touch?Peltz might have enjoyed success with earlier campaigns at Kraft Heinz (KHC:NASDAQ) and Wendy?s (WEN:NASDAQ), yet he sits alongside big names such as Pershing Square?s (PSH) Bill Ackman where campaigns have not gone their way.Peltz wanted to shake u

Full-year results from Greggs (GRG) on 5 March painted a picture of a company doing so well in its domestic territory that one has to ask when it might export the successful business model abroad.Greggs? profits and market share are growing, it is investing in manufacturing and distribution expansion, and shareholders are getting a special dividend. While the company is confident it can add at lea

The retail sector accounts for £104 billion of the FTSE 350 index by value of its 22 constituents, making it of significant importance to the UK stock market and to any investor with exposure to UK equities.The fortunes of retailers can tell us about the state of the consumer and in turn provide clues on economic activity. Therefore, even if you do not have exposure to individual stocks in this s

Footwear firm saw ?softer? festive salesUSA business still challengedRelief as guidance reiteratedIconic British footwear brand Dr. Martens (DOCS) was in demand on Thursday, shares in the FTSE 250 retailer booted 7% higher to 80.7p after it swerved another profit warning despite a difficult Christmas for purveyors of bigger ticket items.The Camden Town-headquartered company saw softer December sal

Nearly 4,500 UK retailers in ?critical? distressOnline-only players under pressureFailures likely as ?debt storm breaks?According to the latest Red Flag Alert data from Begbies Traynor (BEG:AIM), almost 4,500 UK retailers are now in ?critical financial distress? as poor consumer confidence, sticky inflation and higher interest rates force consumers to pull in their horns ahead of Christmas.New dat

Iconic British footwear brand Dr. Martens (DOCS) has been a disappointing investment since coming to the market in early 2021, with the shares losing around 75% of their value after delivering four profit warnings in the past year.The investment case is straightforward - either the self-inflicted operational issues are fixed by the current management, or the business will be taken over by an oppor

Third quarter results beat forecastsPositive start to Christmas seasonTepid Q4 outlook weighs on sentimentOne of the athleisure industry?s star turns, yoga lifestyle giant Lululemon (LULU:NASDAQ), delivered forecast-beating results (7 December) for the third quarter to 31 October and flagged a pleasing start to the Christmas shopping season.Why then, did shares in the yoga-pants-to-belt-bags selle

We are now a little more than a fortnight away from Christmas Day with TV adverts pushing festive products, high streets adorned with Christmas decorations and shops flush with discount offers.The so-called 'Golden Quarter' including Black Friday is the most hotly contested period of the year amongst retailers and those that suffer disappointing sales or resort to overly-promotional strategies typ

Major indices make biggest gains since JanuaryDriven by hopes that inflation and interest rates have peakedMid-cap FTSE 250 beats blue chip indexNovember was a great month for risk assets with major stock indices racking up their biggest gains since January. The German Dax was the leading European index, gaining close to 10% while the UK blue chip FTSE 100 was a laggard notching up a 2% gain.The d

Weaker-than-expected Q3 salesUS consumer backdrop deterioratesDr. Martens pulls FY25 guidanceInvestors put the boot into Dr. Martens (DOCS) after the iconic footwear brand downgraded its year-to-March 2024 EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation) guidance once again and withdrew previous guidance for high single digit sales growth in full year 2025.The shares slumped m

After a concerted sell-off last month, stocks started October on the front foot with a string of gains taking the S&P 500 index back up 2.8% over the past five days.The rally was led by familiar mega-cap technology names, with Alphabet (GOOG:NASDAQ) up 3.2%, Amazon.com (AMZN:NASDAQ) up 5.1%, Apple (AAPL:NASDAQ) up 3.3%, Microsoft (MSFT:NASDAQ) up 3.7% and Nvidia (NVDA:NASDAQ) up 5.1%.Despite an in