Rockwood Strategic (RKW) 310p Gain to date: 65.3% Shares flagged the merits of Rockwood Strategic (RKW) at 187.5p in November 2023, highlighting the value-focused trust as a way to gain differentiated exposure to a small cap asset class with re-rating scope. We lauded manager Richard Staveley's tried-and-tested strategy, which identifies undervalued stocks where the company will benefit from...

European stocks struggled early Tuesday, though the FTSE 100 managed a slight gain, with the mood in markets uncertain after US tech shares were sold off overnight.The FTSE 100 index traded 5.88 points higher, 0.1%, at 8,287.43. The FTSE 250 was down 57.93 points, 0.2%, at 20,504.64, though the AIM All-Share fell 0.72 of a point, 0.1%, at 771.14.The Cboe UK 100 fell 0.1% to 824.77, the Cboe UK...

Over the past week, directors have sold into share price strength at a number of well-followed companies, while the outgoing boss of one firm put more money to work ahead of his switch to a non-executive role.DESAI DEMONSTRATES FAITHThat man is Samir Desai, who will soon step down as CEO of Funding Circle (FCH) after 12 years in the hot seat. However, he demonstrated his faith in the lending...

From shadowy enigma to the full glare of public markets, Darktrace (DARK) has emerged as one of the world's most innovative cyber security companies. This is a born in Britain technology success story and one that unusually chose to list in the UK rather than the US Nasdaq stock market.Darktrace's share price jumped more than 40% on its stock market debut in April 2021, albeit the starting...

UK stocks went into reverse on Wednesday as consumer price inflation more than doubled in April to 1.5% compared with a 0.7% rise in March.Higher prices for clothing and footwear helped lift the CPI, along with rising petrol costs due to higher oil prices and higher household energy bills.That overshadowed a generally positive day for company reports with several firms raising their full-year...

Lending company Funding Circle (FCH) dipped 1.7% to 88.5p despite reporting better-than-expected performance in the second half of the year, supported by record loans under management (LuM) and originations.Today's modest sell-off follows a strong run for the shares which are up nearly 30% in the last four months.The company reported second-half total income of £121 million and adjusted...

One of the clear dynamics to emerge from Covid-19 is the need for businesses to embrace digital transition and cloud-based flexibility. The Panoply Holdings (TPX:AIM) has substantial promise to become an investment star right at the heart of this trend.Panoply is a digital enabler consultancy, designing tools, products and services that can fast track clients' e-commerce and internet delivery...

UK stocks started the week on the front foot with the FTSE 100 index adding 22 points or 0.3% to 7,172.Biggest contributors to the rise in terms of index points were the banks with Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) adding 2.6% to 245p, Barclays (BARC) adding 1.3% to 167p and Lloyds (LLOY) adding 1.6% to 61.2p.Shares in drug-maker AstraZeneca (AZN) dipped 0.4% to £67.43 despite news that its...

The latest quarterly re-shuffle of the FTSE 100 threw up few surprises but there were several notable promotions and demotions in the mid-cap FTSE 250.Joining the top flight next quarter as expected are pharmaceutical firm Hikma (HIK), electrical and electronic kit-maker Meggitt (MGGT) and Russian precious metal miner Polymetal (POLY).Making way are under-pressure insurer Direct Line (DLG),...

There has been a dearth of companies floating on the UK stock market this year, perhaps understandably given Brexit-induced volatility.A mere 25 companies have floated in London so far in 2019, compared with 87 in 2018 and 106 in 2017 excluding listings classified as international offerings where stocks aren't available to retail investors. The majority have chosen to list on the Main Market...

If you are new to stock market investing you may still have heard of the FTSE 100. It frequently appears on TV news bulletins and in the papers, its relative direction up or down giving viewers/readers a steer as to how the UK economy is going and how optimistic, or not, investors feel about the nation's prospects.By contrast, the FTSE 350 the has a very low profile and seldom gets a mention...

Crowd funding business Funding Circle (FCH) spooked investors after halving revenue growth guidance on 2 July. Its shares tanked 20% to 132p as it warned that demand for small business loans had weakened. Because we still don't know whether the Government will strike a deal with the EU, it is likely that entrepreneurs are nervous about borrowing to grow start-ups.Stockbroker Numis thinks...

Crowd financing business Funding Circle (FCH) has spooked investors after slashing its full year 2019 growth guidance in half.The company says that demand for small business loans has dried up as Brexit uncertainty continues to drag on, making entrepreneurs nervous about borrowing to grow start-ups.'Funding Circle expects 2019 revenue growth to be circa 20%, versus previous guidance of 40%',...

London's FTSE 100 extends yesterday's bull-run, tacking on an additional 17.2 points to trade at 7,515. Stocks continue to rise on renewed hopes of a US-China trade deal and headlines like 'US equities hit a new record high' are certainly helping to improve investor sentiment.Peer-to-peer lending platform Funding Circle (FCH) is firmly out of favour, the shares slumping 14% to 140.4p on a...

Financial technology company R8 is preparing a London stock market share listing as it looks to raise extra growth funding, possibly as soon as July 2019.The company is believed to be sounding out new investors that could see it raise something like £20m of fresh funding, with speculation suggesting a £50m market valuation if it gets the IPO (initial public offering) away.R8 recently raised...

Peer-to-peer (P2P) lender Funding Circle (FCH) is set to close its Funding Circle SME Income Fund (FCIF) following a consultation with the investment trust's shareholders.This development has put shares in Funding Circle under pressure at 321.5p and is arguably reflective of wider problems in the P2P industry.Launched in November 2015, Funding Circle SME Income targeted an annual dividend of...

Following the financial crisis more than a decade ago and the public bailout of Lloyds (LLOY) and Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), the UK banking market was opened up to a new wave of companies who it was hoped would genuinely challenge the established players.Without 'legacy issues' such as mis-selling scandals, and without networks of high street branches weighing on their costs, the idea was...

A contrarian investor looks for unloved assets and buys them cheaply in the expectation that sentiment will change and he or she will be able to bank a healthy profit.This is not an easy thing to do. Most of us prefer the comfort of falling in with the crowd. Sticking one's neck out, particularly when your own cash is at stake, takes nerves of steel.In this article we examine five businesses...

There is a slow start for UK stocks on Thursday as several stocks trade ex-dividend and after weakness in Asia overnight. The FTSE 100 down 0.4% to 7,169.14.Industrial turnaround specialist Melrose Industries (MRO) gains 4.1% to 187.4p as full-year adjusted pre-tax profit almost trebles thanks to its acquisition of British engineering group GKN last year.It reports a pre-tax profit of £703m...

All eyes are on Royal Mail (RMG) ahead of the FTSE 100 re-shuffle next Tuesday. With the shares trading down another 2% to 317p on Friday, its current market capitalisation of just over £3.2bn.That puts it in 119th spot in terms of valuation on the UK stock market, well below the 110th place cut-off, meaning it will automatically be ejected from the blue-chip index.This sums up a negative...