Shares have been out of favourOfwat ruling seen as positiveThames Water in special measuresHaving lagged the market all this year, water utilities were the star turn following an announcement from the regulator Ofwat that the firms could raise their bills over the next five years.In the FTSE 100, Severn Trent (SVT) gained 66p or 2.5% to £26.85 and United Utilities (UU.) added 25p or 2.3% to £10.

Big Yellow Group (BYG) £11.74Market Cap: £2.28 billionIt may not be a glamorous sector, but self-storage is a remarkably stable and lucrative business with tremendous growth prospects.As the UK market leader, with a portfolio of 109 stores and 6.4 million feet of lettable space, Big Yellow (BYG) is easily the most recognisable brand.The business is driven by 'life events', which can range from s

Sales down 5% last yearNet debt halved, gross margins upOptimistic of profitable growthShares in Gear4music (G4M:AIM) rallied 10% to 147.5p after the online musical instrument seller said it was 'optimistic' about its prospects for further profitable growth during full year 2025 having implemented a refreshed growth strategy.While the electric guitar, drum kit and piano purveyor's results for the

Currys (CURY) 79.5pGain to date: 32%We highlighted Currys' (CURY) exciting recovery potential on 21 March and urged readers to buy at 60.1p on the basis the electricals retailer's self-help measures under CEO Alex Baldock's leadership were starting to pay off and the washing machines-to-smartphones seller offered a compelling play on the improving consumer backdrop.Shares also suggested that while

Equity prices in London fell on Wednesday, as stocks struggled to find their feet amid rising US Treasury yields.There was also a flurry of M&A news threatening to hog the spotlight. The prospect of a mega mining merger between BHP and Anglo American was ruled out, though Royal Mail owner International Distributions Services has agreed to a takeover.The FTSE 100 index ended down 71.11 points, 0.9%

The UK stock market has enjoyed quite the ride this year, with the FTSE 100 keeping pace with the S&P 500 in the US and hitting new record highs. It is certainly helping to raise the profile of what has been an unloved part of the investment universe ? however, investors often overlook one of the UK?s key attributes.You might think having a rich pool of takeover targets on cheap valuations is why

Stock prices in London were higher at midday on Wednesday, ahead of the next interest rate decision from the Bank of England on Thursday.The FTSE 100 index was up 41.39 points, 0.5%, at 8,355.06, having reached another record at 8364.04 at around 1100 BST. The FTSE 250 was up 33.45 points, 0.2%, at 20,446.53, and the AIM All-Share was up 1.99 points, 0.3%, at 778.41.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.5% at

Premier Foods (PFD) 159.6pMarket cap: £1.39 billion Ownership of some of Britain?s best-loved brands including Mr. Kipling, Batchelors and Bisto, appetising growth potential and a transformed financial position that should support double-digit dividend growth are reasons to buy cooking sauces, cakes and custards maker Premier Foods (PFD). Admittedly, the stock has already rallied 350% over the pa

Organic sales grow 2%Tough annual comparisonPositive read for BurberryGlobal luxury goods leader LVMH (MC:EPA) eked out a small increase in first-quarter revenue against strong comparable sales in the same period last year, sending its shares up 3% to ?807 and temporarily arresting the downtrend of the past month.Growth was the weakest since the rebound from the pandemic in early 2021, held back b

This year, Apple (AAPL:NASDAQ) shares have fallen nearly 9%. If that doesn?t sound like a big deal, consider that for the world?s second most valuable company it means the loss of something like $230 billion. That?s the equivalent of an entire PepsiCo (PEP:NASDAQ), or Shell (SHEL) ? the UK?s current largest company ? plus a British American Tobacco (BATS) thrown in.On a one-year view, the stock ha

Currys (CURY) 60.1pMarket cap: £681.3 millionBuy electricals retailer Currys (CURY) following the washing machines-to-smartphones purveyor?s second full-year profit upgrade within three months (18 March). Currys? latest positive earnings revision demonstrates that self-help measures under CEO Alex Baldock?s stewardship are starting to pay off.And given its UK and Nordics market leadership, the FT

Recent sales better than expectedFull year PBT to be ?at least? £115 millionGreek disposal on trackElectricals retailer Currys (CURY) has upgraded its full year profit forecast for the second time in three months following the end of takeover interest from Elliott Advisors and JD.com (JD:NASDAQ), news that sparked a 4% share price rally to 59p.In an unscheduled update, the washing machines, mobil

The gender wealth gap is alive and kicking something highlighted at the start of the year by headlines warning women that, on average, they?ll have to work for a whopping 19 additional years if they want to retire with the same pension as their male counterparts.Shocking statistics aside the picture isn?t altogether straightforward. Women do have money, they do save and looking back over the past

Bank to return £10 billion over next three yearsLender launches cost-cutting driveFresh divisional reorganisationShares in Barclays (BARC) topped the FTSE 100 on Tuesday, rallying 4.5% to 156p after the lender announced a strategic overhaul and plans to return ?at least? £10 billion to shareholders over the next three years via buybacks and dividends.The new plan, which includes a substantial ef

Media company Spotify Technology (NYSE:SPOT) primarily generates cash from streaming music to listeners digitally, and judging by its third-quarter results, where total revenue grew 11% on the previous year to $3.4 billion, business is good for the Swedish-based firm.Subscribers and non-subscribers are able to listen to millions of songs from a variety of genres from indie, rock and pop to classic

THIS IS AN ADVERTISING FEATUREAuthor: InvescoWith the world such a vast place, how and where do you begin to invest?Whether you?re saving for retirement, looking to pay off your mortgage or any other future goal, investing in equities has been one of the most successful ways of generating long-term growth.However, equities can go down as well as up. That?s where diversification comes in. Spreading

It's action stations at entertainment giant Walt Disney (DIS:NYSE), where despite fourth-quarter results beating analysts' expectations activist investors Nelson Peltz and ex-Marvel executive Ike Perlmutter are not happy bunnies.In collaboration with Perlmutter, Peltz and his firm Trian Fund Management recently launched a 'proxy fight' for multiple seats on the House of Mouse's board piling on the

Stocks in London went into Thursday afternoon in the red, with equities taking a pause for breath after solid gains driven by favourable inflation data on both sides of the Atlantic led to a growing conviction that rates have peaked.Luxury goods firm Burberry, as well as oil majors Shell and BP, weighed on the FTSE 100. The owner of Royal Mail also suffered a share price fall, though Hotel Chocola

Stock prices in London opened tepidly on Thursday, amid both positive and negative developments from blue-chip companies.The FTSE 100 index opened up 1.63 points at 7,488.54. The FTSE 250 was down 25.89 points, 0.1%, at 18,650.59, and the AIM All-Share was up 1.33 points, 0.2%, at 716.90.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.1% at 747.26, the Cboe UK 250 was flat at 16,152.02, and the Cboe Small Companies was

Midwich director Fenby adds to his portfolioBodycote non-executive director snaps up 10,000 sharesWise CFO sells over £211,000 sharesStephen Fenby group managing director at Midwich (MIDW:AIM), the global specialist audio visual distributor to the trade market, has bought 50,000 shares at 376p for a total value of £187,885 on 30 October 2023.Following this transaction, Fenby and 'persons closely