European stocks were down at midday in London, as new economic data from China showed continued sluggish domestic consumption.China's retail sales growth weakened last month, official data showed on Monday, missing forecasts as demand remains muted in the world's number two economy. Retail sales expanded 3% year-on-year in November, the National Bureau of Statistics said, slowing from a 4.8% rise

Shares gain 289% over the past yearFurther contracts expected in space marketsTechnology roadmap progress madeShares in Filtronic (FTC:AIM) were up 8% to 77p in morning trading as the communications kit designer said it expects strong half-year results for the six months ending 30 November.It has been a stellar year for the firm which has seen its shares rise 289% due to a strong order flow from S

The UK stock market has performed robustly over the past year, with several companies standing out significantly. In this article, we will examine the top-performing large-cap, mid-cap, and small-cap stocks of 2024, dissected across four different market valuation categories.£5 BILLION+ MARKET CAPAfter a stellar 2023, aeronautical engineer Rolls-Royce (RR.) has once again rallied hard during 2024

International Biotechnology Trust (IBT) 716pMarket cap: £263.2 millionWarren Buffett tells investors to be greedy when others are fearful and take advantage of depressed prices. That in a nutshell is the investment proposition for International Biotechnology Trust (IBT), which sits on an 11% discount to NAV (net asset value).The discount is not quite as extreme as it was when we highlighted the t

Communications equipment specialist Filtronic (FTC:AIM) has Elon Musk's space exploration company SpaceX to thank for recent share price gains.Over the past year Filtronic shares are up 336% as the company continues to maintain a relationship with SpaceX first announced in April 2024.On 30 August, Filtronic announced a further follow-on production order with SpaceX valued at £6.4 million for E-ba

Investigation into chip designer's business practicesRecord $279 billion already wiped off market capExtra layer of uncertainty attached to investment caseA week after reporting another record quarter, Nvidia (NVDA:NASDAQ) is facing a fresh challenge. The chip designer is now firmly in the sights of US Department of Justice over complaints that it is violating antitrust laws.Investors are worried.

Despite all the doubts about the durability of the rally, US stocks continue to power head with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite posting new life-highs during the past week leaving them up 7.5% and 9% respectively year-to-date.Both indices have registered their best February since 2015, with the Dow Jones recording its best return in three years.Importantly, it isn't just the 'Magnificent Seven' w

Swashbuckling gains were clocked up in November as investors bet that falling inflation, a firm jobs market, and mostly better than expected corporate earnings bode well for the US economy into 2024.The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 1.8% over the past week, and while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite rose more modestly, it?s still been a hell of a month for US stocks. The Dow Jones Industrial

An antitrust lawsuit from 17 states and the Federal Trade Commission against Amazon (AMZN:NASDAQ) represents the US government's biggest regulatory challenge yet against the e-commerce giant, one that could see the $1.34 trillion company eventually broken up.The landmark case targets Amazon's retail platform, alleging that it's harmed shoppers and sellers alike on a massive scale. Through an alleg

It was an up and down week for US stocks as investors contended with the hangover created by the higher rates for longer message coming out of the Federal Reserve at its latest meeting. Easing oil prices supported a recovery later in the week, even if crude remains above $90 per barrel, as the retreat helped dial down fears about a big resurgence in inflationary pressures.Renewable energy speciali

Online retail giant falls on monopoly probeStripping AWS out, dream for many fund managersAny legal action likely to take yearsThe US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) made its move against online shopping giant Amazon AMZN:NASDAQ) on 26 September, accusing the company of illegally stifling competition on its way to becoming a ubiquitous retail presence and one of the world's most valuable companies.

- Stock down nearly 10% on pre-report $142 price- Citron Research claims Etsy one of world's 'largest counterfeiting platforms'- Cybersecurity firm Darktrace recently a short selling attack targetArts and crafts consumer platform Etsy (ETSY:NASDAQ) has come under a short selling attack, accused of flogging hooky goods on a scale that would make Del Boy and Rodders blush.Shares in Brooklyn-based Et

Microsoft (MSFT:NASDAQ) and Facebook-owner Meta Platforms (META:NASDAQ) are facing growth roadblocks as regulators in the US, UK and EU bare their teeth.The US Federal Trade Commission has moved to block Microsoft from its planned $69 billion deal to buy gaming giant Activision Blizzard (ATVI:NASDAQ), claiming that it could undermine competition in high-performance consoles and gaming subscription

- Downbeat 2023 outlook could send the shares south- Ballooning stock levels are a big concern- Analyst says ASOS in a 'precarious' positionInvestors in ASOS (ASC) are nursing a year-to-date loss of 78%, shares in the online fast fashion retailer having fallen from just under £24 at the start of 2022 to 527p on negative newsflow.Now, the fear is ASOS stock could come under further selling pressur

Shares in consumer healthcare colossus Reckitt Benckiser (RB.) rose 2.5% to £65.86 on news it will pay up to $1.4bn (£1.1bn) to fully resolve all US federal investigations into the sales and marketing of opioid addiction treatment Suboxone Film by its former subsidiary, pharma business Indivior (INDV).Separately, Indivior's shares shot up 37.7% to 61p after it raised full year profit and sales g

After the S&P 500 index lost $1.6trn in value in May due to fears of a tariff-induced US economic slowdown, investors in tech stocks Amazon, Facebook and Google-owner Alphabet faced further heavy losses on the first trading day of June over fears of rising regulatory scrutiny.Alphabet shares lost 6% in a day, or more than $45bn in market value; Amazon lost 4.6% or $40bn in value; and Facebook lost

Political events continue to dominate the news agenda even for investors with the pound plunging back below $1.25 as confirmation filters through that Theresa May faces a no confidence vote from her own party.Conservative MPs will vote this evening, either backing the Prime Minister or hoping to shunt her aside for new leadership.Yet UK stock markets take that news in their stride, with the FTSE 1

A shock profit warning and share suspension from toilet roll maker Accrol (ACRL:AIM) provides a timely reminder to look for negative signs in trading updates.It was impossible to spot all the negative points that led to Accrol saying current year earnings would be significantly below market forecasts and that net debt had ballooned.However, there were two signs in the previous trading update (publ

London's blue-chip benchmark firms 31.4 points to 7,341.4 on Monday, opening on the front foot following a generally positive session on Wall Street on Friday, as investors around the world appeared to be coming to terms with the ongoing tensions between the US and North Korea.Corporate news is fairly thin on the ground, although one eye-catching mover is smart home technology tiddler LightwaveRF

Microwave and radio frequency kit designer Filtronic (FTC:AIM) will report its first pre-tax profit after three years of red ink. The company, whose technology is used in mobile phone masts and base stations, has enjoyed a spell of strong trading that means it is likely to beat market expectations for £1m pre-tax profit.Analysts at Panmure Gordon have now upped their estimate to £1.4m for the ye