The FTSE-100 index was down on midday Thursday as fragile consumer confidence hurt Frasers Group and UK housebuilding activity declined at its sharpest pace since the summer.The FTSE 100 index fell 3.86 points at 8,331.95. The FTSE 250 eased 13.28 points, 0.1%, at 20,991.87, and the AIM All-Share dropped 1.67 points, 0.2%, at 736.54.The Cboe UK 100 was slightly higher at 837.15, the Cboe UK 250 wa

Return to organic growthHighly cash generativeNew £55 million buybackShares in Future (FUTR) soared 13% to £11.10 in morning trading despite the publishing firm reporting flat full year revenue for the year ending 30 September.On the positive side, the media group returned to year-on-year organic revenue growth of 1%, with a strong second half performance up 5%. In relation to its Growth

Fidelity Special Values (FSV) 311.5pMarket cap: £1.01 billionWider than the five and 10-year average of 4%, a near-9% share price discount to NAV (net asset value) at Fidelity Special Values (FSV) presents an attractive entry point into a fund with an impressive long-run record and a contrarian, value-focused investment philosophy that's proven to work.The trust, which recently celebrated its 30

Shares fall 15% to 835pCEO Jon Steinberg to relocate to the USSearch for successor launched Shares in Future (FUTR) fell over 15% to 835p in morning trading as CEO Jon Steinberg said he was leaving the publishing firm later next year to relocate back to the US with his family.'Jon's notice period is twelve months, and the board will now launch a search for his successor,' the company said.Future h

Full-year revenue of £786 million expectedShares up 31% year-to-date£45 million share buyback continuesShares in Future (FUTR) were marginally higher at £10.29 in morning trading after the media group said its full-year 2024 performance is expected to be in line with market expectations.Future expects to report revenue of £786 million and an adjusted operating profit of £220 million for the y

Future (FUTR) £10.42Market cap: £1.17 billionDespite some recent economic jitters, we think the current valuation at media group Future (FUTR) undervalues the company's strengths as it gets stuck into its GAS (growth acceleration strategy).Based on consensus forecasts for 2025 the company trades on a price to earnings ratio of just 7.7 times. The current strategy hopes to deliver mid-single digi

Shares in Future (FUTR) accelerated as the media group received a double upgrade from 'underperform' to 'buy' at investment bank Jefferies.Analyst Oliver Conroy says he expects a return to strong growth in revenue, positive audience trends and further upside from high yielding US direct ad sales.He observes: 'We expect Future to outperform peers, due to its highly cyclical tech & gaming portfolio,

Shares in Future (FUTR) have been doing rather well since April after the publishing firm hailed a 'return to organic growth' in the second quarter.Over the past month shares are up 56%, and last week they leapt 22% to within a whisker of their 12-month highs.!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelect

Fund outperforms benchmark in 2023Dividend increases by 7% to 7.65pShares sit at 13% discount to NAVMid- and small-cap UK growth investor Mercantile Investment Trust (MRC) outperformed its benchmark in the year to 31 January, delivering a net asset total return of 4.5% and total shareholder returns of 6.1%.The dividend was increased by 7% for the year to 7.65p per share, comfortably covered by rev

Revenue improvement continuesStrong performance from Go.CompareMacroeconomic pressures continue to impact sectorShares in Future (FUTR) rallied 10% in early dealings after the publishing firm hailed a ?return to organic revenue growth? in the second quarter.The share price gains this morning were in stark contrast to the near-40% fall witnessed over the past year.In a trading statement for the hal

London?s FTSE 100 rose on Thursday morning, despite doubts over the timing of US Federal Reserve interest rate cuts still lingering, while gold reached another record high.The FTSE 100 index opened up 18.52 points, 0.2%, at 7,955.96. The FTSE 250 was up 34.02 points, 0.2%, at 19,787.66, and the AIM All-Share was up 0.82 of a point, 0.1%, at 742.90.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.3% at 795.53, the Cboe UK

There is no question the dominant theme in stock markets last year was AI (artificial intelligence), in particular generative AI.In an interview with Time magazine last June, Sam Altman ? the former chief executive of OpenAI, whose ChatGPT product has been at the forefront of the AI trend ? said he believes the technology will ?transform the way people work and the way people learn. It?s going to

Revenue falls 4% to £788.9 millionCFO to step downShares are down 58% year-to-dateShares in Future Publishing (FUTR) fell over 25% to 564p as the publishing said that revenue for the year ending 30 September fell 4% to £788.9 million compared to £825.4 million in the same year ago period.Revenue fell across the board with the UK down 4% and the US 19% lower.The publishing firm blamed a ?challen

Shares in Future (FUTR) have risen nearly 20% to the 857p mark after it said (29 September) that its adjusted full year profits will now be £254.1 million 'in line with board expectations.'This figure represents 'a turnaround' of sorts for the publisher who warned back in May that its full year profits were likely to be 'towards the bottom end of current market expectations'.The publisher also sa

Trading conditions remain mixedFuture shares down by a third year-to-dateAdjusted operating profits expected at £254.1 millionShares in Future Publishing (FUTR) were up over 23% to 879.5p in morning trading as the publishing firm said its adjusted operating profit for the year is 'expected to be in line with board expectations' (at company compiled consensus) of £254.1 million.Future made this a

Investors seeking to position portfolios for a rally in small and mid cap stocks should buy BlackRock Throgmorton Trust (THRG), a fund with a strong long-run performance record trading at a 7.2% discount to net asset value (NAV), wider than the 4.7% 12-month average.The sell-off in quality growth stocks caused by rising interest rates has been a headwind for the portfolio, but Shares sees manager

The introduction of a new disruptive technology always creates winners and losers. The market's current hot-button theme of artificial intelligence is no exception.The founder and chief investment officer of asset manager GQG Partners, Rajiv Jain, was on record in the Financial Times at the start of June as saying there will be more losers than winners from the development of AI.In this context in

Shares in publishing firm Future (FUTR) have lost 42% year-to-date, putting recently appointed CEO Jon Steinberg under immediate pressure.The dramatic share price drop to around 760p, extends losses from the highs above £39 seen in 2021, for the company behind well-known titles like Marie Claire UK, Homes & Gardens and Country Life.After years of strong growth, Future reported an 18% fall in pre-

- Firm is already among most-shorted UK stocks- Shadowfall said to be betting on rights issue- New ASOS chief executive faces uphill battleInvestors in online-only fast-fashion firm ASOS (ASC) are clearly made of stern stuff, or maybe they are just used to negative press reports.The news that feared UK short-seller Shadowfall Research, nick-named 'the dark destroyer', had targeted the company bare

First there was ChatGPT - the disruptive AI chatbot made by OpenAI (Chat Generative Pre-Trained Transformer) and now there are searches powered by AI (artificial intelligence) which could bring a revolution in digital advertising as well as spell the end of bog-standard online enquiries.REINVENTING SEARCHIn early February 2023, Microsoft (MSFT:NASDAQ) and OpenAI introduced AI-powered Bing and Micr