YouGov CEO buys £169,938 worth of sharesGB Group chief executive in £67,600 outlay Brickability director builds stakeLess than two weeks after the company issued a damaging profit warning, Steve Hatch, CEO of international online research and data analytics group YouGov (YOU:AIM) bought 41,247 shares at 412p in a trade with a total value of £169,938 on 1 July.Shares plummeted on the day of...

- Challenging economic backdrop- Stronger second half- CFO Tim Croston retiresShares in LADBible publisher LBG Media (LBG: AIM) reversed earlier losses to advance 3.9% to 80p despite the multi-channel digital publisher announcing a 10% fall in 2022 pre-tax profit to £7.3 million.LBG blamed 'a challenging economic backdrop' for the fall, however said the group's performance was stronger in the...

Following on from the pandemic and war in Ukraine, UK stocks are being buffeted by headwinds from hot inflation, rising rates and the cost-of-living crisis. But it is UK small and mid-cap investors that have endured the toughest period over the past year, with the small cap, mid cap and AIM indices all suffering severe setbacks.The good news, however, is this sell-off has created opportunities...

With engineering software company Aveva (AVV) poised to exit the stock market thanks to a takeover, it will mean losing the UK's largest 'tech' firm by market value, at £9.15 billion.Aveva has been majority owned by French industrial group Schneider Electric (SU:EPA) since 2017 and this shareholder now wants the whole business.That's a slightly different bid situation to most of the other...

Identity data intelligence platform provider GB Group (GBG:AIM) has become the latest UK technology company to catch the eye of potential buyers after confirming talks with Chicago-based private equity firm GTCR.No financials details have been disclosed so far although we do know that the discussions surround a possible cash offer. GB's shares rallied hard as the news hit the screens of...

- UK's largest listed software firm in talks over full buyout- Potential buyer Schneider Electric already owns 60% stake- Multiple UK software companies have received takeover interest this yearInvestors pushed Aveva's (AVV) share price above £30 as speculation emerged that the engineering software company is closing in on a deal to be taken over. Reports suggest that the boards of Aveva and...

Following the collapse of global stock markets this year, many observers may think the 'when to sell' boat has been missed. Not so. History shows that investors consistently get this wrong, buying high and selling low, despite the opposite being the objective.Many investors sit on poorly performing stocks in the hope that they will eventually recover. Others get timing hopelessly backward,...

The massive sell-off of technology growth stocks in 2022 to date may see an acceleration of opportunistic buyouts from private equity funds flush with cash.On 9 May, compliance and regulation software supplier Ideagen (IDEA:AIM) agreed a takeover deal from private equity outfit firm Hg worth £1.09 billion, while also opening its books to Hg's counterpart Astorg.'Following initial reports of...

Alphabet has made a massive move into the exciting cyber security space after sealing a deal to buy Nasdaq-listed specialist Mandiant Security, beating out Microsoft in a hotly contested battle, according to analysts.The deal, priced at $23 a share, will see Alphabet pay $5.4 billion for Mandiant, a 19% premium to Mandiant's previous share price.It's a big deal for Alphabet, its second largest...

The sell-off in technology stocks since the September 2021 peak as the markets rotate out of growth and into value picks has given DIY investors plenty to chew over.Many UK tech companies have seen valuations hammered, with share prices falling by up to 40% with no meaningful change to earnings, said Canaccord Genuity analysts in a note to clients on Tuesday (1 February 2022).This, Canaccord...

UK stocks represent a 'once in a generation' opportunity for investors, say fund managers. After years dogged by political and economic uncertainty, and soggy stock market performance, this is a welcome change of mood music.'UK equities are on a 30 year low versus peers, and we see this as a once in a generation opportunity to get involved in some fantastic businesses,' said Rory Bateman,...

UK stocks continued their positive run on Tuesday after official figures showed payrolls surged by almost 200,000 in April, the fourth consecutive monthly rise and the biggest rise on record, as companies rushed to hire.The headline jobless rate fell to 4.7%, the lowest since last August, as firms chased workers and the government was able to reduce furlough payments. At the peak last May, the...

We're pleased to welcome back Malcolm from Edinburgh who is sharing his experience as someone in retirement taking charge of their investments for the first time.After a year-and-a-half of taking responsibility for investing for retirement through my SIPP and Stocks and Shares ISA, matters are becoming clearer. There is no going on endless holidays and checking my portfolio once a fortnight,...

Monday 9 November saw things change for investors as the surge of enthusiasm associated with finding a vaccine for Covid-19 buoyed markets. For the first time in many months the vast majority of my 30 shares rose markedly.This did not trigger a notable increase in buying and selling on my behalf. I reduced my investment in two funds but little else. It was pleasing though to see that half my...

Four major shareholders in hangout cafes operator Loungers (LGRS:AIM), including chief executive Nick Collins, have sold shares worth a combined £9.1 million in the past week.Collins, investor Lion Capital, chairman Alex Reilley and commercial director Jake Bishop collectively sold 4.25 million shares, representing 4.2% of the company's issued share capital, at a price of 215p each, a 7.3%...

Identity data intelligence provider GB Group (GBG:AIM) has toughed out the Covid-19 crisis impressively given the company's half-year figures to 30 September.Revenue grew close on 10% to £104 million while adjusted operating profits grew 24.5% to £26.8 million, bolstered by a major contract win. The adjustments relate to the amortisation of acquired intangibles, share-based payment charges...

In a week where most investors have been selling stocks across the board, the general pattern of director deals has followed a similar trend.But one stand out deal involves the chairman and co-founder of German software giant SAP and a huge show of faith.Hasso Plattner, the 76-year-old billionaire who co-founded the business in 1972, has taken advantage of what has been described as a 'once in...

UK stocks finished in positive territory on Monday, although earlier gains were pared as US/China tensions escalated following the arrest in Hong Kong of media tycoon Jimmy Lai under national security laws and the New York Fed warned about a credit crunch for US firms.In retaliation for Washington slapping sanctions on 11 officials from Hong Kong and China - not to mention the TikTok/WeChat...

The UK's equity markets made firm gains in early trading on Monday, helped by positive economic data coming out of China and the US.The benchmark FTSE 100 rallied around 1% in early deals to 6,092 as data showing slowing Chinese factory deflation in July brewed optimism around a post-pandemic economic rebound. This followed better-than-expected jobless numbers in the US on Friday and extend...

Investors have been piling into technology stocks this year in volumes not seen since the dotcom bubble of 1999/2000. Things did not work out very well for investors back then, so it is quite reasonable to ponder whether we are headed for a similarly disastrous outcome.Managing to limit losses during any stock market downswing while staying keyed in to important growth opportunities is never...