It has been an up and down year for the UK stock market but some names have really shone over the course of the last 12 months. In this article we go through the market cap ranks to identify the best performing large-, mid- and small-cap stocks in 2023.£5 billion+ market capWhile Nvidia (NVDA:NASDAQ) has dominated headlines globally as excitement around AI (artificial intelligence) helped drive i

Asset diversification should have been one of the few saving graces for investors in recent weeks, potentially reducing the losses.Having a mixture of stocks, bonds and property means you spread your risks across different assets - each of which behave somewhat differently in terms of market dynamics and price trends.Anyone fully invested in equities - another term for stocks and shares - at prese

Food group Glanbia (GLB) is one of those lesser-known but highly exciting large cap stocks. The nutritional ingredients, cheese and dairy packaged foods giant is growing by organic and acquisitive means.Consumer demand for Glanbia's brands and nutritional ingredients is underpinned by long term global health and wellness trends.Investment bank Berenberg argues: 'Few other branded food companies co

Tracker funds like exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are best-known for their ability to mirror the ups and downs of the stock market, so they might not be your first choice for an income investment. But retirees may do well to consider investing in ETFs not just for potential growth, but for reliable dividends too.Many trackers follow the performance of companies on various stock markets which pay div

Global nutrition group Glanbia (GLB) has invested €181m in two highly complementary acquisitions (6 Feb). These deals highlight the strategic attractions of nutrition assets, as we outlined in our look at Science in Sport (SIS:AIM) - see Big News, 02 Feb 2017.Kilkenny-headquartered Glanbia has enhanced the growth potential of its performance nutrition business through the takeover of Californ

The FTSE 100 enjoys a positive start to the new trading week, up 0.2% to 7,201. Banks, miners and utility companies all help to drive up the blue chip index.Looking at corporate news, airlines are a key focus with Ryanair (RYA) and EasyJet (EZJ) both updating on their operational and financial performance.Ryanair says its third quarter profit fell 8% to €95m as growth in passengers numbers wa

Pocket sports nutrition products manufacturer Science in Sport (SIS:AIM) ahead of next month's (23 Mar) full year results statement, where a positive outlook could give the shares another energy boost.With revenues sprinting higher and awareness of its 'SiS' brand growing in a $10bn global sports nutrition market, Shares expects news flow to remain positive and believes a premium priced takeover b

The FTSE 100 is down 0.4% to 6,887.01, taking its cue from weak Asian and US markets, as wildcard presidential candidate Donald Trump's chances of winning appear to have increased.High street retailer Next (NXT) slips 0.7% to £47.75 as it trims full year guidance for sales growth from -2.5% to 2.5% to -1.75% to +1.25%.Housebuilder Persimmon (PSN) gains 0.8% to £17.51 as it reports private sales

Rattled investors seeking some Brexit portfolio ballast should look to global nutrition group Glanbia (GLB). Alongside packaged foods company Kerry (KYGA), the sports nutrition-to-branded dairy products play is identified by Investec as a safer haven in the Irish consumer sector. Glanbia should benefit from a combination of its relatively low exposure to the UK, as well as its strong presence in t

London shares show sharp losses in early trade on Wednesday as investors fret over upcoming inflation figures in the US and the Federal Reserve's policy meeting minutes, due later today. Much like here in the UK, consumer prices in the US are being squeezed hard with limited real growth, signals which may have policymakers thinking twice about upping the interest rate ante too soon.The FTSE 10 ind

European equity outperformance? Pigs might fly.Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Greece and Spain (the PIIGS) are confounding commentators' 2015 predictions with improving economic and stock market performance early in the year.Shares correctly called a rally on European stocks ahead of the European Central Bank's quantitative easing (QE) announcement (22 Jan, ECBonanza). European stock indices in Germany

UK stocks bounce off a two-and-a-half-week lows in early trade on Wednesday as market sentiment rallies in response to a sharp sell-off. In early deals the benchmark FTSE 100 is up 53 poinmts, or around 0.8%, to at 6,826, after dropping 1.7% to 6,773.04 at close on Tuesday, its lowest finish since 13 March.Online 'fast fashion' seller ASOS (ASC:AIM) continues to strut back into investors' good boo

Sports nutrition is a global, fast-growing and resilient market being driven by the increasing popularity of endurance sports and widening consumer acceptance of the benefits brought by nutritional products. Investors can gain exposure via Science in Sport (SIS:AIM), a developer of branded sports nutrition products for elite athletes. Strong sales momentum and margin expansion should foster near-t

With the International Monetary Fund (IMF) downgrading its global growth forecasts, fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) giants, including food producers and purveyors of personal goods, are going to have to work hard to eke out material top-line growth. Sluggish economic conditions set the scene for an ongoing quest from FMCG groups - many of them cash-generative and reliable dividend payers - to bo