Stock prices in London, Paris and Frankfurt were higher at midday Thursday, as investors await US weekly jobless claims data.UK gross domestic product edged up 0.1% in November, underperforming against the FXStreet-cited market consensus of 0.2% growth.Prime Minister Keir Starmer told broadcasters during a visit to Ukraine that the government would be 'unrelenting' in its pursuit of economic growt

Out of nowhere the market for weight loss drugs has become one of the most exciting investment themes in the last two years, rivalling investor enthusiasm for AI.There is good reason for the excitement. Rod Wong, managing partner at RTW Biotech Opportunities (RTW) fund describes the development of obesity drugs as the biggest ever financial opportunity in healthcare.That is because obesity is the

Out of nowhere, signs of life are appearing in the cannabis sector following a near total collapse in share prices over the last three years. Unlike prior booms and busts, of which there have been many over the last six years, this latest flourish appears to have legs.The Financial Times reported (15 July) several European start-ups are looking to go public to take advantage of potentially signifi

Even today?s market giants started out small. Microsoft (MSFT:NASDAQ) may now be the world?s largest company with a $3 trillion valuation which rivals the GDP of some major global economies but it began life as a start-up founded by Harvard College drop-out Bill Gates and his childhood friend Paul Allen. Few then would have predicted its global domination today.While we are not expecting the names

Cannabis stocks have been through the classic stages of the hype cycle - rallying on expectations for big things and crashing as they don't live up to earlier promises. Many investors have lost interest but some are still holding out for a rebound thanks to pockets of positive news.A good example is medicinal cannabis supplier Celadon Pharmaceuticals (CEL:AIM) which jumped as much as 124% on 14 Ma

I have a pension fund which, after several changes of ownership, is now with a closed-book life insurer. The policy offers an attractive guaranteed annuity rate but otherwise is very poor.There is no drawdown option, the policy is not written in trust so there is no opportunity to shelter funds free of IHT, and the death benefit should I die before taking an annuity is only £27,000 versus the cur

Income drawdown is becoming an increasingly popular option for people entering retirement and who want to take control of their savings and choose how they're invested. Deciding how much income to take and where to invest your money is a complex task that requires a lot of careful planning.What is income drawdown?Income drawdown is a flexible way of taking money out of your pension to live on in r

We would all like a crystal ball to pick future market winners and broker price targets are perhaps the closest we'll ever get to one. Issued alongside broker research, they are an attempt to predict the trajectory of a share price and offer a window into potential capital gains.Sometimes a change in price target can lift a share price on its own, particularly if it comes from one of the larger in

Tanzania-based miner Shanta Gold (SHG:AIM) needs to raise $30 million by the year end to fund its expansion plans, according to calculations by FinnCap analyst Mark Heyhoe. Institutional appetite remains lukewarm for large capital raisings by small cap miners, so realistically Shanta needs to rethink its strategy. Fortunately, Heyhoe reckons there's an alternative plan where no new money is needed

9.5pGain to date: 65.2%A resource upgrade and large fund raise strengthen the investment case for aspiring iron ore producer Sable Mining (SBLM:AIM). The shares have risen 65.2% since we highlighted its potential two months ago at 5.75p (see Plays, Shares 26 Sep).We flagged a series of likely share price catalysts and several have since emerged, notably a mining licence and permission to export ma