- Sharp drop in M&A activity last quarter- No sign of a recovery so far this year- More companies likely to experience a slowdownFinancial advisory firm DSW Capital (DSW:AIM) upset the applecart with an unexpected warning earnings would be below market expectations due to a freeze in corporate deal-making.The shares, which had traded in a narrow range between 100p and 130p since listing just...

The common factor across the latest trading updates from the big housebuilders is they are all forecasting fewer completions and land purchases this year.That could spell trouble for the various trades which support the new-build home industry, from legal services to building materials and equipment hire to fitted kitchens and bathrooms.With mortgage costs soaring after repeated interest rate...

Keeping a regular watch on stocks with positive and negative share price momentum is a useful exercise as it tells us which areas of the market are hot or not.Investors who follow a pure momentum strategy like to buy stocks that keep a hitting a new 12-month high in the belief the share price is on a roll and can keep going up.Some investors avoid stocks hitting a new 12-month low, for fear...

The pandemic had a significant impact on the UK income space, with many companies forced to slash and cancel dividends to ensure they survived the crisis. It was the traditional large dividend paying sectors and companies that suffered some of the biggest cuts, with many larger companies using the crisis as an opportunity to reset excessive payouts at more sustainable levels.This means income...

London's FTSE 100 finished Thursday's trading session 0.5% ahead at 7,076.17 points after the Bank of England kept interest rates on hold and lifted UK growth expectations and as UK voters headed to the polls.In the US the S&P 500 was up 2.7 points to 4,170.64 by 4.30pm UK time.JOHN LAING LEAPSIn company news, shares in John Laing (JLG) jumped 20% to 379.8p on the revelation the infrastructure...

London's FTSE 100 was 0.2% higher at 7,050.16 points at lunchtime on Thursday as the Bank of England decided to hold interest rates at 0.1% and investors weighed positive corporate updates and potential political uncertainty linked in particular to elections in Scotland.As expected, the Bank of England (BoE) acknowledged improvements in the UK growth outlook owing to vaccinations picking up...

Leading UK shares traded cautiously higher in early deals on Thursday ahead of the Bank of England meeting in which it is expected to raise economic growth forecasts.The UK's benchmark FTSE 100 index gained 0.27% to 7,058.44, while the midcap FTSE 250 index traded 0.5% higher to 22,497.87, with the Bank set to announce that the country will see GDP growth at 7% in 2021, compared to the 5%...

In a year in which 'quality growth' stocks stretched their outperformance over 'value' stocks, notwithstanding a late bounce-back in the latter on the announcement of a Covid vaccine, it seems odd that UK investors should have overlooked the legal sector.As it is, most legal services and related stocks registered double-digit percentage losses last year with many underperforming the FTSE...

FTSE opened on the front foot on Tuesday with a gain of almost 3% to 5,129 points as the UK joined global stock markets higher following more stimulus from the US Federal Reserve and strong trading in Asia.Oil and mining shares led the market advance with defensive sectors such as utilities and consumer staples taking a back seat .Japan's Nikkei 225 index was up 7.7% and China's SSE index...

Shares held by directors at some of the biggest companies in the FTSE 100 changed hands over the past week in a number of noteworthy transactions.However the biggest deal came from AIM-listed law firm Gateley (GTLY:AIM), with directors and employees cashing in £11m worth of shares, representing 4.1% of the company's issued share capital, in a placing to meet demand from institutional...

UK stock markets continue to drift sideways in early trade on Friday with little direction provided by corporate news on a typically quiet last day of the week's trading.Banks are popular with both Lloyds (LLOY) and Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) up more than 2% a piece, while private hospitals firm NMC Healthcare (NMC) and housebuilder Taylor Wimpey TW.) both sit at the head of the FTSE 100...

Legal and professional services firm Gateley (GTLY:AIM) delivers a strong set of results for the year to 30 April, as outlined in its pre-close trading update, and reports a solid start to the new financial year.Revenues were up 20% to £103.5m, a new record, while profit before tax grew by 9% to £15.9m. Fully diluted earnings per share (EPS) were 13.15p, up 17.8%, while dividends for the...

Newly-listed legal firm DWF (DWF) releases a confident trading update for the year to 30 April with a forecast of 'not less than 15%' revenue growth and earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) in line with its forecasts at the time of floating.Shares add 1.7% to 120.5p, bucking the weakness in the broader market and taking them back to just below the March 11...

Legal services firm DWF has confirmed plans to join the London stock market in what could be the largest legal services flotation. The firm first announced last June that it was interested in an IPO (initial public offering).Media reports speculate DWF will be valued at around £700m or 15 times 2018 profits but some observers expect it to push for a higher rating.While its quoted rivals can...

When Gateley (GTLY:AIM) listed in London in June 2015, it became only the second law firm in the world to join a public stock exchange. Only Australian firm Slater & Gordon had made the move before, back in 2007.Now there are four legal 'companies' on the AIM market and while all feature lawyers as their main employees, they are all very different businesses.Keystone Law (KEYS:AIM) has been...

Birmingham-based law company Gateley's (GTLY:AIM) release of a strong set of pre-close results has pleased the market, driving up its share price by 5.3% to 169.5p.The firm has announced its third acquisition since listing in 2015, buying land and property experts GCL Solicitors. The deal will cost £4.15m, its biggest yet and one that will be immediately earnings accretive.The deal is...

While much focus is on the large cap mega deals, the Kraft-Heinz $46bn merger in 2015 for example, we think it is worth looking at a company involved in smaller deals, of which there are currently plenty.We give you advisory firm K3 Capital (K3C:AIM), a fantastic little gem that has already topped Thomson Reuters' small cap advisory league table. It's the market leader in UK small cap M&A and...

Keystone Law is set to be the UK's third listed law firm following Gateley (GTLY:AIM) in June 2015 and Gordon Dadds (GOR:AIM) in August 2017.Keystone's model has been described as disruptive compared to more traditional law firms in the UK, although it is hardly revolutionary.The company is dubbed a 'virtual law firm'; it uses a bespoke IT system called 'Keyed-in' which provides lawyers with...

Investing in the only law firm listed in London, Gateley (GTLY:AIM), may not appear a sound decision. These companies are 'people' businesses, their tangible assets are their lawyers who make money through client instructions.Others in the legal market have seen their companies decimated by high profile (high billing) partners leaving for pastures new and in some cases taking their clients...

Fevertree goes for the doubleAnalysts have once again upgraded earnings forecasts for Fevertree Drinks (FEVR) following another bullish trading update. Investec lifts its 2016 pre-tax profit estimate by 9% to £26.5 million. That is essentially twice the amount it originally forecast Fevertree to make this year (£13.9 million) when initiating coverage on the stock in January 2015....