We believe German software giant SAP's ambitious cloud computing strategy is working and while stock market investors have been slow to give credit, this will change. Cloud revenue is growing increasingly fast - up from 11% in the second quarter Q2 (to 30 June) to 20% in Q3, the company has already said.Investors will get more detail today (21 Oct), when full Q3 results are reported, but we have a

London's FTSE 100 ended Friday's session in the red as a resurgence of Covid-19 cases in Europe, a growing number of outbreaks in the UK and a warning from Michel Barnier that a UK-EU Brexit trade deal 'seems unlikely' weighed on sentiment.These negatives overshadowed the UK's better than expected retail sales figures for July, while the FTSE may have fared worse but for a drop in sterling which f

Britain's main stock index fell back into the red by lunchtime on Friday after an up and down morning, tumbling 0.46% to 5,985 by 12.50pm.The benchmark index had edged higher in mid-morning trading, despite skittishness caused by a resurgence of coronavirus cases in Europe, with investors initially buoyed by news that Pfizer could receive regulatory approval for its coronavirus vaccine as early as

The FTSE 100 fluctuated above and below the 6,000 mark during volatile early trading on Friday morning, falling 0.21% to 6,000.91 by 9am, despite data showing UK retail sales rose above pre-pandemic levels in July and beat market expectations.The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said retail sales grew by 3.6% in July, though it this was not as big as the 12% rise seen in May and 13.9% jump see

Germany's SAP might be the most important company you have never heard of. It is a genuine enterprise technology sector giant, relentlessly generating billions in revenue and profit year after year.Listed in Frankfurt and Stuttgart and worth €168 billion, it is Germany's largest listed company, bigger than household names like Adidas, BMW and Volkswagen combined, and the biggest tech firm in

THIS IS AN ADVERTISING FEATUREBy Hugh Young, Managing Director of Asia Pacific Region, Aberdeen Standard Asia Focus PLC China has been in the spotlight for investors, with trade conflict and a slowdown in its extraordinary growth story. But Asia isn't just about China, says Hugh Young, lead manager of Aberdeen Standard Asia Focus PLC (formerly Aberdeen Asian Smaller Companies Investment Trust PLC)

This could be the start of something quite exciting in the social housing managed services space if Castleton Technology (CTP:AIM) can successfully sprinkle its integration/cross-selling pixie dust.Castleton is the software and managed services buy-and-build vehicle spun-out of the old Redstone IT and telecoms business a couple of years back with the help of serial buy-and-builders MXC Capital (MX

Machine connectivity kit designer Telit Communications (TCM:AIM) has struck a banner infrastructure partnership agreement with German enterprise software giant SAP (SAPG:DE).This represents a significant step forward in terms of route to market as well as providing a huge reputational boost for the UK-quoted machine-to-machine (m2m) communications equipment and software supplier. Furthermore, it b

Managed services data centre operator Iomart (IOM:AIM) has continued its acquisition spree with a deal that has plugged an important hybrid cloud hole in its portfolio. Several analysts believe that this could turn the tide for the shares at 232p and set them racing back towards the 300p mark.Hybrid cloud services allow customers to keep their most valuable data locked away in their own secure pre

Managed data centres and hosting supplier Iomart (IOM:AIM) 'remains an obvious target for takeover,' according to industry insiders. That's the view of Kate Hanaghan, analyst at respected technology website TechMarketViews. With the share price stubbornly remaining miles off previous highs of over 300p, the company may be forced to take drastic action. This could spark a change of tack in strategy

The top 10 best-performing investment trusts have delivered an average 12.1% compound annual return* over the past 25 years, illustrating the power of investing in the stock market. This is according to new data from the Association of Investment Trusts (AIC).This article looks at the leaders over this period, and the best performers on a 10-year basis. This list of winners can give you a good sta

Western Europe's equity markets, as benchmarked by the FTSE Eurotop 100 index, are approaching last spring's highs. Greece is off the agenda, at least for now, Ireland appears to be emerging from its economic trough of despond and if the US recovery really gets traction then the European Union (EU) could be well and truly off to the races as exports gather momentum. The Basel authorities' decision

In Jules Verne's Around the World in Eighty Days Victorian adventurer Phileas Fogg wagers members of London's Reform Club that he can circumnavigate the globe within this stipulated time span. After many tales of derring-do, marriage and even a brush with the law, Fogg scrapes home on the very last day and scoops £20,000. In this spirit of adventure, Shares is kicking off 2013 with a comprehensiv