Chemicals companies produce the compounds used in a huge variety of different industrial and consumer products across sectors which include agriculture, healthcare, technology, aerospace, sports, leisure and beauty.The breadth of the industry?s focus means its fortunes are closely tied to the economy and movements in GDP as well as volatility in raw material prices and energy costs.In 2023 the sec

The retail sector accounts for £104 billion of the FTSE 350 index by value of its 22 constituents, making it of significant importance to the UK stock market and to any investor with exposure to UK equities.The fortunes of retailers can tell us about the state of the consumer and in turn provide clues on economic activity. Therefore, even if you do not have exposure to individual stocks in this s

Discount fast-fashion chain Primark dominates discussions around Associated British Foods (ABF).But as well as being the company behind the budget retail brand, now the UK's largest clothing, footwear and accessories seller by volume, the Weston family-controlled conglomerate also encompasses leading food and ingredients businesses.These bits of the group are often neglected in the wider analysis

The latest retail sales figures in both UK and US were the mouldy icing on top of a rapidly crumbling cake. Despite Black Friday promotions that seemed to start right at the beginning of November, UK retail dropped off significantly and the US experienced the biggest fall in sales in 11 months.People are having to make tough choices about what exactly it is they want from the festive season. What

Inditex (ITX:BME) €31.75Gain to date: 32.3%Original entry point: Buy at €24, 8 October 2020Shares in Spanish fashion firm Inditex, which owns the iconic Zara brand along with half a dozen lesser-known (in the UK) brands, continue to enjoy a re-rating after the firm beat forecasts with a return to profit in its first quarter.Despite losing a quarter of trading hours due to a high number o

INDUSTRIA DE DISEÑO TEXTIL / INDITEX (ITX:BME) €27.50Gain to date: 14.6%Original entry point: Buy at €24, 8 October 2020Spanish fashion house Inditex, which owns the Zara and Bershka brands among others, posted third quarter results in line with analysts' estimates after a strong recovery in trading.Most stores were open in the three months to October, and despite capacity and ope

The news of Neil Woodford suspending withdrawals from his flagship fund has dominated the media. But what can investors learn from the situation to help hone their portfolios?Investors trapped in the Woodford fund are understandably concerned about their money. While there's nothing they can currently do about that money, they can use some lessons from the situation to check that the rest of their

The boffins at technology research giant Gartner see three core tech themes blazing a trail through 2017 with the power to significantly disrupt consumer lives and business activity.Intelligent, digital, and mesh; these form the basis for the Top 10 strategic technology trends for 2017, announced by vice president and Gartner Fellow David Cearley at Gartner's Symposium/ITxpo.'These technologies ar

Assuming 'Brexit means Brexit' and the UK leaves the European Union, these islands may be viewedas more seperate from continental Europe as an investment bloc.Most funds are pan-European and include UK stocks alongside their mainland European counterparts. Henderson EuroTrust (HNE) is one of only a handful of investment trusts which offers exposure to Europe while entirely excluding the UK.It is t

Year-to-date, a number of British brands with rich heritage have been picked off at a premium. Derbyshire-based Thorntons (THT), the beloved British chocolate brand established by Joseph William Thornton back in 1911, exited the stock market on 20 August. It recommended a £112 million takeover, representing a 72.3% premium to the average closing price over the previous six months, from Italian co

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

Our world is shifting at pace towards the digital sphere, with the lines between physical and online retailing merging ever closer day by day. Mobile commerce and purchasing is set to soar over the coming years with major implications for traditional bricks and mortar retailers, while the sheer pace of change means even online retailers will need to adapt or risk seeing their existence threatened.

A pullback from peaks at Associated British Foods (ABF) presents a buying opportunity. Profits in the challenged sugar business have reached their nadir, while market share gains from discount fashion chain Primark, strength in groceries and recovery in ingredients offer near-term earnings improvement catalysts.Improving outlookBerenberg recently upgraded its recommendation on ABF, a diversified g

Investors nervous about putting money to work in Europe should consider the experienced hands of Tim Stevenson who has managed Henderson EuroTrust (HNE) since 1994. Ranked among the top performing trusts in the European equities sector over the past decade, the fund has established a track record of superior and consistent performance over time.With £175 million in total assets under management a

Global consumption is conspicuously shifting at pace from Western developed markets to the developing economies of Latin America, Asia, Eastern Europe and Africa. Therefore growth-focused investors need to better understand the concept of a 'two-speed world' in which the developed nations of Europe, the United States and Japan, all with ageing populations, are in for a lengthy period of sluggish g

Arjen Los is chief investment officer of Guernsey-based asset manager Dominion, where he runs the flagship Dominion Global Trends - Consumer Fund. A concentrated, bottom-up equity portfolio, the £26.9 million book is focused solely on the consumer discretionary spending theme.Los aims to deliver portfolio returns in a 'two-speed world' of a maturing West and a dynamic East where numerous companie