European stocks edged higher at Friday midday ahead of US inflation figures which are expected to show pricing pressures remained stable in December.The latest strength means London's FTSE 100 is on track to post a gain of around 6.2% for January, its biggest monthly gain since November 2022.Russ Mould at AJ Bell said: 'Investors will be relieved that the markets have successfully negotiated a wee

Blue chip stocks in Europe were largely higher, with Smiths Group the star performer in London, but looming tariff worries could unnerve equities.Convera analyst Boris Kovacevic said the 'tariff clock is ticking'.'The February 1st tariff deadline clouds the outlook. Investors are confused by the unclear tariff rollouts from the Trump administration. Recently, the White House confirmed a 25% levy o

Partnership to put fizz into US growthMolson Coors to buy 8.5% stake£71 million buyback to comeShares in Fevertree Drinks (FEVR:AIM) fizzed 20% higher to 801p after the premium mixer company announced a transformational strategic partnership with beer maker Molson Coors (TAP:NYSE), one that represents a big endorsement of the brand Fevertree has built up across the Atlantic.Not only will the tie-

Stock prices in Europe opened higher on Thursday morning, before a European Central Bank decision which is expected to be a 25 basis point cut.The ECB decision follows what was deemed a hawkish hold by the Federal Reserve overnight.The FTSE 100 index added 11.86 points, 0.1%, at 8,569.67. The FTSE 250 was up 135.96 points, 0.7%, at 20,695.66, and the AIM All-Share added 3.13 of a point, 0.4%, at 7

Cryptocurrencies, gold and Nvidia (NVDA:NASDAQ) have all been going gangbusters lately, but if it's momentum you're after, you don't get any hotter than Palantir (PLTR:NASDAQ), the company co-started by prominent Silicon Valley entrepreneur Peter Thiel, a co-founder of PayPal (PYPL:NASDAQ), Founders Fund and an early investor in Facebook, now Meta Platforms (META:NASDAQ).Shares in the company have

Not living in 'the big smoke' has many benefits, but as a journalist it does mean missing out on lots of company meeting and presentations.Now and then, however, a locally-based firm will host an event, and so it was I found myself last Thursday morning heading to Midsomer Norton, just south of Bath on the A367, for the AGM and open day at SRT Marine Systems (SRT:AIM).As a shareholder, I was keen

In a week when the FTSE 100 and FTSE-All Share indices made new all-time highs, it is quite striking that shares in posh cinema company Everyman Media (EMAN:AIM) made an new all-time low.The stock is down 17% over the last six months and has lost around half its value since listing on AIM in 2013.Notwithstanding the disruption caused by the Hollywood actors and writers strikes in 2024, the company

Beeks Financial Cloud (BKS:AIM) 260pMarket cap: £174 millionThere is a lot to like about Beeks Financial Cloud (BKS:AIM). Namely rapid and (largely) profitable growth and improving cash flow and margin profiles from an expanding market niche.Compound average revenue growth since 2019 runs at 31.5%, and while profit has been lumpy, due to expansion investment, the shares have returned 18.5% a year

The fast-changing world of AI (artificial intelligence) has taken another unexpected turn after reports over the weekend that Chinese firm DeepSeek had developed a competitive LLM (Large Language Model) at a fraction of the cost of traditional AI models.DeepSeek's latest R1 model can perform similar levels of reasoning as OpenAi's best available model, scoring as high or higher than ChatGPT-4 and

Burberry (BRBY) £12.01Loss to date: 7.2%When we suggested buying shares in UK fashion house Burberry (BRBY) at £12.94 in February 2024, little did we know the bottom was about to fall out of the luxury goods market.WHAT HAS HAPPENED SINCE WE SAID TO BUY?At their nadir in September, after exiting the FTSE 100, the shares closed at 575p handing us a paper loss of more than 55%, but Lazarus-like th

On 22 January, as Shares was preparing to go to print, the board of Herald Investment Trust (HRI) announced all of the resolutions put forward by activist investor Saba Capital had been defeated.The meeting was a first test of whether shareholders would stand by the boards of the trusts called out by US activist hedge fund Saba for underperforming. Votes against the resolutions totalled more than

If you picked up a newspaper in the last few weeks you probably read about the mini-meltdown in the bond market. Gilt yields, which move in the opposite direction to prices, started to rise all of a sudden, and it looked like things might spiral out of control.These yields dictate the rate of interest the UK government pays to borrow money, which is one of the reason they are so important. As it h

Stock prices in London were mostly higher midday Wednesday, with water utilities among those leading the charge, before investors look across the pond for the Federal Reserve interest rate decision later.The FTSE 100 index added 27.29 points, 0.3%, at 8,561.16. The FTSE 250 was up 114.30 points, 0.6%, at 20,702.81, and the AIM All-Share lost just 0.14 of a point at 715.18.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.

Shares jump 10% on deal newsBuyer paying just a 25% premiumShares had halved since listingSpin-offs are usually fertile ground for investors, but that hasn't been the case for shareholders who bought into automotive components and powder metallurgy group Dowlais (DWL) after its demerger from Melrose (MRO).Fortunately, holders have been offered respite of sorts in the shape of an agreed deal with U

Good start to financial yearTravel delivering strong growthHigh Street arm continues to struggleHaving kick-started an auction process for its ailing High Street division earlier in the week, WH Smith (SMWH) was in demand with investors again as the retailer reported soaring sales at its Travel division over the Golden Quarter.The FTSE 250 company's shares rallied 6.6% to £12.69 on an update that

Stock prices in London and Frankfurt opened higher on Wednesday, while Paris blue-chips fell amid weaker trade for luxury firms, as investors await a Federal Reserve interest rate decision.The FTSE 100 index added 4.45 points, 0.1%, at 8,538.32. The FTSE 250 was up 37.56 points, 0.2%, at 20,626.07, and the AIM All-Share added 0.38 of a point, 0.1%, at 715.70.The Cboe UK 100 was flat at 855.93, the

European stocks were higher on Tuesday afternoon, with New York stocks set for a quieter start after a tumultuous Monday trade which saw tech stocks dive.The FTSE 100 index added 51.82 points, 0.6%, at 8,555.53. The FTSE 250 was up 190.59 points, 0.9%, at 20,560.09, and the AIM All-Share rose 3.37 points, 0.5%, at 714.76.The Cboe UK 100 was 0.6% higher at 857.38, the Cboe UK 250 rose 1.0% at 17,99

Wickes raises full year 2024 guidanceHalfords upgrades full year 2025 profit expectationWickes shares up 11%, Halfords shares up 19%Shares in Wickes (WIX) gained over 11% to 170p in morning trading as the DIY retailer reported a strong trading update for the six months ending 28 December.The company delivered continued sales and volume growth in retail with revenue up 3% year-on-year.Wickes also r

London's key index closed Monday in the green amid a broad US tech sell-off which saw Nvidia holders unsettled by the progress of Chinese technology firm Deepseek.The FTSE 100 index ended up just 1.36 points at 8,503.71. The FTSE 250 lost 148.55 points, 0.7%, at 20,369.50, and the AIM All-Share fell 3.66 points, 0.50%, at 711.39.The Cboe UK 100 ended up slightly at 852.40 on Monday, the Cboe UK 25

Blue chip indices in Europe were lower on Monday midday, while investor eyes are also stateside, as tech stocks tumble in response to China's DeepSeek AI chatbot gaining popularity.The FTSE 100 index traded down 27.06 points, 0.3%, at 8,475.29. The FTSE 250 was down 127.27 points, 0.6%, at 20,390.78, and the AIM All-Share was down 4.30 points, 0.6%, at 710.75.The Cboe UK 100 was 0.3% lower at 849.