We kick off this month with two more takeovers, or attempted takeovers, of UK small-cap firms.On 21 May Singapore-based but UK-listed specialist engineer XP Power (XPP) rejected a bid from Denver, Colorado-based rival Advanced Energy Industries (AEIS:NASDAQ).The firm said it had received a series of 'highly conditional, opportunistic, indicative proposals' from the US company, the latest at £19.5

UK markets opened on a softer note today triggered by weak US markets overnight, on renewed worries over slowing global manufacturing. Data out yesterday showed that US factory orders hit a decade-low.The FTSE 100 traded 88 points lower at 7,275 while the FTSE 250 traded 145 points or 0.7% lower.International retailer Tesco (TSCO) surprised the markets today with the news that chief executive Dave

On the momentous day luxury car maker Aston Martin announces its intention to float on the London Stock Exchange (LSE), with an expected value that could see it join the FTSE 100 in the near future.London's FTSE 100 firms 11.5 points to 7,629, the blue chip benchmark continuing to stage a comeback after the summer lull.Enterprise software giant Micro Focus (MCRO) is marked up 4% to £13.33 after k

JAYWING(JWNG:AIM) 24.5pLoss to date: 29% Original entry point: Buy at 34.5p, 9 February 2017A profit warning has put our trade on marketing services group Jaywing (JWNG:AIM) in the red. The Sheffield-based business says clients with consumer-facing operations have cut their marketing spend as a result of more difficult trading conditions.One third of Jaywing's profit is normally generated in the

Investors in small cap marketing firms may be feeling a little nervous as one of their number, Sheffield-based Jaywing (JWNG:AIM), unveils a big profit warning alongside disappointing first half results.Blaming the difficult trading conditions faced by consumer-led businesses in the UK since a snap election was called earlier this year, Jaywing says its expects 'profits to be substantially below m

We're excited about the prospects for marketing company Jaywing (JWNG:AIM) amid growing demand for data analysis.One in 10 people working at Jaywing are data scientists, namely statisticians, computer scientists or mathematicians.Jaywing helps companies to understand what the public is saying about them on social media like Twitter.It can match online behaviour such as buying goods to what people

Nobel Prize winning economist Robert Shiller reckons the best way of assessing value in forward looking markets is to look to the past.In 1988 he popularised the cyclically-adjusted price to earnings (CAPE) ratio, also known as the Shiller PE, to help investors decide if a stock, sector or market is trading at a premium or discount to its historical value.Whereas a price to earnings (PE) ratio is

Cambridge-based inkjet printing kit designer Xaar (XAR) comes under intense selling pressure as long-term chief executive Ian Dinwoodie announces his retirement. The shares fall 10% to 898p on this blow, overshadowing robust full-year 2013 results despite hints of a slowdown in growth. Investors seem happy to take profits with the share price having tripled in 15 months.Global online fashion store