Ocado still the number one shortRetailers in general unlovedEnergy services stocks drilledShort-selling, or borrowing shares to sell in the hope of buying them back at a lower price, is not something most retail investors have the nerve or the skill-set to pull off as it requires a certain mindset and a willingness to tolerate heavy losses on occasion until your bets come right.For the pros, howev

Strange as it may sound, the pandemic turned out to be a blessing in disguise for the auction industry as it forced firms to join the 21st century and offer an online service.Whereas previously many small auction houses were limited to the number of buyers they could accommodate due to lack of physical space, today they can not only tap into their local market but a whole army of online punters at

In last week's magazine, Shares focused on the methods by which leading fund managers identify genuine long-term growth opportunities, covering everything from the need for a growth mindset to bottom-up stock picking and the need to factor in top-down considerations.Now we turn the spotlight on the regional markets, themes and stocks which have some of the market's most admired investors salivatin

Silicon Valley giant Intel (INTC:NASDAQ) is facing more upheaval after announcing the unexpected retirement of chief executive officer, Pat Gelsinger. Effective immediately, the decision marks a significant shakeup for the chip maker as it grapples with ongoing challenges and competitive pressures in the semiconductor industry.Gelsinger returned to Intel in February 2021, having previously been it

To date, a small, exclusive club of UK retailers have exceeded £1 billion in annual profits, a high street elite that includes Tesco (TSCO), Marks & Spencer (MKS) and Kingfisher (KGF). Some may view this £1 billion figure as merely symbolic, but breaching this barrier is no mean feat and demonstrates a retailer has a lasting place in consumers' affections and the scale to win in a competitive ma

AstraZeneca CEO buys 20,000 sharesTravis Perkins CEO buys 249, 218 sharesASOS director buys £430,135 sharesPascal Soriot, CEO of pharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca (AZN) has bought 20,000 shares at £102 for a total value of £2.04 million on 15 November.Soriot's purchase comes after the pharmaceutical giant delivered earnings ahead of consensus forecasts and raised its outlook on 14 November.Over t

Group revenue rises 3.7%New UK import centre for 2026France revenue grows 6.8%Shares in B&M European Value (BME) gained over 3% to 392p in morning trading as the low-priced variety goods retailer said group revenue for the 26 weeks to 28 September increased by 3.7% to £2.64 billion.The increase was driven by UK sales growth, which improved across the first half of the year by 6% against 1.5% in t

Stock prices in London were mostly in the green at Thursday midday, as US producer price inflation will soon be released amid weekly jobless figures, as investors await further updates on who will be part of Donald Trump's second administration.'The FTSE 100 ticked higher in early trading on Thursday despite weakness in the US and Asia overnight as American inflation edged higher,' commented AJ Be

Better-than-feared second quarterNew recovery strategy unveiled£40 million-cost saving initiativeQuintessentially British luxury brand Burberry (BRBY) topped the FTSE 250 leader board on 14 November, the out-of-fashion firm's shares rallying 14% to 835p as its second-quarter results beat gloomy expectations and new boss Joshua Schulman unveiled a turnaround strategy.A rumoured bid target for Ital

MercadoLibre (MELI:NASDAQ) $1,961.16Gain to date: 28.2% Quarterly reporting maybe great for transparency but it can be a curse for long-run growth stocks, as investors in MercadoLibre (MELI:NASDAQ) are finding out.The stock was thumped last week (7 November) after a third-quarter report saw sales surge but profits miss expectations. Quarterly revenue jumped 35% year-on-year to $5.31 billion, beati

Stock prices in blue chip indices in London, Paris and Frankfurt were in the red on Tuesday morning, as traders digest an increasing likelihood that incoming US president Donald Trump will enact punitive tariffs and a very hawkish stance on China.'The latest moves from Trump's camp, especially with China hawks joining his inner circle, are sending chills through the markets and casting a decidedly

Takeover tilt by Italian rival expectedBurberry results due 14 NovemberAnalysts expect lurch into lossFirmly out of fashion with investors this year amid a slowdown in luxury goods demand, shares in Burberry (BRBY) rallied 2% to 822p on 11 November as excitement surrounding a bid from Italian outerwear rival Moncler (MONC:BIT) continued to build.According to correspondence viewed by The Mail on Su

Junior exchange founded in 2012Revenue has grown around 500%Offer at 727p vs 330p close FridayIn the latest example of UK small-cap companies being taken over, junior stockmarket operator Aquis Exchange (AQX:AIM) announced it had agreed an offer for the company from Swiss bourse operator SIX Exchange Group at more than double the current share price.Aquis shares jumped 112% to 700p giving the firm

Half year pre-tax profit up 4.7%Tasty grocery performanceArgos sales disappointFirst half sales and profits rose at Sainsbury's (SBRY) as the UK's second biggest supermarket continued to secure market share gains in groceries, making up for a soft first quarter at Argos and in general merchandise.CEO Simon Roberts insisted Sainsbury's core food business is 'making the biggest market share gains in

The FTSE 100 joined European peers in the red on Wednesday, while the US hit new highs following Donald Trump's win in the presidential election.The FTSE 100 index closed down 5.71 points, or 0.1%, at 8,166.68. It had earlier hit an intra-day high of 8,301.78.The FTSE 250 ended up 76.66 points, 0.4%, at 20,446.70, and the AIM All-Share rose 2.75 points, 0.3%, at 739.04.The Cboe UK 100 ended slight

London's FTSE 100 rallied on Friday, as budget nerves calmed, with investors hoping US nonfarm payrolls will not throw a spanner in the works at the end of an eventful week.The FTSE 100 index traded up 66.55 points, 0.8%, at 8,176.65. The FTSE 250 was up 49.99 points, 0.3%, at 20,438.95, and the AIM All-Share was up 1.38 points, 0.2%, at 738.48.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.8% at 820.05, the Cboe UK 25

CEO appointed from withinDan Finley transformed DebenhamsMike Ashley may yet flex his musclesChallenged online fashion retailer Boohoo (BOO:AIM) has shunned major shareholder Frasers' (FRAS) demand to install Mike Ashley as CEO and appointed internal candidate Dan Finley as its new boss instead.Finley has been running Boohoo's fast-growing online department store Debenhams since 2022 and replaces

A dividend is quite simply a portion of a company's earnings distributed to its investors.In the UK most companies pay two ordinary dividends per year, one at the half-way stage (the interim or first-half dividend) and one at the end of the year (the final dividend). Some UK firms pay quarterly dividends.Sometimes, companies will decide to pay a special dividend on a one-off basis if their earning

Stocks in London closed lower on Friday, as a car finance probe weighed on the shares of Lloyds Banking Group, Barclays and Close Brothers.The FTSE 100 index closed down 19.13 points, 0.3%, at 8,248.84. The FTSE 250 ended up 29.36 points, or 0.1%, at 20,819.91, and the AIM All-Share lost 3.02 points, 0.4%, at 722.67.The Cboe UK 100 closed down 0.3% at 826.07 on Friday, the Cboe UK 250 ended down 0

Stocks in London were mostly lower at Friday midday, while the FTSE 250 turned to the red after Close Brothers shares fell as it announced it will appeal a court judgement to the UK Supreme Court.The FTSE 100 index traded down 10.40 points, 0.1%, at 8,258.98. The FTSE 250 was down 15.67 points, or 0.1%, at 20,774.88, and the AIM All-Share shed 1.80 points, 0.3%, at 723.85.The Cboe UK 100 was down