Q2 sales and profit ahead of expectationsQ3 outlook falls short of consensusStrong upturn expected in 2025Semiconductor equipment maker ASML (ASML:AMS) dropped more than 6% to €919, despite delivering better than expected second quarter sales and profit, after the company forecast third quarter sales below consensus estimates.The shares fell to their lowest level since mid-June but remain alm

Stocks in London ended in the red on Tuesday, as cautious sentiment prevailed following hot eurozone inflation figures.The FTSE 100 index ended down 45.56 points, 0.6%, at 8,121.20. The FTSE 250 fell 27.61 points, 0.1%, at 20,194.47, while the AIM All-Share slipped 0.81 of a point at 764.37.The Cboe UK 100 fell 0.7% to 808.01, the Cboe UK 250 declined 0.5% to 17575.03, and the Cboe Small Companies

Stock prices in London opened higher on Tuesday as investors became focused on the upcoming US Federal Reserve's interest rate decision, after shares fell Monday following the EU election.The FTSE 100 index opened up 11.92 points, 0.1%, at 8,240.40. The FTSE 250 was up 65.24 points, 0.3%, at 20,511.28, and the AIM All-Share was up 0.08 of a point at 788.36.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.2% at 821.56, th

Investors in London showed confidence on Monday, with stocks closing up on hopes on interest rate cuts being around the corner.The FTSE 100 index closed up 3.94 points at 8,424.20. The FTSE 250 ended up 123.43 points, 0.6%, at 20,873.33, and the AIM All-Share closed up 15.92 points, 2.0%, at 809.94.The Cboe UK 100 ended up 0.1% at 840.87, the Cboe UK 250 closed up 0.6% at 18,250.48, and the Cboe S

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

Multi-billion dollar subsidised investment agreed in ArizonaNew plant will make world?s most advanced AI chipsNvidia believed to be TSMC?s biggest customerShares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (2330:TPE) surged to a record high on 9 April 2024 after the world?s largest contract chipmaker unveiled plans for a new chip fabrication plant in the US state of Arizona as part of the Biden

At the centre of the current boom in generative AI (artificial intelligence) is chip maker Nvidia (NVDA:NASDAQ).It designs some of the fastest computer chips in the world which are needed to run data hungry LLMs (large language models) capable of understanding natural language.Readers may be familiar with Nvidia's historical link to the gaming industry, but less familiar with the US giant's connec

We begin this article with the cautionary tale of former high-flying cloud telephony and conferencing firm LoopUp (LOOP:AIM).At the beginning of March, the firm dropped a bombshell on investors by announcing the board had unanimously decided that canceling its listing on AIM and raising money from a handful of private backers was ?in the best interests of the group and our shareholders?.The stock

Whenever there is a discussion about ?quality? UK industrial stocks, the name Spectris (SXS) is often thrown into the ring although we suspect many investors, while being familiar with the company in a general sense, have little idea what it actually does.Looking on Stockopedia, the company has a 99th percentile quality ranking, which backs up its reputation, but it is classified as a large-cap te

Judges Scientific (JDG:AIM) £98.82Market cap: £655 millionScience kit manufacturer Judges Scientific (JDG:AIM) has built up a loyal fan base over the years, both ordinary and professional investors. We continue to see the stock as a core smaller company growth holding that will gradually build value for portfolios, while letting you sleep comfortably at night.Over the past 10 years, the stock ha

London?s FTSE 100 opened up a tad higher on Monday, kicking off a busy week in a muted fashion.Investors will have inflation reports from the UK and US to mull over this week, as well as a steady flow of corporate earnings.It was a largely quiet start to the week for the corporate diary, though there was some impetus from property sector M&A.The FTSE 100 index opened up 9.23 points, 0.1%, at 7,581

Stock prices in London began the last week before Christmas finishing in the green, as comments hawkish US Federal Reserve officials failed to deter investors.The FTSE 100 index closed up 38.12 points, 0.5%, at 7,614.48. The FTSE 250 ended up 11.58 points, 0.1%, at 19,220.55, and the AIM All-Share closed up 1.88 points, or 0.3%, at 741.19.The Cboe UK 100 ended up 0.5% at 760.32, the Cboe UK 250 cl

Generative AI (artificial intelligence) has dominated the semiconductor conversation this year. But while the technology has enormous potential in this space, there are also lots of opportunities elsewhere in the semiconductor sector.Industries like automotive, healthcare, pharma, education, transportation and professional services are all being impacted by a shift to a digital world, and that mea

Global microchip stocks from Nvidia (NVDA:NASDAQ) to ASML (ASML:AMS) have been under stiff selling pressure after a Reuters report said that Taiwan's TSMC (2330:TPE), the world's largest contract chipmaker, had asked its suppliers to delay deliveries amid concerns over slowing demand.The report follows a warning by TSMC during its second-quarter earnings (20 Jul) where chief executive CC Wei warne

Construction equipment rental specialist Ashtead (AHT) has setitself quite a high bar when it comes to its first-quarter earnings report on 5 September.The firm has beaten revenue forecasts in nine out of the last 10 quarters. Moreover, the comparison with the same quarter last year is a tough one as rental revenue was up 26% to just over $2 billion and adjusted pre-tax profit was up 29% to $555 m

Global smaller-cap 'Discovery' fund ratings cutShared focus on US health and softwareNegative returns over one and three yearsEdinburgh-based investment manager Baillie Gifford saw two of its global growth funds lowered by ratings agency Morningstar from Silver to Neutral last week after a prolonged period of underperformance.The funds, which together managed over £1 billion assets at the end of

The influential mining sector helped prop up the FTSE 100 on Tuesday, with shares in the likes of Anglo American and Rio Tinto boosted by good news out of China.The mood was largely cautious, however, as the Federal Reserve kicks off its two-day monetary policy meeting Tuesday, ahead of an expected 25 basis point rate hike on Wednesday.Elsewhere, shares in Ben & Jerry's ice cream maker Unilever go

Oxford Instruments' (OXIG) shares have typically traded above 20 times earnings over the last 10 years - a premium rating, but plenty of investors have regretted not buying them over the years.It has delivered a total return upwards of 100% over that period and the company is becoming an even more high-quality business capable of generating yet more impressive returns.Earnings forecasts have consi

Shares drop 13% on full year profit warningRapid customer destocking means profit cut by 13%Shares have halved in last 18 monthsShares in Croda International (CRDA) dropped 13% to £52.44 on Friday after the speciality chemicals company issued a full year profit warning following weaker than expected trading in the first five months of the year.It is one of the biggest daily falls seen in the shar

We could potentially see changes to the FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 indices as a knock-on effect to proposals by the UK financial regulator to change the UK stock market listing rules.The Financial Conduct Authority wants to make it easier for companies to join the UK stock market by revamping the listing requirements. One of the proposals is for the London market's standard and premium segments to beco