Stock prices in London were mostly in the red at midday on Monday, as Pod Point shares dived as it lamented an ongoing weakness in the private new car segment of the electric vehicle market.'Markets are beating to the drum of Donald Trump on the day of his return to the White House,' commented AJ Bell's Russ Mould. 'Markets are eagerly awaiting Trump's first batch of executive orders as this will

Recent deterioration in tradingProfit guidance cut by £2.5 millionMomentum in high margin licensingShares in Sanderson Design (SDG:AIM) sank 16% to a two-year low of 45.5p after the luxury interior furnishings firm disappointed the market with a second profit warning in eight months, after the hoped-for improvement in trading on which previously downgraded guidance was based failed to materialise

Net revenue of circa £243 million, up 3.5%Shares up 15% over the past yearStrong net cash of circa £16 millionShares in M&C Saatchi (SAA) were up 6% to 189p in early trading as the advertising agency said it expects full year 2024 like-for-like net revenue growth of circa 3.5% with reported net revenue of £243 million.The company said trading in the second half of the year 'maintained first hal

Expects full year 2024 revenue growth of 18%Shares up 101% over the past yearNorth America bookings up 26%Shares in Trustpilot (TRST) were up more than 16% to 320p in morning trading as the online reviews and analytics platform said it is expecting to report revenue of $211 million for full year 2024, a rise of 18% compared to $176 million last year.Adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxat

Shares in Anpario (ANP:AIM) are up a portfolio-nourishing 67% over one year, the latest upward spike triggered by a fifth upgrade in a row (10 January) to full-year 2024 guidance from the natural sustainable feed additives supplier.Following a stronger-than-expected second half, Anpario now expects revenue for the year to December 2024 to be £37.5 million implying 21% year-on-year growth.Combined

Streaming giant Netflix (NFLX:NASDAQ) made waves last year as it piled into live sports for the first time, inking blockbuster deals with WWE and the NFL, and viewers followed, adding 22.4 million net new subscribers as of the third quarter, its best year since 2020.It helped seed an 85% share-price surge last year and shareholders are excited about 2025 prospects, as the company readies to report

Oil prices have hit a six-month high amid cold weather and new US sanctions on Russian sales of crude.This is not entirely bad news for the FTSE 100 given the heavy weighting of oil giants BP (BP.) and Shell (SHEL) in the index, but not for nothing is oil known as a tax on economic growth.Higher prices are likely to feed into higher inflation, which will only reinforce assumptions about interest r

MIGO Opportunities (MIGO) 352pMarket cap: £71.25 millionDiscount to NAV: 4%With many investment trusts trading at deep discounts to NAV (net asset value), a great way to exploit the potential for discounts to narrow is by investing in specialist closed-end fund investor MIGO Opportunities Trust (MIGO).The company has a unique mandate within the sector aimed at exploiting pricing inefficiencies at

The normally sleepy world of investment trusts received a wake-up call just before Christmas with the publication (18 December 2024) of a shareholder letter by activist investor Saba Capital Management calling for change at no fewer than seven well-known funds.Set up by hedge fund manager Boaz Weinstein, Saba has a history of successfully instigating change, and while critics argue its proposals a

Out of nowhere the market for weight loss drugs has become one of the most exciting investment themes in the last two years, rivalling investor enthusiasm for AI.There is good reason for the excitement. Rod Wong, managing partner at RTW Biotech Opportunities (RTW) fund describes the development of obesity drugs as the biggest ever financial opportunity in healthcare.That is because obesity is the

Stock prices in London surged on Wednesday, with a sharp jump for the FTSE 250 allowing the UK-focused index to eat into some of its hefty loss so far in 2025.A favourable UK inflation reading calmed some bond markets and swung the pendulum in favour of a Bank of England rate cut at the central bank's next meeting.In addition, earnings from US banks were well-received, adding to the positive mood

Stock prices in London were in the green at midday Wednesday, as investors cheered lower-than-expected consumer price index inflation, ahead of US consumer price index inflation data.The consumer price index in the UK rose 2.5% in December from a year before, slowing from a 2.6% annual increase in November. The FXStreet-cited market consensus had expected inflation to pick up to 2.7%.'A surprise p

£250 million target reiteratedDowngrade cycle looks overShares rally sharply on updateThe relief following today's scheduled trading update from Vistry (VTY), the UK's largest housebuilder in volume terms, was palpable as the group confirmed its full-year 2024 profit forecast and talked up the 2025 outlook for its partnership business.The shares rallied as much as 50p or just shy of 10% to 565p,

Chipmaker wants to slash costs and simplify the businessStrategic shift comes after controversial departure of CEOStock has lost 70% of its value since February 2021Chip firm Intel (INTC:NASDAQ) is to spin-off its venture capital arm Intel Capital as the company grapples to re-establish its place at the top of the semiconductor table.This is a strategic move aimed at reducing costs and streamlinin

Completions above forecastProfit seen top end of rangeStrong base to build on for 2025With its shares trading at 12-month lows, there was little optimism surrounding the 2024 trading statement from housebuilder Persimmon (PSN) but the firm delivered a positive surprise with completions ahead of market expectations and a forecast of pre-tax profit towards the top end of estimates.The stock responde

Stocks in London, Paris and Frankfurt were down at midday Monday, as producer price inflation data from the US, to be out Tuesday, was nearing.In disappointing news for Chancellor Rachel Reeves, a survey of UK chief financial officers by consultancy Deloitte found a net 26% felt more pessimistic about their businesses than they did three months ago. However, sentiment is still well above the lows

Higher-than-expected ordersSpaceX driving upgrade cycleAerospace and defence market penetration excites analystsShares in Filtronic (FTC:AIM) rose 7% to an all-time high of 96.5p on 13 January after the communications equipment specialist upgraded guidance for the year to May 2025 once again amid ongoing positive order momentum.In a brief update, the County Durham-based firm announced that order i

Stronger-than-expected second halfBenefiting from operational gearingRobust net cash positionShares in Anpario (ANP:AIM) soared 10.2% to a two-year high of 405p after the natural sustainable feed additives supplier delivered its fifth upgrade to full-year 2024 guidance on the spin.Following a stronger-than-expected second half performance, Anpario now expects revenue for the year to December 2024

London's blue-chips were higher around midday on Thursday, but fresh falls in the pound and bond market angst kept domestically-focused stocks on the back foot.The FTSE 100 index was up 46.80 points, 0.6%, at 8,297.83. The FTSE 250 was down 95.22 points, 0.5%, at 19,857.02, and the AIM All-Share lost 0.68 of a point, 0.1%, at 719.43.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.6% at 830.81, the Cboe UK 250 lost 0.5%

Challenging second half back dropLower consumer confidenceGreggs passes on price hikes to consumersShares in Greggs (GRG) fell by as much as 10% to £23.46 in morning trading despite the food-on-the-go purveyor reporting a 11.3% rise in full-year 2024 sales to £2 billion.Greggs said seasonal lines were in high demand in the fourth quarter including Festive Bake, the Vegan Festive Bake, and the al