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

The FTSE 100 opened comfortably higher on Wednesday morning, easily beating its peers in Paris and Frankfurt, as UK consumer price inflation decelerated in December, defying expectations.The consumer price index rose 2.5% in December from a year before, slowing from 2.6% in November while FXStreet-cited market consensus had expected inflation to pick up to 2.7%.Separately, the Office for National

Full-year profit above top end of forecasts2025 profit to be above top endSite openings to accelerateLow-cost gym operator GYM Group (GYM) revealed that positive trading momentum has continued into the second half, with full-year profit now expected to be above consensus analyst estimates.Mr Market gave the pre-close trading update a thumbs-up with the shares jumping as much as 10% before settling

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

The FTSE 100 underperformed against its peers in Paris and Frankfurt on Monday morning, just as PMI data from France, Germany and the eurozone are coming in, with UK data set to follow.The FTSE 100 index opened down 17.45 points, 0.2%, at 8,206.53. The FTSE 250 was up 36.75 points, 0.2%, at 20,628.15, and the AIM All-Share was up 1.42 points, 0.2%, at 726.82.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.3% at 822.51

Palantir, Salesforce, Snowflake, MongoDB favouredAI monetisation to expand beyond chips in 2025Investors warned to watch economic risksAnalysts at Wedbush believe 2025 will be a year of significant growth for the software sector as the AI (artificial intelligence) revolution begins a new phase fuelled by enterprise adoption of generative AI and machine learning large language models.The Wedbush te

The FTSE 100 opened in the red on Tuesday morning, as the shortened final day of trading for the year kicked off with some trepidation.Stocks in New York struggled on Monday, trade in Asian equities was unconvincing, and the nerves fed through to Europe on New Year's Eve.The FTSE 100 index opened down 8.35 points, 0.1%, at 8,112.66. It is up 5.0% for the year.The FTSE 250 was up just 9.64 points a

Q2 guidance very weak versus consensusMicron stock plunges 15% after-hoursAnalysts say HBM story 'remains intact'Missing forecasts seldom goes down well with investors and soggy guidance is usually equally unsavoury to markets, so it comes as little surprise that Micron Technology's (MU:NASDAQ) soft outlook sparked a hefty stock reaction.Shares in the memory chipmaker plunged 15% overnight after s

2024 targets confirmedCash-flow forecast raised2025 outlook 'resilient'On an off-day for markets, with the FTSE 100 and the All-Share down 1%, facilities management group Serco (SRP) was a rare bright spot following its year-end trading update.The shares gained 8p or 6% to 147p, erasing much of their losses over the last month and indeed year-to-date. SOLID 2024 PERFORMANCEThe group, which

Few doubt that 2025 will be another huge year for AI, but when looking for interesting investment opportunities, investors can sometimes allow details to obscure the bigger picture. In our view, Alphabet (GOOG:NASDAQ) remains an outstanding growth business with strong AI levers to pull, currently trading a large discount to other 'Magnificent Seven' stocks.This valuation gap will, we believe, narr

Stocks in London were mixed after opening higher on Wednesday, as UK inflation data increased the chances of the Bank of England holding rates steady tomorrow.The FTSE 100 index closed up just 3.91 points at 8,199.11. The FTSE 250 ended 59.13 points higher, 0.3%, at 20,601.99, and the AIM All-Share gave back 2.62 points, 0.4%, at 719.42.The Cboe UK 100 ended down 0.1% at 822.61, the Cboe UK 250 ro

Stocks in Europe were mostly higher at midday Wednesday, with UK inflation reaching an eight-month high but not forcing 'shares in interest rate-sensitive sectors' to retreat.In UK and European news, the UK consumer prices index rose by 2.6% in the year to November, picking up pace from a 2.3% rise in year to October and in line with FXStreet-cited market consensus. The closely watched CPI service

Sales weakness persistsDeflation to impact profitsFurther £200 million buyback announcedRenowned for its resilience, outsourcing business Bunzl (BNZL) said it expects to deliver a 'strong' year-on-year adjusted operating profit increase for the year ending 31 December 2024 in the face of an uncertain economic backdrop.So why were shares in the distribution and services business the FTSE 100's big

Lots of parents and grandparents default to cash when saving for their children or grandchildren, but most have a very long time until they will give the money to the children, meaning investing can be a great option. If we look at someone saving £1,000 a year from birth of the child until the age of 18, they'd hand them almost £8,000 more if they invested the money and earned 5% return a year a

Sadly it's been less a case of 'lights, camera, action' and more 'brace for impact' lately for shareholders in Facilities by ADF (ADF:AIM), the firm which provides on-set serviced production facilities to the UK high-end TV and film industry.Floated in 2022 with hopes of bringing a touch of Hollywood glamour to the AIM market, the firm soon found itself under the spotlight as a result of the Holly

European equities are having a 'largely positive' session on Wednesday, but the FTSE 100 stuck out a like a sore thumb, with some of its more defensive stocks in the red.The FTSE 100 index fell 18.05 points, 0.2%, at 8,341.36. The FTSE 250 added 31.42 points, 0.2%, at 20,924.16, and the AIM All-Share rose 0.75 of a point, 0.1%, at 735.84.The Cboe UK 100 lost 0.4% at 837.01, the Cboe UK 250 was up

The FTSE 100 opened in the red on Wednesday, outperformed by European peers, with the CAC 40 in Paris shaking off political uncertainty.The FTSE 100 index fell 18.05 points, 0.2%, at 8,341.36. The FTSE 250 added 31.42 points, 0.2%, at 20,924.16, and the AIM All-Share rose 0.75 of a point, 0.1%, at 735.84.The Cboe UK 100 lost 0.3% at 838.05, the Cboe UK 250 was up 0.2% at 18,423.95, and the Cboe Sm

Dell slumps 13% pre-market on soft guidanceEnterprise and consumer PCs/laptops refresh hits bumpAI kit orders soar but components shortage a worryTexas-headquartered Dell Technologies (DELL:NYSE) is doing the right things, judging by latest earnings. Shares in the company lost 13% pre-market after issuing soft guidance for the fourth quarter despite Q3 earnings beating expectations.Dell is a major

Organic revenue growth over 20%Budget creates more opportunitiesCEO confident of full-year outcomeSpecialist business services group FRP Advisory (FRP:AIM) delivered a strong first-half update with chief executive Geoff Rowley saying he was 'confident' in meeting market expectations for the full year.The shares climbed 9p or 6% to a new 12-month high of 155p, topping their October peak. STR

Underlying earnings up 18%Core product lines in growthDistribution wins with major retailersUnloved cosmetics company Revolution Beauty (REVB:AIM) swung from pre-tax profits of £400,000 to a £10.9 million loss after a one-off stock provision during a transitional half to August 2024.Why then, did shares in the beauty retailer rise 2% to 13.9p today (19 November)?Well, the company highlighted enc