Mixed annual resultsQ4 like-for-likes disappointEssential Home sale on trackReckitt Benckiser's (RKT) shares rallied 2.6% to £53.22 after the consumer and household goods giant reported better-than-expected full-year margins and reiterated its bold plans to restructure and simplify the business.This more than compensated for worse-than-expected fourth quarter sales from the Durex-to-Mucinex maker

Just over five years ago the stock market began to react in earnest to news of the Covid pandemic.The sell-off was short and sharp, with a modest recovery from the lows in the spring followed by sharper gains in November 2020 after AstraZeneca (AZN) made a vaccine breakthrough.However, a large number of UK stocks are still trading below the levels they were at by the close of trading on 21 Februar

Investors are getting conflicting signals when it comes to the future direction of oil prices, and this week's fall to three-month lows off the back of crude producers' cartel OPEC+'s decision to boost output is unlikely to be the end of the story.The introduction of tariffs on neighbouring countries by the Trump administration could stoke inflation, which would typically be reflected in higher en

Investing in tech stocks has been making money for ordinary investors for years. Since the internet emerged in the early 1990s, the broadly drawn tech space has consistently delivered market-beating growth in revenues and profits and dominated share price returns.It is no coincidence that aside from Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B:NYSE), all of the trillion-dollar companies (currently s

Part of being a successful leader of a public company is managing expectations ? setting achievable targets which you can tick off and, by doing so, build credibility with the market.The under-pressure boss of oil and gas outfit BP (BP.) Murray Auchincloss will have been aware he needed to make a splash during a big strategy event on 26 February but telling the Financial Times he wants to get the

European indexes sank on Tuesday as fears of a full-blown trade war grew after increased tariffs were imposed against Canada, Mexico and China by the US.The FTSE 100 index ended down 112.31 points, 1.3%, at 8,759.00. The FTSE 250 slumped 431.79 points, 2.1%, at 19,950.50, and the AIM All-Share fell 14.93 points, 2.1%, at 686.87.The Cboe UK 100 ended down 1.6% at 875.00, the Cboe UK 250 declined 2.

Stock prices in Europe were in the red at Tuesday midday, with airline stocks hit badly in particular, as European countries intend to boost their militaries amid a US freeze on aid for Ukraine.'Investors were desperately hoping that Trump would delay tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China at the eleventh hour, yet the US president has stuck to his guns and brought them into power,' commented AJ Bell

London stocks opened slightly higher on Monday as investors assessed Prime Minister Keir Starmer's return from high-stakes diplomatic meetings and awaited the UK manufacturing PMI, following similar releases from other regions.The FTSE 100 index opened up 34.18 points, 0.4%, at 8,843.92. The FTSE 250 was up 56.11 points, 0.3%, at 20,382.49, and the AIM All-Share was up 1.54 points, 0.2%, at 705.37

Company expects decline in 2025 salesWeak end marketsTariff uncertainties weighAdvanced materials and engineering group Morgan Advanced Materials (MGAM) dropped 20% on Friday (28 Feb) after the FTSE 250 firm forecast a decline in 2025 organic revenue amid weak end demand and tariff uncertainties.The shares made new 12-month lows, slipping under 200p to leave them languishing 50% below the highs ac

AI server growth projections strongRising costs will impact gross marginsStock drifts pre-market, down 10% year-to-dateAs one of the world's biggest players in servers, the powerful computers that sit inside datacentres, Dell (DELL:NYSE) should be sitting pretty as corporates bulk up computing capacity to power AI tools, yet that doesn't seem to be playing out as many investors might have hoped.Hi

Margins up in all divisionsMid-term targets upgradedRolls-Royce returns to dividend listInvestors who thought Rolls-Royce's (RR.) recovery story would lose momentum were proven wrong on 27 February as shares in the aero-engine maker surged 15% to 725.4p, a new record high, on superb full-year results and upgraded targets.Derby-headquartered Rolls-Royce, which will go down as one of the greatest tu

US investment giant Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-B:NYSE) continued to raise cash from its marketable equites portfolio in the final quarter of 2024, pushing its cash hoard to a record $334 billion by year-end and making it a net seller of equities for nine consecutive quarters.Overall, Berkshire sold $134 billion worth of shares in 2024, mainly through reducing its stakes in Apple (AAPL:NASDAQ) and Ban

Trainline (TRN) 320p Loss to date: 1.6%Since we flagged the stock's appeal in February last year, shares in online ticketing platform Trainline (TRN) have been up the mountain, peaking at 435p for a paper gain of 36%, and come all the way back down again, leaving us marginally out of pocket.This is despite the firm raising its guidance twice, in September and October, thanks to strong growth in th

Intertek (ITRK) £52.30Market cap: £8.5 billionApparently, prior to its ultimately unconsummated tie-up talks with SGS (SGSN:SWX), France's Bureau Veritas'(BVI:EPA) first choice was to look at UK-listed peer Intertek (ITRK). In our view investors should take heed of this signal from an industry player and snap up shares in the FTSE 100 constituent.Like its Swiss and French counterparts, Intertek

Nexus Infrastructure (NEXS:AIM) 134pMarket cap: £12.9 millionMicro-caps rarely feature as Great Ideas in Shares, but we have made an exception for civil engineering and infrastructure specialist Nexus Infrastructure (NEXS:AIM) which looks to be on the cusp of a change in fortunes.It is only fair to point out that micro-caps tend to be more volatile, are less liquid to trade and have a wider sprea

Shares in Centrica (CNA) hit a new 12-month of 151p (24 February) not long after the British Gas owner announced better-than-expected results and a £500 million share buyback.Although the FTSE 100 company's EBITDA (earnings before interest taxation depreciation amortisation) for the full year ending 31 December 2024 were lower than 2023, a bumper year for the company, shareholders were rewarded w

Always quoteworthy, Warren Buffett once said: 'I try to invest in businesses that are so wonderful that an idiot can run them. Because sooner or later, one will.'While the maxim has merit, management does make a difference and management changes can have a major impact ? for good or bad ? on even the best businesses.The surprise departure of Unilever (ULVR) chief executive Hein Schumacher on 25 Fe

Blue chip indices in London, Paris and Frankfurt opened higher on Wednesday morning, despite Hikma Pharmaceuticals falling on the FTSE 100.The FTSE 100 index opened up 57.40 points, 0.7%, at 8,726.07. The FTSE 250 was up 172.77 points, 0.8%, at 20,621.05, and the AIM All-Share was up 3.76 points, 0.5%, at 711.82.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.7% at 873.03, the Cboe UK 250 was up 1.0% at 17,972.11, and t

CEO to step down on 1 MarchFernando Fernandez promoted to hot seatUnilever reaffirms 2025 outlookAfter a largely successful 18 months in the role, Hein Schumacher is to step down as Unilever's (ULVR) CEO on 1 March, news that stunned the market and sent shares in the global consumer goods giant down 3.2% to £43.39 in early deals on 25 February.Schumacher's turnaround strategy has borne early frui

The FTSE 100 in London and the CAC 40 in Paris opened lower on Monday morning, while the DAX 40 in Frankfurt was up a bit after the centre-right conservative party in Germany won the federal election.The FTSE 100 index opened down 2.07 points at 8,657.30. The FTSE 250 was up 3.54 points at 20,617.43, and the AIM All-Share was down 0.70 points, 0.1%, at 717.32.The Cboe UK 100 was down at 866.71, th