Ownership of intellectual property (IP) is a clear sign a business boasts the 'economic moat' popularised by the world's greater investor Warren Buffett, especially in industries that rely on innovation. A company's ability to continually develop and protect its IP assets helps to defend its market share and profits from competitors, and the presence of a moat is reflected in the high...

Veteran stockpicker Nick Train has upped his stake (30 May) in Finsbury Growth & Income Trust (FGT) to 3.92% in a show of confidence in the well-followed fund's long-run prospects. The purchase followed results (29 May) for the half to 31 March 2025 which revealed another period of underperformance, the company's net asset value (NAV) total return of 2.1% lagging the 4.1% rise in the benchmark...

The benefits of a stocks and shares ISA are best measured over the long term. Investors should look to get rich slowly through the power of compounding.Compounding describes the process whereby investment returns themselves generate future gains. The value of an investment can increase exponentially because growth is earned on both the initial sum of money plus the accumulated wealth.Imagine...

MJ Gleeson (GLE)Price: 495pMarket cap: £280 millionWe originally tipped MJ Gleeson (GLE) at 438p back in May 2023, which wasn't quite the low but was in time to catch the run all the way up to 650p last October.Today, the shares may not be quite as cheap as they were two years ago, but the outlook is clearly a lot better, not just for Gleeson but for the whole housebuilding sector. SOLID...

UK takeovers moved up a gear in 2024 as predators targeted bigger companies. The average value of deals was £1.07 billion, nearly three times higher than the £390 million average in 2023. In total, there were £49 billion worth of recommended bids versus £17.2 billion last year.A bounty of unloved or underappreciated companies were swept off their feet, signalling the UK market as being 'on...

Fourth year of underperformanceConsumer brand exposure reducedTrain optimistic for better future returnsVeteran fund manager Nick Train, manager of the well-followed Finsbury Growth & Income Trust (FGT), insisted he is more enthused by the company's prospects than at 'any time this century', despite the company reporting a fourth consecutive year of underperformance versus the...

In a sign UK companies are in a mood to see off overseas predators, Rightmove (RMV) has successfully batted off interest from Rupert Murdoch-backed rival REA Group (REA:ASX).The latter says it will no longer pursue the online UK property portal after having its fourth offer rejected.Rightmove shares reacted negatively to the news on the day (30 September), falling 8% to 613p, though...

Latest offer pitched at 780pMarks REA's fourth attemptDeadline expires at 5pm todayHousing portal Rightmove (RMV) offered a firm rebuttal to the fourth ? and as it stands final ? takeover offer from Australian group REA Group (REA:ASX) saying it still 'materially undervalued' the business and its future prospects.Rightmove shares dipped 52p or 8% to 616p against REA's offer of more than 780p...

Stocks in London held firm at the close on Monday, while the euro ebbed amid a slew of weak purchasing managers' index prints.The FTSE 100 index closed up 29.72 points, or 0.4%, at 8,259.71. The FTSE 250 ended up 13.28 points, or 0.1%, at 20,8451.82, but the AIM All-Share closed down 1.30 points, 0.2%, at 744.32.The Cboe UK 100 ended up 0.2% at 825.65, the Cboe UK 250 down slightly at...

Third offer from Australian rival madeRevised proposal implies an offer value of 761pYear-to-date Rightmove shares are up 22%Shares in Rightmove (RMV) jumped nearly 2% higher to 683p, as Australian property listing company REA Group (REA:ASX) controlled by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp increased its offer for the online property portal.Rightmove said it had 'received a third unsolicited,...

London's FTSE 100 slipped slightly heading into Monday afternoon, as investors digest what was a busy week of interest rate action, while drab eurozone data put the European Central Bank in focus and hurt the euro.Elsewhere on mainland Europe, Frankfurt's DAX 40 traded resiliently in the face of weak German data, but French banks weighed on the CAC 40 on tax hike fears for larger companies.The...

Equities in London opened in the red on Monday morning, as AstraZeneca released disappointing trial results while REA upped the ante with a sweetened takeover bid for fellow property portal Rightmove.Monday's economic diary has several flash composite purchasing managers' index releases including from the US and UK.The FTSE 100 index traded down 6.78 points, 0.1%, at 8,223.21. The FTSE 250 was...

At the start of 2024, I speculated that interest rate cuts could lead to takeovers involving bigger companies than the type of deals seen in 2023. While the rate-cut journey still remains in its infancy for the UK and other key geographies, the predicted wave of large-cap takeovers is firmly in motion. It's a reminder there is value on the UK market in droves.There have been bids or...

£5.6 billion cash and stock offer rebuffedBoard calls approach 'opportunistic'Rightmove shares up 21% year-to-dateShares in Rightmove (RMV) were little changed at 673p in morning trading after the online property portal rejected an initial £5.6 billion takeover offer from Australian property listing company REA Group (REA:ASX), controlled by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp.The Rightmove board...

Rightmove (RMV) 676pGain to date: 17%Market cap: £4.4 billion On 11 January Shares said that the UK's biggest property portal Rightmove (RMV) was unloved and should be snapped up by investors due to a bargain-basement valuation.WHAT HAS HAPPENED SINCE WE SAID BUY?On 26 July the company reported a strong set of first half results with a 7% rise in revenue to £192.1 million as agents and new...

The mining sector is at an inflection point. Historically associated with polluting materials like coal, the industry has a huge role to play if the world is to transition itself away from fossil fuels.However, while long-term targets remain around net zero, there are hints of governments backsliding on these commitments and prioritising other things like energy security.That makes it very...

Stocks in London drifted into the red on Monday, on what was a quieter day for global equity markets given the US public holiday.The FTSE 100 index closed down 12.79 points, 0.2%, at 8,363.84. The FTSE 250 ended down 106.03 points, 0.5%, at 20,980.51, and the AIM All-Share closed down 5.61 points, 0.7%, at 766.90.The Cboe UK 100 ended down 0.1% at 836.73, the Cboe UK 250 closed down 0.4% at...

REA controlled by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp expresses interestOnline property portal faces competitive threat from CoStar-backed On The MarketYear-to-date Rightmove shares up 20%Shares in Rightmove (RMV) soared 22% to 677p in morning trading as Australian property listings company REA (controlled by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp) said it was considering making an offer for the online property...

Stocks in London were in the red on Monday during midday trading, as downbeat Chinese manufacturing data cast a cloud over equities.It is likely to be a quieter day, given that US markets will be closed today for the Labor Day holiday.The FTSE 100 index was down 13.03 points, or 0.2%, at 8,363.46. The FTSE 250 was down 61.15 points, or 0.3%, at 21,025.39, and the AIM All-Share was down 4.31...

When the Bank of England cut rates for the first time since 2020 earlier this month there were those who questioned whether the timing was right, the fear being the bank had moved too early.Although headline inflation had hit the official 2% target, core inflation was 3.5% and services inflation was running at 5.7% which some considered too 'hot' to justify easing policy.Last week's economic...