No post-Christmas recoverySpending on rail projects delayedContracts terminated at Kazak JVEquipment rental group Speedy Hire (SDY) issued an unscheduled trading update for the 10 months to the end of January, warning that profitability for the full year to February 2025 would be below expectations.This comes after chief executive Dan Evans said in November the group would meet full-year...

Environmental orders delayedCalifornia wildfires hit Rail plansWorse mix in Auto and IndustrialIn an echo of the warning from Renew Holdings (RNWH:AIM) last week (24 January), engineering and infrastructure group Ricardo (RCDO) said it would miss full-year estimates due to events beyond its control including delayed government spending on major projects.In a further echo, Ricardo shares...

Rail infrastructure division disappointsDelays to National Rail spending blamedAnalysts cut full-year forecasts by 9%In an unscheduled trading update ahead of its AGM on Monday 27 January, infrastructure and engineering services group Renew Holdings (RNWH:AIM) revealed full-year trading would be below expectations due to 'challenges' in its rail division.The shares, which have been steady...

The number of companies on London's AIM market worth more than £1 billion has hit a nine-year low. A mere six stocks were worth more than £1 billion at the end of November 2024 compared with 30 at the end of 2021.From those 30 companies and excluding those still worth more than £1 billion, seven have disappeared through takeovers, three have moved to the Main Market, and the rest have...

- Alfa Financial chairman and CEO sell over £9 million shares- Combined deals represent around 3% of their holdings- Renew director nets over half a millionAndrew Page, chairman of Alfa Financial Software (ALFA), a company providing mission critical software to the asset finance industry, sold 5.3 million shares netting him £8.4 million in proceeds.The sale was made via CHP Software and...

UK shares ended the day flat on Tuesday despite earlier optimism after positive overnight trading in Asia and a positive start on Wall Street.Commodity prices were generally higher with Brent crude rising 0.9% to $70.10 a barrel and gold prices up 0.2% to a three-month high of $1,870 an ounce.At the close the FTSE 100 of leading shares was virtually unchanged at 7,036 points with financial and...

UK shares traded higher on Tuesday as risk appetite returned despite fears of the Indian variant dampening enthusiasm.Overnight trading in Asia was positive with the Japan's Nikkei 225 index gaining 2% and China's SE Composite index 0.3% higher.Commodity prices were higher with Brent crude rising 0.9% to $70.10 a barrel and gold prices up 0.2% to a three-month high of $1,870 an ounce.At 12.30...

Individuals looking to shield wealth from inheritance tax should consider London's AIM stock market as investing in certain shares can help keep the taxman at bay. The standard rate of inheritance tax is 40% which is a meaningful amount.AIM shares that qualify for business property relief and held for at least two years do not form part of the estate for inheritance tax purposes and can be...

UK stocks opened lower on Tuesday, with the blue chip benchmark off 0.21% at 6,541.85 early on, even as Britain began rolling out a Covid-19 vaccine.Investors continued to fret that a post-Brexit trade deal won't be hammered out before a transition period expires at the end of December. Also creating uncertainty were the continuing efforts to get a bi-partisan stimulus package away in the...

UK stocks edged higher on Friday, shrugging off the brutal sell-off in US tech stocks on Thursday night, with the FTSE 100 up 0.2% to 5,861.13 early on.This was despite sentiment towards the housebuilding sector souring on news of a competition regulator probe into the selling of leasehold homes.Taylor Wimpey (TW.), Barratt Developments (BDEV), Persimmon (PSN) and Countryside Properties (CSP)...

Shares in engineering services firm Renew Holdings (RNWH:AIM) leapt 15% to 482p on Tuesday after it posted record first half results thanks to strong demand in its core businesses.With over three quarters of its activities deemed 'critical' to the economy, the firm has continued to operate with minimal disruption in key areas such as rail, road, water and energy infrastructure.RECORD TRADINGIn...

The FTSE 100 dropped sharply in opening trade as banks were told to suspend dividends and buybacks, while investors also brace for a likely global recession as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.The UK's benchmark index opened 3.24% lower to 5,488.27, mirroring falls seen in Asian stock markets with the Nikkei 225 in Japan down 4.5%, the Hang Seng in Hong Kong dropping 2.17% and China's...

There was good and bad news for infrastructure investors over the past week, depending on where in the sector they invested.On the plus side, an infrastructure boom could be about to hit the UK after the government gave the green light to build the £106bn High Speed 2 (HS2) rail project, spelling good news for stocks in the space.But for those investing in renewable energy, another area...

Anyone who regularly experiences the joys of public transport in the UK will know the country is in desperate need of infrastructure investment. Recognised as a priority by the Government, this is one area of public spending seemingly set to get a boost, not a cut, in the upcoming Budget.That spells good news potentially for both long-suffering passengers and the likes of Renew (RNWH:AIM), an...

For a firm with its roots in the 18th century, Renew (RNWH:AIM) is not afraid of making changes. This multi-layered engineering company serves various types of UK infrastructure and also boasts a small specialist building division.If one of its businesses no longer remains profitable, the company is willing to take a financial hit and look for better opportunities.Renew's interim results on...

Failing to pick the right stocks is one of the biggest reasons why individual investors struggle to make money on the stock market. Don't despair; we are help to help.We believe an investment journey can be greatly enhanced by following a few simple steps in order to filter out the bad stocks and leave you with a universe of more interesting - and hopefully profitable - shares.In this article...

If you want to invest in companies with significant growth potential and cut your estate's inheritance tax (IHT) bill on your death, investing in AIM-listed stocks could be the answer.Certain AIM companies benefit from business property relief (BPR), which makes the shares exempt from IHT as long as you hold them for at least two years and at death.AIM-quoted stocks are eligible for inclusion...

The market valuation attached to building products business Alumasc (ALU) does not reflect its earnings potential or inherent qualities.The market doesn't appear to have picked up on the Kettering-based company's transformation from an engineering conglomerate to a pure play on premium building products.The stock trades on 8.2 times forecast earnings for the year to June 2018 which looks far...

The pledge by Chancellor Philip Hammond in his Autumn Statement on 23 November to cut corporation tax from 20% to 17% by 2020 is positive for equities.The money that listed companies will save on tax could be used to hire more staff which could boost productivity. Firms could also pay higher dividends or accelerate debt repayments.'The corporation tax cut will be a positive initiative for a...

The market is underwhelmed by Chancellor Phillip Hammond's Autumn Statement although there are a few notable stock movements including infrastructure specialists and estate agents.MARKET UNDERWHELMEDThe domestic focused FTSE 250 barely moved on Hammond's statement. That's despite a promised reduction in corporation tax to 17% and the announcement of a £23bn infrastructure and innovation fund...