UK shares have lagged their US and European counterparts significantly since 2016 leaving them vulnerable to takeover by more highly-valued peers and private equity groups which are still flush with cash, argue Shore Capital research analysts Rob Sanders and Chris Bottomley.Since June 2016, at the time of Britain's vote to exit the EU, the S&P 500 index has doubled, Japan's Nikkei is up 80%,...

Full year profit seen at low end of rangeShares hit seven-year lowsSignificant cost reductions almost completeSomething seems to have been missed in translation at language specialist RWS (RWS:AIM) with the shares sinking 20% to a new seven-year low of 190p after the company said it expected full year profit to be at the lower end of consensus market forecasts.The share price fall takes...

You have almost certainly never heard of RC365 (RCGH). The payments business joined London's Main Market in March 2022, raising £2 million at 6.2p per share for a £6.7 million market cap. Fifteen months on, the share price has surged more than 2,000% to 154p. The stock is up more than 600% since the start of June this year.Why? Because last month it jumped into the AI (artificial...

Asset manager Octopus Investments has launched its inaugural Dividend Barometer to champion the 'lesser-known dividend credentials' of small and mid-cap income stocks.NARROW FOCUSThe reason behind the move according to Octopus is that the 'UK equity income conversation is focused [all too often] on a narrow set of large companies. This overlooks businesses outside the FTSE 100 with strong...

It is easy to become ensconced in a narrative and ignore contrary new information which doesn't fit with your thinking. But at some point, the penny drops, company plans go awry, and investors abandon the story.This article highlights stocks where investors appear to have changed their collective minds on a company's prospects. All the companies in the article have suffered a dramatic...

Sanford DeLand's CFP SDL UK Buffettology (BF0LDZ3) and CFP SDL Free Spirit (BYYQC27) funds have forged top-notch long-term performance records since respective launches in 2011 and 2017 thanks to the unwavering pursuit of 'Business Perspective Investing', a quality-focused approach championed by 'Sage of Omaha' Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger.Unusually however, both portfolios managed by...

Language services and technology company RWS (RWS:AIM) has attracted private equity interest following the announcement (21 Apr) Baring Private Equity Asia fund was considering making an offer for the company.Under stock exchange rules the private equity fund has until the close of play on 19 May 2022 to make a firm offer or walk away. RWS confirmed no approach has yet been made.The shares...

In light of the implications of the unfolding tragedy in Ukraine, the global growth outlook has dimmed, which means now more than ever, portfolios should be as diversified by asset class as possible to in order to maximise returns relative to risk.Higher risk assets they may be, yet 'micro caps', the London stock market's smallest quoted companies should form at least a portion of a...

The sell-off in technology stocks since the September 2021 peak as the markets rotate out of growth and into value picks has given DIY investors plenty to chew over.Many UK tech companies have seen valuations hammered, with share prices falling by up to 40% with no meaningful change to earnings, said Canaccord Genuity analysts in a note to clients on Tuesday (1 February 2022).This, Canaccord...

One of AIM's biggest success stories is finally packing its bags and moving to London's Main Market. Fashion retailer ASOS (ASC:AIM) will switch markets by the end of February and this event could potentially see a few other businesses do the same.AIM was set up as a market for young companies to access capital markets and tap up investors for cash to help them grow, as well as use their...

UK stocks started the shortened trading week in good spirits with the FTSE 100 index of leading stocks up 60 points or 0.8% at midday to 7,432, having touched a new year-high of 7,457 points in early trading.Leadership shifted from consumer-oriented stocks in early deals to healthcare and engineering stocks by lunchtime.In Asia, shares fell overnight as investors continues to fret over the...

UK stocks began the shortened trading week on the front foot with the FTSE 100 up 65 points or 0.9% to a new year-high of 7,437 points in early trading.Leading the market higher were domestically oriented consumer and financial stocks including retailers AB Foods (ABF), Next (NXT) and high street bank Lloyds (LLOY).Shares in Asia fell overnight as investors continues to fret over the spread of...

Constructed last December from shares in UK, European and US markets, Shares' 'Stock picks for 2021' portfolio was based on high conviction in 12 companies for the year ahead. While more than half of them have subsequently done well, there were a handful of disappointments.The net effect is a decent 8.6% return excluding dividends - that's higher the historical average 6% to 7% from equities...

Among the best kept investment secrets is the fact smaller companies typically outperform larger companies over the medium and long term thanks to characteristics ranging from innovation and faster organic growth to entrepreneurial management, agility in the face of change and the greater likelihood of a takeover bid.Within the UK's small cap funds and investment trusts sectors is an elite...

Despite a fuel crisis, ongoing inflation worries and the end to the furlough scheme, Shares' top picks for 2021 continue to outperform the wider stock market.But while the FTSE All-Share index ultimately did very little during the third quarter, adding just 44 points, or about 1.1%, our 12-stock selection continued to present us with successes and challenges aplenty.Half a dozen of our picks...

Every December Shares selects a group of stocks to own for the year ahead. The selection for 2021 have performed well with an average share price gain of 15.2% over the past six months compared with a return of 11.9% for the FTSE-All Share index.Although the list isn't intended to be a portfolio, to calculate the return we have assumed that each holding has an equal weighting.The hit rate or...

Despite healthy double-digit gains in 2021, driven by successful vaccination rollouts and recovering economies, major stock markets around the world appear to have stalled since early May.London's FTSE 100, the Standard and Poors 500, Japan's Nikkei 225 the Nasdaq 100 indices have failed so far to push on from recent highs.The exception is emerging markets with Brazil's Bovespa index up 6%,...

London's FTSE 100 ended Tuesday with decent gains after closing 0.25% higher to 7,095.79 despite a slow start on Wall Street for US stocks.The UK's benchmark index was lifted by insurer Aviva (AV.), which gained after the arrival of activist investor Cevian, while the index also shook off an issue involving several major websites, which were down thanks to a problem at cloud computing firm...

London's FTSE 100 gained 0.3% to 7,097 by midday as shares in UK insurer Aviva (AV.) were lifted by the arrival of activist investor Cevian, while the index shook off an issue involving several major websites, which were down thanks to a problem at cloud computing firm Fastly.With little on the economic agenda apart from US job openings and trade figures, investors are keeping their powder dry...

Major UK shares edged higher in early trading but gains modest as investors take a breather. The benchmark FTSE 100 inched less than four points higher, or 0.04%, to 7,079.25, while the mid-cap FTSE 250 was equally unenthusiastic, up a miniscule 0.08% at 22,925.64.With little on the economic agenda apart from US job openings and trade figures, investors are keeping their powder dry until the...