Stocks in London were in the red at midday on Wednesday, awaiting clarity from the US Federal Reserve over the pace of interest rate cuts.According to CME FedWatch, a 50 basis point cut is the most likely move by the US central bank, though some believe a 25 basis point reduction is in the offing.Elsewhere, the pound perked up, taking advantage of some dollar weakness after a UK inflation reading.

LADBible publisher LBG Media (LBG:AIM) seems to be in full recovery mode ahead of its half-year results on 18 September.Back in July, the youth-focused publisher posted a strong interim trading update with direct revenue increasing by 92% to £22 million and signaled continued growth in the US.Global audience numbers increase to 493 million up from 410 million in the first half of 2023.Peel Hunt a

Firm to power Tesco Clubcard ChallengesOne-year contract with option to renewEagle Eye?s sales rose 20% in H1Technology tiddler Eagle Eye Solutions (EYE:AIM) has secured a new contract with Tesco (TSCO) for personalised promotions, exciting news which sent shares in the UK SaaS (software-as-a-service) firm up 9% to 510p on Monday.While no financial details were disclosed, house broker Shore Capita

Gaming Realms (GMR:AIM) 31.6pMarket cap: £93.4 millionFor the uninitiated, Gaming Realms (GMR:AIM) is a leading business-to-business licensor and distributor of games to the regulated gaming market.The company owns the IP (intellectual property) to the Slingo brand, one of the most popular formats of games played online.As the name suggests the format is a mash-up of slots and bingo. The game in

Although Pinewood Technologies (PINE), the SAAS (software-as-a-service) provider to motor dealers, may not seem familiar to UK investors at first glance, it is simply the rump of the old Pendragon business following the sale of the UK motor and leasing division to North American dealership group Lithia (LAD:NYSE).The shares have risen 140% over the last year after Lithia had to hike its offer from

Pre-tax profits fall 10% despite revenues hitting targetsConfident of meeting full year 2024 expectationsFlags new business wins with WHO, Adidas, Nike, McDonald?sShares in M&C Saatchi (SAA:AIM) were down 2% to 170p in morning trading as the international marketing and advertising agency announced a 10% fall in pre-tax profits to £28.7 million for the year ending 31 December 2023.Net revenue was

Stocks in Europe opened in the green on Wednesday, with FTSE 100?s Tesco edging up as it announced a new share buyback programme on the back of surging annual profit.The FTSE 100 index opened up 46.08 points, 0.6%, at 7,980.87. The FTSE 250 was up 130.70 points, 0.7%, at 19,894.05, and the AIM All-Share was up 3.15 points, 0.4%, at 754.13.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.6% at 797.85, the Cboe UK 250 was

Bumper special dividend on wayHigh gross margins and recurring revenuesHuge growth potential in USCar seller-turned-software-as-a-service firm Pinewood Technologies (PINE) has confirmed its plan to reward shareholders with a bumper capital return following the recent sale of its lower margin UK motor and leasing business to North American dealerships group Lithia (LAD:NYSE).As pledged last year, P

Shares gain on all-cash 450p per share offerBid price equivalent to 52% premiumTop five shareholders own a third of the companyLogistics firm Wincanton (WIN) was one of the biggest gainers in London on Friday, surging almost 50% to 438p after receiving an all-cash offer worth 450p per share from a unit of French shipping giant CMA CGM.Directors are unanimously recommending the offer, which values

Stock prices in London closed lower on Wednesday, as investors await the latest meeting minutes from the US Federal Reserve.The FTSE 100 index closed down 39.19 points, 0.5%, at 7,682.33. The FTSE 250 ended down 185.40 points, 1.0%, at 19,326.40, and the AIM All-Share closed down 7.40 points, down 1.0%, at 754.15.The Cboe UK 100 ended down 0.4% at 766.89, the Cboe UK 250 closed down 1.1% at 16,780

The festive mood disappeared on Thursday ahead of a key US inflation print, the US personal consumption expenditures price index reading due on Friday.It is London?s last full day of trading before markets shut early for a Christmas break on Friday.The FTSE 100 index closed down 20.95 points, 0.3%, at 7,694.73. The FTSE 250 ended down 58.12 points, 0.3%, at 19,570.97, and the AIM All-Share closed

Conflict is always an unhappy subject, but it remains an area of real focus across the globe. Cross-border collisions of ideology, hegemony, raw materials, and even survival, mean national budgets reach astronomical levels, especially in the US, by far the world's largest military spender.In 2022, global military budgets hit an all-time high of $2.2 trillion, according to data released by the Stoc

Valuations for the small-cap asset class have returned to levels last seen during the Global Financial Crisis, and history shows that when valuations have plunged to similarly low levels in the past, stellar returns have ensued for small caps over the subsequent five years.A savvy way to gain differentiated exposure to this structurally-inefficient part of the market is through value-focused inves

Database and software giant a major player in new AI worldPowerful innovation at heart of investment story$15-plus billion revenue boost over next few yearsIt's been a quite a ride for Oracle (ORCL:NYSE) this year, shares in the database monster rallying 22% so far even after September's sharp rebasing. That's twice the return of the S&P 500 although not quite as strong as the Nasdaq Composite's 2

A screening tool used by asset manager Artemis suggests investors need to look at unloved parts of the market, not chase 2023's winning trades. This year, investing in AI-related names including $1 trillion chip designer Nvidia (NVDA:NASDAQ) was a way to get rich, yet Artemis' SmartGARP tool suggests that is not the best place to go fishing.'Our system has been sending a consistent message that th

The recent share price performance of certain advertising companies has not impressed investors. WPP (WPP) has seen its share price fall by 8% year-to-date and S4 Capital (SFOR) has seen its shares dramatically fall 62% in the same period.Both companies have cited tech clients in the US cutting their advertising spend and the current macroeconomic climate as reasons for weak performance. This is a

Sale of UK motor and leasing businesses agreedPendragon to rebrand as Pinewood Technologies16.5p per share payout plannedShares in Pendragon (PDG) sped 25% higher to 23.1p after the small cap car retailer struck a deal that can only be described as a takeover with a twist.Rather than being bought in its entirety, Pendragon is selling its UK motor retail and leasing operation to North American play

Evercore ISI analysts hike target by $50 to $650Consensus predicts company could nearly double in three yearsStock has surged 3,009% since 2012 IPOAnalysts see AI (artificial intelligence) as a major lever of future growth for ServiceNow (NOW:NYSE), the $114 billion digital productivity and workflow management platform.Over the past couple of decades software delivery has changed hugely, shifting

In less than 25 years Salesforce (CRM:NYSE) has become a giant of the global software industry and an iconic Silicon Valley name.Valued at $206 billion, it is the thirty-second largest company on the S&P 500, and according to Fortune's latest surveys, ranks eighth in the world's 100 best companies to work for, and eleventh on the most admired companies in the world.All well and good, but what sort

NAV gain of 21.4% compared with 16% loss in FTSE Small Cap indexValue investing mindset with concentrated portfolio approachUK small caps trading at deep discountSmall cap investing hasn't been easy of late with the FTSE Small Cap (ex investment trusts) index down 15.7% over the year to 31 March 2023.But small cap investment specialist Rockwood Strategic (RKW) delivered an increase in total NAV (n