This year's record highs in the US, UK and German stock markets continue to make headlines, but another, much more unsung asset is also breaking new ground and that is gold, which is trading above $2,900 an ounce for the first time this week.Gold's 46% surge in the past year has even outpaced four of the so-called Magnificent Seven, despite markets' ongoing fascination with technology stocks and a

In the third of our four-part series on small caps (you can read part two on UK small cap funds and trusts elsewhere in this issue), we get our data-crunching caps on and take a look at key metrics around value, income and growth in the smaller companies universe.To narrow things down we limited our search to London-listed companies with market valuations between £50 million and £500 million. We

Sage Group (SGE) has put in a robust performance over the last three months, with shares in the accounting software provider gaining 21% since late November to hit an all-time high last week.Much of the increase came on the 20 November when the company reported full-year results, which included a 7% increase in revenue to £2.3 billion for the 12 months to 30 September buoyed by progress made with

Capri Holdings (CPRI:NYSE) $24.93Market cap: $2.94 billionRisk-tolerant investors might want to take a look at Capri (CPRI), the global fashion luxury group behind iconic brands Versace, Michael Kors and Jimmy Choo.Shares in the New York-listed company have plunged 50% in the past year after its planned $8.5 billion takeover by Tapestry (TPR:NYSE) was blocked by the FTC (Federal Trade Commission),

London stocks ended mixed on Wednesday, with the FTSE 100 gaining as utilities rebounded, while investors awaited the Federal Reserve's rate decision and key US tech earnings.The FTSE 100 index ended up 23.94 points, 0.3%, at 8,557.81. The FTSE 250 ended down 28.81 points, 0.1%, at 20,559.70, and the AIM All-Share eased 3.13 points, 0.4%, at 712.19.The Cboe UK 100 ended up 0.2% at 857.74 on Wednes

Investors will be hoping for another serving of positive news when resilient beverages business AG Barr (BAG) delivers its trading update for the year ended 25 January 2025 on 28 January. However, cooling UK consumer confidence since the Budget combined with recent cold weather suggests guidance upgrades are unlikely.The FTSE 250 firm, whose brands include Irn-Bru, Rubicon and Boost, is rebuilding

Currys (CURY) 94.1pGain to date: 56.7%After the takeover saga around Currys came to a close in 2024 we flagged that the electronics retailer was too cheap and had recovery potential.WHAT'S HAPPENED SINCE WE SAID TO BUY?Our hypothesis has proved sound, the shares making substantial progress supported by consistently strong trading, with the latest example occurring over Christmas, allowing Currys t

Interest rates are back in focus. The UK is seeing its borrowing costs surge, as Martin Gamble explains in this week's news section, and this has its own domestic causes, even if it also reflects similar moves in other sovereign debt.The latest US jobs figures strongly hint that the Federal Reserve may hit pause on rate cuts for the time being.The influential non-farm payrolls reading was notably

Pubs group JD Wetherspoon's (JDW) value credentials continue to shine through. According to fund manager Anna Farmbrough at Ninety One the company has doubled its average price advantage over competitors to 40% since the pandemic.Farmbrough notes that a few years ago there were three pubs in her local area while today there is just a single Wetherspoons, demonstrating its ability to benefit as con

Stock prices in London closed lower on Monday, as Canal+ shares slumped on their first day of London trading and Entain fell as it faces an Australian investigation.The FTSE 100 index closed down 38.28 points, 0.5%, at 8,262.05. The FTSE 250 ended 76.12 points lower, 0.4%, at 20,813.03, and the AIM All-Share gave back 3.87 points, 0.5%, at 729.49.The Cboe UK 100 ended down 0.5% at 828.87, the Cboe

Predicting what will happen to the global economy and markets over the next 12 months is hard enough at the best of times, but with Trump's election victory on 5 November that job has become even more difficult.As Deutsche Bank's head of global economics and thematics Jim Reid put it, the outlook is no longer 'business as usual' which opens up a much wider range of potential outcomes for the globa

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 benchmark.Chairman S

European equities shrugged off a poor UK retail sales reading, tepid German data and underwhelming purchasing managers' index surveys from the continent to push higher on Friday.Rising global tensions remained a theme, keeping oil prices at lofty territory.The FTSE 100 index added 55.41 points, 0.7%, at 8,204.68. The FTSE 250 rose 120.58 points, 0.6%, at 20,470.50, and the AIM All-Share rose 3.92

To date, a small, exclusive club of UK retailers have exceeded £1 billion in annual profits, a high street elite that includes Tesco (TSCO), Marks & Spencer (MKS) and Kingfisher (KGF). Some may view this £1 billion figure as merely symbolic, but breaching this barrier is no mean feat and demonstrates a retailer has a lasting place in consumers' affections and the scale to win in a competitive ma

Stocks in London were mixed at Wednesday midday, as investors digested a hotter-than-expected consumer price growth reading in the UK, while focus across the Atlantic turns to Nvidia's earnings.The FTSE 100 index climbed just 3.66 points at 8,102.68. The FTSE 250 fell 59.75 points, 0.3%, at 20,367.87, and the AIM All-Share was up 1.04 points, 0.1%, at 725.27.The Cboe UK 100 was flat at 814.74, the

Stock jumps 19% close to all-time highUnveils £400 million share buyback planOperating margins jump 500 basis pointsThe accounting software space isn't very exciting and is savagely competitive so the promise of improving profitability from Sage Group (SGE) has understandably got investors fired up. Shares in the business jumped 19%, their biggest one-day rally in eons.The software supplier to sm

European equities traded higher on Wednesday morning, as stocks in London shrugged off a hotter-than-forecast UK inflation reading for now.Sage shone on the FTSE 100, while Severn Trent also impressed.The FTSE 100 index climbed 23.61 points, 0.3%, at 8,122.63. The FTSE 250 edged up 22.23 points, 0.1%, at 20,449.85, and the AIM All-Share was up 2.56 points, 0.4%, at 726.79.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.

There is a lot to be said for being boring, especially when markets are volatile, and no firm quite captures that essence like FTSE 100 specialist distribution group Diploma (DPLM), whose shares have already sailed serenely to half a dozen all-time highs so far this year.Diploma operates a decentralised model with three divisions: Controls, which supplies components including specialised wiring, S

Markets closed lower in London on Thursday as analysts warned the UK budget set out by Chancellor Rachel Reeves on Wednesday may have 'materially changed the inflationary path,' making a Bank of England rate cut unlikely.The FTSE 100 index closed down 49.53 points, or 0.6%, at 8,110.10. The FTSE 250 ended down 305.16 points, or 1.5%, at 20,388.96, and the AIM All-Share closed down 1.0%, or 7.42 po

European stocks were down heading into Thursday afternoon, as post-budget trade in the UK was characterised by stretching bond yields and largely weaker equities.The prospect of higher for longer UK interest rates as a result supported lenders, but hit retail and housebuilding shares.US stocks are called to open lower, in the aftermath of earnings from Meta and Microsoft, and ahead of US data in t