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

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

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

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

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

The recent legal wrangling between UK chip architecture designer Arm Holdings (ARM:NASDAQ) and one of its major clients Qualcomm (QCOM:NASDAQ) is likely to be one of the big talking points when the firm reports second-quarter earnings for fiscal 2025 next week (6 November).The dispute is over a license agreement which Qualcomm obtained through its acquisition of Nuvia back in 2021.Arm has been una

Stocks in London closed lower on Friday, as a car finance probe weighed on the shares of Lloyds Banking Group, Barclays and Close Brothers.The FTSE 100 index closed down 19.13 points, 0.3%, at 8,248.84. The FTSE 250 ended up 29.36 points, or 0.1%, at 20,819.91, and the AIM All-Share lost 3.02 points, 0.4%, at 722.67.The Cboe UK 100 closed down 0.3% at 826.07 on Friday, the Cboe UK 250 ended down 0

Stocks in London were mostly lower at Friday midday, while the FTSE 250 turned to the red after Close Brothers shares fell as it announced it will appeal a court judgement to the UK Supreme Court.The FTSE 100 index traded down 10.40 points, 0.1%, at 8,258.98. The FTSE 250 was down 15.67 points, or 0.1%, at 20,774.88, and the AIM All-Share shed 1.80 points, 0.3%, at 723.85.The Cboe UK 100 was down

Debt deal characterisation 'inaccurate and unfair'Search for new CEO underwayFurther drama to unfoldHard-pressed online fashion group Boohoo (BOO:AIM) has given a robust response to Frasers' (FRAS) bid to install Mike Ashley as its new CEO, questioning whether putting the retail tycoon in charge would be in the interests of shareholders other than Frasers.Boohoo's bombed-out shares ticked up 1% to

London's blue chip index was lower as Sainsbury's shares fell after its largest shareholder trimmed its stake in the supermarket chain, as investors await a producer prices print from the US.The FTSE 100 index was down 17.91 points, 0.2%, at 8,219.82. The FTSE 250 was down marginally at 20,704.76, and the AIM All-Share was slightly higher at 734.85.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.2% at 823.63, the Cboe

First half profit jumps to £27 millionStrategic tie-up with AgeasSale of insurance underwriting unitSaga (SAGA) was the top performer in the FTSE All-Share on Friday, rising by a tenth after the over 50s travel and insurance specialist revealed strong first-half profit growth, a reduction in debt and confirmed it was in exclusive talks with Belgian insurer Ageas (AGS:EBR) to sell its insurance un

European stocks lacked direction on Friday morning after US consumer price inflation came in hotter-than-expected, while the pound picked up after the UK economy registered August growth.The FTSE 100 index traded up just 3.89 points at 8,241.62. The FTSE 250 added 21.78 points, 0.1%, at 20,730.15, and the AIM All-Share down just 0.03 of a point at 734.50.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.1% at 825.80, the

GSK agrees $2.2 billion settlementRemoves 93% of outstanding casesStock overhang removedEmbattled pharmaceutical giant GSK (GSK) has agreed to pay up to $2.2 billion (£1.8 billion) to settle lawsuits in the US related to its Zantac heartburn treatment, resolving 80,000 pending cases which represent around 93% of all outstanding cases.The shares jumped 6.5% to £15.52 as investors welcomed the rem

Stocks in London ended mixed on Wednesday, but the FTSE 100 held on to finish in the green, despite oil prices tailing off and trade in mainland Europe being slightly less convincing.The FTSE 100 index ended up 14.21 points, 0.2%, at 8,290.86. The FTSE 250 closed 130.92 points lower, 0.6%, at 20,783.78, and the AIM All-Share shed 2.50 points, 0.3%, at 734.30.The Cboe UK 100 ended 0.1% higher at 82

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 FTS

Stock prices in London closed lower on Tuesday, with the FTSE 100 dragged down by hits to index heavies, BP and Shell, on the back of declining oil prices, as well as BT.The FTSE 100 index closed down 83.62 points, 1.0%, at 8,273.32. The FTSE 250 ended down 171.32 points, 0.8%, at 20,986.15, and the AIM All-Share closed down 2.55 points, 0.3%, at 774.04.The Cboe UK 100 ended down 1.1% at 826.27, t

Stock prices in London edged down at midday on Friday, although companies of all sizes in the gambling sector performed well.The FTSE 100 index was down 31.96 points, 0.4%, at 8,315.39. The FTSE 250 was down 27.94 points, 0.1%, at 21,066.22, and the AIM All-Share was down 1.92 points, 0.3%, at 772.87.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.3% at 831.21, the Cboe UK 250 was down 0.1% at 18,451.52, and the Cboe

Travel and cruise booking aheadInsurance improving despite tough marketOn track to meet full year targetsOver 50s travel and insurance specialist Saga (SAGA) had a bounce in its step on Tuesday after revealing a good start to its new financial year, putting the business on track to meet full-year expectations.Investors welcomed the trading update for the four months to 24 June ahead of the firm's