It was an eight-line statement from a UK small-cap budget footwear maker but Shoe Zone's (SHOE:AIM) latest profit warning tells a much bigger story about the way global trade and supply chains could be changing.The company has been hit by rising container prices as shipping routes have been disrupted, largely thanks to attacks perpetrated by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea. Vessels are rerouting away

Stocks in London ended in the red on Tuesday, as cautious sentiment prevailed following hot eurozone inflation figures.The FTSE 100 index ended down 45.56 points, 0.6%, at 8,121.20. The FTSE 250 fell 27.61 points, 0.1%, at 20,194.47, while the AIM All-Share slipped 0.81 of a point at 764.37.The Cboe UK 100 fell 0.7% to 808.01, the Cboe UK 250 declined 0.5% to 17575.03, and the Cboe Small Companies

European stocks were under pressure on Tuesday, while US equities are set to open lower, after eurozone inflation data veered towards being unfavourable, as core price pressure remains robust.The data may have given European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde some food for thought. Lagarde, and her Federal Reserve counterpart Jerome Powell, speak at a conference in Sintra, Portugal later.The

Full year forecast cut againPoor weather affected tradingShipping costs have surgedIt is perhaps not surprising that footwear retailer Shoe Zone (SHOE:AIM) lowered its full-year profit forecast amid increasing shipping disruption in the Suez Canal, which has led to 'significantly' higher container prices over the last six months.Investors were already braced for such news after the company referen

European stocks opened in the red on Tuesday, with eyes on eurozone inflation data, a US labour market report, and words from central bankers at a conference in Portugal.The FTSE 100 index traded 51.69 points lower, 0.6%, at 8,115.07. The FTSE 250 fell 75.96 points, 0.4%, at 20,146.12, and the AIM All-Share was down 1.67 points, 0.2%, at 763.51.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.8% at 807.43, the Cboe UK

Shares in US sportswear giant Nike (NKE:NYSE) briefly found some air in the latter part of 2023 but a pre-Christmas warning on revenue and evidence of weak trading in the interim have left investors feeling deflated.This is the unpromising context for the company's year-end and fourth-quarter trading update on 27 June.Back in March, third-quarter earnings actually came in ahead of forecasts at $0.

Full year profits plunge2025 year of transitionCost savings of £20 million to £25 millionInvestors in Dr. Martens (DOCS) have endured a torrid time since the iconic footwear firm's 2021 IPO (initial public offering), with the shares booted around 80% lower following a slew of profit warnings.Results for the year ended 31 March 2024 revealed another drop in profits after a challenging year, mostl

Year-to-date shares up 51%Overall sales growth of 14% reportedCEO David Stirling to step downShares in Zotefoams (ZTF) traded 1.6% higher at 528p this morning as the specialty chemicals maker reported a trading update for the four months ending 30 April 2024 ahead of its annual general meeting.The company said trading in the period had been strong with overall sales growth of 14%.Sales of high pe

European equities started Tuesday in a muted fashion, following unconvincing trade from Asia.The FTSE 100 index opened down 29.22 points, 0.4%, at 8,394.98. The FTSE 250 was down 86.45 points, 0.4%, at 20,786.88. The AIM All-Share fell 2.67 points, 0.3%, at 807.27.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.4% at 837.69, the Cboe UK 250 was down 0.3%, trading at 18,205.44, and the Cboe Small Companies was largely

It has been a turbulent couple of months for value retailer Shoe Zone (SHOE), which seems to have metamorphosed from cost-of-living-crisis winner to stock market pariah on the strength of a single comment by chief executive Anthony Smith.In the firm?s extremely brief AGM statement in mid-March, Smith celebrated a successful year of growth in 2023 while cautioning current-year trading was ?marginal

Chemicals companies produce the compounds used in a huge variety of different industrial and consumer products across sectors which include agriculture, healthcare, technology, aerospace, sports, leisure and beauty.The breadth of the industry?s focus means its fortunes are closely tied to the economy and movements in GDP as well as volatility in raw material prices and energy costs.In 2023 the sec

Followers of Bitcoin will have been closely watching the latest ?halving event? in the cryptocurrency which took place on 19 April.For the fourth time, the number of new Bitcoin entering the market has been slashed by cutting the rewards earned by Bitcoin miners by 50%.Mining Bitcoin involves using powerful computers to solve extremely complicated mathematical problems in order to verify transacti

Deal priced at 21% premiumPurchase is earnings-accretiveUS now 40% of group revenueJD Sports Fashion (JD.) was one of the top gainers in the FTSE, gaining 7% to 126.1p as investors sensed a win-win outcome following the acquisition of US rival Hibbett (HIBB:NASDAQ) for $1.1 billion (£899 million) in cash.The proposed transaction values Hibbett at $87.5 per share, equating to a 21% premium to its

Confected or not the recent round of international football fixtures was coloured by outrage over two major kit makers. With Nike (NKE:NYSE) in the firing line thanks to its ?playful? update of the St George?s Cross on the latest England jersey.For its part Adidas (ADS:ETR) was caught up in controversy over Die Mannschaft switching allegiance to its aforementioned US rival, ending a 77-year associ

Major US indices notched-up further all-time highs this week on dovish comments from Fed chair Jay Powell in the press conference following the central bank?s decision to leave interest rates unchanged.The Fed?s summary of economic projections sees stronger economic growth and stickier inflation, but it still anticipates a couple of rate cuts later in the year.The small-cap, economically sensitive

Burberry (BRBY) £12.94Market cap: £4.6 billionSlowing luxury demand and two profit warnings in three months have left Burberry (BRBY) firmly out of fashion with investors. Shares in the British luxury brand have lost around 50% and 30% of their value over one and five years respectively. Given the old stock market adage about profit warnings coming in threes, Shares concedes there is some dange

Profit guidance upgraded againBrands have positive momentumEuan Sutherland to succeed Roger WhiteOne of Shares running Great Ideas selections, Irn-Bru-to-Rubicon drinks maker AG Barr (BAG) served up another full-year profit upgrade which sent the shares up 1.5% to a 52-week high of 576p.The beverages business behind iconic Scottish tipple Irn-Bru as well as take home cocktail offering FUNKIN and c

Footwear firm saw ?softer? festive salesUSA business still challengedRelief as guidance reiteratedIconic British footwear brand Dr. Martens (DOCS) was in demand on Thursday, shares in the FTSE 250 retailer booted 7% higher to 80.7p after it swerved another profit warning despite a difficult Christmas for purveyors of bigger ticket items.The Camden Town-headquartered company saw softer December sal

Birkenstock (BIRK:NYSE) tripped over itself on Wall Street last week, with the shares falling by as much as 14% at the opening bell before stabilising after the German shoemaker delivered a mixed earnings report for the fourth quarter of 2023 and a muted outlook for 2024.The stock slid as the European footwear brand forecast 18% revenue growth for 2024 and EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, de

Next kicks off festive reporting seasonScope for upbeat news from B&MPotential Christmas winners include CurrysRetail bellwether Next (NXT) kicks off the post-Christmas reporting season on 4 January followed by discounters B&M European Value Retail (BME) and Shoe Zone (SHOE:AIM) on 9 January.Investors will be eager to learn if the sector benefited from some last-minute festive shopping when all th