FY25 profit guidance loweredWeak pet retail marketVet business coming on leaps and boundsPets at Home's (PETS) shares plunged 11.5% to a two-year low of 245.5p after the UK pet care leader downgraded profit guidance for the year to March 2025, pinning the blame on 'subdued' conditions in the traditionally resilient pet retail market.The FTSE 250 pet specialist also warned the government's planned

Stocks in Europe remained in the red on Tuesday afternoon after a plan by incoming US president Donald Trump to impose tariffs on China, Canada on Mexico on day one in office put investors on edge.The FTSE 100 index lost 18.02 points, 0.2%, at 8,273.66. The FTSE 250 slipped 117.93 points, 0.6%, at 20,631.33, and the AIM All-Share declined 2.02 points, 0.3%, at 731.51.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.2%

Flat underlying profitsDiscretionary spend remains weakHalfords 'comfortable' with FY25 consensusCycling and motoring products purveyor Halfords (HFD) has been the bearer of bad news for some time, with savage earnings downgrades sucking plenty of air from the tyre seller's share price.Today's (26 November) first half results revealed flat profits with discretionary spending weak and consumers rem

Market speculation ITV might demergeITV has made no commentYear-to-date ITV shares have gained 11%Shares in ITV (ITV) were nearly 9% higher at 71p in morning trading as rumours circulated of potential suitors for the free-to-air-broadcaster.According to Sky News, a number of possible bidders for part or all ITV have emerged including a European broadcaster France's Groupe TF1 and CVC Capital Partn

Stock prices in London softened from earlier highs but market sentiment was still positive heading into Monday afternoon after Donald Trump picked hedge fund manager Scott Bessent as his US Treasury pick.The FTSE 100 index added 15.72 points, 0.2%, at 8,277.80. The FTSE 250 rose 15.80 points, 0.1%, at 20,597.49, and the AIM All-Share rose just 0.31 of a point to 732.51.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.2%

Uptick in orders continuesTrading in line with expectationsNew CFO John Fallon namedOn the day the ONS (Office for National Statistics) announced disappointing retail sales for October as Budget uncertainty sapped spending, DFS Furniture (DFS) defied the doom and gloom with news of robust orders growth into the new financial year.The reassuring update will come as a relief to shareholders, who mig

European equities were mostly in the red on Thursday morning amid a threat of higher for longer interest rates, following a lofty UK inflation reading and a caution against turbocharged US easing from a Federal Reserve official.The FTSE 100 index added just 0.40 of a point at 8,085.47. The FTSE 250 lost just 7.21 points at 20,237.55, and the AIM All-Share rose 3.18 points, 0.4%, at 725.52.The Cboe

Could you please explain how someone's drawdown pot is taken into account when working out how much you have to pay towards care costs.For example, for the purposes of working this out, is the pot of money converted into an annuity income based on the person's age and capital pot value.And if so, what type of annuity is used? Is it a single life one regardless of whether the person in the home is

AJ Bell's Money Matters campaign aims to help more women feel good investing. As part of the campaign, we've been pulling together a series of articles considering the particular issues you might be thinking about as you reach different milestones.This article looks at some of the specific issues that you might be thinking about in your sixth decade, and this is one that particularly resonates wit

Whether you love or hate cryptocurrencies, you cannot deny the spectacular performance. Since Donald Trump's White House race victory (5 November) Bitcoin has surged 35% to an all-time $94,795 high. Since the start of 2024 it has more than doubled. Ethereum and Elon Musk pet crypto Dogecoin, are up 33% and 300% respectively this year.If you own crypto assets, or are considering doing so, it's valu

If it seems as though each week brings news of yet another takeover offer for a UK firm, the actual figures from the ONS (Office for National Statistics) are quite mind-boggling.Aside from the number of listed companies being bought, either by 'inward' investors or domestic buyers, hundreds of privately-owned firms are being snapped up every quarter.If you are in a position where a company you own

International Biotechnology Trust (IBT) 716pMarket cap: £263.2 millionWarren Buffett tells investors to be greedy when others are fearful and take advantage of depressed prices. That in a nutshell is the investment proposition for International Biotechnology Trust (IBT), which sits on an 11% discount to NAV (net asset value).The discount is not quite as extreme as it was when we highlighted the t

Profit guidance downgradedHospitality markets 'remain subdued'Budget to impact cost baseCeramic products specialist Churchill China (CHH:AIM) has a well-deserved reputation for its cash generation and resilience and for making statesmanlike progress in overseas markets.But shares in the Stoke-on-trent-based outfit slumped 20% to a five-year low of 650p today (20 November) on a warning annual profi

Strong trading in four months to OctoberFull year profit to meet expectationsEfficiency gains to drive profitabilityAnimal genetics specialist Genus (GNS) jumped 4% after reporting strong trading for the four months to 31 October and reiterating full year profit guidance.The shares are down around 20% over the last year following a profit warning in February 2024, reflecting weak pork prices in Ch

An increasingly tense geopolitical backdrop knocked European stocks on Tuesday, while the pound continued to struggle ahead of Wednesday's UK inflation print.The FTSE 100 index ended down 10.30 points, 0.1%, at 8,099.02. The FTSE 250 rose 32.21 points, 0.2%, at 20,427.62, and the AIM All-Share faded 3.32 points, 0.5%, at 724.23.The Cboe UK 100 ended flat at 814.55, the Cboe UK 250 rose 0.1% to 17,

Stocks jumps 30% after appointing new audit firmRally added nearly $4 billion to market capDark clouds hanging over Super Micro since Ernst & Young resignedComputer servers maker Super Micro Computer (SMCI:NASDAQ) saw its share price surge overnight after it named BDO USA as its auditor and said it had submitted a plan to Nasdaq seeking more time to comply with listing rules. In a wild trading ses

Stocks in London saw a mixed start to the week on Monday, as housebuilders and the property sector weighed on mid-caps, while rising commodity prices lifted large-caps.The FTSE 100 index rose 45.71 points, 0.6%, at 8,109.32. The FTSE 250 declined 81.23 points, 0.4%, at 20,395.41, and the AIM All-Share climbed 0.41 of a point, 0.1%, at 727.55.The Cboe UK 100 ended up 0.5% at 814.60, the Cboe UK 250

EPS forecasts cut againShares fall as much as 18%Long-term outlook positiveLondon-based scientific instrument specialist Judges (JDG:AIM) lowered its earnings guidance for a second time this year after what it called a 'disappointing trading performance' heading into the end of 2024.The shares initially fell as much as £19 or 18.5% to £83.52, making them the worst performers in the AIM 100 index

Stocks in London edged lower on Friday, while equities in New York dropped in early trade following some hawkish comments from the chair of the US Federal Reserve.The FTSE 100 index lost 7.58 points, 0.1%, at 8,063.61. The FTSE 250 declined 46.17 points, 0.2%, at 20,476.64, and the AIM All-Share gave back 2.24 points, 0.3%, at 727.14.For the week, the FTSE 100 slipped 0.1%, the FTSE 250 declined 0

Shares in London posted modest gains around midday on Friday despite weaker-than-expected third quarter economic growth figures.In the third quarter, UK GDP edged up 0.1%, missing the 0.2% consensus, and slowing from 0.5% seen between April and June, according to the Office for National Statistics.Industrial production also missed forecasts and the trade deficit widened, although construction outp