Second quarter better than feared Sales down in North America, ChinaTurnaround more marathon than sprintFollowing an initial bounce in after-hours trading on Wall Street stoked by better-than-feared second-quarter results (19 December), Nike's (NKE:NYSE) shares stumbled to trade roughly flat on the realisation the sportswear firm's turnaround will take longer than expected.There was also disappoin

Investment trusts have experienced challenges this year, with discounts remaining wide across various sectors and some consolidation occurring. However, certain trusts have performed well compared to both the wider market and their peer group. This article highlights the top performers across four of the Association of Investment Companies' most widely followed equity-facing sectors.GLOBALAn inves

In the first part of a three-part series featuring opinions and ideas from some of the UK's leading fund managers, we asked which stocks have surprised them the most over the course of the 2024 and why.While it was hard to avoid the influence of AI (artificial intelligence) on portfolios, the breadth of responses was surprising and goes to show how skilled stock-pickers can turn up gems in parts o

Premium mixer drinks company Fevertree Drinks (FEVR:AIM) has had a torrid time of late with the shares down 38% from the highs in the spring of 2024 and down two-thirds from the all-time high in December 2021.On a longer-term basis, the shares are still up 440% since listing on the AIM market in 2014, equivalent to a compound annual growth rate of 15% a year.Recent poor performance is down to a dr

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

Lots of parents and grandparents default to cash when saving for their children or grandchildren, but most have a very long time until they will give the money to the children, meaning investing can be a great option. If we look at someone saving £1,000 a year from birth of the child until the age of 18, they'd hand them almost £8,000 more if they invested the money and earned 5% return a year a

Pets at Home CEO buys nearly £100,000 sharesPod Point CFO snaps up £50,400 sharesForesight Solar Fund directors buyLyssa McGowan, CEO of pet food-to-veterinary services group Pets at Home (PETS) has bought 42,294 shares at 236p for a total value of £99,999 on 29 November.Pets at Home's shares recently plunged to a two-year low after it downgraded profit guidance for the year to March 2025.McGow

The FTSE-100 index was down on midday Thursday as fragile consumer confidence hurt Frasers Group and UK housebuilding activity declined at its sharpest pace since the summer.The FTSE 100 index fell 3.86 points at 8,331.95. The FTSE 250 eased 13.28 points, 0.1%, at 20,991.87, and the AIM All-Share dropped 1.67 points, 0.2%, at 736.54.The Cboe UK 100 was slightly higher at 837.15, the Cboe UK 250 wa

Spare a thought for Laszlo Hanyecz. You may not have heard of him, but in 2010 he spent 10,000 Bitcoins on two pizzas, in one of the first ever 'real world' crypto transactions. The market value of those Bitcoins is now $950 million. Hanyecz is pretty stoic about it, but deep down he must know that no amount of melted cheese can make up for the vast fortune he might have had. Hanyecz, a computer p

With US stocks trading close to all-time highs, valuations looking stretched and one of the narrowest markets on record, this could be an opportune moment to consider adding some defensive qualities to your portfolio through capital preservation funds and trusts.These products aim to protect your capital during periods of heightened volatility and equity market drawdowns as well as growing capital

Since French president Emmanuel Macron's surprise decision to call a snap election in the summer, French politics has effectively been stymied with an unworkable parliament split between the parties of the far-right Marine Len Pen, Macron and a weak left-wing coalition.It has taken months for Macron to appoint a prime minister which eventually came in the shape of centre right technocrat Michel Ba

Blue-chips in Europe opened in the green on Tuesday, with French stocks casting aside political uncertainty for now, and strong earnings boosted London-listed mid-caps.The FTSE 100 index rose 48.97 points, 0.6%, at 8,361.86. The FTSE 250 added 103.70 points, 0.5%, at 20,872.75, and the AIM All-Share rose 2.54 point, 0.4%, at 735.58.The Cboe UK 100 added 0.7% at 840.00, the Cboe UK 250 was up 0.6%

Stocks in London trod water at the start of a week, though moves were more pronounced in Asia and Paris.The CAC 40 in Paris has French political uncertainty and a plunge in Stellantis shares hanging over it. Asian stocks climbed after decent China data.The FTSE 100 index fell just 1.40 points to 8,285.90. It goes into the final month of 2024 with a roughly 7% year-to-date gain.The FTSE 250 nudged

Stocks in London were mixed around midday on Thursday, although a burst of takeover action provided some energy to a quiet trading day due to a public holiday in New York.Renewi said it would be minded to accept a bid from Macquarie, which came back to the negotiating table after walking away more than a year ago. Direct Line rebuffed an Aviva tilt, however. Loungers agreed to a private equity bid

The first Budget from a Labour Government in 14 years continues to stir heated debate and sceptics readily point to the increase in the yield in the UK's 10-year gilt to a one-year high to support their case that chancellor Rachel Reeves is on the wrong track. It does not look great that yields are rising in the wake of August's interest rate cut from the Bank of England, but 10-year government bo

London's stock indices closed higher on Wednesday, contrasting with broader European declines, with confidence from easing bond yields lifting housebuilders over the session.The FTSE 100 index rose 16.14 points, 0.2%, at 8,274.75. The FTSE 250 climbed 32.98 points, 0.2%, at 20,601.63, and the AIM All-Share firmed 0.81 of a point, 0.1%, at 731.40.The Cboe UK 100 advanced 0.1% at 831.73, the Cboe UK

It's been a prosperous time to have invested in the markets. Each one of the major share indices around the world has delivered a positive total return over the past 12 months, factoring in share price performance and dividends.At the top end, the US has returned 32.5% as measured by the S&P 500 index; Japan's Nikkei 225 index has returned 15.3%; and even 'unloved' UK has lined investors' pockets

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

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

Bloomsbury (BMY) 700pMarket cap: £571 million Publishing group Bloomsbury (BMY) is a pandemic winner which has kept on winning since Covid.Lockdown saw people rediscover their love of reading, and the company has tapped into and exploited through successful marketing some popular trends in fiction which have helped drive a big increase in returns.That has meant Bloomsbury's return on capital empl