London indices saw modest gains on Thursday, driven in part by strong performances from food retailers Tesco and Sainsbury's, which rose on analyst upgrades, while trading volumes remained light with US markets closed for Thanksgiving.The FTSE 100 index rose 6.47 points, 0.1%, at 8,281.22. The FTSE 250 climbed 146.81 points, 0.7%, at 20,748.44, and the AIM All-Share eased 0.49 of a point, 0.1%, at

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

Recent trading 'encouraging'Cost savings at top of guidanceInventory and net debt downHard-pressed footwear company Dr Martens (DOCS) lurched into loss for the half ended 29 September 2024 as higher costs and a slump in wholesale revenue, notably in the US, took a heavy toll on its performance.Yet despite this swing into the red, shares in the boots, shoes and sandals seller rallied 15% to 67p aft

A global enterprise applications gorilla, Salesforce (CRM:NYSE) has spent 2024 (and 2023) trying to rebuild profit margins after activist investor StarboardValue started kicking up a stink. Net profit margins had sunk to low single digits during the pandemic, which might be understandable, but why were they not recovering, was StarboardValue's reasonable question.It seems to have done the trick, w

PayPal(PYPL:NASDAQ) $87.77Gain to date: 60.7%We pitched PayPal (PYPL:NASDAQ) roughly a year ago, arguing that even in the face of fierce payments competition, a single-digit PE (price to earnings) multiple was too tempting to ignore.This week, the stock hit $87.77, its highest level in two years and putting the trade's gain at more than 60%.WHAT HAS HAPPENED SINCE WE SAID BUY?A lot of operational

Edinburgh Worldwide Investment Trust (EWI) surprised the market this week when it announced it had developed 'a comprehensive action plan to improve execution' and would return up to £130 million of capital to shareholders next year.'Our vision, to identify and manage a carefully selected portfolio of transformative businesses, has the potential to deliver outsized returns for shareholders,' insi

We begin proceedings with two takeover approaches, one successful, the other less so, for now at least.First, Swiss bourse operator SIX agreed to buy UK junior marketplace Aquis Exchange (AQX:AIM) for 727p in cash, representing a 120% premium to the previous closing price of 330p.SIX, which operates the Swiss and Spanish stock markets, called the deal 'a compelling strategic opportunity which will

Identifying genuine growth stories is not easy but can be extremely rewarding. Nvidia (NVDA:NASDAQ) may be the ultimate growth stock example now but who was flagging its potential 10 years ago when revenue and profit was just a fraction of what it is today and when the widespread application of AI was still restricted to think pieces in periodicals. Some did catch on early and would have enjoyed e

In a previous article you say that someone taking income from a defined benefit pension could still contribute to their SIPP up to the level of their earnings. Does this mean that the money purchase annual allowance of £10,000 applies only if you take taxable income from a defined contribution scheme and not from a defined benefit scheme?Similarly, if I have two defined contribution schemes and t

Warren Buffett is often thought of as a value investor, yet what he actually looks for is companies with 'economic moats' or a sustainable competitive advantage over its competitors.'When you have a wonderful business, it's like having an economic castle, but the nature of capitalism is people want to come in and take your castle, so what you need is a castle with some durable competitive advantag

Strong full year profit recoveryNet debt reduced by £197 millionNI change raises costs by £100 millionPub group Mitchells & Butlers (MAB) served up better than expected full-year sales and profit growth and said the business had made a strong start to the new financial year with like-for-like sales up 4% in the first seven weeks.Investors cautiously welcomed the results with the shares trading u

Stock prices in London beat their counterparts in Paris and Frankfurt on Wednesday morning, edging slightly higher, despite a weaker oil price hitting Shell and BP.Shell lost 0.4% and BP 0.2% on Middle East ceasefire hope.The FTSE 100 index added 11.44 points, 0.1%, at 8,270.05. The FTSE 250 rose 36.35 points, 0.2%, at 20,605.00, and the AIM All-Share added 2.55 points, 0.4%, at 733.14.The Cboe UK

Stock indices in London ended Tuesday's session in the red as US President-elect Donald Trump exacerbated investor concerns with threats of tariffs on China, Canada and Mexico.The FTSE 100 index fell 33.07 points, 0.4%, at 8,258.61. The FTSE 250 slid 180.61 points, 0.9%, at 20,568.65, and the AIM All-Share declined 2.94 points, 0.4%, at 730.59.The Cboe UK 100 slipped 0.4% at 830.71, the Cboe UK 25

Strong first-half growthDividend raised by 10%Full-year outlook confirmedLeading UK food producer Cranswick (CWK) was the biggest faller in the FTSE 250 mid-cap index, losing nearly 5% despite serving up a tasty 16.5% increase in first-half adjusted operating profit to just shy of £100 million and reiterating full year guidance.Investors were clearly in the mood for some profit-taking after the s

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%

Stock prices in Europe fell, well equities in Asia struggled overnight after Donald Trump said he plans to enact tariffs on Chinese, Canadian and Mexican products from day one in the Oval Office.The FTSE 100 index lost 42.15 points, 0.5%, at 8,249.53. The FTSE 250 slipped 131.40 points, 0.6%, at 20,617.86, and the AIM All-Share declined 1.87 points, 0.3%, at 731.66.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.6% at

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%

Stock prices in Europe opened in the green on Monday as Donald Trump picked hedge fund manager Scott Bessent as the next US Treasury secretary, a 'clear nod' to New York equity markets.Bookending the FTSE 100, meanwhile, were two retail names. JD Sports added 3.5%, recovering after slumped 16% on Thursday and losing another 2.1% on Friday. B&Q owner Kingfisher plunged 11% after trimming the top en

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

Equities in Europe ended higher on Thursday, overcoming some earlier uncertain trade, as comments from a US official calmed some geopolitical worries which kept a lid on investor enthusiasm.Nonetheless, Brent remained above the $73 mark, supporting oil majors.Moscow's ambassador in London said Thursday Britain was 'now directly involved' in Russia's war with Ukraine, following reports Kyiv had fir