Specialist business services firm FRP Advisory (FRP:AIM) is one of those businesses which many investors may have heard of but few are sure exactly what it does.Put simply, FRP helps companies through each stage of their development, giving advice on raising capital, managing debt, acquisitions, corporate finance and forensic accounting. It is probably best-known for 'crisis management' where it h

Stock prices in Europe were mostly lower on Monday morning, as UK consumer confidence deteriorated while France's credit rating received a downgrade from Moody's.China's retail sales growth weakened last month, missing forecasts as demand remains muted in the world's number two economy.Retail sales expanded 3% year-on-year in November, the National Bureau of Statistics said, slowing from a 4.8% ri

UK & Ireland like-for-likes up 5%Gains in UK and NordicsPost-Budget price rises 'inevitable'Shares in electrical retailer Currys (CURY) topped the FTSE 250 leader board on 12 December, surging 11.5% higher to 88p after the firm reported a rise in first-half profits and a return to sales growth for the core UK & Ireland business despite a tough consumer backdrop.Buoyed by rising demand for AI lapto

Some of the most successful businesses of our time (and all time in fairness) are effective monopolies (or perhaps part of a duopoly or triopoly) with such dominant market positions they are able to enjoy significant pricing power and generate above-average margins and returns on investment.This type of situation can be overturned in two main ways: either competition emerges, attracted by the retu

As part of AJ Bell's Money Matters campaign which is focused on helping all women feel empowered to live their best financial lives, we're putting together a series of articles breaking down some of the particular considerations depending on your age.This article is all about your 40s, a decade when people are often considered as entering their peak earning period but also a decade which for many

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

First-time buyers hoping to use a Lifetime ISA to buy their first home could be squeezed out of buying a terraced house in more than 50 regions of the UK, new analysis from AJ Bell shows.The government pays a 25% bonus, up to £1,000 a year, into each Lifetime ISA account, which can then be used to buy a first home. But the property cannot cost more than £450,000, with the limit remaining unchang

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

Markets seem to approve of the election of Donald Trump as the 47th US president. The S&P 500 has hit a record high in the wake of the election result, crossing over the 6,000 mark for the first time. This latest bump comes on the back of an exceptional run for US stocks, which has put other regional markets firmly in the shade, including the UK's own stock market.The historic performance differen

The result of the US presidential election has created shockwaves in the financial markets and beyond and I'm sure raised questions about your own portfolios.That's understandable and arguably this was among the more consequential elections of recent times. However, the occupant of the White House has historically made little difference to the long-term returns available from the financial markets

Stock prices in London were mostly higher at midday Tuesday as US voters are choosing their next president, as data showed UK service sector growth softened but outperformed its flash reading in October.The S&P Global UK services purchasing managers' index declined to 52.0 points in October from 52.4 in September, but beat the flash score of 51.8 points. The PMI composite output index fell to 51.8

Equity markets are buoyant, fixed income markets seem more nervous judging by the way yields are rising (at least for government-issued in the developed West), and commodity prices continue to march to their own beat, with gold and silver surging, industrial metals largely flat and oil and gas remaining subdued.The relative calm pervading hydrocarbon prices is in many ways surprising, given the on

Stock hits three-month high $181Cloud and YouTube shineAI a battlefield for AlphabetOut of the mega tech blocks first - excluding Tesla (TSLA:NASDAQ) ? Alphabet (GOOG:NASDAQ) calmed nerves on Wall Street after-hours Tuesday (29 Oct) with a sharp acceleration in Google Cloud's third-quarter growth rate, while election spending also boosted advertisement sales, especially on YouTube. Going from the

£191 million takeover recommendedAlliance family controls 60% of shares'Better able' to grow as a private companyOnline clothing and homewares retailer N Brown (BWNG:AIM) is set to become the latest UK stock to be taken private after receiving and recommending a £191 million takeover bid from a group controlled by non-executive director Joshua Alliance, a member of the family which originally bu

There is a huge body of academic work highlighting behavioural biases which consistently trip-up investors' supposedly rational thinking. In this article we look at seven big sins of investing, with some examples and insights on how to avoid them.A lot of the credit for these principles goes to Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky who collaborated in the 1960s to research apparent anomalies and contra

Stock prices in London were in the red on Monday midday, ahead of a slew of inflationary prints coming this week, including consumer prices from the UK on Wednesday.The FTSE 100 index was down 7.70 points, or 0.1%, at 8,245.95. The FTSE 250 was down 55.44 points, or 0.3%, at 20,709.49, and the AIM All-Share was down 0.74 points, or 0.1%, at 733.11.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.2% at 825.83, the Cboe

Stock prices rose on Monday morning in London despite reports of new restrictions on the UK gambling sector and disappointing data from China, ahead of US consumer inflation expectations.The FTSE 100 index opened up 5.62 points, or 0.1%, at 8,259.69. The FTSE 250 was up 8.14 points at 20,772.98, and the AIM All-Share was up 0.78 points, or 0.1%, at 734.63.The Cboe UK 100 was down slightly at 826.7

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

One of the most important things in investing is risk management. Howard Marks, co-founder of high-yield bond firm Oaktree Capital Management, believes managing risk is the ultimate test of an investor's skill.In this feature we explore the nature of risk, which may surprise you, and reveal how professional money managers like Marks manage it.It may be comforting to believe your fund manager is ac

Stocks were mixed in London at midday on Monday, with blue-chips benefiting from an oil price rise, but FTSE 100 constituent Endeavour Mining tumbling amid concerns in Burkina Faso.The FTSE 100 index was up 30.29 points, 0.4%, at 8,310.88. The FTSE 250 was down 85.54 points, 0.4%, at 20,814.54, and the AIM All-Share was up 0.55 of a point, 0.1%, at 738.87.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.3% at 831.49, the