Fourth-quarter retail revenue up 17.5%Average basket value up by 1% to £122.09Shares gain 9% to 296pShares in Ocado (OCDO) gained as much as 10% in early trading after the company said fourth-quarter retail revenue grew by 17.5% to £715.8 million.Ocado retail is a joint venture between Ocado group and Marks & Spencer (MKS).The online grocery retailer was reporting a trading statement for the 13

Higher-than-expected ordersSpaceX driving upgrade cycleAerospace and defence market penetration excites analystsShares in Filtronic (FTC:AIM) rose 7% to an all-time high of 96.5p on 13 January after the communications equipment specialist upgraded guidance for the year to May 2025 once again amid ongoing positive order momentum.In a brief update, the County Durham-based firm announced that order i

FDA accept review of syringe applicationOver 90 million doses givenApproved expected by 20 June 2025The US FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has accepted for review the regulatory application of GSK's (GSK) pre-filled syringe presentation of its shingles prevention drug Shingrix.The new application removes the need for healthcare professionals to reconstitute separate bottles prior to administrat

World's largest chipmaker sees 34.4% revenue jump in Q4December sales alone up nearly 60%Stock more than doubled in past 12 monthsThere are plenty of sceptics who think the wheels will come off the AI bandwagon this year, but that's not what TSMC (TSM:NYSE) is seeing. The world's largest chip manufacturer posted forecast-thumping Q4 2024 revenue that implies the AI boom is still running at top spe

London's blue chip index edged upwards on Wednesday as BAE Systems rose amid pressure from Donald Trump on NATO to increase defence spending, but rising bond yields caused volatility elsewhere.The FTSE 100 index ended up 5.75 points, 0.1%, at 8,251.03. The FTSE 250 tumbled 398.13 points, 2.0%, at 19,952.24. The AIM All-Share fell 5.17 points, 0.7%, at 720.11.The Cboe UK 100 closed up slightly at 8

London's blue chip index was up milder than its peers in Paris and Frankfurt at Monday midday, as UK service sector growth for December was softer than anticipated.As well as Monday's composite and services PMI readings, the first full trading week of 2025 has various jobs data releases from the US culminating in Friday's nonfarm payrolls.More than half of UK companies plan to raise prices by earl

China approval for NuculaThird indication achieved in ChinaNucula has generated £1.3 billion of sales year-to-datePharmaceutical firm GSK (GSK) said it has received approval from the China Medical Products Administration for Nucula, its monoclonal antibody treatment for adults with inadequately controlled chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP).It is the third indication to be approved

The FTSE 100 opened in the red on Tuesday morning, as the shortened final day of trading for the year kicked off with some trepidation.Stocks in New York struggled on Monday, trade in Asian equities was unconvincing, and the nerves fed through to Europe on New Year's Eve.The FTSE 100 index opened down 8.35 points, 0.1%, at 8,112.66. It is up 5.0% for the year.The FTSE 250 was up just 9.64 points a

A mixed close for London equities on Monday highlighted increasing concerns about the UK economy, with businesses bracing for a sharp slowdown and consumer confidence sliding further.The FTSE 100 index closed up 18.11 points, 0.2%, at 8,102.72. The FTSE 250 ended down 31.60 points, 0.2%, at 20,419.09, and the AIM All-Share closed up 1.84 points, 0.3%, at 712.44.The Cboe UK 100 ended up 0.1% at 812

The FTSE 100 in London edged into the green on Monday at midday despite a downcast morning of economic data announcements.In London, the FTSE 100 index was up 10.02 points, 0.1%, at 8,095.11. The FTSE 250 was down 49.10 points, 0.2%, at 20,401.59, and the AIM All-Share was up 0.87 of a point, 0.1%, at 711.47.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.1% at 812.51, the Cboe UK 250 was down 0.3% at 17,888.41, and the

Global chip revenues to hit $725 billion in 2025Nvidia seen as a sector winner on Blackwell deploymentCadence Designs and ON Semiconductor other predicted winnersMicrochip industry sales are set to rise by 15% in 2025, believes Bank of America, hitting $725 billion. No prizes for guessing that Nvidia (NVDA:NASDAQ) is a predicted winner.'We see 2025 as a year of two different trends. In the first h

17% premium to undisturbed share priceIntelligent Ultrasound has struggled to growSimulation Business is 'particularly attractive'Yet another unloved UK company has agreed to a takeover by an overseas buyer, further deleting the ranks of firms listed on the London stock market.The latest name to throw in the towel is Intelligent Ultrasound (IUG:AIM), an ultrasound AI software and simulation minnow

UK takeovers moved up a gear in 2024 as predators targeted bigger companies. The average value of deals was £1.07 billion, nearly three times higher than the £390 million average in 2023. In total, there were £49 billion worth of recommended bids versus £17.2 billion last year.A bounty of unloved or underappreciated companies were swept off their feet, signalling the UK market as being 'on sal

Pubs group JD Wetherspoon's (JDW) value credentials continue to shine through. According to fund manager Anna Farmbrough at Ninety One the company has doubled its average price advantage over competitors to 40% since the pandemic.Farmbrough notes that a few years ago there were three pubs in her local area while today there is just a single Wetherspoons, demonstrating its ability to benefit as con

Strange as it may sound, the pandemic turned out to be a blessing in disguise for the auction industry as it forced firms to join the 21st century and offer an online service.Whereas previously many small auction houses were limited to the number of buyers they could accommodate due to lack of physical space, today they can not only tap into their local market but a whole army of online punters at

Few doubt that 2025 will be another huge year for AI, but when looking for interesting investment opportunities, investors can sometimes allow details to obscure the bigger picture. In our view, Alphabet (GOOG:NASDAQ) remains an outstanding growth business with strong AI levers to pull, currently trading a large discount to other 'Magnificent Seven' stocks.This valuation gap will, we believe, narr

Ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East and calls from incoming US president Donald Trump for NATO members to increase defence spending as a percentage of national income will continue to provide a tailwind for the defence sector.AIM-quoted Cohort (CHRT:AIM) is well positioned to benefit from an increase in defence spending and at the first-half results on 11 December, the group disclosed

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

European stocks were mixed at midday on Tuesday, as new UK unemployment data was unchanged signalling weak job creation.Investors will be eagerly anticipating the US Federal Reserve and Bank of England rate calls this week. The Fed appears very likely to announce its latest cut, while the BoE is expected to keep rates unchanged.The UK Office for National Statistics reported that unemployment in th

Pre-tax profit jumps over 50%Firm cites higher-margin ordersOutstanding long-term returnsPrecision engineering firm Goodwin (GDWN) was the standout performer by a country mile on a grey day for the UK market, posting a strong increase in six-month earnings and orders.The shares, which were up 12% year-to-date head of today's report, jumped as much as £12.40 or 18% to £80 before settling up £7.7