Paramount shares gain Initial talks in June failedCommittee considering new dealShares in Paramount Global (PARA:NASDAQ) gained 7% yesterday and added a further 3% to $19.32 in after-hours trading after the US media firm said it had resumed merger talks with Californian-based TV and film production company Skydance Media.In June, talks between the two were called off after both parties failed to r

Equities in London made a slow start on Thursday, but peers in Europe traded more confidently, with market focus on upcoming US data and political developments either side of the English Channel, and across the Atlantic.In London, a US blow for GSK hurt its shares. Miners also struggled in early dealings. Elsewhere, there was a guidance boost for outsourcer Serco, Watches of Switzerland reported i

That chip designer Nvidia (NVDA:NASDAQ) is now vying for the position of the world's largest company is arguably less startling than the 'blink and you've missed it' manner in which it has happened. It took Apple (AAPL:NASDAQ) five years to bridge the $1 trillion to $3 trillion market cap gap, Microsoft (MSFT:NASDAQ) about the same. Nvidia did it in barely a year.At the beginning of 2023 Nvidia wa

Largest ever investment trust combinationNew vehicle big enough for FTSE 100 inclusionLower ongoing charges to followTwo of the biggest investment trusts are combining in the sector's largest-ever merger, with Witan (WTAN) to be rolled into Alliance Trust (ATST) in a mega-deal expected to complete later this year.The combination of these FTSE 250 constituents will create 'Alliance Witan', an inves

£1.4 billion CP Kelco takeover agreed'Significant' synergies expected£215 million share buyback beginsGlobal ingredients group Tate & Lyle (TATE) has agreed to buy US-based 'mouthfeel' specialist CP Kelco from Huber for $1.8 billion (£1.4 billion) with the food producer hungry to accelerate growth in its specialty food and beverage business.The cash and shares transaction should sweeten Tate &

The UEFA Euro 2024 football tournament is likely to be one of the most-watched events of the year, on a par with the Olympic Games later this summer.According to broadcaster ITV (ITV), more than 10 million viewers tuned in to watch the opening match between Scotland and Germany, the highest peak audience of any opening to a major football tournament in a decade.The BBC reported the England vs Serb

There are several fund managers who run extremely concentrated portfolios with the aim of having meaningful stakes in companies allowing them to actively influence and support management.This strategy is broadly akin to that of a private equity investor putting money into an unlisted firm. The lack of diversification means this approach comes with a different risk profile to funds which spread the

Whereas passive funds aim to track the performance of a key benchmark or index, active funds are run by a professional fund manager who selects what goes in the portfolio with the aim of outperforming the market. Active managers are paid a fee by investors for their stock picking expertise, benefit from face-to-face access to company management teams and unlike index trackers, can analyse qualitat

Annual sales plunge 18%Cost-cutting drives improved H2 performanceNew CEO sets out recovery and growth strategyMind Gym's (MIND:AIM) shares slumped the best part of 30% to an all-time low of 27.5p after the corporate training specialist reported an 18% plunge in sales for the year to 31 March 2024 driven by constricted customer HR (human resources) budgets and warned the new financial year will be

'Quality investing' is the style pursued by the world's most famous investor Warren Buffett and Terry Smith, arguably the best-known British fund manager who runs the five-star Morningstar-rated Fundsmith Equity (B41YBW7) and consistently favours quality firms. Quality investing has generated strong long-run returns for its practitioners, including Buffett, but how do the leading fund managers off

Staying on top of fundamental developments for companies in your portfolio can seem like a daunting task. Share prices can be volatile around earnings reports and trading updates, so getting to grips with what has happened and why is an important part of successfully managing investments.This feature reveals three simple steps to demystifying a typical earnings report and getting a good steer on w

THIS IS AN ADVERTISING FEATURE Imran Sattar, Portfolio Manager of Edinburgh Investment TrustWe like to diversify the Edinburgh Investment Trust within the 40 to 50 holdings in the portfolio by both companies and economic exposure. The portfolio currently is well diversified across stocks and sectors with a range of different economic characteristics.The most significant positions in the portfoli

Stocks mostly rose on Wednesday morning in London despite the UK economy stalling, amid news that what would have been the largest IPO in the UK so far in 2024 collapsing.The FTSE 100 index opened up 55.24 points, 0.7%, at 8,203.05. The FTSE 250 was up 84.20 points, 0.4%, at 20,351.05, and the AIM All-Share was up 2.37 points, 0.3%, at 783.88.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.8% at 817.56, the Cboe UK 250

Pre-tax profits soared 90% last yearHeavyweight backers include Arm and Sony$21.2 billion market opportunityAffordable computer developer Raspberry Pi (RPI) made a stunning debut on the London Stock Exchange with its IPO (initial public offering) priced at 280p, the top end of the range, and the shares surging 30% higher to 360p in early dealings.UK tech stories are few and far between in London,

Stock prices in London opened higher on Tuesday as investors became focused on the upcoming US Federal Reserve's interest rate decision, after shares fell Monday following the EU election.The FTSE 100 index opened up 11.92 points, 0.1%, at 8,240.40. The FTSE 250 was up 65.24 points, 0.3%, at 20,511.28, and the AIM All-Share was up 0.08 of a point at 788.36.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.2% at 821.56, th

McMahon carries can for accounting blunders€125 million Magners write-downAdditional €15 million buyback announcedPremium drinks group C&C's (CCR) shares plunged 7.5% to 156.5p after the Magners maker announced the immediate resignation of CEO Patrick McMahon, who has carried the can for accounting failures which have resulted in some significant write-offs.The maker of Bulmers and Orcha

Firm sets bold 2030 aimOrder book tops £1 billionDefence spending boomingAerospace and defence firm Chemring (CHG) set itself the target of reaching £1 billion of revenue in 2030 while posting a strong set of first-half results and a record-high order backlog.However, the shares, which recently touched a 10-year high, traded sideways at 392p as the market succumbed to nervousness over interest r

Equity prices in London ended higher on Thursday, with the FTSE 100 snapping a six-day losing streak, though there was nervy trade in New York ahead of the release of a key US inflation gauge on Friday.The FTSE 100 index closed up 47.98 points, 0.6%, at 8,231.05. The FTSE 250 surged 234.53 points, 1.2%, at 20,670.87, and the AIM All-Share ended up 2.42 points, 0.3%, at 802.69.The Cboe UK 100 ended

There's no doubt the shock departure of a star fund manager or well-followed stock picker is a red flag, but there are various reasons why successful portfolio managers choose to leave their investment management firm and therefore their funds.And, as with most aspects of investing, there are no hard and fast rules about what investors should do when their fund manager ups sticks. Much depends on

Given the depressed valuation of the UK stock market ? and the even more depressed valuation of UK commercial property ? it was only a matter of time before someone came up with a fund to seize on the opportunities on offer.Enter Special Opportunities REIT, a new internally-managed real estate investment trust aimed at capitalising on the abundance of value in the UK commercial property sector 'at