We start the review on a positive note with the news of two small-cap IPOs (initial public offers), one in the healthcare space and one in the red-hot AI (artificial intelligence) space.Having sold its governance, risk and compliance software business to private equity earlier this year and returned £225 million to shareholders via a buyback and special dividend, business services group Marlowe (

The last couple of years have seen outsized returns for stocks, especially those in the US, but that doesn?t mean now is a bad time to invest. The truth is there is never a bad time to invest as long as you are looking to stay invested for the long term.From its inception in 1984 to 2022, the FTSE 100 index has gained around 5.5% per year in price terms and 7.5% per year in terms of total return,

Equities in London underwhelmed heading into Wednesday afternoon, with the mood tempered by another robust UK consumer price index reading, which may force the Bank of England to dig deeper to contain inflation.A hike on Thursday by Threadneedle Street is a foregone conclusion. Wednesday data means a half-point rate lift may be on the table. The BoE had been expected to enact another 25 basis poin

- Record like-for-like revenue growth in first half- Medium-term growth target increased- Margins to grow in coming quartersFTSE 100 engineering firm Smiths Group (SMIN) delivered another quarter of higher revenues and earnings and lifted its medium-term underlying sales growth target.The shares gained 1.2% to £17.35 making Smiths the best-performing stock in the blue-chip benchmark, which found

The rapid rise in Covid-19 cases in China was creating concern for financial markets globally on Thursday, depressing equities prices as the 2022 draws to a close.'The good news with China's re-opening is that it should boost global growth. The bad news with China's reopening is that it will not only boost global growth, but also energy and commodity prices - hence inflation, the interest rate hik

London shares were higher at midday on Thursday, attempting a pre-holiday rally after a positive US economic indicator on Wednesday and ahead of more data points for the world's largest economy in the next hour.The FTSE 100 index was up 34.11 points, 0.5%, at 7,531.43. The FTSE 250 was up 62.80 points, 0.3%, at 18,926.45 , and the AIM All-Share was down just 0.2 of a point, at 830.22.The Cboe UK 1

European shares recovered after a shaky start to Friday's session, but the FTSE 100 remained uneasy heading into the latest US jobs report.The UK flagship index was held back by weakness in banking and mining names.Outside of Europe, stocks in Tokyo sharply pared gains overnight following news that former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe had been shot while campaigning in Nara region ahead of Su

London's FTSE 100 opened up 1.6% to 5,842 points following a strong finish on Wall Street led by big technology names as well as optimistic statements from the governors of New York and California regarding the reopening of businesses.In Asia, China, Japan and South Korea were closed for public holidays while thin trading led to gains in Australia with the ASX 200 up 1.4%.Oil prices extended gains

Despite it being a quiet day for corporate news, the FTSE 100 surged 105.7 points higher to 7,613.4 on Friday, clawing back a good portion of the losses seen in recent days on the spread of the deadly coronavirus in and increasingly beyond China.The World Health Organisation's decision not to designate the outbreak an international emergency had a restorative effect on the markets. Nearly every co

One of the largest and most liquid UK smaller company trusts, yet trading at a 10.2% discount to net asset value (NAV) that suggests value abounds, Henderson Smaller Companies (HSL) has been successfully managed by trained accountant Neil Hermon since 2002.Hermon has established a formidably strong long-term track record by constructing a diversified portfolio with a focus on growth at a reasonabl

Investors liked plans by Apple to offer various new services including new TV, gaming and credit card platforms, sending its shares up 1.4% to $191.4. This move suggests it is trying new ways of growing earnings without being so reliant on sales of iPhones and its other consumer electronics products, which are slowing.While the company may be nearing saturation point with sales of tablets and smar

Industrial conglomerate Smiths Group (SMIN) is the biggest riser on the FTSE 100 today, up 1.8% to £14.71, as it unveils plans for a spin off of its medical division as a separate listed company alongside first half results.Smiths is a diverse collection of businesses providing everything from sensors for explosives to hospital equipment and oil services and there has long been clamour for a brea

First half results (18 Jan) from Henderson Smaller Companies Investment Trust (HSL) reveal a rare period of underperformance.But manager Neil Hermon, who has outperformed the benchmark in 14 of the past 15 financial years, insists his universe 'continues to throw up exciting growth opportunities' and M&A 'remains a supportive feature'.For the six months ended 30 November, the trust delivered a net

Engineering conglomerate Smiths Group (SMIN) tops the FTSE 100 loser board on Friday (21 September) after reporting full year to 31 July results that clearly show why it is keen to offload its medical business.Shares in the company have fallen nearly 6% to £15.01, and are 16% lower since June.While returning to underlying revenue growth (albeit up a modest 2% after stripping out currency effects)

The ability of micro cap stocks to deliver super-sized returns in super quick time is exemplified by Catalyst Media (CMX:AIM).The £12.3 million cap's main asset is a 20.5% stake in provider of broadcasting services to bookies Satellite Information Services (SIS) and it is up 63.9% in the space of a week to 50p after SIS secured (23 Sep) a new five year deal with Racecourse Media commencing April

Fears about the impact oil price volatility could have on engineering conglomerate Smiths (SMIN) sees its share price tumble 4% to £10.82 this morning.Investors have been spooked by a profit warning from Smiths' peer Rotork (ROR) and are no doubt revisiting the stock ahead of its final results on 23 September.Smiths' recent trading updates have shown good performances in the medical and Flex-Tek

Yes, today's £388 million takeover offer from the Dutch subsidiary of NYSE-listed Keysight Technologies (KEYS:NYSE) for Anite (AIE) may have been recommended by the board but the fat lady hasn't yet started her serenade yet. There's a handful of peers that could, in theory, throw their hats into the ring for UK software and mobile testing business. That the shares are up 24% at 127.5p, above the

Comprised of just 12 corporate names valued at less than £1 billion between them, Leisure Goods consists of a curious batch of businesses which range from toy designers to hobby product specialists and purveyors of everything from bicycles to consumer electronics.For the most part, these products wing their way into retail outlets. As a result, the companies' fortunes are linked to retailer stock

Toy designer and distributor Character Group (CCT:AIM) looks capable of putting recent disappointments behind it and might be worth adding to momentum watchlists. A strong product line-up and overseas progress augur well for the £41.1 million cap, which could deliver forecast upgrade cheer as early as a January trading statement.Full-year figures (28 Nov) from Character revealed a plunge in adjus

A 30p special dividend to accompany in-line full-year results from engineering conglomerate Smiths Group (SMIN) gets a warm reaction from investors - up 3.5% to £14.24 - helping to repair the damage wrought by July's profit warning.The stock is now back above the level it was at when Smiths warned cost issues relating to contracts in its Detection business would hit group operating profit by £15