Trading environment 'volatile'Weak Q3 growthBillion pound club admission may have to waitTrainers-to-tracksuits seller JD Sports Fashion (JD.) now expects year-to-January 2025 pre-tax profits will be at the lower end of its original £955 million to £1.035 billion guidance range, disappointing news that sent the shares tumbling 16% to a two-year low of 95.2p.The global footwear seller had been on

Revenue up 15% to £5.08 billionWinter 2024/2025 on sale seat capacity 14% higherShares up 31% over the past yearShares in Jet2 (JET2:AIM) were up nearly 5% to £14.94 in morning trading as the airline and package holidays provider reported record revenue, profit and passenger numbers for the first half year ending 30 September and said it expected the full year to be ahead of market expectations.

European equities were mostly in the red on Thursday morning amid a threat of higher for longer interest rates, following a lofty UK inflation reading and a caution against turbocharged US easing from a Federal Reserve official.The FTSE 100 index added just 0.40 of a point at 8,085.47. The FTSE 250 lost just 7.21 points at 20,237.55, and the AIM All-Share rose 3.18 points, 0.4%, at 725.52.The Cboe

Weaker demand for discretionary toys and treats and an ongoing vet industry investigation by the CMA (Competition & Markets Authority), driven by concerns market consolidation has led to pet owners being overcharged for medicines and prescriptions, have kept Pets at Home's (PETS) shares on a tight leash this past year.Having previously expressed 'disappointment' over the CMA probe, the UK pet care

Three tried and tested market principles were reinforced by the latest update from beleaguered energy services firm Wood Group (WG.).I have followed this business for nearly two decades and it's hard to remember a time when it was in a worse state than it is today.That's backed up by the share price which traded at all-time lows below 50p in response to the company's devastating missive on 7 Novem

International Biotechnology Trust (IBT) 716pMarket cap: £263.2 millionWarren Buffett tells investors to be greedy when others are fearful and take advantage of depressed prices. That in a nutshell is the investment proposition for International Biotechnology Trust (IBT), which sits on an 11% discount to NAV (net asset value).The discount is not quite as extreme as it was when we highlighted the t

To date, a small, exclusive club of UK retailers have exceeded £1 billion in annual profits, a high street elite that includes Tesco (TSCO), Marks & Spencer (MKS) and Kingfisher (KGF). Some may view this £1 billion figure as merely symbolic, but breaching this barrier is no mean feat and demonstrates a retailer has a lasting place in consumers' affections and the scale to win in a competitive ma

Stocks in London were mixed at Wednesday midday, as investors digested a hotter-than-expected consumer price growth reading in the UK, while focus across the Atlantic turns to Nvidia's earnings.The FTSE 100 index climbed just 3.66 points at 8,102.68. The FTSE 250 fell 59.75 points, 0.3%, at 20,367.87, and the AIM All-Share was up 1.04 points, 0.1%, at 725.27.The Cboe UK 100 was flat at 814.74, the

Stocks in London edged lower on Friday, while equities in New York dropped in early trade following some hawkish comments from the chair of the US Federal Reserve.The FTSE 100 index lost 7.58 points, 0.1%, at 8,063.61. The FTSE 250 declined 46.17 points, 0.2%, at 20,476.64, and the AIM All-Share gave back 2.24 points, 0.3%, at 727.14.For the week, the FTSE 100 slipped 0.1%, the FTSE 250 declined 0

The FTSE 100 closed in the green on Thursday, following positive updates from some of London's large-cap constituents. The FTSE 100 index rose 40.86 points, 0.5%, at 8,071.19. The FTSE 250 closed up 163.80 points, 0.8%, at 20,522.81. The AIM All-Share advanced 0.09 of a point to 729.38.The Cboe UK 100 climbed 0.5% at 811.74, the Cboe UK 250 climbed 0.9% at 17,950.10 and the Cboe Small Companies fe

Fans of Gene Roddenberry's long running Star Trek television and film franchise will know that any would-be captain of a Starfleet vessel had to complete the so-called Kobayashi Maru test, a simulation from which there was no way out, to see how they responded to extreme pressure. The first captain of the USS Enterprise, James T. Kirk, earned his place at Starfleet Academy by reprogramming the com

Stamp duty changes announced in the Budget mean that from April 2025 buyers will face higher costs when buying a home ? with first-time buyers hit the hardest.The ending of a temporary stamp duty cut means that the tax will rise next year. This measure, originally introduced by former prime minister Liz Truss to boost the housing market, will end on 31 March 2025. The most significant impact will

Crypto, gold, Donald Trump's social media operation Trump Media & Technology (DJT:NASDAQ) have all been going gangbusters lately but if it's momentum you're after, you don't get any hotter than Palantir (PLTR:NASDAQ).Shares in the data analytics company have jumped 25% in the past five days (at time of writing, 12 November), are up nearly 40% in a month and have surged 263% in 2024 as a whole.The

Bloomsbury (BMY) 700pMarket cap: £571 million Publishing group Bloomsbury (BMY) is a pandemic winner which has kept on winning since Covid.Lockdown saw people rediscover their love of reading, and the company has tapped into and exploited through successful marketing some popular trends in fiction which have helped drive a big increase in returns.That has meant Bloomsbury's return on capital empl

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

There is a lot to be said for being boring, especially when markets are volatile, and no firm quite captures that essence like FTSE 100 specialist distribution group Diploma (DPLM), whose shares have already sailed serenely to half a dozen all-time highs so far this year.Diploma operates a decentralised model with three divisions: Controls, which supplies components including specialised wiring, S

The US stock market is the biggest in the world and the listing domain of globally-renowned companies including Apple (AAPL:NASDAQ), Nvidia (NVDA:NASDAQ) and Amazon (AMZN:NASDAQ), which makes the market an extremely attractive proposition for UK-based investors. The US equity market's sheer size means it is highly liquid and offers investors greater scope for diversification than other regional ma

Stocks in London slipped at the close on Tuesday, joining the pound, which failed to pack a punch against the dollar amid political uncertainty.The FTSE 100 index slumped 99.42 points, 1.2%, at 8,025.77. The FTSE 250 closed down 295.73 points, 1.4%, at 20,427.80. The AIM All-Share fell 7.07 points, 1.0%, at 730.86.The Cboe UK 100 declined 1.2% at 805.89, the Cboe UK 250 retreated 1.6% at 17,865.50

Nvidia recently overtook Apple as world's largest companyChipmaker replaces peer IntelUnlikely to impact Nvidia's share priceEvery Brit expected fireworks on 5th November but there where more in store on Friday (8 Nov) for investors, as news broke that Nvidia (NVDA:NASDAQ) will replace Intel (INTC:NASDAQ) in the Dow Jones Industrial Average.Rumours of the change had been swirling ever since Nvidia

Stock prices in Europe were in the green on Monday morning after data on Saturday showed that annual consumer price inflation in China slowed in October.Swissquote's Ipek Ozkardeskaya said that 'the picture remains bullish for the US equities' following Trump's re-election but 'Elsewhere, worries mount: FTSE 100 and the European Stoxx 600 index both closed last week below the 200-DMA on worries ab