UK indices slipped into the red on Tuesday as the London exodus continues, with Ashtead unveiling plans to shift its primary listing to the US.The FTSE 100 index closed down 71.72 points, 0.9%, at 8,280.36. The FTSE 250 ended down 75.33 points, 0.4%, at 20,973.94, and the AIM All-Share shed 3.28 points, 0.4%, at 737.57.The Cboe UK 100 ended down 0.8% at 831.35, the Cboe UK 250 closed down 0.5% at

With US stocks trading close to all-time highs, valuations looking stretched and one of the narrowest markets on record, this could be an opportune moment to consider adding some defensive qualities to your portfolio through capital preservation funds and trusts.These products aim to protect your capital during periods of heightened volatility and equity market drawdowns as well as growing capital

Fidelity Special Values (FSV) 311.5pMarket cap: £1.01 billionWider than the five and 10-year average of 4%, a near-9% share price discount to NAV (net asset value) at Fidelity Special Values (FSV) presents an attractive entry point into a fund with an impressive long-run record and a contrarian, value-focused investment philosophy that's proven to work.The trust, which recently celebrated its 30

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

Retail and hospitality companies have slammed the UK government's Budget as a raid on corporate coffers that will heap extra costs on already hard-pressed sectors, with Labour's 6.7% increase in the National Living Wage and uplift in employers' national insurance contributions (NICs) forecast to lead to job cuts and price hikes.Chancellor Rachel Reeves' lowering of the employers' NIC threshold to

Half year pre-tax profit up 4.7%Tasty grocery performanceArgos sales disappointFirst half sales and profits rose at Sainsbury's (SBRY) as the UK's second biggest supermarket continued to secure market share gains in groceries, making up for a soft first quarter at Argos and in general merchandise.CEO Simon Roberts insisted Sainsbury's core food business is 'making the biggest market share gains in

Tesco (TSCO) 347.2pMarket cap: £23.75 billionWe believe leading food retailer Tesco (TSCO) is a great risk/return investment opportunity, comprising unappreciated defensive qualities at a time of increased economic uncertainty.As we explain later in the article, Tesco has the potential to deliver substantial returns to shareholders based on its capital allocation policy of returning cash via shar

I can't be the only person who walks down the aisle of a local convenience-style supermarket and finds their jaw dropping at some of the prices.For anyone without a car and/or uncomfortable with buying online, and therefore reliant on these outlets for their weekly grocery shop rather than just picking up bits and pieces, the extra cost is significant. Consumer group Which? reckons you're talking

Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) sells £306 million sharesSainsbury's shares fall nearly 5%Year-to-date Sainsbury's shares are down 7%Sainsbury's (SBRY) shares fell nearly 5% to 275p after the supermarket group said its biggest shareholder, the QIA (Qatar Investment Authority), had sold £306 million worth of shares at 280p each, a discount of around 3% to the prior closing price.Prior to the sal

Acquisition accretive to earningsShares placed at a discountSmaller REITs struggle to surviveThe divergence in fortunes between large listed commercial property companies and some of the smaller players was thrown into relief today with the announcement by British Land (BLND) it had raised capital for a large retail acquisition on the same day two small REITs (real estate investment trusts) reveal

Volume growth and market share gainsNet debt down 2.1% to £9.7 billionInterim dividend upped 10.4%The UK's biggest grocery chain Tesco (TSCO) raised its full-year 2025 earnings guidance after delivering better-than-expected volume growth and a near-10% uplift in profit for the half ended 24 August.Chief executive Ken Murphy insisted his charge is 'in good shape' ahead of Christmas and Britain's b

Supermarket Income REIT (SUPR) 76pGain to date: 0%We suggested investing in the company in late March on the basis income was rising due to strong sales at supermarkets and the shares were yielding 8% with the dividend fully covered by earnings.While zero returns isn't quite what we'd hoped for, in the meantime investors have received two interim payments of 1.515p per share, one in mid-May and on

Tesco's (TSCO) shares have ticked up 35% over the past year, so Britain's biggest grocer by some stretch will need to deliver good news with first half results (3 October) to sustain its upwards stock price momentum. Steered by CEO Ken Murphy, Tesco is expected to update investors on another period of robust trading with further share gains in an ultra-competitive UK & Ireland market, where arch-r

On 17 July, Sir Keir Starmer's new Labour government announced its plans for the first year of the new parliament, with growth and wealth creation the priority.King Charles' speech at the State Opening of Parliament included a total of 39 bills under a new legislative agenda which includes speeding up the delivery of 'high-quality infrastructure and housing' and nationalising railway operators.Sta

Now the ballots have been cast at the general election, the UK could become the 'reassuringly boring' market, both politically and fiscally, when compared to the more extreme politics on the other side of the English Channel and Atlantic Ocean.So suggests Jean Roche, manager of the Schroder UK Mid Cap Fund (SCP), who notes capital allocators know more or less what to expect, which could explain th

After arch-rival Tesco (TSCO) released forecast-beating quarterly sales earlier this month, with strong like-for-like growth across its UK stores, all eyes are on the next trading update from Sainsbury's (SBRY) on 2 July to see whether it has managed to maintain its recent momentum.!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var

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

First-quarter sales pleaseProfit outlook confirmedGaining share with FinestThe UK's largest grocery chain by both market value and market share, Tesco (TSCO), reiterated the full-year targets it set a couple of months ago as it published a solid first-quarter trading update.The shares edged up 4p or 1.4% to 307p as analysts and investors digested the detail of the update. STRONG SALES GROWT

Stocks in London were marginally higher on Friday morning, as election campaigns in the UK and France continue, with Reform UK overtaking the Conservatives in the UK in a major opinion poll.The FTSE 100 index opened up 2.07 points at 8,165.74. The FTSE 250 was up 7.97 points at 20,203.92, and the AIM All-Share was up 0.63 of a point, 0.1%, at 781.06.The Cboe UK 100 was up marginally at 812.48, the

Firm to power Tesco Clubcard ChallengesOne-year contract with option to renewEagle Eye?s sales rose 20% in H1Technology tiddler Eagle Eye Solutions (EYE:AIM) has secured a new contract with Tesco (TSCO) for personalised promotions, exciting news which sent shares in the UK SaaS (software-as-a-service) firm up 9% to 510p on Monday.While no financial details were disclosed, house broker Shore Capita