UK stocks posted their biggest gains since the pandemic on Thursday after the US paused new reciprocal tariffs, as investors welcomed a break from recent volatility and easing price pressures in the US. The FTSE 100 index closed up 233.77 points, 3.0%, at 7,913.25. The FTSE 250 ended 626.77 points higher, 3.5%, at 18,517.41. The AIM All-Share advanced 17.96 points, 2.9%, at 644.97. The Cboe UK...

The FTSE 100 snapped back on Thursday, mirroring a global relief rally after US President Donald Trump paused the rollout of new tariffs. China, on the other hand, has urged the US to meet it 'halfway' after Trump said he was raising tariffs on China to 125% from an earlier 104%. These took effect at the same time as retaliatory levies of 84% slapped on by Beijing on US imports. China's...

Last year's earnings top estimates This year's guidance disappoints Shares fall from recent highs The much-awaited full-year 2024/25 earnings update from supermarket giant Tesco (TSCO) ended up being something of a let-down after the firm beat forecasts but warned operating profit for the coming year would be lower due to the 'competitive intensity' of the UK market. The shares, which recently...

Judging by how well shares in Sainsbury's (SBRY) have held up during the global market sell-off, investors are betting the UK's second-largest supermarket chain won't deliver a nasty surprise when it reports its results for the year to the end of March on 17 April. The firm published an 'aide-memoire' a few months ago repeating its guidance from the third quarter that underlying operating...

The sweeping tariffs unveiled by president Donald Trump on 2 April 2025, dubbed 'Liberation Day' by the administration, have significantly impacted financial markets, seemingly disrupting decades of economic norms, at least in the short term. We discuss the details and initial market reaction elsewhere in this magazine and it's only natural as an investor to be somewhat shaken by these...

The benefits of a stocks and shares ISA are best measured over the long term. Investors should look to get rich slowly through the power of compounding.Compounding describes the process whereby investment returns themselves generate future gains. The value of an investment can increase exponentially because growth is earned on both the initial sum of money plus the accumulated wealth.Imagine...

A surprise announcement from Asda has caught investors off guard and threatened to spark a supermarket price war. Its UK rivals were knocked off their axis by the profit warning and a statement it intends to invest more in price and store standards this year.Executive chair Allan Leighton said the chief aim behind Asda's move was to restore the supermarket's 5% to 10% price gap 'which had...

Bakkavor (BAKK) 150.5pMarket cap: £872 millionInvestors fretting over geopolitical uncertainties, downbeat economic outlooks on both sides of the Atlantic and frothy valuations across the pond should consider tucking into an attractively valued, cash generative and dividend paying UK stock with defensive qualities.One name that fits the bill is Bakkavor (BAKK), the chilled prepared food...

Struggling discounter B&M European Value Retail's (BME) stock plunged to a five-year low after the variety retailer delivered its latest profit downgrade (24 February) and announced chief executive Alex Russo would step down at the end of April.Profit warnings almost always put a dent in a company's stock price, but the sheer magnitude of B&M's value destruction over the past year and a bit is...

Russo to retire at end of AprilEarnings guidance lowered againLike-for-like declines 'at the core' of challengesB&M European Value Retail's (BME) stock plunged 8% to a five-year low of 268p after the struggling discounter delivered another profit warning and announced that Alex Russo will retire as CEO at the end of April.Russo appears to have carried the can for the variety retailer's latest...

2024 profits up 30%New year off to 'positive' startGrowth slowdown, upgrades absence weighAs per usual, there was plenty to like about the latest trading update from affordable cosmetics supplier Warpaint London (W7L:AIM). The company, which supplies its wares to Tesco (TSCO), Boots and Walmart (WMT:NYSE), reported a 'strong' performance for the year to December 2024 and hailed a 'positive...

Tesco chair snaps up £148,467 sharesFevertree CFO, non-executive directors buy sharesLiontrust directors buy £62,500 sharesChair of the UK's biggest supermarket chain Tesco (TSCO), Gerry Murphy, has bought 40,000 shares at 371p in a trade with a total value of £148,467 on 29 January.Murphy's move comes after Tesco reported a strong third quarter and Christmas trading update in early...

With most of the big names in the retail sector having reported we can get a decent picture of how the sector fared in the run-up to and during the festive period. A weak trading backdrop for non-food retail in October and November, before Santa delivered a return to growth in December, a month that also witnessed a notable shift to online sales according to the latest data (17 January) from...

Only a few more sleeps before we find out how Cranswick (CWK) fared over the seasonally-important Christmas period, with the UK food producer prepping its third-quarter trading statement for release on 21 January.Shares believes the update could stoke another round of forecast upgrades, since Cranswick continues to profit from its strong relationships and scale with the current winners in UK...

The number of companies on London's AIM market worth more than £1 billion has hit a nine-year low. A mere six stocks were worth more than £1 billion at the end of November 2024 compared with 30 at the end of 2021.From those 30 companies and excluding those still worth more than £1 billion, seven have disappeared through takeovers, three have moved to the Main Market, and the rest have...

Group winning more customersGrocery strength offsets ArgosNo change to full-year guidanceHot on heels of rival Tesco (TSCO), second-placed UK supermarket group Sainsburys (SBRY) posted an upbeat third-quarter trading statement saying it had had 'the biggest-ever Christmas'.Inevitably, just as Tesco shares were sold off yesterday, Sainsburys shares were also down on the day losing 5p or 2% to...

Key UK retailers ended Thursday firmly in the red but calmer bond markets and rising commodity prices helped keep blue-chip stocks in the green.The FTSE 100 index ended up 68.66 points, 0.8%, at 8,319.69. The FTSE 250 climbed 52.90 points, 0.3%, at 20,005.14, bouncing from an intra-day low of 19,733.12. The AIM All-Share ended down 0.15 of a point, 0.1%, at 719.96.The Cboe UK 100 closed up...

London's blue-chips were higher around midday on Thursday, but fresh falls in the pound and bond market angst kept domestically-focused stocks on the back foot.The FTSE 100 index was up 46.80 points, 0.6%, at 8,297.83. The FTSE 250 was down 95.22 points, 0.5%, at 19,857.02, and the AIM All-Share lost 0.68 of a point, 0.1%, at 719.43.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.6% at 830.81, the Cboe UK 250 lost...

Like-for-like food sales up 8.9%Market share gains in clothingCautious outlook prompts profit-takingRetail bellwether Marks & Spencer (MKS) delivered 'another good Christmas' with sales records broken across the business as it gained market share in both food and clothing.However, shares in the high street stalwart fell 5% to 358p as third quarter clothing, home and beauty came in light of...

Firm enjoyed strong volume growthInvesting in price for long termNo upgrade to current-year earningsThe UK's biggest supermarket chain Tesco (TSCO) reported strong trading and its highest market share since 2016 over the third quarter, including Christmas, as hinted at by the Kantar grocery sales data released a few days ago.However, the shares slumped in morning trade, at one point losing 15p...