Hot on the heels of updates from Walmart (WMT:NYSE) and Home Depot (HD:NYSE), hard-pressed Target Corporation (TGT:NYSE) is the next major retailer to give a read on the health of a US consumer struggling with the rapid rise in inflation and interest rates of the past few years. The discounter's second-quarter earnings are slated for 21 August, when Target will need to assure investors it is on tr

In the space of a decade there has been a dramatic shift from people watching linear TV to streaming shows through various platforms. In the US 99% of households pay for at least one streaming service with Netflix (NFLX:NASDAQ), Amazon's (AMZN:NASDAQ) Prime Video and Apple's (AAPL:NASDAQ) Apple TV being the most popular.Streaming has become part of peoples' everyday lives. According to US lifestyl

Full year revenue and profit beatShares have gained 124% this yearBoard comfortable with 2025 expectationsVideo games developer and publisher Frontier Developments (FDEV:AIM) revealed better-than-expected full-year results and gave a confident outlook, sending the shares 10% higher to 306p, taking gains for the year to 124%.The shares remain 90% below the highs reached in 2021 following a string o

Gross margin improvingSmaller EBITDA loss forecastShares up 155% in two monthsHaving surprised the market a month ago by confirming it would hit its full-year revenue guidance, games video maker Frontier Developments (FDEV:AIM) has done it again with news it would report a smaller loss than previously anticipated.The shares climbed 4% to 276p, continuing their striking run from a low of 108p just

Chemicals companies produce the compounds used in a huge variety of different industrial and consumer products across sectors which include agriculture, healthcare, technology, aerospace, sports, leisure and beauty.The breadth of the industry?s focus means its fortunes are closely tied to the economy and movements in GDP as well as volatility in raw material prices and energy costs.In 2023 the sec

Stocks in London rose to a record high on Monday morning, as market attention moves to the US Federal Reserve interest rate decision due on Wednesday.The FTSE 100 index rose 40.03 points, 0.5%, at 8,179.86. It had climbed to 8,185.59 shortly after the opening bell, its best-ever level.The FTSE 250 was up 42.62 points, 0.2%, at 19,866.78, and the AIM All-Share was up 2.45 points, 0.3%, at 757.73.Th

Full-year sales forecast confirmedSale of RollerCoaster rights for $7mTrading in line and improved cash positionShares in beleaguered fantasy video game maker Frontier Developments (FDEV:AIM) jumped 14% to 159.4p after the firm reaffirmed its full-year revenue guidance and reported an ?improving? cash position.The relief rally comes after the company cut its revenue target last November sending th

Proposed de-listing from AIMShares crash 70% to 0.61p£9 million of capital sought Shares in LoopUp (LOOP:AIM) fell by as much 70% after the remote meetings specialist announced plans to de-list from London?s alternative investment market (AIM), with more than 27 million shares traded by lunchtime.The company?s management said the reason for the proposed de-listing was to raise ?at least? £9 mill

Shares in Pets at Home (PETS) have plunged 30% over one year due to an overhang from the CMA (Competition and Markets Authority) review of the UK veterinary sector and signs there are limits to the sums pet owners will spend on their animal companions during a cost-of-living crisis.While competitive threats from the supermarkets and online-only player Zooplus are already priced in, the market may

A big increase in the average takeover premium in 2023 highlights how parts of the UK stock market continue to be undervalued. The average bid premium for UK stocks in 2023 was 51% against 37% in 2022 and 43% in 2021, according to analysis by AJ Bell.Most London-listed takeovers last year involved small-cap firms. Buyers were a mixture of private equity firms or industry players looking to buy riv

There are lots of individual share options for investors interested in gaining exposure to the video gaming sector, from the game developers and publishers to the game console makers like Sony (SONY:NYSE) and the chip makers supplying components such as Nvidia (NVDA:NASDAQ).In this article we will look in more detail at the investment options and discuss the dynamics and context around the industr

It's been another poor year for active managers across the seven key equity sectors monitored by AJ Bell's Manager versus Machine report. Overall, just 36% of active managers outperformed the average passive alternative in 2023.One year is too short a time frame over which to judge the success of active management, but things don't look better if you zoom out a bit either. Over 10 years, just 32%

2024 sales guidance slashedFirm sees ?at least break even? in FY25Robust cash balance provides reassuranceShares in Frontier Developments (FDEV:AIM) slumped 21% to 155.6p after the embattled video games developer posted yet another profit warning, pinning the blame on disappointing sales of its recently-released Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Realms of Ruin title over the critical Black Friday period.Du

Global markets saw lacklustre trading on Black Friday, as sterling jumped higher compared to the dollar.The FTSE 100 index closed up 4.62 points, 0.1%, at 7,488.20. The FTSE 250 ended down 22.73 points, 0.1%, at 18,458.10, and the AIM All-Share closed down 1.18 points, or 0.2%, at 716.90. Over the past week they are down 0.2%, 0.6% and 0.4%, respectively.The Cboe UK 100 ended up slightly at 747.65

Pets at Home (PETS) investors will be hoping the UK pet-care leader's first half results statement (28 November) doesn't set the cat among the pigeons. Any signs that the cost-of-living pressures impacting pet owners' disposable income are slowing its sales momentum or curtailing customer acquisition growth could be harshly punished.Share price weakness at the pet food-to-toys purveyor reflects op

Q3 beat and guidance raisedYear-on-year growth non-existentStock goes down or sidewaysInvestors largely shrugged off third quarter results from Zoom Video Communications (ZM:NASDAQ) despite beating expectations as mixed guidance for Q4 dulled enthusiasm. After initially jumping 8%, pre-market trading points to a 0.3% fall to $65.82.Revenue grew 3.2% year-on-year to $1.14 billion, beating the conse

After a 237% share price gain this year, you might think Nvidia (NVDA:NASDAQ) has gone off the boil based on recent market performance. The stock has only moved 6% higher over the past month, limp by its previous monthly standards, but you can expect anticipation to start building ahead of third quarter figures which are published on 21 November.The AI (artificial intelligence) chip champion has b

Even casual observers might have spotted the records being smashed in long distance races by athletes wearing Nike (NKE:NYSE) running shoes. The latest of which saw Kelvin Kiptum come within 35 seconds of the two-hour barrier at the Chicago Marathonas he set a new all-time best for the distance on 10 October.What you may not know is a UK small cap has had a key role to play in the technology behin

If you started your investing journey at any point in the dozen or so years prior to the global pandemic, today's challenges will look very strange to you. The decade or more market environment of low inflation and ultra-low borrowing costs was a fertile framework for growth investing, yet the reopening of the world post-Covid has cooked up a toxic stew of wealth-sapping inflation and rising inter

Zoo Digital shares have lost nearly 80% year-to-dateOrders 'back to normal' by October 2023Net cash no less than $16 million as of 30 SeptemberShares in Zoo Digital (ZOO:AIM) fell nearly 27% to 38p in morning trading as the cloud-based localisation and media services company said the writers' strike in Hollywood was still going to have 'significant short-term impact for Zoo's full year 2024 outcom