THIS IS AN ADVERTISING FEATURE Advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics could revolutionize the industrial sector, leading to a significant increase in the use of automation. Automation is expected to transform production lines, likely elevating human workers to manage robots, boosting overall productivity and output. Capital investments spurred by government policies and corpor

The world of fantasy is clearly having a moment. The rise of ?romantasy? authors like Sarah J Maas, who has been a big part of UK publishing outfit Bloomsbury?s (BMY) recent success, have taken the genre out of its previous male-dominated realm to a whole new audience.Bloomsbury?s surging sales and the ongoing phenomenon that is Games Workshop (GAW) are two examples on the UK market which show the

Unlike investment funds, trusts can trade at a discount or premium to the underlying assets which can be to the advantage of potential buyers but a thorn in the side for existing shareholders and trust boards alike.Poor performance is often a key factor driving the share price below NAV (net asset value). Scottish Mortgage Trust (SMT) and multi-manager Witan Investment Trust (WTAN) sit on double-d

?At least? £1 billion earmarked for buy-insPortfolio delivering strong resultsSignals confidence in portfolio valuationsFallen growth star Scottish Mortgage (SMT) has set aside at least £1 billion for share buybacks over the next two years as the FTSE 100 trust seeks to narrow its wide share price discount to NAV (net asset value), news which sent the shares up 2.1% to 797.2p on Friday morning.F

Blue-chip European stocks were mixed on Friday morning, with a more robust than expected US producer price reading sapping some vigour out of equity markets, and focus now shifts to interest rate decisions from the Federal Reserve and Bank of England next week.The FTSE 100 index fell just 3.50 points to 7,739.65. The FTSE 250 climbed 43.09 points, 0.2%, to 19,529.10, and the AIM All-Share added 1.

Costain (COST) 69.6pGain to date: 27.5%We flagged infrastructure and engineering specialist Costain (COST) in late August 2023 at around 55p on the basis a lowly valuation, strong balance sheet and the prospect of a return to the dividend list would eventually be seized on by the market. WHAT HAS HAPPENED SINCE WE SAID TO BUY?We are gradually being proved right. The company declared a dividend for

Full-year results from Greggs (GRG) on 5 March painted a picture of a company doing so well in its domestic territory that one has to ask when it might export the successful business model abroad.Greggs? profits and market share are growing, it is investing in manufacturing and distribution expansion, and shareholders are getting a special dividend. While the company is confident it can add at lea

The end of the tax year is coming down the track fast and that means there are only weeks remaining to make full use of your £20,000 annual ISA allowance.Even if you are some way off this maximum limit or haven?t invested through an ISA at all in 2023/24, the rapidly approaching deadline is a good spur to look at the possibility of making money from the financial markets.Two weeks ago we ran an a

Mega-cap tech stocks drove the bulk of US stock market gains in 2023, but can the so-called ?Magnificent Seven? repeat the trick in 2024?While the odds seem stacked against a re-run of last year?s blistering capital returns over the next 12 months, Shares believes that the ?Magnificent Seven? will continue to beat S&P 500 rivals and top index averages. If you want high-quality growth in your portf

Clothing and homewares giant Next (NXT) appears to be doing no wrong at the start of the year.The retailer raised its pre-tax profit guidance for the year ending 27 January 2024 after benefiting from strong Christmas sales.The FTSE 100 shares are testing all-time highs after bumping up its earning guidance by £20 million to £905 million against its most recent forecast of £885 million and from

Fourth-quarter like-for-likes up 9.4%Full-year profit guidance maintainedBetter-than-expected cash in coffersTyneside baker Greggs (GRG) topped the FTSE 250 leader board, with shares in the food-on-the-go retailer rising 7% to £26.46 following a tasty fourth-quarter trading update which showed like-for-like sales remained strong despite demanding prior-year comparatives.The value-for-money sausag

Festive trading better than expectedOnline channel drives growthConsumer backdrop looks ?more benign?Clothing and homewares colossus Next (NXT) has once again raised its pre-tax profit guidance for the year ending 27 January 2024, after sales around the key Christmas period proved better than expected.As a result, Lord Wolfson-led Next has bumped up its earnings guidance by £20 million to £905 m

AdobeIt may look like odd timing to back Adobe (ADBE:NASDAQ) just after lukewarm guidance, but we think this is a great opportunity.The creative digital software firm called for fiscal 2024 earnings per share of $17.60 to $18 on $21.3 billion to $21.5 billion revenue, a little light compared with the consensus of $18 and $21.7 billion revenue respectively.The shares plunged 7%, which seemed harsh

FTSE 100 firm RELX (REL) is 'ahead of the game' when it comes to integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into its business and we think this continues to be underappreciated by the market. We expect that to change in 2024 and this makes the shares a compelling investment for the year ahead.RELX takes large datasets and analyses these for clients across a range of sectors as well as publishing sci

It has been an up and down year for the UK stock market but some names have really shone over the course of the last 12 months. In this article we go through the market cap ranks to identify the best performing large-, mid- and small-cap stocks in 2023.£5 billion+ market capWhile Nvidia (NVDA:NASDAQ) has dominated headlines globally as excitement around AI (artificial intelligence) helped drive i

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

Group revenue up 5%Upgrades guidance by circa £20 millionNew CEO Omar Abbosh starts 8 January 2024Shares in Pearson (PSON) were marginally higher in morning trading to 931p as the education publishing group reported 5% growth in group revenue (excluding the OPM business) for the nine months ending 30 October 2023.Strong performances came from its Pearson Vue and Pearson Test of English businesses

Database and software giant a major player in new AI worldPowerful innovation at heart of investment story$15-plus billion revenue boost over next few yearsIt's been a quite a ride for Oracle (ORCL:NYSE) this year, shares in the database monster rallying 22% so far even after September's sharp rebasing. That's twice the return of the S&P 500 although not quite as strong as the Nasdaq Composite's 2

FTSE 100 retail group Frasers (FRAS) is in talks to sell Missguided to China's Shein, according to reports. Such a move could have significant implications for the UK retail industry.It could see the Chinese group become a much bigger player in this country and potentially kick-start a new wave of takeovers in the sector as companies join forces to fight off the heightened competition.Shein was fo

London's stock prices were mostly lower at Monday's open, ahead of several central bank meetings later this week, and as new research gave a pessimistic outlook for the UK property and manufacturing sectors.The FTSE 100 index opened in the red, before recovering to around Friday's closing level at 7,711.36. The FTSE 250 was down 61.38 points, 0.3%, at 18,728.39, and the AIM All-Share was up 1.94 p