Chip stocks are coming under pressure from investors made nervous by hints of weakening demand during the first half of 2024. During the past week or so there have been warnings from industry bellwethers from Europe and the Far East, dampening enthusiasm just as earnings season gets going in earnest.On 22 April Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSM:NYSE), or simply TSMC, the world?s bigg

Q1 revenue misses by ?100 millionChip kit firm?s stock falls more than 4%Underlying market remains supportiveChip stocks have been gunning it this year thanks to booming demand for the most advanced AI (artificial intelligence) technology. The US SOX semiconductor index, which measures the world?s meaningful chips stocks, has rallied 15% since the start of January, so ASML?s (ASML:AMS) revenue mis

Weak first-half sales priced inProfit seen ?significantly? higher New finance director appointedShares in ASOS (ASC) rallied 10% to 366.2p in early dealings after the online fast-fashion retailer maintained its full-year 2024 guidance and flagged progress in shifting its mountain of excess stock as chief executive Jose Calamonte?s turnaround plan gains traction.Nevertheless, the retailer?s transit

The cruise industry is enjoying an unprecedented boom with around 35.7 million passengers expected to book a trip this year, up from 31.5 million in 2023 and 6% more than the number of passengers who set sail in 2019 according to the CLIA (Cruise Lines International Association).Going on a cruise holiday is slowly become a more popular alternative then jumping on a plane or a high-speed train to E

Audioboom have fallen 30% over the past yearWilson previously worked for AudioboomHarvey previously worked for SiriusXM and CBS RadioShares in Audioboom (BOOM: AIM) were up 4% to 260p in morning trading as the podcast specialist said it was hiring two key sales executives ?to expand the company?s revenue operations.?Molly Harvey, formerly of SiriusXM and CBS Radio, joins Audioboom as vice presiden

THIS IS AN ADVERTISING FEATUREThe remainder of 2024 looks set to be volatile, with geopolitical tensions and a major election in the US likely to create noise. The energy sector is always vulnerable to short-term shifts in sentiment and changing views on the outlook for global growth, but the long-term trends are strong, as demand expands and supply remains constrained. Capital at risk. The value

While the relentless advances in Nvidia (NVDA:NASDAQ), Bitcoin and US equities continue to grab most of the headlines (and that is not forgetting new all-time highs for headline stock indices in France, Germany, Taiwan, Australia and Japan), one asset is outstripping them all so far in 2024 ? and that is cocoa. Futures prices for the commodity have melted up by almost 150% this year alone, to a ne

At the centre of the current boom in generative AI (artificial intelligence) is chip maker Nvidia (NVDA:NASDAQ).It designs some of the fastest computer chips in the world which are needed to run data hungry LLMs (large language models) capable of understanding natural language.Readers may be familiar with Nvidia?s historical link to the gaming industry, but less familiar with the US giant?s connec

H1 revenue down 18%Free cash flow improvedCEO sees a ?faster and more agile? ASOSSales at struggling online fast fashion retailer ASOS (ASC) remain in freefall, having plunged by 18% in the first half to 3 March 2024 amid intense competition and the ongoing squeeze on fashionistas? purchasing power and as ASOS focused on reducing stock levels to boost profitability.So why did shares in the fallen

THIS IS AN ADVERTISING FEATURE Stephen AnnessHead of Global Equities, Invesco The Magnificent Seven ? the group of supercharged stocks named after the classic Western movie ? that delivered such outstanding returns in 2023 generated so much attention you would think it impossible to have beaten the index without owning them all. The fact that some of us did should be hugely reassuring to investor

Semiconductors are the bedrock of the digital economy, core enablers of the data revolution and at the forefront of technological innovation. The semiconductor industry could be set for exponential growth driven by the mega forces of AI (artificial intelligence) and digitalisation, as well as those of geopolitics and economic competition.Investors looking to gain semiconductor exposure have the op

THIS IS AN ADVERTISING FEATUREPruksa Iamthongthong and James Thom, co-managers of Asia Dragon Trust plcAsia is rich with growth stories: from Indonesia, where resource wealth is driving a consumer boom, to Vietnam, where foreign direct investment is an engine for change, to India, where sound economic management and innovation are creating new opportunities. But in 2023, investors focused on a sin

Fundsmith founder Terry Smith and head of investment research Julian Robins were in good spirits while chatting with AJ Bell?s editor in chief Dan Coatsworth in a video interview.As usual, Smith was candid and open to discussing various topics from investment strategy to individual stocks and succession planning.VIDEO ? Terry Smith: my future as manager of Fundsmith Equity Fund and thoughts on per

For years now, European equities have struggled to keep pace with their US counterparts, but the historically low valuations on the ?old continent? mean we could be at an inflection point with investors beginning to take notice at long last.European equities have attracted increased attention from investors in recent weeks as the US market has charged ever higher, leaving the valuations of global

Shares in hundreds of UK and US-listed companies have not fully recovered since the Covid-19 pandemic triggered a global stock market crash in February 2020, even though most major market indices are now trading above that level.According to SharePad data, 196 stocks in the FTSE 350 and 149 stocks in the S&P 500 are still trading below the day before markets crashed four years ago (21 February 202

Fantasy and sci-fi demand lift salesRevenue of £291.4 million expectedShares gain 7% to new life-highShares in Bloomsbury Publishing (BMY) were up over 7% to a new all-time high of 527p in morning trading as the book publisher said it expected revenue and pre-tax profit to be ?significantly ahead' of upgraded market expectations for the year ending 29 February 2024.The book publishers? board expe

Burberry (BRBY) £12.94Market cap: £4.6 billionSlowing luxury demand and two profit warnings in three months have left Burberry (BRBY) firmly out of fashion with investors. Shares in the British luxury brand have lost around 50% and 30% of their value over one and five years respectively. Given the old stock market adage about profit warnings coming in threes, Shares concedes there is some dange

Nine quarters of like-for-like growthNaira devaluation dents profitabilityDividend slashed by 44%Consumer goods firm PZ Cussons (PZC) has slashed its dividend and warned on profits amid the further devaluation of the Nigerian naira, disappointing news that triggered a 20% share price plunge to a five-year low of 102.6p.The earnings alert and payout cut from PZ Cussons raises questions over the dec

Pharmaceutical firm Pfizer (PFE:NYSE), whose name has been synonymous with Covid-19 vaccines and treatments, is showing signs of life after a very difficult period for the company and its share price.Languishing around 10-year lows in the run up to its fourth update on 30 January, the company managed to beat analysts? gloomy expectations.With the shares trading at less than half their pandemic hig

Post-Christmas updates from the industry demonstrate that not all luxury goods companies are created equal, with sector players experiencing contrasting fortunes as the post-pandemic boom normalises and well-heeled shoppers prove more selective.On 25 January, the world?s largest luxury goods group LVMH (MC:EPA) confounded investors? gloomy expectations by delivering better-than-expected fourth qua