Revenue and profit ahead of expectationsAccelerated site rollout planFocus on high quality, high return site openingsContinued positive momentum saw low-cost gym operator Gym Group (GYM) deliver better than expected full year results and announce an acceleration of new site openings.Investors welcomed the upbeat outlook and new growth target with the shares trading up 5% to 115.1p, taking year to

Full year revenue beats forecastsLike for like revenue accelerating2024 site roll-out plan increasedLow-cost gym operator GYM Group (GYM) said strong first-half momentum had continued into the second half resulting in full year revenue climbing 18% to £204 million, slightly above market expectations.The revenue beat together with news that the company is accelerating its site roll-out to between

European blue chips ended the month on the front foot after easing inflation in the eurozone and the US boosted hopes that interest rates could be cut sooner than previously thought.The FTSE 100 index closed up 30.29 points, 0.4%, at 7,453.75. The FTSE 250 ended down 234.11 points, 1.3%, at 18,233.47, and the AIM All-Share closed down 1.75 points, or 0.2%, at 713.78.The Cboe UK 100 ended up 0.3% a

Shares in pub and hotel group Marston's (MARS) are down around 18% this year, despite the business continuing to recover from the pandemic and receiving a welcome boost from the chancellor's Autumn statement which froze alcohol duties until August 2024.After revealing full-year sales on 11 October, the company is due to update investors on earnings for the year to September on 5 December.Sales ros

There have been a couple of bits of retail news over the last few weeks that bear real consideration. The first was that Swedish 'flat pack' maestro Ikea was taking over a massive shopping centre in the heart of Brighton and the second that after 137 years of calling, beauty products seller Avon is setting up shop in the UK.By themselves they might not raise much of an eyebrow amongst investors bu

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

The FTSE 100 outperformed European peers at midday on Monday, as escalating conflict between Hamas and Israel pushed oil prices higher, helping lift the index's heavyweight oil majors.The FTSE 100 index was up 18.82 points, or 0.3%, at 7,513.40. Meanwhile, the FTSE 250 was down 116.00 points, or 0.7%, at 17,616.32, and the AIM All-Share was down 4.99 points, or 0.7%, at 689.72.The Cboe UK 100 was

First half trading disappointsClients defer training spendFull year profits to be 'significantly' below expectationsMind Gym's (MIND:AIM) shares were marked down almost 40% to an all-time low of 34.5p after the corporate training specialist said first half trading fell short of management's expectations and it now expects to post an EBITDA loss ( earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amo

The FTSE 100 ended higher on Monday thanks to a mining stock rally, despite growing market apprehension ahead of a busy week for economic data and the latest interest rate decision from the European Central Bank on Thursday.The FTSE 100 index closed up 18.68 points, or 0.3% at 7,496.87 on Monday. The FTSE 250 ended up 59.25 points, or 0.3%, at 18,522.44. Meanwhile, the AIM All-Share closed down 1.

Automotive engineer Dowlais (DWL) is poised to announce its maiden results as a public company after its spin-off from industrial turnaround specialist Melrose (MRO) in April 2023.Shareholders will be hoping the first-half numbers on 12 September help provide a boost after a bumpy start to life on the market as an individual entity, the shares falling around 25% from their 143.5ppeak.Five years on

European equities were on the up again heading into Thursday, with Wednesday's cooler US inflation reading continuing to support sentiment, though data from China and the UK tempered some of the feel-good mood.The UK economy fell in May, while trade data from China last month disappointed, and re-ignited growth fears for the world's second-largest economy.Among individual shares in London, housebu

Shares in low-cost no-contract gym operator Gym Group (GYM:AIM) remain close to March 2020 lows due to a slower than expected recovery in memberships post-Covid and high utility costs.Like-for-like sales and earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) remain below pre-pandemic levels. The company blames an uneven start to 2023 on macroeconomic headwinds and behavioural ch

Will Ashtead continue to benefit from a US infrastructure boom?Tool hire firm reported its end-markets were 'robust with ongoing momentum' in MarchUS-focused construction equipment hire group Ashtead (AHT) is set to report its full-year results on 13 June with investors hoping for its recent strong performance to be sustained.In its third-quarter trading update in March, the company described its

We suggested at the start of 2023 that commercial property stocks could prove to be a good bet this year, with valuations offering significant upward reversion potential from their depressed levels and dividend yields at the top end of their historic range.While valuations have improved slightly, if anything sentiment is even more negative than it was in January, especially after April's stubbornl

Stocks in London closed lower on Tuesday, as a stalemate in US debt ceiling talks hurt market sentiment for yet another day.The FTSE 100 index closed down 8.04 points, 0.1%, at 7,762.95. Gains for oil majors and international earners, amid a muted pound, shielded London's blue-chip index from a sharper decline.The FTSE 250 lost 65.03 points, 0.3%, at 19,208.31, and the AIM All-Share ended down jus

Student accommodation is a segment of the property market with supportive dynamics coming out of the pandemic and we think Empiric Student Property (ESP) is an attractively valued way of gaining access to this space.Empiric trades at a substantial discount to its larger peer Unite (UTG), reflecting a somewhat more uneven track record and its smaller scale, but we think the managers of the real est

China's rapid retreat from its zero-Covid policy in a bid to boost economic growth is one of the big investment themes of 2023 and is sure to provide a major boon for consumption in the so-called Middle Kingdom. Since November 2022, the government has dramatically reopened the Chinese economy and rolled back pandemic-induced restrictions that had been in place for three years.While the end of zero

Stock trading was calmer on Thursday, recovering some of the market value lost on Wednesday after Credit Suisse got a helping hand from the Swiss central bank, but the plans of the European Central Bank were thrown in doubt.The ECB announces its latest interest rate decision at 1315 GMT on Thursday, with a press conference featuring President Christine Lagarde following at 1345 GMT.It previously s

- Uneven start to trading in 2023, macro headwinds- Lower pace of new site openings- FY23 profit to be lower as cost inflation bitesLow cost, no contract gym operator The Gym Group (GYM:AIM) disappointed investors after giving a cautious outlook and reporting an 'uneven' start to trading in 2023.The company said it expected a difficult macroeconomic environment to impact consumer demand throughout

Shares were rebounding early Thursday, after the Swiss central bank threw a financial lifeline to Credit Suisse, whose mounting woes triggered a sell-off of European bank stocks on Wednesday.Attention now turns to a interest rate decision by the European Central Bank, due around midday. Wednesday's turmoil has put ECB policy-makers in a tricky position. The bank had telegraphed a 50 basis point ra