There is no question the dominant theme in stock markets last year was AI (artificial intelligence), in particular generative AI.In an interview with Time magazine last June, Sam Altman ? the former chief executive of OpenAI, whose ChatGPT product has been at the forefront of the AI trend ? said he believes the technology will ?transform the way people work and the way people learn. It?s going to

For the second part of our annual survey, we asked fund managers if they had changed their view on any stocks this year, for better or for worse, and what lay behind their decisions.As with the winners and losers survey last week, the answers were often frank and once again we would like to thank everyone who took part.Thomas Moore - Aberdeen Equity Income Trust (AEI)THE STOCK THAT I CHANGED MY MI

Belfast-based digital services business Kainos (KNOS) has high-quality metrics in spades, and Shares believes the stock offers long-term upside. In its most recent financial year (to March 2023), the company demonstrated return on capital employed, operating margins and return on equity of more than 40%, 14% and 35%, according to data from Stockopedia.Yet the shares are trading on a March 2024 pri

Enterprise software firm's stock hits highest in more than a yearSubscriptions up 20%-plus for eighth quarter on the spinGuidance shifted higher on bulging revenue backlogJust 24-hours after Nvidia's knockout quarter, it's the turn of Workday (WDAY:NASDAQ) to blow investors away. The enterprise software maker reported first quarter (Q1) earnings and revenue that topped analyst estimates and narrow

It has been difficult to ignore the renewed sense of optimism creeping into stock markets this year. Misery has been replaced by a watchful brightness, and nowhere has this sheen reflected better than among software growth stocks.After tumbling more than a third in 2022, the US-listed iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF (IGV:BATS), comprised of many of the major enterprise software players,

There have been some notable dividend increases in recent weeks from well-known companies on the stock market including a 31% hike from advertising group WPP (WPP) while banking giant HSBC (HSBA) raised its ordinary dividend by 28% on top of comments that it might pay a special dividend once the sale of its Canadian business has completed.Even more impressively, mining services company Weir Group

- Digital transformation specialist seeing best ever demand- Analysts up forecasts for full year and 2024- Stock trading on current year PE of 36Belfast-based technology company Kainos (KNOS) upgraded its earnings forecast for next year on the back of 'strong' results across the board, saying demand 'has never been higher.'The digital transformation specialist announced a 16% rise in its half-year

With engineering software company Aveva (AVV) poised to exit the stock market thanks to a takeover, it will mean losing the UK's largest 'tech' firm by market value, at £9.15 billion.Aveva has been majority owned by French industrial group Schneider Electric (SU:EPA) since 2017 and this shareholder now wants the whole business.That's a slightly different bid situation to most of the other tech ta

Mid-cap companies have always attracted investors. Seen as large enough to compete on a global scale, but not so big that their capacity for growth is capped, like many FTSE 100 stocks, an increasing number of investors spend time researching stocks on the FTSE 250 index, or simply buy the index through the handful of inexpensive targeted ETF tracker funds that are available.While many investors m

- Stock has rallied more than 30% since 16 June- Upbeat news from enterprise software partner Workday- International expansion and market share gainsShares in digital transformation specialist Kainos (KNOS) have rallied more than 30% since closing at a 2022 low of 954.5p on 16 June. It's a stellar bounce for a stock that at its low point had lost half its market value this year.Driving this change

The UK's technology sector has been hammered in recent months as investors ditched high growth companies for safer havens amid stock market and geopolitical uncertainty. Hot running inflation risks eating into future profits, which means investors now prefer lower growth companies which are enjoying good profit today, not waiting for bigger earnings years down the line.This shift has had a savage

FTSE 250 digital services provider Kainos (KNOS) has announced the acquisition of Netherlands-based consultancy Planalyse on undisclosed terms.Planalyse has been a Workday Adaptive Planning partner for over four years, supporting deployments, building and improving forecasting models for customers across Benelux, Spain, and Portugal.This morning's acquisition is Kainos's seventh and likely smalles

There are many interesting businesses on the AIM market which fly under the radar as they do not get the same attention as their counterparts on the Main Market. Research coverage by analysts is thin, AIM stocks aren't discussed much in the media, and only fund managers with a mandate to look at small companies might even be aware of their existence.This means there is a big opportunity for invest

Is it time to buy the technology sell-off and load up on some of the market's top growth stocks? It is one of the biggest questions currently facing DIY investors and the answer may depend on your own personal circumstances.However, in our view there is a strong case for buying some of the higher quality tech names caught up in the recent correction. Particularly if they are already generating pro

The FTSE 100 clawed back Monday losses in positive trading on Tuesday as investors looked for oversold bargains and took a more sanguine view of inflationary pressures and potential rising interest rates.At the close, the benchmark FTSE 100 finished around 0.5% higher at 7,491.70, above the 7,485.28 level at which it started the trading week. Mid-caps ended roughly flat at 23,000.US stocks lost ea

The FTSE 100 clawed back all of its Monday losses by lunchtime on Tuesday as investors looked for oversold bargains and took a more sanguine view of inflationary pressures and potential rising interest rates.At 1pm, the benchmark FTSE 100 is around 0.7% higher at 7,496.21, above the 7,485.28 level at which it started the trading week. Mid-caps are also making robust gains, the FTSE 250 roughly 0.5

UK stocks opened higher on Tuesday as profit upgrades from the likes of FTSE 100 constituent Electrocomponents (ECM) and cyber security firm Darktrace (DARK) brightened investors' mood ahead of the release of key US inflation data on Wednesday.The consensus forecast is for inflation to have hit 7.1%, meaning all eyes will be on the Federal Reserve and how quickly it plans to take action to try and

UK stocks recovered from their intraday weakness to close marginally higher, despite a rise in sterling as expectations grow of a rise in official interest rates at next month's Bank of England meeting.At the close on Monday the FTSE 100 index was 4 points to the good at 7,352 points with financial stocks offsetting a sluggish mining sector following the COP26 climate conference.Brent crude prices

UK stocks were slightly weaker on Monday as investors eyed Wednesday's inflation report and expectations grew of a rise in official interest rates at next month's Bank of England meeting.At midday the FTSE 100 index was 14 points or 0.2% lower at 7,335 points with mining stocks lagging in the wake of the COP26 climate conference.Overnight trading in Asia was mixed with China's SE Composite up 0.6%

The FTSE 100 index was flat in early trading as weakness in mining shares offset gains in oil and bank stocks. At 9am the index of leading shares was up 0.2% to 7,358 points.Overnight trading in Asia was mixed with China's SE Composite up 0.6% after retail sales and industrial output beat expectations, while Japan's Nikkei 225 index was down 0.2%.Brent crude prices were down 0.7% to $91.12 per bar