Burberry Group (BRBY)

The dictionary definition of quality is ‘the degree of excellence of something’. Handmade Hermes scarfs that use high quality silk would fit this description of quality. However, just because a company makes high quality products, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the business itself would be considered a quality business by investors. This article looks at three different metrics which ...

As worries over US-China trade bubble away in the background, the FTSE 100 struggles to make much progress on Thursday, marked down 11.3 points to 7,286 with a drag from a number of index heavyweights trading ex-dividend. UK cyber security specialist Sophos (SOPH) surges 14.2% higher to 388.4p on strong full year results showing 11% top line growth to $711m and a swing into the black at the ...

Fund manager Nick Train is regularly in the spotlight thanks to the popularity of funds run by his investment company Lindsell Train such as Finsbury Growth & Income Trust (FGT) which has outperformed the FTSE All-Share in nine of the past 10 years. Despite generating significant returns for investors, Train’s fame also makes him a target for certain individuals who are waiting for him ...

UK stocks are on the front foot this morning with the FTSE 100 index up 1.3% to 6,833 points led by mining stocks ahead of the resumption of US-China trade talks. Evraz (EVR) adds 1.6% to 487p, Glencore (GLEN) adds 1.9% to 303p, Anglo American (AAL) adds 2.3% to £18.93 and Rio Tinto (RIO) is out front up 3% to £41.98. Company news is thin on the ground with London Stock Exchange (LSE) the ...

The FTSE 100 started the day on the back foot after a sell-off in the US overnight and strength in sterling on hopes Article 50 will be extended, delaying Brexit. The index of leading shares was down 0.5% to 6,870.27. UK fashion brand Burberry (BRBY) softens by 1.4% to £17.51 as its same-store sales in the third quarter slow from 2% a year earlier to 1% and sales as a whole dropped 1%. The ...

A 2 January warning from Apple that sales and earnings for the three months to December were hurt by weak Chinese demand sent a shockwave through world markets, so does this mean we should be worried about China? According to chief executive Tim Cook, Apple was wrong-footed by ‘the magnitude of the economic deceleration in Greater China’, blaming it for ‘most of our revenue shortfall to ...

Shares across the UK and mainland Europe have followed last night’s US sell-off after the US Federal Reserve Bank (the ‘Fed’) raised interest rates for the fourth time this year. Jerome Powell, the Fed chairman, said the bank would continue to raise rates next year as the US economy and the job market continued to grow strongly. UK stocks followed the losses on Wall Street with the ...

Were you lucky enough to own some or all of the elite group of funds which made money for investors in 2018? Only 22% of active fund managers across all types of funds delivered a return above zero this year, while a mere 36% of investment trusts delivered a positive return, according to analysis by AJ Bell. While life has clearly been tough, certain investment trusts stand out from the crowd ...

The agreement of a 90-day ceasefire in the US-China trade war over the weekend is buoying the FTSE 100 this morning, up 2.1% in early trading to 7,126.51. In particular, stocks with exposure to Chinese economic growth like the miners and luxury goods firm Burberry (BRBY) start the week very much on the front foot Convenience store retailer McColl's Retail (MCLS) warns of lower than ...

Supermarket chain Sainsbury (SBRY) reported a hefty slump in half year profits as it continues to grapple with stiff competitive pressures. Pre-tax profits fell from £220m a year ago to £132m in the six months to 22 September with like-for-like sales barely making any progress, up just 0.6%. The supermarket group blamed the drop in profits on a number of charges, including the integration of ...

Among the prime considerations when selecting a fund or investment trust for portfolio inclusion – and remember there’s a bewildering array of options available – is the small matter of performance. Even a casual observer of the investment scene will have come across the well-worn phrase ‘past performance is no guide to the future’, and yet careful scrutiny of past performance can ...

The main benchmark for shares listed on the London Stock Exchange is the FTSE 100. Widely quoted in reports on the financial markets, its constituents make up 80% of the UK market by valuation. But how much do you know about its composition? For example, upwards of 70% of its earnings are derived overseas despite the FTSE 100 being London’s flagship stock index. As a result, its relationship ...

British luxury goods giant Burberry (BRBY) swaggers in with a 3% rise in underlying first quarter sales. The trading update reveals boss Marco Gobbetti sounding bullish about the future under new chief creative officer Riccardo Tisci, who launches his first collection in September. However, shares in the global luxury goods retailer with ‘a distinctly British attitude’ shed 3.9% to trade at ...

The market is under the cosh amid signs US president Donald Trump is planning to impose tariffs on a further $200bn worth of Chinese goods. Early on the FTSE 100 is down 1.1% at 7,607.88. Broadcaster Sky (SKY) slips 1.1% to £14.86 as it agrees to a sweetened £24.5bn offer from Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox. This is in response to a rival bid from US media conglomerate Comcast. The ...

Beleaguered British trains and bus operator Stagecoach (SGC) has slashed its full year dividend despite posting a recovery in reported profits for the year to 28 April. The company has also run-up an £85.6m hit from the failure of the East Coast rail contract. ‘I am disappointed to be reporting significant exceptional costs in respect of Virgin Trains East Coast but I am pleased that ...

Luxury goods leader Burberry’s (BRBY) shares bounce 2.3% or 42p higher to £18.46 as the bags, cashmere scarves and trench coats designer beats forecasts with a 2% rise in annual adjusted operating profit to £467m. This reflects a positive retail performance in a pivotal year to March, new boss Marco Gobbetti’s plan to ‘re-energise’ the brand showing early promise, cost savings coming ...

London’s high-flying FTSE 100 firms 18 points to 7,741 on Wednesday, buoyed by strength in natural resources stocks. Investors will be watching the market closely to see if a new record high can be set today or at least before the weekend. Among the session’s main early risers is software giant Micro Focus (MCRO), marked up 8.4% to £13.75 on the news the earlier than expected signing of ...

London’s FTSE 100 rises 33 points to 7,598.5 on Wednesday, boosted by rising oil prices and heavyweight Vodafone (VOD), which rallies 2.7p to 210.25p after confirming reports of its purchase of a chunk of Liberty’s European operations. Value sausage rolls, sandwiches and coffees seller Greggs (GRG) cheapens 16.7% to £10.55 on a warning full year underlying profits are likely to be flat ...

Staffer Robert Walters (RWA) kicks off the recruitment reporting season and reveals its first quarter gross profits are up 17% on a year-on-year basis to £88.5m. While the company is continuing to prosper from improving global economic conditions, the usually high growth Asia Pacific region only grew 3% in the quarter to 31 March. AJ Bell investment director Russ Mould says this was due to ...

British luxury brand Burberry’s (BRBY) overall retail sales slipped back 2% to £719m for the third quarter (Q3). The three month period to 31 December, which obviously includes Christmas trading, missed consensus expectations of £739m. A sharp year-on-year decline in UK sales and a slowdown in China conspire to send shares in the high-end bags, cashmere scarves and trench coats seller ...