After a strong post-lockdown rebound, soft drink and mixer maker Britvic (BVIC) seems to have well and truly lost its fizz over the last year with the shares slumping to 12-month lows last week.Quite why the market has soured on the £2 billion market-cap firm isn?t obvious, given it has an enviable portfolio of brands including Fruit Shoot, J2O, Robinsons and Tango as well as making Pepsi and 7UP

AG Barr (BAG) 550pGain to date: 13.5%We flagged Scottish soft drinks maker AG Barr (BAG) in August 2023 arguing the company was not being given sufficient credit by the market for its sales momentum. We highlighted the strength of its portfolio of brands including Irn-Bru and Rubicon.WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO SINCE WE SAID TO BUY?We were on the money when we flagged ?the scope for further upgrades? as

Profit guidance upgraded againBrands have positive momentumEuan Sutherland to succeed Roger WhiteOne of Shares running Great Ideas selections, Irn-Bru-to-Rubicon drinks maker AG Barr (BAG) served up another full-year profit upgrade which sent the shares up 1.5% to a 52-week high of 576p.The beverages business behind iconic Scottish tipple Irn-Bru as well as take home cocktail offering FUNKIN and c

Trust returns to long-run outperformance trendBenchmark-beating 17.6% returnUK mid-caps cheaper than large-capsJean Roche-run investment trust Schroder UK Mid Cap Fund (SCP) returned to form in style over the year ended 30 September 2023, delivering a net asset value total return of 17.6% versus the disappointing 30% decline in the previous year.This beat the 13.6% total return from the benchmark

Soft drinks business Britvic (BVIC) serves up full-year results on 22 November, when investors will be thirsty to learn how volumes are holding up at the Fruit Shoot, Robinsons and Tango maker which also produces and sells brands including Pepsi and 7UP in Great Britain and Ireland under exclusive agreements with PepsiCo (PEP:NASDAQ).Price hikes and volume growth helped Britvic's revenues to bubbl

Avid Premier League football fans can't fail to have noticed the promotion of popular Monster Energy drinks on stadium advertising hoardings.The Monster Energy logo, a vibrant green 'M' composed of three lines on a field of black which suggests it was created by the claws of a monster ripping through the can, continually pops up pitch-side. The campaign is likely to add extra sales fizz in a perio

The soft drinks sector has long been a fruitful place to make money. Some of the best-known brands are available to investors via shares in UK and overseas-listed companies.Once again, the soft drinks market is proving its resilience in volatile times, though the companies face headwinds in the form of regulation, an uncertain consumer spending outlook and the threat from private-label products, w

The FTSE 100 finished the day on an up note as investors shrugged-off worries about rising interest rates, despite the more hawkish comments coming from the US Federal Reserve on Wednesday.The benchmark FTSE 100 closed roughly 1.1% higher, or about 85 point, to end the day at 7,554.31, boosted by bank stocks and a weaker pound, recovering all of the losses ran up at the start of the week.The move

Leading UK shares are defying downbeat expectations while US markets also look set to rebound a little after the Fed signalled a faster pace of rate rises on Wednesday saw US markets fall sharply. The benchmark FTSE 100 is around 0.5% in positive territory at 12.30pm on Thursday at 7506.15, but mid-caps are having a tougher time of it.The FTSE 250 is 0.6% lower at 21,745.19, dragged down by an 11%

European stock markets slumped in early dealings on Thursday as markets digested the US Federal Reserve's statement last night.Investors were unnerved after Fed chair Jay Powell signalled the US central bank could be open to more rate hikes this year than it has previously guided.US stocks fell further after the announcement and the sell-off extended to most of Asia and Europe, although the FTSE 1

UK shares closed higher on Wednesday, spurred on by US economic data which showed personal spending rose more than expected and weekly US jobless claims were the lowest since 1969, signaling continued strength in the economy.The latest minutes from the Federal Reserve's Open Market Committee meeting, are due after the market close.At the close the FTSE 100 index of leading shares was up 0.3% at 7,

UK shares gave back early gains as markets braced for a torrent of US economic data due to be released later today and ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday tomorrow when US markets will stay closed.As well as the weekly jobless numbers, investors will receive updates on the core latest inflation data, durable goods orders, and personal consumption trends, providing further evidence of economic streng

Shares in soft drinks giant Britvic (BVIC) bubbled up 4p to 882p as the Robinsons, Tango and London Essence maker served up a near-30% annual profits surge driven by a second half rebound in its out-of-home business as economies reopened.The FTSE 250 drinks firm also flagged encouraging current trading, with volumes ahead of the comparative periods in full years 2020 and 2021 in the first six week

UK shares continued to climb on Wednesday with the FTSE 100 rising 0.5% back above the 7,300 level thanks to buying of oil majors and mining stocks.Meanwhile, investors were awaiting the release of minutes from the US Federal Reserve's latest Open Market Committee meeting, due after the market close, for clues as to the pace of interest rate hikes after recent strong inflation and jobs data.Sterli

A surprise increase in US jobless claims raised some doubts about the recovery as the FTSE 100 surrendered its earlier modest gains to trade 0.4% lower at 6,968.30.In the US the S&P 500 was broadly unchanged by 4.30pm UK time.FTSE 250 construction firm Morgan Sindall (MGNS) was one of the day's big winners, surging 13.1% to £23.92 as it unveiled its fourth round of earnings upgrades in the last 1

The FTSE 100 had crept above the 7,000 mark by midday as investors awaited the latest update on monetary policy from the European Central Bank and jobless claims from the US later.FTSE 250 construction firm Morgan Sindall (MGNS) was one of the day's big winners, surging 12% to £23.68 as it unveiled its fourth round of earnings upgrades in the last 12 months.Anglo-Dutch consumer goods giant Unilev

UK stocks inched higher after two days of strong gains in US markets. At 8.30am the FTSE 100 index was up 7 points to 7,005 points led by house builders and leisure stocks while consumer goods and utility companies were on the back foot.Oil prices retreated slightly after a strong bounce overnight with Brent crude futures dipping 0.2% to $72 per barrel while the gold price retreated to $1,800 per

The opening of indoor hospitality on 17 May was the penultimate step on the Government's roadmap towards the complete removal of restrictions on 21 June, notwithstanding the threat of new variants.The UK's successful vaccination programme and falling hospitalisations over recent months has spurred hopes for a strong second half economic rebound, with the Bank of England upgrading its 2021 growth f

UK shares ended the day flat on Tuesday despite earlier optimism after positive overnight trading in Asia and a positive start on Wall Street.Commodity prices were generally higher with Brent crude rising 0.9% to $70.10 a barrel and gold prices up 0.2% to a three-month high of $1,870 an ounce.At the close the FTSE 100 of leading shares was virtually unchanged at 7,036 points with financial and con

UK shares traded higher on Tuesday as risk appetite returned despite fears of the Indian variant dampening enthusiasm.Overnight trading in Asia was positive with the Japan's Nikkei 225 index gaining 2% and China's SE Composite index 0.3% higher.Commodity prices were higher with Brent crude rising 0.9% to $70.10 a barrel and gold prices up 0.2% to a three-month high of $1,870 an ounce.At 12.30 pm t