1. China?Signs of a rebound: Purchasing manager indexes in China rebounded in March, with the Caixin/S&P Global index reaching its highest level in over a year. Drivers of the rebound included rising raw material purchases and inventories. Chinese industrial companies may be restocking ahead of the government?s planned 20% increase in special bond issuance this year to $680 billion. The increase i

Interest rates are expected to stay higher for longer to combat the sticky inflation which remains a threat to investors? hard-earned wealth and purchasing power. During periods of high inflation, it is crucial to invest in companies that possess pricing power, because these firms can pass on increased costs to customers, enabling them to maintain profit margins and generate the robust cash flows

This feature explores spin-offs or de-mergers, looking at the rationale for them and how they have performed, and asks if they can be a promising hunting ground for investors.One of the UK?s largest recent spin-offs was GSK?s (GSK) demerger of its consumer healthcare division in 2022.GSK reportedly rebuffed a £50 billion offer from personal goods giant Unilever (ULVR) to buy the division, named H

Stocks in London ended in the red on Wednesday, despite the FTSE 100 hitting another record high earlier in the day, while Tesla was the star in New York, where wider markets mixed.The FTSE 100 index gave back 4.43 points, 0.1%, at 8,040.38. The blue-chip index traded as high as 8,092.19 earlier Wednesday, its best-ever level. Selling pressure in the afternoon prevented it from achieving another c

Investors in London continued to show confidence, as stocks at the open on Tuesday added to Monday?s gains, boosted by the prospect of interest rate cuts.The FTSE 100 index opened up 33.06 points, 0.4%, at 8,056.93. The FTSE 250 was up 54.48 points, 0.3%, at 19,653.87, and the AIM All-Share was up 2.14 points, 0.3%, at 751.32.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.3% at 804.24, the Cboe UK 250 was up 0.2% at 17

London?s FTSE 100 achieved a record close on Monday, as sabre-rattling in the Middle East began to die down, while the pound struggled on renewed hope that the Bank of England is taming UK inflation.Among individual shares, there was some M&A impetus for Tyman and Hipgnosis Songs Fund. A bullish broker note lifted some UK high street and grocer stalwarts, though model train maker Hornby went off t

Investors in London showed confidence on Monday, as Ocado boosted the FTSE 100 despite shareholder pressure to move its listing to the US, while takeover talks drove Hipgnosis Songs Fund and Tyman in the FTSE 250.Amongst individual stocks, Ocado boosted the FTSE 100 on pressure to move to the US. The FTSE 250 got a boost from takeover talks for both Hipgnosis Songs Fund and Tyman.The FTSE 100 inde

Stock prices in London improved at the open on Monday, with FTSE 250 stocks Hipgnosis and Tyman rising on news of prospective takeovers for both firms, while investors more widely shook off nerves ahead of a key US inflation reading later this week.The FTSE 100 index opened up 96.75 points, 1.2%, at 7,992.60. The FTSE 250 was up 152.32 points, 0.8%, at 19,543.62, and the AIM All-Share was up 3.13

Third quarter revenue up 6%Strong showing in Mecca BingoFull year outlook affirmedCasino and bingo operator Rank (RNK) said like-for-like net gaming revenue for the third quarter to 31 March increased by 6% to £182.3 million, with trading continuing to improve in April.Shares in the Grosvenor Casinos and Mecca Bingo operator increased 2.6% to 72.9p and sit around 4% lower than the start of the ye

Centamin (CEY) 128.3pGain to date: 31.3%We flagged the appeal of Egyptian gold miner Centamin (CEY) a little over two months ago based on two key factors: operational improvements and exposure to strong gold prices.WHAT?S HAPPENED SINCE WE SAID TO BUY?The recent move higher in gold prices has been extremely helpful as geopolitical tensions in the Middle East escalate and inflationary pressures con

iShares Automation & Robotics ETF(RBTX) £10.22Fund size: £2.77 billionIn scenes from the film I, Robot, androids can be seen doing all sorts of household tasks ? running errands, carry heavy shopping, cleaning the home, for example. In the real world most robots do repetitive, heavy-lifting, and dangerous tasks in places like car factories.Yet humans and robots are forming a close friendship lik

If you had £10,000 to invest in a single fund, which would you choose ? one of the most popular with retail investors for more than a decade, or a relative new kid on the block with a similar asset allocation approach?In a manner of speaking, it is what billionaire City grandee Michael Spencer challenged formidable money man and Fundsmith Equity (B41YBW7) founder Terry Smith at the end of 2023, t

Ultimate Products (ULTP) 156pMarket cap: £142.9 millionStrong brands, a resilient business model and multiple growth opportunities ahead are among the investment attractions the market is missing at Ultimate Products (ULTP). This company is the owner of homeware brands including Salter and Beldray. The Oldham-headquartered firm is well placed to profit with UK and international retailers starting

A classic example of a superb business with staying power, The Coca-Cola Company (KO:NYSE) is blessed with iconic brands spearheaded by Coca-Cola or ?Coke?, the world?s most recognised soft drink synonymous with its red cans.Coca-Cola?s brands resonate with consumers around the world, making the New York-listed group?s products the beverage of choice for billions when at home or on the move.Powerf

Stock prices in London closed lower on Tuesday as hopes continued fading for three US Federal Reserve interest rate cuts this year, and as tensions between Iran and Israel added to investors? fears.The FTSE 100 index closed down 145.17 points, 1.8%, at 7,820.36. The FTSE 250 ended down 354.35 points, 1.8%, at 19,344.54, and the AIM All-Share closed down 12.00 points, down 1.6%, at 738.28.The Cboe

Shares up 7% to 469pThree-month sales up 26%999 net new customersShares in Darktrace (DARK) were up 7% to 469p in morning trading as the UK enterprise cybersecurity firm raised its guidance for year-on-year revenue growth and adjusted EBITDA (earnings before interest taxation depreciation and amortisation) margin.The announcement came as the company reported a 26.5% increase in revenue to $176.1 m

Nelson Peltz?s failure to get a seat on the board of directors at Disney (DIS:NYSE) has raised the question: are activist investors losing their touch?Peltz might have enjoyed success with earlier campaigns at Kraft Heinz (KHC:NASDAQ) and Wendy?s (WEN:NASDAQ), yet he sits alongside big names such as Pershing Square?s (PSH) Bill Ackman where campaigns have not gone their way.Peltz wanted to shake u

Investors will be hoping for news of a strong start from new spring lines, continued market share gains and growth in active customers when Dunelm (DNLM) delivers its third quarter update on 18 April.The leader in a fragmented UK homewares market, Dunelm will provide a read on the health of the UK consumer and the margin outlook amid Red Sea disruption and promotional market conditions.The company

US-listed large-caps shone last year with shares in mega-caps, and the ?Magnificent Seven? in particular, surging higher. However, this outperformance only widened the valuation gap between US large and small-caps and left shares in the latter cohort languishing at the low end of historical valuations.Over one and five years, the Russell 2000 index of US small-cap stocks is up 14.6% and 30.5% at t

Our portfolio of picks for 2024 is off to a solid start in what proved an uneven first quarter for the stock market as a whole.Our return of 9% is comfortably ahead of our FTSE All-Share benchmark at 3.9%. It?s a tale of feast and famine, however, with half of our selections achieving double-digit gains while 40% are in the red.THE BIG WINNERSAt the end of 2023, shares in biotech specialist Purete