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

European stocks declined on Friday morning after reports of explosions in Iran, fuelling worries of a conflict escalation.The FTSE 100 index opened 50.93 points lower, 0.7%, at 7,826.12. The FTSE 250 was down 178.53 points, 0.9%, at 19,272.14. The AIM All-Share was down 4.15 points, 0.6%, at 741.14.The Cboe UK 100 fell 0.7% to 781.46, the Cboe UK 250 was down 0.8% at 16,706.81, and the Cboe Small

Sharp slowdown in UK job marketShare prices fall across the sectorInterim earnings guidance cutThe European staffing sector became a sea of red on Tuesday with share prices down sharply after FTSE 250 bellwether Hays (HAS) posted a grim account of trading in the three months to the end of December and warned half-year profits would miss expectations.Hays shares were down as much as 19% to 87p at t

Only a third of GAM investors accept offerSwiss asset manager shares gain 4%French billionaire Niel the likely victorShares in Liontrust (LIO) leapt 11% to 674p after the UK asset management firm admitted its attempt to take over troubled Swiss rival GAM (GAM:SWX) was dead in the water. Shares in GAM rose 4% to CHF 0.47 on the news in morning trading.Liontrust shares remain in the doldrums

Fund manager Liontrust Asset Management (LIO) has seen its shares halve in the last six months, which is providing a headwind for its proposed takeover of struggling Swiss asset manager GAM (GAM:SWX).Liontrust's offer is based on issuing 9.4 million shares to GAM's shareholders which on the day of the original takeover offer (4 May) valued GAM at CHF 107 million (£96 million), equivalent to CHF 0

Richemont sales boosted by China reboundBut US sales unexpectedly declineChina GDP data weighs on sentimentLuxury goods stocks were on the slide on Monday following weaker-than-expected gross domestic product figures from China, the world's second biggest economy and a massive market for bling, which came in at 6.3% for the second quarter against the 7.3% called for by consensus.Also weighing on s

London share prices opened lower on Tuesday, as a big week for company earnings and economic indicators stepped up a gear with UK government debt figures and some blue-chip results.The FTSE 100 index opened down 39.74 points, or 0.5%, at 7,872.46. The FTSE 250 was down 98.14 points, or 0.5%, at 19,128.80, and the AIM All-Share was down 4.01 points, or 0.5%, at 824.84.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.5%

Swiss healthcare company Lonza (LONN:SWX) is a great quality business giving investors defensive exposure to a fast-growing sector.With inflation subsiding and the Federal Reserve likely close to the end of its tightening cycle, Morgan Stanley's equity strategist Graham Secker believes the US yield curve is likely to see a 'bull steepening' which historically has been bad news for stocks.Bull stee

With the price of the average weekly shop going up by more than 10% this year, is there a way for investors to play the rise in spending on 'essentials' by owning shares in the companies which make the products we all buy?Shares has analysed the typical UK shopping basket to see what conclusions could be drawn.WHAT IS IN THE 'OFFICIAL' BASKET?The ONS (Office for National Statistics), which prepare

- Strong first half results fails to inspire market- Private equity market outlook remains uncertain- Debt financing instability holds back private equity activityShares in Swiss investment management company Partners Group Holding (PGHN:SWX) moved 0.6% higher to CHF 968.6 following the announcement of first half results that were ahead of expectations.Management confirmed guidance for full year 2

- Swiss bank may look to raise over 1 billion CHF- Share sale or disposal of assets among options- Rising costs add to structural headwindsShares in Swiss banking group Credit Suisse (CSGN:SWX) fell 5% to CHF 6.75 following unconfirmed reports it is looking at options to bolster its capital later this year.These include a potential sale of the asset management business, or selling shares to major

Savers and investors searching for decent income have been starved over the last decade as central banks have engaged in quantitative easing which kept interest rates artificially low.The pandemic and the war in Ukraine have changed the landscape dramatically. Interest rates are now on the rise across the globe in response to persistent inflation and a strong rebound in economic growth.Inflationar

Weakness in oil prices held the FTSE 100 index back on Thursday as index heavyweights Shell and BP both declined.Conflicting reports about a Russian troop pullback in Ukraine also kept financial markets cautious.At 12.30pm the FTSE 100 index was down 50.63 points, or 0.7%, at 7,553 points while the mid-cap FTSE 250 index was down 93 points, or 0.4%, at 21,736 points. The AIM All-Share index was do

The old adage is that you should never let a good crisis go to waste and this mantra seems to be being taken seriously by activist investors as we emerge from the worst of the pandemic.Several big UK companies have activists either circling them or they are already on the shareholder register making demands of management. In this article we look at eight different activist situations and give our

Nestle (NESN:SWX) CHF 114.70Gain to date: 14.7%Original entry point: Buy at CHF 100, 4 February 2021Shares in iconic food and drink-producer Nestle had a bit of a wobble after the firm reported a 10% increase in underlying first-half earnings but a small (0.2%) dip in its operating margin to 16.7%.Like everyone else, Nestle is experiencing cost inflation in its raw materials but unlike many firms

Despite being the world's largest food and beverage company, Nestle has been an undoubted winner from the worldwide restrictions imposed due to Covid, as 90% of its sales depend on the in-home market and just 10% are driven by the out-of-home and food service market.While we've all been cooped up indoors, many of us with our pets, it seems we've been consuming more of the company's products than e

This year has reminded the world about the importance of the pharmaceutical industry and investors have understandably become very interested in the sector's big players.With a vaccine for Covid-19 now being rolled out, the market's attention is moving on to earnings prospects for companies involved in this treatment as well as those tackling other illnesses.It's plausible that governments globall

There are some great stocks across the Atlantic but you pay an increasingly high price for them. In this article we will explain why investors on the hunt for growth could look closer to home, casting their gaze across the Channel to Europe.LITTLE MARGIN FOR ERRORUK retail investors seeking 'quality growth' stocks outside these shores have been avid buyers of US stocks for several years, and even

Fund managers are increasingly sharpening their proposition in the fight against competition from lower-cost tracker funds. Among them is John Bennett of Henderson European Focus Trust (HEFT) where the investment trust has amended its structure to give it capacity to make greater bets by holding fewer companies.The trust has cut the minimum number of holdings it can have in the portfolio, with the

The NHS will now offer a £90,000 breast cancer drug from Switzerland-listed pharmaceutical giant Roche, having previously considered the product to be too expensive.Kadcyla is used to treat HER2-positive breast cancer that has spread to other parts of the body, which cannot be surgically removed and has stopped responding to initial treatment.Shares in Roche have increased by 63% to CHF255.70 ove