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

Organic sales grow 2%Tough annual comparisonPositive read for BurberryGlobal luxury goods leader LVMH (MC:EPA) eked out a small increase in first-quarter revenue against strong comparable sales in the same period last year, sending its shares up 3% to ?807 and temporarily arresting the downtrend of the past month.Growth was the weakest since the rebound from the pandemic in early 2021, held back b

Fundsmith founder Terry Smith and head of investment research Julian Robins were in good spirits while chatting with AJ Bell?s editor in chief Dan Coatsworth in a video interview.As usual, Smith was candid and open to discussing various topics from investment strategy to individual stocks and succession planning.VIDEO ? Terry Smith: my future as manager of Fundsmith Equity Fund and thoughts on per

By his own admission, Nick Train, manager of Finsbury Growth & Income (FGT), isn?t one for nostalgia, whether that is reflecting on past glories or the ?melancholy fact? as he puts it that the popular investment trust has underperformed the FTSE All-Share index for the last three years.Moving into 2024, the trust has again lagged the benchmark with a share price return of -1.9% in January against

Post-Christmas updates from the industry demonstrate that not all luxury goods companies are created equal, with sector players experiencing contrasting fortunes as the post-pandemic boom normalises and well-heeled shoppers prove more selective.On 25 January, the world?s largest luxury goods group LVMH (MC:EPA) confounded investors? gloomy expectations by delivering better-than-expected fourth qua

Sales in the Americas declineProfits and margins miss estimatesShares drop close to year-lowUp-market drinks group Diageo (DGE) disappointed the market again with its interim results which missed expectations at the top and bottom line due to weak sales in the Americas.Diageo shares slid 3.75% to £27.35 taking them to the bottom of the FTSE 100 performance table and back towards their 12-month lo

Growth re-accelerates in Q4Drinks division serves up positive surpriseLVMH issues confident 2024 outlookShares in LVMH (MC:EPA) leapt 10% after the world's largest luxury goods group confounded investors? gloomy expectations by delivering better-than-expected fourth quarter organic sales growth of 10%, sending shares in rivals Hermes (RMS:EPA), Richemont (CFR:SWX) and Burberry (BRBY) higher on the

Following on from our coverage of Fundsmith Equity (B41YBW7) and the fact it has lagged its benchmark for three years running, another popular fund with retail investors, the Nick Train-run Finsbury Growth & Income (FGT), has also failed to outperform over the last three years.As the manager says in his December factsheet: ?This is disappointing to me and all my colleagues, because we work hard, w

An investor blessed with Nostradamus-like predictive powers who put money to work with Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B:NYSE) in 1964 and held the shares until 2022 would have enjoyed a gargantuan overall gain of 3,787,464% in terms of per share market value, leaving the stellar 24,708% return from the S&P 500 index with dividends included for dust.Under the direction of legendary investor Warren Buffett

As we approach the end of the year it is an opportune moment to shine a light on some of this year's least-loved stocks.Rather than look at the stocks which have lost the most, we have collected together those trading at or near their lows for the year along with those with the fewest friends in the analyst community and those which the hedge fund community thinks are outright shorts.If we first t

Recent dovish discourse from the European Central Bank and US Federal Reserve boosted investor sentiment across Europe on Wednesday.The FTSE 100 index closed up 25.54 points, 0.3%, at 7,515.38. The FTSE 250 ended up 179.20 points, 1.0%, at 18,666.73, and the AIM All-Share closed up 1.44 points, 0.2%, at 718.12.The Cboe UK 100 ended up 0.6% at 751.85, the Cboe UK 250 closed up 1.1% at 16,183.77, an

Shares in banking group NatWest (NWG) slipped on news of a potential retail shareholder offer in the coming 12 months - with chancellor Jeremy Hunt giving a deliberate nod to the privatisations of the 1980s in his Autumn Statement.The concern will be that at least a portion of the state's remaining 38.6% stake will be offered at a discount to ordinary investors, and this could act as an overhang o

NatWest share offer mulledAlcohol duty freezePlans to simplify ISAsShares in NatWest (NWG) were down slightly at 205p as the chancellor Jeremy Hunt floated the idea of a share offer.The Government still owns a 39% stake in the UK high street bank. The concern may be that shares will be offering to investors at a discount, acting as an overhang on the share price.PUBS AND BOOZE STOCKS TOAST DUTY FR

Software firm beats estimatesShare buyback an added positiveStock tops FTSE 100 gainersFinance and payroll software firm Sage (SGE) pleased investors not just with its better-than-expected annual results but with a surprise share buyback on top of the raised dividend.Sage shares topped the FTSE 100 leader board with an advance of 8% to a new lifetime high of £10.76. STRONG ORGANIC GROWTHFo

Global spirits leader Diageo's (DGE) shares plunged last week after the Johnnie Walker whisky maker warned on first half profits amid worsening sales in the Latin American and Caribbean region, where macroeconomic pressures have resulted in lower consumption and 'consumer downtrading'.Diageo's shock earnings alert, combined with the slower growth now being experienced by other high-end product pur

Spirits leader serves up earnings alert'Materially weaker' sales in Latin AmericaNorth America sales are improvingJohnnie Walker whisky and Smirnoff vodka maker Diageo (DGE) has warned first-half profits will disappoint due to worsening sales in the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region, where macroeconomic pressures are resulting in 'lower consumption and consumer downtrading'.Shares in the wo

If there is one thing investors can agree on, it is that the UK stock market is cheap.How cheap depends on who you ask, but the strategy team at Morgan Stanley believe the FTSE 100 is trading at a 35% discount to the MSCI World Index on a PE (price to earnings) basis.If inflation pressures continue to ease and the economy shows further signs of cooling, there is a fair chance the Bank of England m

Cake maker agrees £143.4 million takeoverBid price represents near 24% premiumDBAY believes food group is better off privateShares in Finsbury Food (FIF:AIM) surged 23% higher to 109.5p after the cakes, buns and muffins maker recommended a £143.4 million takeover by Isle of Man-based asset manager and largest shareholder DBAY.Under the terms of the deal, Finsbury Food's shareholders will receive

New Diageo chief exec cashes inExecutive committee sells en masse'Spoons' chairman splashes outIt has been a busy week over at Great Marlborough Street, London W1, as several top executives at Diageo (DGE) cashed in share awards to cover tax liabilities.Debra Crew, the firm's newly-appointed chief executive, sold a total of $3.5 million worth of ADS (American depository shares). At the same

Persistent inflation and higher interest rates are squeezing disposable incomes. In this scenario there is logic in investors putting their cash behind companies which make premium products which confer pricing power or sell affordable luxuries which help consumers to socialise or unwind at the end of the working day.One sector that enjoys both these attributes is Beverages, the domain of soft dri