Despite all the doubts about the durability of the rally, US stocks continue to power head with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite posting new life-highs during the past week leaving them up 7.5% and 9% respectively year-to-date.Both indices have registered their best February since 2015, with the Dow Jones recording its best return in three years.Importantly, it isn't just the 'Magnificent Seven' w

Swashbuckling gains were clocked up in November as investors bet that falling inflation, a firm jobs market, and mostly better than expected corporate earnings bode well for the US economy into 2024.The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 1.8% over the past week, and while the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite rose more modestly, it?s still been a hell of a month for US stocks. The Dow Jones Industrial

An antitrust lawsuit from 17 states and the Federal Trade Commission against Amazon (AMZN:NASDAQ) represents the US government's biggest regulatory challenge yet against the e-commerce giant, one that could see the $1.34 trillion company eventually broken up.The landmark case targets Amazon's retail platform, alleging that it's harmed shoppers and sellers alike on a massive scale. Through an alleg

It was an up and down week for US stocks as investors contended with the hangover created by the higher rates for longer message coming out of the Federal Reserve at its latest meeting. Easing oil prices supported a recovery later in the week, even if crude remains above $90 per barrel, as the retreat helped dial down fears about a big resurgence in inflationary pressures.Renewable energy speciali

Online retail giant falls on monopoly probeStripping AWS out, dream for many fund managersAny legal action likely to take yearsThe US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) made its move against online shopping giant Amazon AMZN:NASDAQ) on 26 September, accusing the company of illegally stifling competition on its way to becoming a ubiquitous retail presence and one of the world's most valuable companies.

- Stock down nearly 10% on pre-report $142 price- Citron Research claims Etsy one of world's 'largest counterfeiting platforms'- Cybersecurity firm Darktrace recently a short selling attack targetArts and crafts consumer platform Etsy (ETSY:NASDAQ) has come under a short selling attack, accused of flogging hooky goods on a scale that would make Del Boy and Rodders blush.Shares in Brooklyn-based Et

Microsoft (MSFT:NASDAQ) and Facebook-owner Meta Platforms (META:NASDAQ) are facing growth roadblocks as regulators in the US, UK and EU bare their teeth.The US Federal Trade Commission has moved to block Microsoft from its planned $69 billion deal to buy gaming giant Activision Blizzard (ATVI:NASDAQ), claiming that it could undermine competition in high-performance consoles and gaming subscription

- Downbeat 2023 outlook could send the shares south- Ballooning stock levels are a big concern- Analyst says ASOS in a 'precarious' positionInvestors in ASOS (ASC) are nursing a year-to-date loss of 78%, shares in the online fast fashion retailer having fallen from just under £24 at the start of 2022 to 527p on negative newsflow.Now, the fear is ASOS stock could come under further selling pressur

Shares in consumer healthcare colossus Reckitt Benckiser (RB.) rose 2.5% to £65.86 on news it will pay up to $1.4bn (£1.1bn) to fully resolve all US federal investigations into the sales and marketing of opioid addiction treatment Suboxone Film by its former subsidiary, pharma business Indivior (INDV).Separately, Indivior's shares shot up 37.7% to 61p after it raised full year profit and sales g

After the S&P 500 index lost $1.6trn in value in May due to fears of a tariff-induced US economic slowdown, investors in tech stocks Amazon, Facebook and Google-owner Alphabet faced further heavy losses on the first trading day of June over fears of rising regulatory scrutiny.Alphabet shares lost 6% in a day, or more than $45bn in market value; Amazon lost 4.6% or $40bn in value; and Facebook lost

Political events continue to dominate the news agenda even for investors with the pound plunging back below $1.25 as confirmation filters through that Theresa May faces a no confidence vote from her own party.Conservative MPs will vote this evening, either backing the Prime Minister or hoping to shunt her aside for new leadership.Yet UK stock markets take that news in their stride, with the FTSE 1

A shock profit warning and share suspension from toilet roll maker Accrol (ACRL:AIM) provides a timely reminder to look for negative signs in trading updates.It was impossible to spot all the negative points that led to Accrol saying current year earnings would be significantly below market forecasts and that net debt had ballooned.However, there were two signs in the previous trading update (publ

London's blue-chip benchmark firms 31.4 points to 7,341.4 on Monday, opening on the front foot following a generally positive session on Wall Street on Friday, as investors around the world appeared to be coming to terms with the ongoing tensions between the US and North Korea.Corporate news is fairly thin on the ground, although one eye-catching mover is smart home technology tiddler LightwaveRF

Microwave and radio frequency kit designer Filtronic (FTC:AIM) will report its first pre-tax profit after three years of red ink. The company, whose technology is used in mobile phone masts and base stations, has enjoyed a spell of strong trading that means it is likely to beat market expectations for £1m pre-tax profit.Analysts at Panmure Gordon have now upped their estimate to £1.4m for the ye

Fund management guru Neil Woodford is renowned for making investors money and Woodford-backed IDEX has suddenly sparked to life after striking a deal with credit cards giant, Mastercard.IDEX is a Norwegian-listed fingerprint identity technology developer being run by Hemant Mardia, once the CEO of microwave technology kit designer Filtronic (FTC:AIM). It also has UK offices in Harrogate and Farnbo

Communications kit designer Filtronic (FTC:AIM) admits it still has only limited visibility for wireless infrastructure project demand. This leaves the company exposed to lumpy orders and possibly delays. The company is hoping its new range of ultra-wide band integrated antennas will help relieve operational pressure points once they have gained meaningful traction. The shares trade at 9.62p.

On 5 September the £24.3 billion acquisition of UK microchip designs champion ARM by Japan's Softbank (9984:T) was officially sealed and, in doing so, a high quality company has been removed from the UK stock market.Investors who were lucky enough to own the shares are set to get their slice of the takeover proceeds over the coming days. ARM's timetable implies the cash will be making its way to

Filtronic hopeCommunications kit designer Filtronic (FTC:AIM) has hardened hope that it may be drawing a line under 30 months of disappointment. The company has just posted (2 Aug) full year results to 31 May showing lower, but better than expected, revenue and lowered operating costs.(SFr)Bonmarche on backfootWomen's value fashion purveyor Bonmarche (BON) has its work cut out to meet full-year pr

Communications kit designer Filtronic (FTC:AIM) may at last be drawing a line under 30 months of disappointment, prompting one analyst to speculate the shares could more than double over the coming 12 to 18 months.But as the chart shows, investors have bought the hype cycle in the past only to have their hopes dashed by a succession of grim news and we think it makes sense to steer clear.The Leeds

London shares stage a bounce back ahead of UK services PMI data later today with a stream of corporate announcements also driving investor interest. The FTSE 100 index rises around 33 points, or 0.5%, to 6,143.Energy utility Centrica (CNA) slips 7.3% to 214p on a surprise decision to sell new shares to institutional investors. It plans to place around 350 million shares, which is 7% of its share c