Fund outperforms benchmark in 2023Dividend increases by 7% to 7.65pShares sit at 13% discount to NAVMid- and small-cap UK growth investor Mercantile Investment Trust (MRC) outperformed its benchmark in the year to 31 January, delivering a net asset total return of 4.5% and total shareholder returns of 6.1%.The dividend was increased by 7% for the year to 7.65p per share, comfortably covered by rev

Revenue improvement continuesStrong performance from Go.CompareMacroeconomic pressures continue to impact sectorShares in Future (FUTR) rallied 10% in early dealings after the publishing firm hailed a ?return to organic revenue growth? in the second quarter.The share price gains this morning were in stark contrast to the near-40% fall witnessed over the past year.In a trading statement for the hal

London?s FTSE 100 rose on Thursday morning, despite doubts over the timing of US Federal Reserve interest rate cuts still lingering, while gold reached another record high.The FTSE 100 index opened up 18.52 points, 0.2%, at 7,955.96. The FTSE 250 was up 34.02 points, 0.2%, at 19,787.66, and the AIM All-Share was up 0.82 of a point, 0.1%, at 742.90.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.3% at 795.53, the Cboe UK

There is no question the dominant theme in stock markets last year was AI (artificial intelligence), in particular generative AI.In an interview with Time magazine last June, Sam Altman ? the former chief executive of OpenAI, whose ChatGPT product has been at the forefront of the AI trend ? said he believes the technology will ?transform the way people work and the way people learn. It?s going to

Revenue falls 4% to £788.9 millionCFO to step downShares are down 58% year-to-dateShares in Future Publishing (FUTR) fell over 25% to 564p as the publishing said that revenue for the year ending 30 September fell 4% to £788.9 million compared to £825.4 million in the same year ago period.Revenue fell across the board with the UK down 4% and the US 19% lower.The publishing firm blamed a ?challen

Shares in Future (FUTR) have risen nearly 20% to the 857p mark after it said (29 September) that its adjusted full year profits will now be £254.1 million 'in line with board expectations.'This figure represents 'a turnaround' of sorts for the publisher who warned back in May that its full year profits were likely to be 'towards the bottom end of current market expectations'.The publisher also sa

Trading conditions remain mixedFuture shares down by a third year-to-dateAdjusted operating profits expected at £254.1 millionShares in Future Publishing (FUTR) were up over 23% to 879.5p in morning trading as the publishing firm said its adjusted operating profit for the year is 'expected to be in line with board expectations' (at company compiled consensus) of £254.1 million.Future made this a

Investors seeking to position portfolios for a rally in small and mid cap stocks should buy BlackRock Throgmorton Trust (THRG), a fund with a strong long-run performance record trading at a 7.2% discount to net asset value (NAV), wider than the 4.7% 12-month average.The sell-off in quality growth stocks caused by rising interest rates has been a headwind for the portfolio, but Shares sees manager

The introduction of a new disruptive technology always creates winners and losers. The market's current hot-button theme of artificial intelligence is no exception.The founder and chief investment officer of asset manager GQG Partners, Rajiv Jain, was on record in the Financial Times at the start of June as saying there will be more losers than winners from the development of AI.In this context in

Shares in publishing firm Future (FUTR) have lost 42% year-to-date, putting recently appointed CEO Jon Steinberg under immediate pressure.The dramatic share price drop to around 760p, extends losses from the highs above £39 seen in 2021, for the company behind well-known titles like Marie Claire UK, Homes & Gardens and Country Life.After years of strong growth, Future reported an 18% fall in pre-

- Firm is already among most-shorted UK stocks- Shadowfall said to be betting on rights issue- New ASOS chief executive faces uphill battleInvestors in online-only fast-fashion firm ASOS (ASC) are clearly made of stern stuff, or maybe they are just used to negative press reports.The news that feared UK short-seller Shadowfall Research, nick-named 'the dark destroyer', had targeted the company bare

First there was ChatGPT - the disruptive AI chatbot made by OpenAI (Chat Generative Pre-Trained Transformer) and now there are searches powered by AI (artificial intelligence) which could bring a revolution in digital advertising as well as spell the end of bog-standard online enquiries.REINVENTING SEARCHIn early February 2023, Microsoft (MSFT:NASDAQ) and OpenAI introduced AI-powered Bing and Micr

Investors instinctively know sectors such as utilities, consumer staples and healthcare are defensive and have historically provided shelter during stock market turbulence. Yet the analysis usually focuses on sector performance alone.This article takes a different approach and seeks to identify stocks within the S&P 500 and FTSE 350 indices which have had the least number of down years over the pa

- Future says audience numbers down- Reiterates full-year guidance- Shares down nearly 60% since start of 2022Publishing firm Future (FUTR) reported in its latest update that it is seeing a slowdown in audience numbers but, for now, still hopes to report underlying profit in line with expectations for the 12 months to 30 September 2023.This fall in the number of eyeballs scanning its publications

It is easy to become ensconced in a narrative and ignore contrary new information which doesn't fit with your thinking. But at some point, the penny drops, company plans go awry, and investors abandon the story.This article highlights stocks where investors appear to have changed their collective minds on a company's prospects. All the companies in the article have suffered a dramatic derating.A d

- Future revenue up 36% driven by acquisitions- 'Modest' growth expected for current financial year- Shore Capital expects mid-single digit EPS downgradeWhile its share price has fallen sharply in 2022, publishing firm Future's (FUTR) stratospheric rise had been built on delivering strong earnings growth.In that context a 6.3% fall to £13.90 makes sense given the accompanying guidance for 2023 gi

The threat of a recession is prompting companies to cut back on their promotions and investors are increasingly wary of buying shares in the advertising sector. This is understandable given the strong correlation between global economic growth and nominal spending on advertising.Both the MSCI European Media and Entertainment index and the MSCI World Media and Entertainment index have fallen year-t

Mid-cap companies have always attracted investors. Seen as large enough to compete on a global scale, but not so big that their capacity for growth is capped, like many FTSE 100 stocks, an increasing number of investors spend time researching stocks on the FTSE 250 index, or simply buy the index through the handful of inexpensive targeted ETF tracker funds that are available.While many investors m

Some of the UK's best-known businesses are being targeted by hedge funds this year as investors' nerves are shredded by inflation risks, rising interest rates and Russia's war in Ukraine.British retailers such as ASOS (ASC), B&Q-owner Kingfisher (KGF) and Currys (CURY) have seen short sellers make big bets that they will struggle as the cost-of-living crisis spirals, potentially leading to large s

-Full year guidance confirmed-Audience growth continues into second half-Who What Wear acquisition provides a new growth driverShares in media group Future (FUTR), jumped 6% following the announcement of a trading update which confirmed 2022 full year guidance.The group has also completed the acquisition of Who, What Wear a leading digital-only US women's lifestyle publisher.Future has market lead