Wizz Air expected to report a loss for the year but hopes for recoveryBudget carrier is looking for a return to profit in the current financial yearThe European budget airline Wizz Air (WIZZ) is expected to report an overall net loss for the year ending 31 March 2023 on 8 June, hit by a range of issues such as the Russia-Ukraine conflict as well as rising maintenance and fuel costs.However Jozsef

A 14% discount to net asset value at Strategic Equity Capital (SEC) suggests significant rerating scope remains at this concentrated trust of 20 carefully selected small cap names.Since seasoned investor Ken Wotton took over as lead manager last September, the discount has narrowed, and we think an improved net asset value performance driven by portfolio changes offers a catalyst to bring the disc

UK stocks finished higher on Friday as optimism over a stronger economic recovery held sway. Slightly weaker than expected February inflation data in the US gave bond prices a boost, pushing yields lower and supported gains in equities.At 4.30pm the FTSE 100 index of leading stocks was up 1% to 6,742 points, led by miners and consumer-facing 'recovery' stocks.COMPANY NEWSMining group Kaz Minerals

UK stocks held on to early gains on Friday lunchtime as risk appetite returned to global markets, as President Biden vowed to double the US vaccine rollout target, increasing optimism for an economic rebound.At 12pm the FTSE 100 index of leading stocks was up 0.8% to 6,725 points, led by miners and consumer-facing 'recovery' stocks.COMPANY NEWSMining group Kaz Minerals (KAZ) gained 2.9% to 864p af

UK investors were in upbeat mood on Friday, helped by a rebound in US markets overnight after two days of losses, an encouraging retail sales report and a slew of positive company updates.At 8.30am the FTSE 100 index of leading stocks was up 60 points or 0.9% to 6,735 points, led by miners and consumer-facing 'recovery' stocks.Sterling was steady at $1.376 while Brent crude futures gained 1% to $6

London's FTSE opened lower on Friday morning, as data showed the UK economy shrank by 2.9% in January, weighed down by a slump in trading activity with the EU, albeit the decline was somewhat lower than the 4.9% drop many were anticipating.By 9 am, the blue chip benchmark was off 0.15% at 6,727.15 points, while the FTSE 250 was 0.35% lower at 21,459 points.Strength among banking and energy stocks

UK shares turned up on Friday afternoon helped by early gains on Wall Street while the pound held above the $1.40 level, its highest against the dollar in three years.At 16:30 pm the FTSE 100 index of leading stocks traded 0.4% higher at 6,644 points.COMPANY NEWSHigh street bank NatWest Group (NWG), at one stage the biggest loser on the FTSE, reversed its early losses to rise 5.2% to 180p despite

UK shares gave back early modest gains to drift into slightly negative territory at midday. Investors were seemingly unmoved by news that retail sales slumped with a worse than expected 8.2% fall in January.Energy, financial and healthcare stocks were the main losers while mining and travel-related stocks were in favour.At 12pm the FTSE 100 index of leading stocks was 0.48 points lower at 6,617 po

The UK market got off to a slow start heading into the weekend with the FTSE 100 index drifting off 11 points to 6,606 following a weak session on Wall Street overnight and a drop in oil prices.Energy, financial and healthcare stocks were the main losers while mining and travel-related stocks were in favour.Brent crude futures fell 0.8% to $63 per barrel, sending shares in BP (BP.) and Royal Dutch

London's FTSE 100 ticks 16.2 points higher to 7,333.5 on Thursday, building on yesterday's Brent Crude-led gains and at its best levels since the end of February.Glasgow-headquartered pumps and valves play Weir (WEIR) races 5.6% higher to £22.36 as it reports continued strong momentum in the first quarter, with orders up 22% year-on-year. Investors also cheer the $1.285bn acquisition of US-based

Fancy doubling your money by investing in a young, vibrant growth stock? That's exactly what you could have done by picking one of the companies which appeared at last year's Innovators & Investors Forum. Give yourself a chance of repeating this success by coming to the 2016 event, to be held on 2 February in London.Click here to book your free ticket now.Nearly half of all the firms presenting at

China fearsEconomic growth in China is running at its slowest since the financial crisis and is in 'dangerous' territory, claims China Beige Book. The research group conducts polls and tracks indicators in China to give a more up-to-date view on its economic health than official stats. Both manufacturing and service sector growth continue to slow, it says. (WC)Fishing Republic nets dealFishing Rep

Dell-EMC's nostalgic tie-upInvestors partial to 1990s nostalgia should note Dell's $67 billion (£43.5 billion) acquisition of computer storage outfit EMC (EMC:NDQ). The deal (12 Oct) is the biggest since AOL's (AOL:NYSE) year 2000 $164 billion purchase of Time Warner (TWX:NYSE) at the height of the tech, media and telco (TMT) boom. In a further nod to the 90s, part of the business will remain lis

Ebola threat to cocoaCocoa prices, already at three-and-a-half year highs, could quickly escalate if the current unprecedented outbreak of Ebola in West Africa spreads from neighbouring countries to major producer Ivory Coast. Long exposure to the crop is possible through ETFS Cocoa (COCO) at $3.87. (TS)Victoria's turnaroundKeep an eye on the impressive turnaround being weaved at design-led carpet

Buying normally good quality business enduring a sticky patch has delivered some decent success for Shares. Current Plays IDOX (IDOX:AIM), Iomart (IOM:AIM) and Telecom Plus (TEP) are up 45%, 14% and 10% respectively. We think that Xaar (XAR) could be another six to 12 month investment triumph.The Cambridge-based company has basically become a victim of its own raging success. Xaar is a world-leadi

Following last year's big profit warning, FTSE 250 sports media group Perform (PER) bounces back 9% to 255p after appointing a new chief financial officer and saying that first quarter trading has gone well. Ashley Milton is joining from a division of WPP (WPP), the world's largest advertising and marketing group.Struggling grocer Morrisons (MRW), still reeling from its severe profit warning in Ma

38.8pGain to date: +28.0%The data and workflow software supplier has rallied since we last updated on the stock at 31.5p late 2013 (see Plays Updates, Shares 7 Nov '13). But we're getting concerned about widespread capital expenditure (capex) cuts across the oil and gas industry and taking profits now looks sensible to lock in a 28% gain. As we spelled out in last week's AVEVA (AVV) story (see Age

Today's dramatic share price crunch at AVEVA (AVV) is a classic case of rating reshuffling. Shares in the computer-aided design software group plunged more than 10% in early trading, to £23.17, on scaled back growth at its Enterprise Solutions (ES) division. Half-year revenues here managed just 5% growth, a far cry from the 31% advance last year and 16% divisional growth in the first half of 2012

31.5pGain to date: 4.0%A profit warning (4 Nov) from workflow software supplier IDOX (IDOX:AIM) has wiped out nearly all of our 26%-odd paper gain. We flagged the counter two months ago at 30.3p (5 Sep) but its Enterprise Information Management (EIM) licences continue to cause grief despite a promising pipeline, this week's alert being the second warning in six months. Some orders have been deferr

If you believe actions speak louder than words then you will also conclude that attention should be paid when a director purchases shares in their own company. There are many reasons why an executive might sell stock but when they use cold hard cash to show their confidence in a firm's future prospects then it speaks of real commitment.After all the directors should know the intricate workings of