On track to meet guidanceShare buyback in progressNew product revenue growing Shares in Imperial Brands (IMB) were flat in morning trading at £17.33 as the tobacco and next-generation product maker said it was ?on track? to meet half year and full year guidance. GUIDANCE MAINTAINEDThe firm said strong tobacco pricing was ?supporting financial delivery?, with growth in first-half group adju

NI cut by 2% as predictedFuel and alcohol duty frozenTobacco tax increaseWith the UK having recently experienced a technical recession after two quarters of negative growth to December last year, and the spectre of a general election looming, today?s Budget decisions are ?more critical than ever? says the AccountancyAge website.?This budget is anticipated to navigate the tightrope of stimulating e

Equities in London made an underwhelming start to the week, in a sign of investor unease ahead of a key few days on the fiscal and monetary policy fronts.A pre-election budget will be the key event in the UK this week. Eyes will be on whether UK Chancellor Jeremy Hunt will size up some tax relief. In the eurozone, focus will be on the European Central Bank?s interest rate decision on Thursday. In

This article is taken from the BlackRock World Mining Trust website, other insights are available online.The mining sector is no longer in thrall to the ebb and flow of the global economy, with the energy transition creating a new source of demand, says Olivia Markham, manager on the BlackRock World Mining Trust.Mining has historically been seen as an industry whose fortunes are tied to the globa

The end of the tax year is fast approaching and with it the opportunity to maximise your £20,000 ISA allowance for the year.In this article we have identified six names from a list of some of the most consistent funds and fund managers in the UK which could be a good fit for your tax wrapper. While we have aimed for a balance across different investment styles and asset classes this is not intend

A big question facing growth-oriented investors is whether the popular investment style can regain its mojo and get back to winning ways in a world of high interest rates.Despite a strong recent rally which has seen the technology heavy Nasdaq Composite rise 14% over the last six months, growth stocks have struggled relative to value over the last three years.The arrival of Pfizer?s (PFE:NYSE) Cov

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

12-month revenue down 0.2% year-on-yearNext generation products revenue up 26%Final dividend up 4% from 2022Imperial Brands (IMB) has reported a 26% rise in operating profit to £3.4 billion for the year ending 30 September 2023 in line with the tobacco firm's five-year strategic plan.Net revenue fell 0.2% to £32.47 billion compared to £33.55 in the same year ago period.Imperial owns several ico

When debating what kind of portfolio is going to be best suited to an environment of 'higher-for-longer' interest rates, looking at past periods of high rates provides a partial guide.In the UK interest rates were high and stayed high pretty much from the start of the 1960s all the way through to 1990 and during that period not only were rates in double digits but so was inflation. The difference

According to Charlie Munger, Warren Buffett's highly respected colleague and co-manager of Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B:NYSE), 'All intelligent investing is value investing, acquiring more than you are paying for.'Or, as Howard Marks of Oaktree Capital Management puts it, 'It's not what you buy, it's what you pay, and success in investing doesn't come from buying good things but from buying things we

Value stocks have outperformed growth stocks by 12% since Pfizer (PFE:NYSE) announced the first effective Covid-19 vaccine on 9 November 2020. That's comparing the MSCI World Value index against the MSCI World Growth index.We have reason to believe the value investing style could soon deliver even bigger outperformance given the shift in the backdrop from cheap money to more normalised interest ra

FY24 buyback 10% higher than FY23Shares rebound by 3% on announcementFY24 capital return to exceed £2.4 billionShares in Imperial Brands (IMB) rallied 3% to £16.30 as the tobacco company said it was 'on track' to deliver results for the 2023 financial year in line with its guidance and announced a further £1.1 billion share buyback for the 2024 financial year.Imperial, which has an array of ico

UK will follow New Zealand with proposed moveImperial Brand shares down nearly 3%British American Tobacco shares down nearly 1%Shares in global tobacco firms British American Tobacco (BATS) and Imperial Brands (IMB) took a turn for the worse as prime minister Rishi Sunak said at the Conservative Party conference in Manchester that he would crack down on the legal age of smoking and children vaping

Prime minister Rishi Sunak has floated and announced big policy changes recently from delaying a ban of the sales of new petrol and diesel cares, pulling back on phasing out gas boilers and introducing a New Zealand-style anti-smoking policy.There has also been the public discussion of abandoning or at least curtailing the zero-carbon high-speed railway to the north of England - better known as HS

Investing in tobacco stocks can be an ethical minefield for investors due to the ongoing health risks associated with smoking and vaping. In the UK, 76,000 people a year die from smoking according to the NHS, and 480,000 people in the US according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell, says: 'A lot of investors have turned their back on the se

Tobacco and alcohol firms lead UK rankingsAI machine analyses more than 10,000 data pointsProduces probabilities, not certaintiesTobacco and alcohol producers feature among the best UK stocks to buy in July, according to Danelfin's proprietary artificial intelligence stock picking engine. Imperial Brands (IMB) and Diageo (DGE), behind the Lambert & Butler, Rizla and Johnny Walker brands, stand fir

ASOS CEO dumps stock after weak first-half performanceImperial Brands director invests $500,000Vodafone CEO awarded over £150,000 worth of sharesFormer CEO and co-founder of ASOS (ASC) Nick Robertson has cashed in just more than £1 million worth of shares in the online fast fashion retailer.Robertson, who helped founded the business in 2000 has sold 250,389 shares at 401p for a total value of £

The recent tightness in the UK's labour market has impacted the country's economic growth and the resulting spike in wage costs has also contributed to the core inflation number that keeps central bankers awake at night.There has been much discussion about potential solutions to labour issues, from increased migration to more technological methods: automation, robotics and AI (artificial intellige

Fidelity Special Values (FSV) investment trust has outperformed the AIC UK All Companies sector over the past year delivering a 13.06% total return to investors compared to a 10.5% gain for the sector.The trust, run by Alex Wright and Jonathan Winton, co-manager since 3 February 2020, has achieved 11% dividend growth over five years. It currently yields 2.7% and trades at a 5% discount to NAV (net

Had investors gazed into a crystal ball at the start of 2023 they might have concluded that the investment landscape would be hard to predict this year. No surprise there.Now, halfway through the second quarter, prospects for global markets are little clearer with persistent uncertainty and asset price volatility. That said, some analysts believe that there is comfort to be taken from improved pro