US-listed large-caps shone last year with shares in mega-caps, and the ?Magnificent Seven? in particular, surging higher. However, this outperformance only widened the valuation gap between US large and small-caps and left shares in the latter cohort languishing at the low end of historical valuations.Over one and five years, the Russell 2000 index of US small-cap stocks is up 14.6% and 30.5% at t

HgCapital Trust (HGT) 458.8pMarket cap: £2.1 billionWhile it may not be as well known as FTSE 100 private equity firm 3i (III), specialist software and services investment trust HgCapital (HGT) has an equally impressive track record.Total share-price returns over the last decade are 18.8% per year, slightly ahead of the FTSE 100 giant which has posted 18% compound annual growth, while 2023 saw it

Revenue down 5.4% to £568.6 millionPrint circulation revenue up 2%Pre-tax profits down 10% to £92.7 millionShares in Reach (RCH) were up over 15% at one point in morning trading to 68p after annual profit came in slightly ahead of market expectations. The newspaper publisher reported a 5.4% fall in revenue to £568.6 million for the 53 weeks to 31 December 2023.The shares were also buoyed by po

Equities in Europe were in a muted mood Tuesday afternoon, while stocks in New York were called to open lower, with key political, fiscal and monetary policy events on the docket in the days to come.Wednesday?s UK budget, the last before the next general election, could see some tax cuts announced. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell speaks in front of lawmakers that day too. Sticking with monetar

Stock prices in London were mainly down on Tuesday, ahead of a handful of data readings, and the UK Spring Budget on Wednesday.The FTSE 100 index opened down 23.82 points, 0.3%, at 7,616.51. The FTSE 250 was up 9.02 points at 19,258.10, and the AIM All-Share was down 2.36 points, 0.3%, at 735.33.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.3% at 763.23, the Cboe UK 250 was up slightly at 16,596.27, and the Cboe Sma

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

It was another superb week for the major US indices with the S&P 500 breaching the 5,000 mark for the first time ever on 8 February, ending the session 0.1% to the good at 4,997.91 points, as a narrow set of America?s biggest companies continued to drive the market higher.The Nasdaq Composite and Dow Jones Industrial Average indices also sustained their strong starts to 2024 amid a busy corporate

Stocks in London saw mixed fortunes at Wednesday?s market open, with the flagship FTSE 100 held back by a strong pound.The FTSE 100 index opened down 37.16 points, 0.5%, at 7,418.08. The FTSE 250 was up 71.67 points, 0.4%, at 18,458.67, and the AIM All-Share was up 1.6 points, 0.2%, at 714.19.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.5% at 740.29, the Cboe UK 250 was up 0.4% at 15,998.72, and the Cboe Small Comp

Soft drinks business Britvic (BVIC) serves up full-year results on 22 November, when investors will be thirsty to learn how volumes are holding up at the Fruit Shoot, Robinsons and Tango maker which also produces and sells brands including Pepsi and 7UP in Great Britain and Ireland under exclusive agreements with PepsiCo (PEP:NASDAQ).Price hikes and volume growth helped Britvic's revenues to bubbl

Shares fall pre-market after Qataris pull-out of biddingGlazer family asking price a key sticking pointSir Jim Ratcliffe now only bidder but for 25% stakePre-market trading in Manchester United (MANU:NYSE) indicates the shares could drop over 10% after Sky News reported Jassim bin Hamal al-Thani has withdrawn his interest following months of negotiations.As of Friday's close, Manchester United sha

A combination of a favourable commodity price backdrop and positive operational progress has helped energy services firm Hunting (HTG) to a 20% share price gain in the past six months.As chief executive Jim Johnson explained to Shares an investor day on 13 September was intended to demonstrate to the market the business was about more than its flagship Titan product. This perforating gun is used t

Coach, Kate Spade and Stuart Weitzman brands owner Tapestry (TPR:NYSE) has agreed to buy Versace, Michael Kors and Jimmy Choo parent Capri (CPRI:NYSE) in an $8.5 billion (£6.7 billion) tie-up between the two American fashion houses.Slated to close by the end of 2024, the mega-merger should create a stronger rival for the likes of Burberry (BRBY) and is an attempt to better compete with European l

Major US indices trended lower over the past week despite latest US inflation figures (10 Aug) lifting sentiment late on, adding to optimism that the Federal Reserve's rate hike cycle is at an end. As for investors, they were taken with pharma stocks and a US luxury sector mega-merger.Tapestry (TPR:NYSE) tumbled after agreeing to buy Michael Kors, Versace and Jimmy Choo parent Capri (CPRI:NYSE) in

US markets took a breather this week as investors take stock of latest corporate earnings. The S&P 500 booked a third straight day of declines on 3 August as longer-dated Treasury yields spiked in the wake of a downgrade by Fitch Ratings for US bonds.Other major markets have also slipped over the week, with investors continuing to monitor US economic health data against a backdrop where the nation

Stock prices in London saw limited early-morning gains on Tuesday, as markets were cautious ahead of a busy week of global interest rate decisions, starting with the US Federal Reserve on Wednesday.However, hopes of more economic policy support from the Chinese government helped the FTSE 100 inch up when markets opened on Tuesday.The FTSE 100 index opened up 4.02 points, or 0.1%, at 7,682.61. The

There was some sunny optimism on display on Wall Street over the past week, supported by an inflation reading which came in lower than expected.Both the headline and core measures of CPI (the latter of which strips out the impact of more volatile food and energy prices) were just 0.2% higher month-on-month against the 0.3% rise which had been pencilled in.This helped lift stocks as it fed expectat

Self-storage and private rental markets strongFirms all investing for future growthValuations yet to respond due to high ratesWhile shares in UK property stocks are stuck in the doldrums due to rising interest rates, the latest announcements from a leading self-storage firm and a pair of property rental groups suggest it is very much 'business as usual'.A GROWING MARKETIn its first-quarter trading

Our investor this week is Andy, who is in his early thirties and has been investing since he left university around a decade ago.A history graduate, Andy puts his initial interest in finance and markets down to his father who is an accountant.'I can't remember exactly what the trigger was,' says Andy, 'but around the time I was leaving university the economy was still just coming out of the global

There are important things to consider if you want to invest for your child. For example, what age to start investing, what investment strategy to adopt and whether you should get your children involved in picking stocks and funds. We will now go through the key points.The average cost of raising a child in the UK from birth to 18 is £69,621 for a couple and £113,102 for a lone parent, according

Coca-Cola HBC agrees to buy Finlandia for $220 millionLeading vodka brand in Central and Eastern EuropeUnique opportunity to accelerate on-premise business in more marketsSoft drinks bottler Coca-Cola HBC (CCH) said it has agreed to buy the owner of the Finlandia vodka brand from a Brown Foreman Corporation (BF.B:NASDAQ) subsidiary for $220 million subject to regulatory approvals.Shares in the Cok