Investors in the high-profile Royal London Global Equity Select (BF93W97) fund face a dilemma following the surprise resignation of star manager Peter Rutter from RLAM (Royal London Asset Management) alongside several of the firm?s global equities team.The managers are expected to set up their own company, having secured financial backing from Australia?s Pinnacle Investment Management. The news r

The persistently high interest rate environment means companies are under pressure to cut costs and jobs are an obvious target. While they can cut their workforce through redundancies or slash the wage bill through shorter or fewer shifts, others might already be operating with a skeleton crew and cannot pare back any further.It is against this scenario that higher wages are adding to companies? p

This feature explores spin-offs or de-mergers, looking at the rationale for them and how they have performed, and asks if they can be a promising hunting ground for investors.One of the UK?s largest recent spin-offs was GSK?s (GSK) demerger of its consumer healthcare division in 2022.GSK reportedly rebuffed a £50 billion offer from personal goods giant Unilever (ULVR) to buy the division, named H

Dr. Martens (DOCS) 72.1pLoss to date: 21.6%In mid-December 2023 we said the knock-down share price of iconic footwear brand Dr. Martens (DOCS) was too tempting to resist despite the company delivering four profit warnings.Our rationale was simple ? either the self-inflicted operational issues would be fixed by the current management or the business would be taken over by an opportunistic predator

Stock prices in London closed lower on Tuesday as hopes continued fading for three US Federal Reserve interest rate cuts this year, and as tensions between Iran and Israel added to investors? fears.The FTSE 100 index closed down 145.17 points, 1.8%, at 7,820.36. The FTSE 250 ended down 354.35 points, 1.8%, at 19,344.54, and the AIM All-Share closed down 12.00 points, down 1.6%, at 738.28.The Cboe

Shares down 59% over the past yearCEO Kenny Wilson to step downChallenging performance in the USShares in Dr. Martens (DOCS) fell 31% at one point to 66p in morning trading - a new 52-week low - as the iconic British footwear brand issued a profit warning.The Camden Town-headquartered company said US wholesale revenue ?is anticipated to be double-digit down year-on-year,? adding ?the decline in wh

Equities in London were firmly in the red Tuesday afternoon, with market confidence knocked by geopolitical tensions and US interest rate concerns, as a hat-trick of cuts by the Federal Reserve this year looks an increasingly distant prospect.The interest rate picture in the UK was muddied by the latest batch of jobless data. The unemployment rate rose, though pay growth remained sticky, giving th

London?s FTSE 100 opened sharply lower on Tuesday, as US interest rate worries and geopolitical tensions continued to cast a dark cloud over equity markets.Only Mondi traded higher, with even packaging peer DS Smith falling despite agreeing to a takeover from International Paper, the latest twist in a takeover saga that also involved Mondi. Mondi is yet to respond to the development.The FTSE 100 i

As investors gear up for the latest earnings season, stubbornly resistant inflation continues to dominant the mood music on US markets. After Wednesday?s (10 Apr) hotter-than-expected CPI data and the FOMC minutes, analysts at investment banks Citi, UBS, and Goldman Sachs all said they don?t see the Federal Reserve cutting rates in June, a blow to hopes that the interest rates down cycle will get

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

Store group gaining market shareOperating profit tops forecastFurther £1 billion share buybackThe UK?s largest supermarket group, Tesco (TSCO), reported record operating profits for the year to February 2024 and announced a fresh share buyback as it continues to attract shoppers and inflation eases.Shares in the Hertfordshire-based company gained 6p or 2% to 293p. VALUE PROPOSITION DRIVES

Stocks in Europe opened in the green on Wednesday, with FTSE 100?s Tesco edging up as it announced a new share buyback programme on the back of surging annual profit.The FTSE 100 index opened up 46.08 points, 0.6%, at 7,980.87. The FTSE 250 was up 130.70 points, 0.7%, at 19,894.05, and the AIM All-Share was up 3.15 points, 0.4%, at 754.13.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.6% at 797.85, the Cboe UK 250 was

This year is looking rosy so far for the UK?s largest supermarket group by market value and market share, Tesco (TSCO), and investors will be hoping it stays that way when the company reports its full-year earnings on 10 April.The year started with a report of record Christmas sales, up 6.8% in the six weeks to 6 January, and the group recording its busiest ever day on 22 December thanks to contin

Though its shares have drifted 20% lower over the past five years, Krispy Kreme (DNUT:NASDAQ) spiked on news (26 March) the sweet treat brand is expanding its partnership with burger chain behemoth McDonald?s (MCD:NYSE).This follows a successful test at 160 McDonald?s restaurants in Kentucky where ?consumer excitement and demand exceeded expectations?, according to Krispy Kreme. The phased rollout

Many investors had high hopes going into 2024. The market?s robust first-quarter rally still managed to surprise them. Resilient corporate profits, enthusiasm around AI and hopes that the Fed will cut rates have given investors plenty of reasons to keep on buying and keep buying they have in the run-in to Easter.Everything from stocks to bitcoin to gold have marched to new records in the first qua

Stock prices in London closed higher on Tuesday as investors wait for the latest core personal consumer price index, a key US inflation reading.The FTSE 100 index closed up 13.39 points, 0.2%, at 7,930.96. The FTSE 250 ended up 164.11 points, 0.8%, at 19,777.64, and the AIM All-Share closed up 2.26 points, 0.3%, at 739.52.The Cboe UK 100 ended up 0.2% at 793.33, the Cboe UK 250 closed up 0.8% at 1

The IT reseller industry has enjoyed a strong bounce back from the world?s Covid reopening as customers line up to put in place digital strategies and adopt the latest technologies, and AI (artificial intelligence) levers are being pulled left, right and centre.International player Computacenter (CCC) said in September 2023 that it sees another record year for profits and analysts have been quick

Aviva CEO Amanda Blanc buys over 10,000 sharesInchcape CEO Nigel Stein makes the most of strong resultsLikewise CEO offloads £2.5 million sharesAmanda Blanc, CEO of Aviva (AV.) has bought 10,597 shares at 474p for a total value of £50,241 along with her husband Kenneth Blanc who has bought 17,121 shares at 468p for a total value of £80,242 on 7 March.The purchases come after the insurance giant

Stock rallies as business stabilisesFortinet less than 10% off all-time $79 peaksSales execution focus is paying offShareholders in US-based cybersecurity company Fortinet (FTNT:NASDAQ) endured a hell of a 2023, with shock earnings misses leaving them understandably worried.While the shares ended 2023 up 20% or so, investors were saddled with two hefty stock drops - 25% in August and more than 12%

The retail sector accounts for £104 billion of the FTSE 350 index by value of its 22 constituents, making it of significant importance to the UK stock market and to any investor with exposure to UK equities.The fortunes of retailers can tell us about the state of the consumer and in turn provide clues on economic activity. Therefore, even if you do not have exposure to individual stocks in this s