It?s been a busy month in small-cap land with good news, bad news and downright weird news for investors to digest.First the good news, as the persistent undervaluation of UK companies ? and small caps in particular ? draws increasing numbers of corporate buyers.Financial services software provider Gresham Technologies (GHT) agreed a 163p per share cash offer from funds managed or advised by STG P

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

Third quarter revenue up 6%Strong showing in Mecca BingoFull year outlook affirmedCasino and bingo operator Rank (RNK) said like-for-like net gaming revenue for the third quarter to 31 March increased by 6% to £182.3 million, with trading continuing to improve in April.Shares in the Grosvenor Casinos and Mecca Bingo operator increased 2.6% to 72.9p and sit around 4% lower than the start of the ye

One of the most intriguing facets of financial markets of the past two years has been the differing messages offered by bond yields and share prices.The bond market, via the so-called inverted yield curve, has been predicting a recession. The stock market has instead priced in a cooling in inflation, a gentle economic landing and a pivot to interest rate cuts from central banks, with the result th

THIS IS AN ADVERTISING FEATURE US equities: time to diversifyFran Radano, Manager, The North American Income TrustThe ?Magnificent Seven? has dwindled to just two stocksInvestors need to ensure their US equity exposure is diversifiedThe new economic environment requires greater cautionInvestors may need to rethink their approach to the US stock market. After a decade where a handful of technolo

THIS IS AN ADVERTISING FEATURE Advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics could revolutionize the industrial sector, leading to a significant increase in the use of automation. Automation is expected to transform production lines, likely elevating human workers to manage robots, boosting overall productivity and output. Capital investments spurred by government policies and corpor

Final quarter exceeds guidanceOperating profit up sharplyFurther £50 million buybackFacilities management and business service firm Mitie Group (MTO) surprised the market with stronger-than-expected fourth-quarter results and a fresh £50 million share buyback.The shares climbed 6p or 5.5% to a new five-year high of 117.5p on above-average trading volume. STRONG DEMAND FOR SERVICESIn its t

Latest property M&A dealShares climb to a premiumInvestors expect a rival bidShares in AIM-listed self-storage site operator Lok?n Store Group (LOK:AIM) jumped more than 17% to £11.25 after the firm revealed it had received a cash offer for the whole business from Belgian company Shurgard.The price tops the offer price of £11.10, a premium of roughly 16% to the previous closing price, suggesting

European equities were mixed on Thursday morning, ahead of the European Central Bank?s next interest rate decision this afternoon.The FTSE 100 index opened up 2.10 points at 7,963.31. The FTSE 250 was down 4.02 points at 19,797.73, and the AIM All-Share was up 1.13 points, 0.2%, at 756.32.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.1% at 796.00, the Cboe UK 250 was up 0.1% at 17,216.17, and the Cboe Small Companies

THIS IS AN ADVERTISING FEATURE Capital at risk. The value of investments and the income from them can fall as well as rise and are not guaranteed. Investors may not get back the amount originally invested.As developed markets see higher interest rates feeding through into the real economy, activity is likely to slow. But there are stronger prospects for investment growth in many emerging markets,

In retrospect, it seems clear the tipping point for AI (artificial intelligence) was the release in November 2022 of OpenAI?s free-to use ChatGPT system.Until that point, most AI products were being developed privately and weren?t widely available to the public, added to which most were fairly clunky whereas ChatGPT was able to interact in a conversational way, answering questions, challenging inc

Capital preservation funds are positioned to help investors avoid large losses while growing their wealth too, albeit more slowly than more risk-tolerant funds. In the investment trusts patch, the three main wealth preservers are Ruffer Investment Company (RICA), Capital Gearing Trust (CGT) and Personal Assets Trust (PNL), while RIT Capital Partners (RCP) also has a capital preservation bent.Durin

Stocks in London were up on Thursday midday, with JD Sports shares in the FTSE 100 jumping as it outlined its financial 2025 profit forecast, while water utilities struggled.The FTSE 100 index was up 20.39 points, 0.3%, at 7,952.37. The FTSE 250 was up 52.23 points, 0.3%, at 19,862.89, and the AIM All-Share was up 1.29 points, 0.2%, at 743.40.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.2% at 794.61, the Cboe UK 250

The business of space has arrived, impacting our everyday lives for the better.?Space is the new industrial revolution- transforming all industries and addressing humanity's biggest challenges from climate change to global security, creating a better earth. With a market forecast to reach $1 trillion by 2030 , there is no sector or technology that space innovation won?t impact.?The space sector is

Record profits deliveredFY25 guidance reiteratedOverseas developments exciteShares in Next (NXT) rallied 5.4% to an all-time high of £89.66 on Thursday after the fashion and homeware retailer reported forecast-beating results for the year to January 2024 and reiterated its full year 2025 guidance.Investors? spirits were buoyed by comments from chief executive Simon Wolfson, described as a ?retail

It?s something of a rarity to find a housebuilding company whose shares are hitting new 12-month highs but regional developer Springfield Properties (SPR:AIM) is flying high after its first-half trading update.The firm, which builds new homes in evocative locations such as Elgin and Inverness rather than focusing on Edinburgh and Glasgow, said it had seen increasing homebuyer confidence since the

Getting on the housing ladder is the top priority for many young people, but with both house prices and mortgage rates rising it can be an increasingly hard-to-reach goal. However, using a Lifetime ISA can supercharge your savings and get you closer to your house-buying dream.The average house price in the UK is £285,000 today according to the Land Registry?s UK house price index, meaning that so

This column is being written just before the next meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee on 20 March and the working premise is that chair Jay Powell and his colleagues at the US Federal Reserve will leave the headline interest rate unchanged at 5.50%. If that does not turn out to the case then readers can immediately turn over the page, not least to spare the writer?s blushes.That caveat as

With the S&P 500 index racking up gains in 17 of the last 20 weeks, a feat it hasn?t managed to achieve since 1964, it?s fair to say investors are making hay in US stocks again this year.The benchmark has now posted no fewer than 17 new all-time highs since the start of January, the latest just last week despite a stronger-than-expected inflation report for February which previously would have see

London?s blue-chips went sideways, a mixed showing relative to European peers, as all eyes turned to the US with the interest rate decision imminent.The FTSE 100 index ended down just 0.92 of a point at 7,737.38. It had been 0.3% lower in morning trade, however.The FTSE 250 had a more stellar day, rising 51.59 points, 0.3%, to 19,484.40. The AIM All-Share rose just 0.03 of a point to 735.59.The Cb