Gaming Realms (GMR:AIM) 31.6pMarket cap: £93.4 millionFor the uninitiated, Gaming Realms (GMR:AIM) is a leading business-to-business licensor and distributor of games to the regulated gaming market.The company owns the IP (intellectual property) to the Slingo brand, one of the most popular formats of games played online.As the name suggests the format is a mash-up of slots and bingo. The game in

I would like to leave my favourite charity some money from my pension when I die. My husband will inherit my other assets through my will, and he will have enough money to be comfortable. We don?t have any children.Can I do this? I thought there was a lot of flexibility to leave my pension money to whomever I want.EmmaRachel Vahey, AJ Bell Head of Public Policy, says:Pension freedoms were introduc

European stocks reversed course after Wednesday afternoon?s US inflation, but largely clung on to earlier gains, though it was a bearish start in New York as investors re-assessed the interest rate outlook on the back of the red-hot data.The Federal Reserve?s latest dot-plot suggested three rate cuts could materialise this year. Since the March meeting, however, data has been robust and the odds o

At the centre of the current boom in generative AI (artificial intelligence) is chip maker Nvidia (NVDA:NASDAQ).It designs some of the fastest computer chips in the world which are needed to run data hungry LLMs (large language models) capable of understanding natural language.Readers may be familiar with Nvidia?s historical link to the gaming industry, but less familiar with the US giant?s connec

The new tax year often brings a raft of changes that impact people?s pay, investments and savings ? and this year is no different. Here we list the big changes affecting people?s finances from next month.1. Capital Gains Tax breaks cut again?From April the tax-free allowance for capital gains tax (CGT) will be cut in half, from the current £6,000 down to just £3,000. It means the tax-free amount

London?s FTSE 100 underperformed European peers on Wednesday morning, with wider sentiment taking a hit as investors re-think the Federal Reserve interest rate outlook in the face of robust US data.The FTSE 100 index opened down 37.00 points, 0.5%, at 7,898.09. The FTSE 250 was down 72.68 points, 0.4%, at 19,641.21, and the AIM All-Share was down 0.83 of a point, 0.1%, at 741.57.The Cboe UK 100 wa

Stocks in London headed into the long weekend on the front foot, outperforming their European peers.Markets in London will now shut for two public holidays, Good Friday and Easter Monday. They will reopen on Tuesday.The FTSE 100 index closed up 20.64 points, 0.3%, at 7,952.62. The FTSE 250 ended up 74.07 points, 0.4%, at 19,884.73, and the AIM All-Share closed up 1.15 points, or 0.2%, at 743.26.Ov

In a world of thousands of stocks, certain people just want to focus on ones that are doing well. If these stocks are part of a group with a snappy acronym or label, they must surely matter, right? That is the widespread view among the investment community.Investors love a narrative and what better way to hook people in than with a label that says, ?look at me?. The Magnificent Seven is the latest

In the middle of a bull market in stocks, gilts are back on the menu for investors. They might not offer the eye-popping returns experienced by Nvidia (NVDA:NASDAQ) shareholders, but nonetheless individual gilts were some of the most popular investments made over the last year on the AJ Bell platform, both by financial advisers and DIY investors.Clearly rising interest rates have precipitated gilt

Stock prices in London opened higher on Thursday, ahead of a flash UK PMI reading and the next interest rate decision by the Bank of England.Stocks on Wall Street got a boost on Wednesday, after the US Federal Reserve was surprisingly dovish and left its three rate cuts unchanged from the December dot plot.Eyes now turn onto the Bank of England which will announce its own interest rate decision at

We are weeks away from the end of the tax year and inevitably there is plenty of focus on ISAs ? whether that relates opening an account or using up existing allowances.In all the hoo-hah it?s easy to lose sight of just what a compelling vehicle this is for investors. Whatever you are investing for, whether it?s the cost of the kids? education, to supplement your income in retirement or to fund ho

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

Investors in FTSE 100 stocks on Monday held their nerve before key inflation data in the US tomorrow, while mid-cap stocks rose strongly ahead.The FTSE 100 index closed up 1.11 points at 7,573.69. The FTSE 250 ended up 141.61 points, 0.7%, at 19,203.93, and the AIM All-Share closed up 2.77 points, 0.4%, at 750.18.The Cboe UK 100 ended up 0.1% at 757.21, the Cboe UK 250 closed up 1.0% at 16,622.23,

Stock prices in London were mixed at the start of Monday afternoon, with the FTSE 100 down, as shares in some of its larger constituents struggled at the start of the week.The FTSE 100 index fell 11.34 points, 0.2%, at 7,561.24. The FTSE 250 is up 74.94 points, 0.4%, at 19,137.26, and the AIM All-Share added 1.39 points, 0.2%, at 748.80.The Cboe UK 100 fell 0.1% to 755.81, the Cboe UK 250 climbed

The Bank of England has held interest rates for a fourth time, but despite that mortgage rates are dropping, giving some hope for homeowners who are refinancing. The base rate was kept at its 15-year high of 5.25% at the Monetary Policy Committee?s first meeting of 2024. However, the year has started with a significant drop in mortgage rates, despite there being no shift in base rate. We?ll look a

Stock prices in London opened mixed on Thursday but Shell and BP rose; ahead of the Bank of England?s first interest rate decision of 2024.The FTSE 100 index opened up 16.35 points, 0.2%, at 7,646.92. The FTSE 250 was down 71.53 points, 0.4%, at 19,286.42, and the AIM All-Share was up 0.030 of a points at 754.78 .The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.1% at 764.57, the Cboe UK 250 was down 0.5% at 16,747.37, an

Prices are turning positive againLower mortgage rates helpingActivity seen picking up this yearHousebuilders and housing-related stocks got a lift going into the Bank of England?s monetary policy meeting thanks to a positive read on the property market from the latest Nationwide house price survey.Shares in Barratt Developments (BDEV), Crest Nicholson (CRST), Persimmon (PSN), Redrow (RDW), Rightmo

Stock prices in London had little direction on Wednesday morning, ahead of crucial interest rate decisions by the US Federal Reserve and the Bank of England.The FTSE 100 index opened up 2.76 points at 7,669.07. The FTSE 250 was down 11.48 points at 19,338.02, and the AIM All-Share was down 0.19 of a points at 754.70.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.1% at 765.96, the Cboe UK 250 was down 0.1% at 16,798.2

A big increase in the average takeover premium in 2023 highlights how parts of the UK stock market continue to be undervalued. The average bid premium for UK stocks in 2023 was 51% against 37% in 2022 and 43% in 2021, according to analysis by AJ Bell.Most London-listed takeovers last year involved small-cap firms. Buyers were a mixture of private equity firms or industry players looking to buy riv

London?s blue-chips retreated on Tuesday ahead of key UK inflation data, which could show whether hopes for a spring interest rate cut from the Bank of England are too optimistic.Investors are also re-assessing whether the conviction that US interest rates will be cut in March is realistic, or wide of the mark. US rate cut bets have dwindled, though a cut in March is still the most likely outcome