Every time anyone in the UK puts money into a pension, a deal is struck. The government adds tax relief to the contribution, and the quid pro quo is you have to lock that money away for retirement. Hence why you can only access a pension after the age of 55, rising to 57 from 2028.The idea is that if you?ve got your own funds to live on in retirement, you won?t fall back on the benefits system and

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

It must be maddening for analysts that every time they?ve put forecasts for Darktrace (DARK) into the market, they?re forced to tear them up and start again. It happened for the third time already this year earlier this month (11 April), in the wake of a surprisingly strong third fiscal quarter update (to 31 March) that the company predicts will mean an extra $2.4 million of ARR, or annual recurri

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

Stock prices in London closed up on Friday, but investors remained tentative as Israel carried out retaliatory strikes on Iran.The FTSE 100 index closed up 18.80 points, or 0.2%, at 7,895.85. The FTSE 250 ended down 59.37 points, 0.3%, at 19,391.30, and the AIM All-Share closed up 0.38 of a point, 0.1%, at 745.67.Across the week, they were down 1.3%, 1.7% and 1.4% respectively.The Cboe UK 100 ende

Stock prices in London declined as investors were cautious due to concerns that the Iran-Israel conflict could escalate, following reports by Iranian state media about explosions in the province of Isfahan.The FTSE 100 index was 47.06 points, 0.6%, at 7,829.99. The FTSE 250 was down 166.79 points, 0.9%, at 19,283.88, and the AIM All-Share was down 4.00 points, 0.5%, at 741.29.The Cboe UK 100 was d

European stocks declined on Friday morning after reports of explosions in Iran, fuelling worries of a conflict escalation.The FTSE 100 index opened 50.93 points lower, 0.7%, at 7,826.12. The FTSE 250 was down 178.53 points, 0.9%, at 19,272.14. The AIM All-Share was down 4.15 points, 0.6%, at 741.14.The Cboe UK 100 fell 0.7% to 781.46, the Cboe UK 250 was down 0.8% at 16,706.81, and the Cboe Small

The start of the new financial year tends to be when many of us really think about our own financial circumstances.Increases in average wages have finally overtaken inflation, those on the National Living Wage have enjoyed chunky pay increases and employees will feel the benefit of the cut to national insurance when they receive their April pay. While prices haven?t been rising as quickly as they

A classic example of a superb business with staying power, The Coca-Cola Company (KO:NYSE) is blessed with iconic brands spearheaded by Coca-Cola or ?Coke?, the world?s most recognised soft drink synonymous with its red cans.Coca-Cola?s brands resonate with consumers around the world, making the New York-listed group?s products the beverage of choice for billions when at home or on the move.Powerf

In the Spring Budget, the chancellor announced the launch of new British savings bonds with the promise of a three-year cash account intended to raise more money for the government. The new products have been launched, so we?ll explain what they are and when you might want to use them.WHAT ARE THE NEW BONDS?Despite being branded as ?British savings bonds?, the money raised will go into the general

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

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

Markets were gripped on Monday by concerns over how Israel might respond to Iran?s recent drone strike, with commodity prices falling.The FTSE 100 index closed down 30.05 points, 0.4%, at 7,965.53. The FTSE 250 ended down 22.35 points, 0.1%, at 19,698.89, and the AIM All-Share closed down 5.63 points, 0.7%, at 750.28.The Cboe UK 100 ended down 0.5% at 795.31, the Cboe UK 250 closed down 0.1% at 17

THIS IS AN ADVERTISING FEATURE For roughly 80 years, rapid industrial production growth defined the U.S. economy. Starting in the early 2000s, however, the U.S. industrial production machine began a two-decade stagnation. But things are changing. Deglobalization and re-shoring are gaining momentum, and developed economies want to strengthen their supply chains. To mitigate economic and geopolitic

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

European shares fell on Thursday, with markets grappling with US inflation, Federal Reserve interest rate and geopolitical worries, with the latter hitting travel stocks.Elsewhere among central banks, the European Central Bank left rates unmoved as expected, but the odds of a June cut have risen. The Bank of England is ?way off? cutting, however, a monetary policy committee member said.The FTSE 10

The end of the tax year is well known for being ISA season, when savers and investors rush to beat the 5 April deadline to make the most of their £20,000 annual ISA contribution.But in the background a hardy bunch of investors are just biding their time at the beginning of April, waiting for the new tax year to roll around, so they can pounce on their new ISA allowance as soon as it becomes avail

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

Stocks in London were higher at midday on Wednesday, boosted by retailers ahead of a US consumer price inflation reading.Amongst individual stocks, Tesco led the charge, after unveiling a £1 billion share buyback programme. Other retailers also got a boost on the back of the results.The FTSE 100 index was up 47.65 points, 0.6%, at 7,982.44. The FTSE 250 was up 171.65 points, 0.9%, at 19,935.00, a

EBITDA above pandemic peakFull year deficit reducedCEO Moulding flags revenue growth returnE-commerce company THG (THG), the owner of beauty sites Cult Beauty and Lookfantastic and the online sports nutrition brand Myprotein, reported significantly narrowed full year losses for 2023 as CEO Matthew Moulding hailed the firm?s return to revenue growth.Shares in THG ticked 2% lower to 66.6p as investo