Chemicals companies produce the compounds used in a huge variety of different industrial and consumer products across sectors which include agriculture, healthcare, technology, aerospace, sports, leisure and beauty.The breadth of the industry?s focus means its fortunes are closely tied to the economy and movements in GDP as well as volatility in raw material prices and energy costs.In 2023 the sec

They say you can lead a horse to water but you can?t make it drink, however that?s exactly what we are trying to do with this week?s cover story on the compelling value being offered in UK stocks right now.We may be sowing our seed on stony ground ? indeed according to figures from one newspaper there has been a £2.5 billion outflow of money from UK funds and trusts in the last four months compar

There is no hotter area to invest in today than artificial intelligence, or AI as it is commonly known, and there is no hotter stock to buy than Super Micro Computer (SMCI:NASDAQ). But should you? In 2024 to date the shares are up 219.1%, notwithstanding a recent wobble, leaving the market cap topping $50 billion. That?s after clocking up 246% returns in 2023. Put another way, on 30 December 2022,

Mega-cap tech stocks drove the bulk of US stock market gains in 2023, but can the so-called ?Magnificent Seven? repeat the trick in 2024?While the odds seem stacked against a re-run of last year?s blistering capital returns over the next 12 months, Shares believes that the ?Magnificent Seven? will continue to beat S&P 500 rivals and top index averages. If you want high-quality growth in your portf

Can investors expect slumping stocks to bounce back? The obvious answer to this question is, it depends which stocks, and why they slumped. Share prices fall for many reasons. Some remain unloved, cast aside by equity markets like sodden paper bags. Others recover, fixing perceived problems and re-emerging from the equities' emergency room.Digging around the debris of past disasters is what so-cal

Database and software giant a major player in new AI worldPowerful innovation at heart of investment story$15-plus billion revenue boost over next few yearsIt's been a quite a ride for Oracle (ORCL:NYSE) this year, shares in the database monster rallying 22% so far even after September's sharp rebasing. That's twice the return of the S&P 500 although not quite as strong as the Nasdaq Composite's 2

I am 76 years' old and retired. My retirement income is the state pension, a small SIPP, dividends and interest.Can I pay £2,880 per annum into my pension and get £720 back from HMRC?BillTom Selby, AJ Bell Head of Retirement Policy, says:Although theoretically there is no limit on the amount you can contribute to a pension each year, in practice tax relief is controlled by government in several

Obesity is one of the fastest growing public health issues facing the world. The World Health Organisation estimates there are two billion overweight adults, of which around 650 million are technically obese.Having a body mass index over 30 means someone is obese, while anyone with a score over 25 is classified under this system as being overweight. Experts predict almost half of US adults will be

EMIS (EMIS:AIM) £19.08Gain to date: 39%Readers who backed our recent arbitrage call on EMIS (EMIS:AIM) should be feeling pretty chuffed having banked a rough 39% in five weeks, and we called it spot on.We said at the time (6 Jul) that this investment pitch was 'a little different to the sort of investment ideas Shares typically presents to readers,' but having paid-off much like we said it might,

How worried should you be about Chinese property developer Country Garden suspending trading in some bonds and potentially defaulting on payments?To many investors the fortunes of a single real estate firm on the other side of the world might not seem that material. However, Country Garden's woes are reflective of wider issues and we have been here before with China's property market.Eight years a

Fund managers see India emerging as a consumer powerhouseObvious manufacturing and supply chain China alternativeValuations are challenging after strong stock market performanceFor a decade or more China has been the world's growth powerhouse, but India is on the rise, and analysts and fund managers aplenty believe it will become the next emerging market superstar.'Broadly, we think India is an at

THIS IS AN ADVERTISING FEATURE Jason Baggaley, Investment Manager, abrdn Property Income Trust Limited abrdn Property Income Trust has embarked on a reforestation projectThe project includes reforestation, peatland restoration and biodiversity improvementsIt should improve air quality, flood mitigation and enhance the natural landscapeThe UK commercial property sector is a significant contributor

According to a new study by US bank Goldman Sachs, hedge funds currently have the lowest weighting to the US stock market in a decade and the highest weighting to European stocks instead.Considering hedge funds are supposed be a lot smarter than the average investor - which is why they typically charge their clients a 2% management fee and a 20% performance fee - that trade hasn't worked very well

After a decent showing in 2022, the UK stock market has failed to fire in 2023. The good news for investors is shares in other parts of the world have done much better and it has never been easier to have a globally diversified portfolio.There is an excellent range of products and instruments which allow you to participate in the returns from markets across the globe and, in this article, we provi

This a little different to the sort of investment ideas Shares typically presents to readers. It is something of an arbitrage play.We see NHS technology platform supplier EMIS (EMIS:AIM) as an attractive risk/reward option, where completion of the company's takeover by $444 billion US peer UnitedHealth (UNH:NYSE) implies roughly 40% upside for the share price to the £19.25 offer level.Yet beyond

As auto enthusiasts everywhere know, a Porsche can turn heads like few other sports cars, a principle that seems to hold true for its shares.The shares trade under the name of Dr ING F Porsche AG (P911:ETR), which is a mouthful, so we'll refer to the company as Porsche AG, but interested readers should take note when it comes to searching for the stock on your chosen investment platform.Porsche AG

A tricky week for US stocks ended on a brighter note as some dovish messaging from US Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell helped lift technology stocks.While Powell suggested the Fed was not done yet with rate hikes in testimony before US lawmakers he did at least suggest he and his colleagues would proceed with caution. Financial markets are largely pricing in a 25 basis point hike at the conclus

EV charging deals and AI promise have ignited the stock2024 PE of 52 has jumped from 38 in a monthInvestors too optimistic too quickly, believes Barclay's LevyBarclay's is worried that Tesla (TSLA:NASDAQ) investors are sticking their heads in the sand over near-term challenges and has told clients that this could be a very smart opportunity to take some profit off the table.Analyst Dan Levy on Wed

- Quarterly loss expected thanks to tax charge- Production and earnings across the business looking steady- Boost from OPEC production cut and subsequent oil spike won't show in these numbersEnergy group Shell (SHEL) was in favour with shareholders despite indicating it would post a loss for the first quarter of 2023.The shares advanced 1.4% to £23.98 as the company unveiled the usual teaser of i

- Shares at £18.08 versus £19.25 agreed takeout price- Markets nervous that deal will fall through- EMIS could face 24% share price slump if that happens, say analystsNearly nine months after agreeing a £1.2 billion takeover, shares in healthcare IT supplier EMIS (EMIS:AIM) are changing hands at a sizeable discount to that deal. Falling 3.5% in early trade on Tuesday (21 Mar), it leaves the sto