THIS IS AN ADVERTISING FEATURE Stephen AnnessHead of Global Equities, Invesco The Magnificent Seven ? the group of supercharged stocks named after the classic Western movie ? that delivered such outstanding returns in 2023 generated so much attention you would think it impossible to have beaten the index without owning them all. The fact that some of us did should be hugely reassuring to investor

Demand weakened further in Q4Profit guidance lowered by 25%Flat profits expected next yearCar parts-to-bicycles purveyor Halfords (HFD) has cut its current-year profit guidance by 25% and sees flat profits next year at best, crushingly disappointing news that sent shares in the Worcestershire-based retailer skidding 26% lower to 148p.Halfords pinned the blame for the material earnings downgrade on

Generative AI (artificial intelligence) has dominated the semiconductor conversation this year. But while the technology has enormous potential in this space, there are also lots of opportunities elsewhere in the semiconductor sector.Industries like automotive, healthcare, pharma, education, transportation and professional services are all being impacted by a shift to a digital world, and that mea

Interest rates on cash savings accounts have risen the past couple of years, as the Bank of England's base rate has been hiked. But some people want their cash to be put to good causes, while also earning them a return on their money.The 'green' savings market has emerged in recent years, with money saved put towards environmentally friendly projects. However, with all the options you're not going

The FTSE 100 pushed higher at midday on Friday, as investors hoped to learn more about the future of interest rates at US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's address at Jackson Hole later in the day.The FTSE 100 index was up 35.67 points, or 0.5%, at 7,369.51. Meanwhile, the FTSE 250 was up just 3.12 points at 18,197.69, and the AIM All-Share was virtually flat at 734.50.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0

With the departure of several big gold miners from the UK market over the past decade, Endeavour Mining (EDV) saw an opportunity when it was looking to add a stock listing to its existing one in Toronto.Endeavour shares began trading in London in June 2021 and it joined the FTSE 100 in 2022. With the subsequent delisting of the Russian gold miner Petropavlovsk and likely departure of Polymetal (PO

The mortgage market is in a state of turmoil, as deals are being regularly withdrawn and replaced with contracts carrying more punitive interest rates.This has been driven by the Bank of England tightening monetary policy, but also more recently some bad inflationary data which has caused the market to raise its expectations for future interest rates. Unfortunately, even if those expectations don'

This article attempts to uncover the least favoured stocks in the UK market. The idea is to identify contrarian investment ideas which have the potential for a strong rebound when sentiment improves.Betting against the crowd when they are wrong is a sure-fire way to make money in the stock market, but it's much easier said than done.Picking individual stocks is hard to get right. Even the professi

JD WetherspoonInvestors will be looking for signs pubs group's sales momentum is poised to pick up in the second halfPubs group JD Wetherspoon (JDW) is scheduled to release first half results to 29 January 2023 on 24 March. The shares have had a strong run since last October gaining around 38% on the back of a general market recovery.A January trading update said first half like for like sales gre

Among the most resilient operators in a retail sector battling with inflationary pressures and the squeeze on household budgets is Frasers (FRAS), the FTSE 100 conglomerate controlled by retail tycoon Mike Ashley, which he founded in 1982 as a sports shop in Maidenhead.There are many misperceptions about Frasers, which remains best-known as the company behind value-for-money trainers and tracksuit

Stocks were mixed in London on Monday, as concerns over the Chinese government reimposing Covid-19 restrictions dampened investor sentiment.'The market had been pinning hopes on a Chinese reopening to help ease global supply chain problems and kickstart growth in the world'??s second largest economy. However, renewed outbreaks of Covid have seen some restrictions return and helped dampen sentiment

On 5 September, asset manager Abrdn (ABDN) announced that veteran and very successful fund manager Harry Nimmo will retire from the firm and the industry at the end of 2022 after the best part of four decades with the company.The news will have certainly set the nerves of investors in Abrdn UK Smaller Companies Growth Trust (AUSC) and Abrdn UK Smaller Companies (B7FBH94) jangling, given that Nimmo

Higher interest rates are on the way, or so the boffins in the investment markets expect. This is great news for savers,but it presents a conundrum for those looking at whether to lock in higher interest rates by fixing their savings.In this article we'll help guide you through whether you should lock away your savings to get higher rates or not.What's happening with interest rates?The Bank of Eng

European markets were lifted on Monday by news that China is lifting Covid restrictions in Beijing and Shanghai, despite new data showing inflation has reached a historic high in Germany.Shoppers returned to the malls of Beijing on Sunday as the Chinese capital relaxed pandemic restrictions after declaring a small but persistent Covid-19 outbreak effectively under control.A partial reopening of st

Many investors are frustrated that a lot of the stocks, funds and bonds in their portfolios have fallen in value this year. It's been a chaotic time on the markets and negative events keep unfolding.Inflation is at levels not seen for decades, the first major European war of the 21st century has broken out, and after years of ultra-low interest rates central banks are starting to tighten monetary

For much of the past five decades a conventional balanced portfolio made up of 60% shares and 40% bonds has served its purpose.The rationale behind this approach has been that bonds cushion volatility and provide income, and act as a counterbalance during a bear market. Conversely stocks provide the capital upside during a bull market.More recently the two asset classes have become more correlated

Paying a regular fee for a service is far from a new concept but over the last five years subscription services have mushroomed. Today you can sign up for pretty much everything from TV streaming to meal box deliveries, prescription refills, coffee bean fixes and gym classes.The pandemic became boom time with people unable to make spontaneous decisions about their free time and shares in companies

A global equity markets sell-off at the start of 2022, driven by concerns over hot inflation and rising interest rates, together with growing tensions between Russia and Ukraine, has left many investors nursing significant portfolio losses.Those with exposure to the technology-rich Nasdaq index across the pond have endured a particularly punishing 2022 so far, as monetary policy tightening, accele

It has been a tricky start to the year for investors. Some popular stocks and funds have fallen by more than 20% in less than a month, leaving portfolios battered and bruised.At the time of writing (25 Jan), the technology-rich Nasdaq index in the US was down 12.5% so far in 2022. This compares with the MSCI World index which is down 6.9% and the FTSE 100 which has fallen 1.9%.It is too early to s

THIS IS AN ADVERTISING PROMOTIONTrackwise Designs (TWD:AIM) is a UK manufacturer of innovative, specialist printed circuit products. The company was founded in 1989 and listed on the Alternative Investment Market in July 2018.Over the past 30 years, Trackwise has developed a strong track record of manufacturing high-quality printed circuit technology, serving customers across Europe, North America