Following on the heels of AIM's 30th anniversary last month, this week marks the 90th anniversary of the FT30 index (on 1 July, to be precise). Never heard of it, you say? Founded in 1935 by the Financial News, it was originally called the Financial News 30-Share Index before changing its name to the FT30 in 1945 after the newspaper merged with the Financial Times. The index is similar to the...

Next year should prove a sweet one for Treatt (TET) and its shareholders. The extracts-to-ingredients supplier has the recipe for long-term growth and many of the hallmarks of a high-quality company including an unwavering focus on innovation, strong cash generation and double-digit returns on both equity and capital employed.Well-placed to profit as its end-markets recover from an unhelpful...

Tate & Lyle (TATE) 645pMarket cap: £2.5 billionInvestors have soured on Tate & Lyle (TATE) since the global ingredients group announced the $1.8 billion (£1.4 billion) acquisition of 'mouthfeel' specialist CP Kelco in June.The food producer's shares have fallen more than 20% from May's 831.5p five-year high on concerns over price and integration risk, since large acquisitions have an...

£1.4 billion CP Kelco takeover agreed'Significant' synergies expected£215 million share buyback beginsGlobal ingredients group Tate & Lyle (TATE) has agreed to buy US-based 'mouthfeel' specialist CP Kelco from Huber for $1.8 billion (£1.4 billion) with the food producer hungry to accelerate growth in its specialty food and beverage business.The cash and shares transaction should sweeten...

$350 million sale completes transformationCash proceeds to be returned via buybacksResilient results deliveredTate & Lyle (TATE) was in demand with investors on Thursday, shares sweetening up 5.2% to 712.5p after the company completed its strategic shift towards a speciality food and beverage business with the $350 million (£279 million) sale of its remaining 49.7% stake in Primient to KPS...

Food ingredients business Tate & Lyle's (TATE) recent third-quarter update (21 February) saw an 11% decline in its Food & Beverage Solutions business as it was hit by a mixture of customer destocking and weaker consumer demand. Foreign exchange headwinds are also having a negative impact, while contracts for 2024 have been more competitive due to softer demand.Berenberg analyst Samantha...

In a year when just 27% of actively managed funds outperformed their benchmark, the US Nasdaq index delivered a 33% loss, the FTSE 250 index fell 22% and the FTSE All-World index dropped 20%, Shares' stock portfolio for 2022 also disappointed.A year ago, we were aware that Russia might invade Ukraine but underestimated what such a move would have on inflation and interest rates, which in turn...

When supermarket giant Tesco (TSCO) posted its first quarter trading update, chief executive Ken Murphy made a reference to 'changing customer behaviour as a result of the inflationary environment'.His comment reverberated through the market, unsettling investors who had come to rely on the grocery sector as dull but dependable - after all, whatever else is happening in the world, we all must...

It's been a challenging first half of the year for investors with so many stocks falling in value. Our annual stock pick selection features a few bright spots, yet the portfolio is still in negative territory. We can only hope for a much better second-half, though the outlook is far from encouraging.Since we published the portfolio on 23 December 2021, we've seen a 14.5% loss versus a 3.8%...

Despite the best efforts of quite a few holdings, our 'stocks for 2022' portfolio is lagging the FTSE All-Share index since being launched in late December 2021. We're up 2.4% versus a 3.2% gain from the benchmark.Nevertheless, to be in positive territory is a good achievement given how volatile the first three months of the year have been for stock markets, and the FTSE All-Share index has...

Shares in Tate & Lyle (TATE) ticked up 2.6% to 738p after the food and drink ingredients firm announced the acquisition of prebiotic dietary fibre business Quantum from China-listed ChemPartner.Tate & Lyle said the $237 million acquisition will strengthen its position as a leading player in the rapidly growing global dietary fibres market.The deal will also expand its presence in China and...

TATE & LYLE (TATE) 747.4pGain to date: 14.9%Original entry point: Buy at 650.6p, 23 December 2021One of our key stock selections for 2022, shares in Tate & Lyle (TATE) are up 14.9% since we flagged the global sweeteners group's attractions and they spiked on news (11 Feb) of excellent third quarter trading and reassurance that input and energy cost inflation has been recovered through pricing...

Shares in food producer Tate & Lyle (TATE) ticked up 8% to 744.2p on Friday after the international sweeteners specialist reported a near-20% surge in core business revenues for the third quarter to December 2021.The FTSE 250 firm assured the market it remains on track to split into two businesses by the end of March 2022 and said that the current year performance of the continuing business is...

Investors have an opportunity to buy Tate & Lyle (TATE) at an approximate 50% discount to ingredients peers. The FTSE 250 constituent's imminent sale of a controlling stake in its North American Primary Products business will create a higher quality, 'new' Tate & Lyle with superior growth prospects which should drive a material rerating of a misunderstood stock.Tate & Lyle is a global provider...

Accsys TechnologiesAccsys (AXS:AIM) is a global leader in sustainable wood technology and sells its products into the construction and building materials industries in the UK, Europe, North America and Asia through timber distributors.Its Accoya wood product is both sustainable and high-performing, with a 50-year guarantee, which makes it an ideal replacement for man-made, carbon-polluting...

The cost of living in the UK rose at its fastest pace since 2008 in November, surging 5.1% and adding to Bank of England pressure to raise interest rates.The Office for National Statistics reported on Wednesday (15 December) that consumer prices increased far faster than analyst predictions of 4.7%, and up from 4.2% in October.The monthly rate of inflation rose 0.7%, compared with a fall of...

Our latest review of the best and worst earnings revisions across the FTSE 350 throws up a few surprises in terms of sectors and individual stocks, particularly in the light of their relative performance.There are three distinct clusters of winners, split between investment, real estate and consumer discretionary companies.Among the investment companies, Molten Ventures (GROW) - previously...

London's FTSE 100 finished 0.43% higher at 7,279.91 points on Thursday after the Bank of England confounded market expectations by keeping interest rates on hold, while still warning a hike is coming soon.Banks were the big casualties with Barclays (BARC), Lloyds (LLOY), NatWest (NWG) and HSBC (HSBA) all marked lower as hopes they would see an increase in lending margins were dashed, for the...

UK shares opened on the front foot on Thursday in line with other global equity markets after the US Federal Reserve presented a dovish message to investors.Fed chair Jerome Powell said the central bank would start to taper back its asset purchases as signalled but added it was nowhere near the point of raising interest rates. US markets rallied in response and overnight trading in Asia...

UK shares opened on the front foot on Thursday in line with other global equity markets after the US Federal Reserve presented a dovish message to investors.Fed chair Jerome Powell said the central bank would start to taper back its asset purchases as signalled but added it was nowhere near the point of raising interest rates. US markets rallied in response and overnight trading in Asia...