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

First half revenue up 8%Strong pipeline of new centresGood progress in CanadaThe UK and Canada?s largest tenpin bowling group Hollywood Bowl (BOWL) said first half revenue increased 8% to a record £119.2 million as UK revenue tipped over £100 million for the first time.The shares dipped 1.3% to 331p in a tough session with the mid-cap FTSE 250 index in the red to the tune of 1.5% after a sell-of

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

Earnings per share top forecastsSeafood business back on trackGroup looking at growth optionsShares in FTSE 250 fresh goods packaging firm Hilton Food (HFG) climbed 2.1% to a new year-high of 872p in early trading after the firm posted better-than-expected earnings and increased its dividend.Chief executive Steve Murrells hailed the company?s ?good performance against a challenging market? and sai

Sales and profit guidance 15% and 25% below consensusContinued weakness in AsiaMarket share gains amid challenging marketGlobal music and audio products group Focusrite (TUNE:AIM) has downgraded 2024 full year sales and profit expectations following a continuation of the ?challenging? market conditions highlighted at its annual general meeting in January.Investors were in unforgiving mood, marking

Stock prices opened mixed on Monday, with the FTSE 250?s landscaping products company Marshalls plunging amid a profit dive, as investors prepare for a week full of interest rate decisions.The FTSE 100 index opened up 3.59 points at 7,731.01. The FTSE 250 was down 39.45 points, 0.2%, at 19,473.46, and the AIM All-Share was down 2.29 points, 0.3%, at 736.02.The Cboe UK 100 was up slightly at 774.01

Stock prices in London declined on Tuesday morning, with trading remaining muted following a public holiday in the US on Monday, though banking stocks were a bright spot for the FTSE 100.The FTSE 100 index opened down 7.57 points, 0.1%, at 7,720.93. The FTSE 250 was down 51.49 points, 0.3%, at 19,165.41, and the AIM All-Share was down 1.89 points, 0.3%, at 754.44.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.1% at 7

The last two years have seen unprecedented levels of outflows from funds invested in UK equities.Across the course of 2022 and 2023, around £25 billion was withdrawn from these funds by retail investors. This isn?t a new phenomenon. UK funds have seen outflows every year since 2016, to the tune of £46 billion in total. This feels like a significant and longstanding shift in consumer behaviour, s

Double-digit NAV increaseTotal share price return of 26.2%High portfolio turnoverPrivate equity investment trust HgCapital (HGT) delivered strong preliminary results for the year to December with an estimated 10.7% uplift in total NAV (net asset value) return per share to 498.6p.Investors responded positively, chasing the stock up 10p or 2.4% to 439p close to its recent highs. HIGH RETURNST

Helped by positive news on the economy, US markets had another strong week with the S&P500 index, the Nasdaq Composite and the Dow Industrials making new all-time highs.Real GDP (gross domestic product) expanded at an annual rate of 3.3% in the fourth quarter, marking a slowdown from the previous quarter?s 4.9% but above consensus forecasts of 2% suggesting the US economy remains on track for a ?s

Footwear firm saw ?softer? festive salesUSA business still challengedRelief as guidance reiteratedIconic British footwear brand Dr. Martens (DOCS) was in demand on Thursday, shares in the FTSE 250 retailer booted 7% higher to 80.7p after it swerved another profit warning despite a difficult Christmas for purveyors of bigger ticket items.The Camden Town-headquartered company saw softer December sal

Stock jumps nearly 10% after-hours to two-year highMore than 13 million net new subscribers join the streaming giantPricing power and growth levers to pullIt might be a little premature to call victory for Netflix (NFLX:NASDAQ) in the vicious TV streaming wars, but that hasn?t stopped some. ?These numbers underscore the fact that Netflix has ultimately won the streaming wars?, said Ben Barringer,

An insight into the extent to which environmental issues have faced push-back in 2023 is the performance of lithium.The raw element, a key component in batteries for EVs (electric vehicles), has plunged in value in 2023. It's an opaque market but most sources suggest prices have dropped by at least three quarters and are down nearly 80% from their peak in November 2022.Understandably this has had

Third-quarter operating income up 41%Record cash pile despite $1.1 billion buybackStock portfolio drops $24 billionOmaha-based conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B:NYSE) reported a 41% increase in third-quarter operating earnings to $10.7 billion on Saturday 5 November.The company continued to repurchase shares, spending a further $1.1 billion through the quarter, which means the Sage of Omaha h

When debating what kind of portfolio is going to be best suited to an environment of 'higher-for-longer' interest rates, looking at past periods of high rates provides a partial guide.In the UK interest rates were high and stayed high pretty much from the start of the 1960s all the way through to 1990 and during that period not only were rates in double digits but so was inflation. The difference

Stocks closed up in London on Friday as hopes of an end to UK interest rate hikes continued to rise.The FTSE 100 index closed up 36.47 points, or 0.5% at 7,478.19 on Friday, and ended the week 0.2% higher.The FTSE 250 ended up 79.34 points, or 0.4%, at 18,463.19 but finished the week down 0.4%. The AIM All-Share closed up 7.76 points, or 1.1%, at 743.44 and ended 0.3% higher over the past five day

Persistent inflation and higher interest rates are squeezing disposable incomes. In this scenario there is logic in investors putting their cash behind companies which make premium products which confer pricing power or sell affordable luxuries which help consumers to socialise or unwind at the end of the working day.One sector that enjoys both these attributes is Beverages, the domain of soft dri

Premier Miton calls for new 'Great British ISA'New wrapper would have extra £5,000 annual allowanceAJ Bell argues six different ISA variations already cause confusionFund manager Premier Miton (PMI:AIM) is calling for a new 'Great British ISA' designed to invest solely in UK equities that it believes would help encourage private companies to list in the UK and stay and grow here in Britain.The as

Full year results beat across the boardNew management has a strong track recordDividend to be reinstated this yearShares in defence and nuclear facilities management firm Babcock International (BAB) continued their recent rally with a gain of more than 10% to 348p after the group published stronger-than-expected results for the year to the end of March.Today's move takes the accumulated gains in t