Resilient third-quarter salesSofter demand in MarchFull year guide spooks investorsLeader in the UK?s fragmented homewares market, Dunelm (DNLM) said it delivered continued sales growth and market share gains in its third quarter as the retailer also nudged up its full year gross margin guidance.Why then, did shares in the affordable curtain, quilt and kitchenware seller cheapen 5% to £10.20 in e

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

The FTSE 100 was lower on Monday at midday as the oil price declined despite high tensions between Iran and Israel, while the FTSE 250 was a tad higher.The FTSE 100 index was down 33.43 points, 0.4%, at 7,962.15. The FTSE 250 was up 12.21 points, 0.1%, at 19,733.45, and the AIM All-Share was down 4.01 points, 0.5%, at 751.90.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.5% at 795.86, the Cboe UK 250 was marginally d

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

London?s FTSE 100, the outperformer on Friday as investors fretted over a possible escalation in the Middle East, was the laggard on Monday in the wake of Iran?s strikes on Israel over the weekend, as the blue-chip index?s oil majors tracked crude prices lower.Large-cap benchmarks in Frankfurt and Paris, which fell on Friday, were on the up on Monday. Stocks in New York tumbled at the end of last

This year, Apple (AAPL:NASDAQ) shares have fallen nearly 9%. If that doesn?t sound like a big deal, consider that for the world?s second most valuable company it means the loss of something like $230 billion. That?s the equivalent of an entire PepsiCo (PEP:NASDAQ), or Shell (SHEL) ? the UK?s current largest company ? plus a British American Tobacco (BATS) thrown in.On a one-year view, the stock ha

?Strong? Q4 performanceRetail volumes up 9%Share buyback continuesUsed car retailer Motorpoint (MOTR) has reported an improvement in trading in the new calendar year amid an uptick in consumer demand for nearly-new vehicles.Margins gradually improved through the fourth quarter to March 2024 too, as the Derby-headquartered company increased stock turn and worked through the inventories affected by

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

THIS IS AN ADVERTISING FEATURE David Goldman, manager of the BlackRock Income & Growth Investment Trust gives his perspective on the year ahead. Marketing MaterialCapital at risk. The value of investments and the income from them can fall as well as rise and are not guaranteed. Investors may not get back the amount originally invested.Amid the macro-driven markets of the last three to five years,

The business of space has arrived, impacting our everyday lives for the better.?Space is the new industrial revolution- transforming all industries and addressing humanity's biggest challenges from climate change to global security, creating a better earth. With a market forecast to reach $1 trillion by 2030 , there is no sector or technology that space innovation won?t impact.?The space sector is

UBS raises target price from $800 to $1,100Top of the range estimates pitched at $1,400$150 billion revenues predicted for calendar 2025Analysts at UBS have upped their target price on AI (artificial intelligence) chips champion Nvidia (NVDA:NASDAQ) by 37.5% as the Santa Clara, California company continues to trump market expectations.In February 2024, Nvidia posted the market?s most crucial resul

Following last week?s primary votes, current US president Joe Biden and his predecessor Donald Trump both won enough nominations to ensure the battle lines for the November election are drawn.This repeat of the 2020 contest represents the first rematch of two former presidents in 70 years, and polling suggests it will be a much tighter race this time round.Many Americans don?t want a rematch as it

New business profit above forecastsMargins well ahead of estimatesShares close to multi-year lowsInvestors in Africa- and Asia-focused insurer Prudential (PRU) must be wondering what the firm has to do to win the market?s approval after a less than rapturous reception to better-than-expected full-year results.Having opened higher, within a couple of hours the shares were in negative territory down

Stocks in London were in the red at midday on Monday, as investors continued to deal with last week?s sell-off in US tech shares and a ?mixed? jobs report.A favourable inflation reading helped the Shanghai Composite achieve a 0.7% gain to start to the week, despite lingering concern for the Chinese economy. But it was the Nikkei 225 in Tokyo that was badly hit by tech share declines, giving back 2

Testing kit supplier latest UK growth company to attract buyer175p per share offer a 60% premium to Monday?s closeStock had traded near 300p just a couple of years agoThere?s two ways of looking at Spirent Communication?s (SPT) agreed £1.01 billion takeover by US peer Viavi Solutions, a deal that saw Spirent shares rocket 60% to 173p. On the one hand, you could say it is further evidence of the r

Revenue down 5.4% to £568.6 millionPrint circulation revenue up 2%Pre-tax profits down 10% to £92.7 millionShares in Reach (RCH) were up over 15% at one point in morning trading to 68p after annual profit came in slightly ahead of market expectations. The newspaper publisher reported a 5.4% fall in revenue to £568.6 million for the 53 weeks to 31 December 2023.The shares were also buoyed by po

Equities in London made an underwhelming start to the week, in a sign of investor unease ahead of a key few days on the fiscal and monetary policy fronts.A pre-election budget will be the key event in the UK this week. Eyes will be on whether UK Chancellor Jeremy Hunt will size up some tax relief. In the eurozone, focus will be on the European Central Bank?s interest rate decision on Thursday. In

It is not often that a company can boast that it intends to become the largest producer in not one, but two minerals deemed ?critical? and ?strategic? by various countries.It is less often that the same company also wants to be producing these minerals at the lowest cost globally.Overlay the fact that Sovereign believes it can produce these minerals with the lowest carbon-footprint in the entire i

This article is taken from the BlackRock World Mining Trust website, other insights are available online.The mining sector is no longer in thrall to the ebb and flow of the global economy, with the energy transition creating a new source of demand, says Olivia Markham, manager on the BlackRock World Mining Trust.Mining has historically been seen as an industry whose fortunes are tied to the globa

iShares Digital Security UCITS ETF (LOCK) $8.08Assets: £1.2 billionThis year is being called a ?global elections supercycle? as hundreds of millions of voters go to the polls all over the world. That?s likely to see geopolitical risk remaining a hot button issue through 2024 and cybersecurity an increasingly crucial theme as the months trundle on.We believe cybersecurity is an excellent 21st Cent