SMITHSON INVESTMENT TRUST (SSON) £13.93Market cap: £2.22 billion. After a steep decline during most of 2023, investment trust Smithson?s (SSON) shares are enjoying a healthy rebound which should have further to run as sentiment towards quality global small- and mid-cap companies improves, with potential interest rate cuts providing a tailwind.The trust?s wide 11.5% discount to NAV (net asset val

There is no question the dominant theme in stock markets last year was AI (artificial intelligence), in particular generative AI.In an interview with Time magazine last June, Sam Altman ? the former chief executive of OpenAI, whose ChatGPT product has been at the forefront of the AI trend ? said he believes the technology will ?transform the way people work and the way people learn. It?s going to

The events of the past three years have completely altered the investment backcloth against which fund managers are trying to earn above-average returns.Fund managers can have an investment framework to operate within, but what do they do when a 'black swan' lands? How do they adapt their strategies and reshuffle portfolios when a once-in-a-century event happens - like a global pandemic or an outb

The boom and bust of Neil Woodford's fund management career showed that star fund managers are not invincible and that a better solution might be to have two or three managers making investment decisions as a team rather than rely on one person.But what if that team consisted of 15 people? That is the situation with Swiss asset management firm 2Xideas, which has taken the view that one person alon

This year's market turmoil has caused many investment trusts to trade below their average discount to net asset value. It means investors can often buy £1 worth of assets for 90p or thereabouts.A popular trading strategy is to find investment trusts on wider than normal discounts and buy them in the hope the discount narrows. The trick is to understand which trusts have become cheaper due to a on

UK stocks headed lower on Tuesday afternoon as the debate on interest rates reared its head again following better than expected jobs data in the UK and stronger than forecast US retail sales.While the Bank of England's decision to hold off on hiking rates last month surprised investors, today's employment data may add pressure on the central bank to finally take the plunge.At the close the FTSE 1

UK and European stock markets enjoyed a day of strong gains on Tuesday as investors took a risk-on approach in the face of speculation in Washington that President Trump could introduce a capital gains tax cut to create jobs.UK stocks shrugged aside latest employment data which showed the number of people in work in the three months through June fell by 220,000, the biggest quarterly decline since

European stock markets stormed higher across the board at lunchtime on Tuesday as investors pin hopes on speculation in Washington that President Trump could introduce a capital gains tax cut to create jobs.UK stocks shrugged aside latest employment data which showed the number of people in work in the three months through June fell by 220,000, the biggest quarterly decline since the global financ

London's FTSE 100 rose 15 points to 7,568 on Monday with strength in miners and tobacco stocks helping to offset weakness in banking and utilities names. European markets were less volatile than those in Asia, where big declines were seen across China, Hong Kong, India and Japan. Market chatter suggested that investors were no longer betting on sharp interest rate cuts in the US and so appetite ha

MARKET CAP: £1BN & ABOVE IQE +318%To call IQE's (IQE:AIM) share price run this year remarkable still understates the performance. At one stage last month the stock closed at 178.75p. The share price began the year trading at 37.75p.So why has it had an amazing run? Unconfirmed rumours that IQE's vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) technology is being used in Apple's latest iPhone are l

Strong commodity prices helped the FTSE 100 shake off a weak trading session in Asia overnight to trade modestly higher at 7,561.49 this morning. Mining and oil and gas stocks were higher as crude moved to a two-year high amid a political crackdown by major producer Saudi Arabia.Drug developer BTG (BTG) slumps 5.6% to 735p as it confirms a £53.5m hit from a legal dispute with Wellstat Therapeutic

The new trading week gets off to a shaky start with economic and geopolitical concerns making investors nervous. China has cut its economic growth target to 6.5% from last year's 6.7% rate; North Korea launched four missiles towards the Sea of Japan; and the US Federal Reserve indicated it may put up interest rates this month.The FTSE 100 followed in the footsteps of Japan's Nikkei index with a de

Another hopeful is attempting to turn carbon-based 'super' material graphene into cash as Directa Plus (DCTA:AIM) joined the junior market on Friday. Given the patchy performance of others listed companies trying that same trick it is somewhat surprising that the Italian company has managed to raise £12.8 million from investors, priced at 75p per share. Even more eye-popping is the fact that earl

A rebound in resources stocks is helping to recover some of the previous session's losses with the FTSE 100 up 0.61% at 6128.73 this morning.Online second hand car marketplace Auto Trader (AUTO) is down 1.7% to 384.7p as directors and management sell shares following the expiry of their lock-up period post the company's IPO. Between them chief executive Trevor Mather and finance director Sean Glit

Specialty chemicals business Versarien (VRS:AIM) is in theory packed with blue sky potential but the key question prospective investors need to ask themselves is: how many times will the company have to keep coming back to the market to raise more cash?In a recent initiation note on the company (10 Dec 2015) house broker WH Ireland slapped a buy recommendation and 25p price target on the stock but

Mike Ashley-controlled retail powerhouse Sports Direct International (SPD) slumps 11.7% to 587.5p as interim profits fall short of expectations, up only 3.6% to £166.4 million against tough comparatives which were boosted by the build up to the 2014 World Cup.Commercial software support outfit Micro Focus (MCRO) surges 10.7% to £14.74 as it postsstellar revenue and underlying profit growth thank

The ability of micro cap stocks to deliver super-sized returns in super quick time is exemplified by Catalyst Media (CMX:AIM).The £12.3 million cap's main asset is a 20.5% stake in provider of broadcasting services to bookies Satellite Information Services (SIS) and it is up 63.9% in the space of a week to 50p after SIS secured (23 Sep) a new five year deal with Racecourse Media commencing April

Thermal management technology firm Versarien (VRS:AIM) is expanding its reach in the US.On 20 April it announced the appointment of Mouser Electronics as an authorised global distributor in the sale and promotion of the Versarien standard range of heat sink products. The agreement should bolster faith in management as it looks to achieve commercial traction in the Versarien technologies division w

The stock market's smallest and riskiest companies have always held fascination for private investors. On the premise that 'elephants don't gallop, but fleas leap,' to borrow Jim Slater's often quoted phrase, it's easier for a tiny company to double its size, and investor's money, than for a big one. Let's face it, a blue chip company worth £1 billion will find it much harder to double or even tr

It's that time of year again when we add up the numbers for the past 12 months and reveal our new stock selections for the year ahead. In a nutshell, our 2014 stocks achieved 5.9% average return (excluding dividends) versus a 3.9% decline in the FTSE All-Share over the same period.Such is tradition, late December sees financial and business magazines, newspapers and websites make bold calls on the