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US companies on course for highest quarterly earnings growth since 2021
Thursday 06 Feb 2025Although much of the market’s focus last week was on president Donald Trump on the one hand, and Chinese AI start-up DeepSeek, on the other, there was also a slew of earnings reports which included a couple of Big Tech companies. Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp-owner Meta Platforms (META:NASDAQ)...
The factors driving Imperial Brands to 52-week highs
Thursday 06 Feb 2025Shares in Imperial Brands (IMB) have gained nearly 30% over the past six months due to a combination of investors piling into defensive stocks amid bouts of global market volatility and a strong five-year strategic plan. The multi-national tobacco company shares recently hit a 52-week high at £27...
Barclays set to deliver strong annual profit growth after doubling share price
Thursday 06 Feb 2025Next week sees the start of the UK fourth-quarter reporting season proper, with the big banks kicking off proceedings as usual. First up is Barclays (BARC) , which has been in the news for all the wrong reasons recently with its online payments system seeming to have failed miserably around the end...
Mitchells & Butlers shares knocked by £100 million ‘cost headwinds’
Thursday 06 Feb 2025Shares in Mitchells & Butlers (MAB) seem to be in a downward spiral despite the pubs, bars and restaurants group reporting strong trading during its first quarter which encompassed the festive season. Mitchells said first-quarter like-for-like sales remained well ahead of the market, however...
A return to growth in international markets in focus at McDonald's
Thursday 06 Feb 2025Wall Street analysts are expecting McDonald’s (MCD:NYSE) to report a 4.4% year-on-year decline in EPS (earnings per share) to $2.82 for the fourth quarter as revenues nudge-up by 1% to $6.48 billion, when it reports on 10 February. The Golden Arches delivered a positive earnings surprise in the...
Markets brought back from the brink after planned tariffs put on hold
Thursday 06 Feb 2025In a fitting irony for our high-tech 21st century world, it was an old-fashioned technology which brought markets back from the brink on 3 February after Donald Trump’s telephone conversations with the presidents of Mexico and Canada resulted in planned 25% tariffs being delayed by a month. Mexico...
Saba rebuffed as retail shareholders turn out for trust votes
Thursday 06 Feb 2025As we write, the first five investment trusts targeted by Saba have seen the US activist hedge fund proposals overwhelmingly voted down. As a brief reminder Saba was proposing to replace the current independent boards with two new directors and had stated an intention to follow this up with a...
Can Palantir keep the plates spinning as its valuation balloons?
Thursday 30 Jan 2025Cryptocurrencies, gold and Nvidia (NVDA:NASDAQ) have all been going gangbusters lately, but if it’s momentum you’re after, you don’t get any hotter than Palantir (PLTR:NASDAQ) , the company co-started by prominent Silicon Valley entrepreneur Peter Thiel, a co-founder of PayPal (PYPL:NASDAQ) ,...
WH Smith hangs ‘for sale’ sign over historic High Street stores
Thursday 30 Jan 2025Shares in WH Smith (SMWH) jumped 5% to £12.11 on 27 January after the storied retailer confirmed it was ‘exploring potential strategic options’ for its High Street business, which opened its first shop in London back in 1792. These options include a potential sale of all 500 High Street stores at a...
Sage Group hits new high after 2024 results and buyback spur gains
Thursday 30 Jan 2025Sage Group (SGE) has put in a robust performance over the last three months, with shares in the accounting software provider gaining 21% since late November to hit an all-time high last week. Much of the increase came on the 20 November when the company reported full-year results, which included a...