Shares magazine
Magazine archive
News
Why shares rallied on a stronger-than-expected US jobs number
Thursday 12 Jan 2023Many investors might be surprised at how markets jumped on stronger-than-expected US jobs numbers on 6 January. A tight labour market is one of the inflationary pressures which the Federal Reserve studies when it decides on interest rates. Non-farm payrolls increasing 223,000 in December against...
What do Next’s results tell us about the outlook for the retail sector?
Thursday 12 Jan 2023High-street and online apparel seller Next ( NXT ) brought shareholders some New Year cheer with the news that total full-price sales were up nearly 5% over the three months to the end of December rather than down 2% as previously predicted. Interestingly, it was in-store sales which drove the...
Luxury firm Lanvin looks unloved as shares fall 28.5% following market debut
Thursday 22 Dec 2022Chinese luxury fashion firm Lanvin (LANV:NYSE) had a bad start to life on the US stock market, listing at $10 a share with a $1.3 billion valuation. The shares swiftly fell 28.5% to $7.15 amid concerns over cut-throat competition and the Chinese economy’s bumpy reopening as it emerges from a zero-...
Ukraine and rates: why the market’s two big bugbears are not going anywhere
Thursday 22 Dec 2022Worries around interest rates and the Ukrainian conflict, which have dominated much of the year, continue to trouble investors in the final days of 2022. While the decision of both the US Federal Reserve and Bank of England to increase interest rates by 50 basis points at their latest meetings had...
Why Marlowe shares have collapsed despite strong half-year results
Thursday 22 Dec 2022Senior management at business software and services group Marlowe ( MRL:AIM ) must be wondering what they need to do or say to revive the company’s ailing share price. Despite delivering a 60% increase in first-half revenues and an 80% surge in EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation...
Why Victorian Plumbing shares have rallied 120% in three months
Thursday 22 Dec 2022After floating on AIM in June 2021 at 262p with an £850 million valuation, the biggest debut market cap the junior exchange has ever seen, shares in online specialist bathroom retailer Victorian Plumbing ( VIC:AIM ) almost disappeared down the plughole. They sank as low as 34p by early October 2022...
Could the tobacco industry become extinct after radical new legislation?
Thursday 22 Dec 2022Big tobacco firms will have been busy consulting their lawyers in recent days after a landmark decision last week by the New Zealand government to stop the sale of their products in a push to make the country ‘smoke-free’ by the middle of this decade. Remarkably, the legislation – the Smokefree...
Games Workshop shares hit 11-month high on Amazon licensing deal
Thursday 22 Dec 2022Fantasy miniatures maker Games Workshop ( GAW ) delighted investors on 16 December after announcing a tie-up with Amazon (AMZN:NASDAQ) , potentially one of its biggest licensing deals to date. The two parties have agreed ‘material commercial terms’ which involve developing Games Workshop’s...
Could the Royal Mail final dividend be decided in Westminster?
Thursday 15 Dec 2022Royal Mail continues to be disrupted by strike action amid an escalating dispute over work, pay and conditions. With no end to the dispute in sight, it is possible that the parent company’s dividend could become a political issue. The firm, which is owned by International Distributions Services (...
House prices cooling quickly after two years of red-hot growth
Thursday 15 Dec 2022As more survey data on asking and selling prices rolls in from mortgage lenders and estate agencies, it is clear that the UK housing market peaked in August with the turning point most likely being September’s mini-Budget which spooked financial markets and consumers. While there is usually a...