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FCA to investigate commission deals in the UK motor finance market
Thursday 18 Jan 2024Having hammered the insurance industry for its practice of “walking up” renewal prices for existing car and home policyholders, the FCA (Financial Conduct Authority) has a new target in its sights – the motor finance market. Firms which generate revenue from providing motor finance include Close...
Why the outcome of a pre-trial hearing could prove good news for GSK
Thursday 18 Jan 2024Shares in global bio-pharmaceutical firm GSK (GSK) have performed poorly in recent times, relatively speaking, lagging the FTSE 100 index by 4% and peer AstraZeneca (AZN) by a whopping 87% over the last five years. Operationally there have been clear signs of improvement, with the company...
Next raises guidance after strong Christmas sales
Thursday 11 Jan 2024Clothing and homewares giant Next (NXT) appears to be doing no wrong at the start of the year. The retailer raised its pre-tax profit guidance for the year ending 27 January 2024 after benefiting from strong Christmas sales. The FTSE 100 shares are testing all-time highs after bumping up its...
US March rate cut bets pared back after stronger than expected December jobs report
Thursday 11 Jan 2024Investors seem to have got too far over their skis in terms of pricing in aggressive US interest rate cuts starting in March 2024. Minutes from December’s FOMC (Federal Open Markets Committee) policy rate meeting showed participants wanted to keep rates higher for longer to see more evidence of...
What it might take to revive the UK IPO market as M&A frenzy continues
Thursday 11 Jan 2024A respected analyst is warning the ‘relentless’ pace of de-equitisation driven by depressed UK stock market valuations will continue unless action is taken. Low valuations are making the UK stock market an attractive hunting ground for acquirers and are a key factor behind the ‘minimal’ IPO (...
What completion of game-changing YouGov GfK deal means for the business
Thursday 11 Jan 2024The completion of YouGov’s (YOU:AIM) €315 million purchase of the consumer panel services of GfK (9 January) is a potential gamechanger for the business. Analysts at Berenberg estimate the deal - which was first announced in July 2023 - will contribute £60 million of revenue and £12 million of...
JD Sports Fashion shares take a bath as consumers feel the cost-of-living squeeze
Thursday 11 Jan 2024JD Sports Fashion (JD.) had an awful start to the year with shares falling over 20% following an unscheduled trading update at the beginning of January. The sports fashion retail group reported disappointing results for the 22 weeks to 30 December 2023 falling short of company expectations. The...
Discover the most unloved and most-shorted UK stocks
Thursday 21 Dec 2023As we approach the end of the year it is an opportune moment to shine a light on some of this year’s least-loved stocks. Rather than look at the stocks which have lost the most, we have collected together those trading at or near their lows for the year along with those with the fewest...
Costco climbs to all-time high as members clamour for cheap essentials
Thursday 21 Dec 2023Shares in Costco (COST:NASDAQ) hit new all-time highs at $659, taking year-to-date gains to 45.4%. This followed forecast-beating first-quarter results (14 December 2023) from the Washington-headquartered retail giant, as members continue to flock to its warehouses for cheaper groceries and other...
A big acquisition and a slowdown in its largest market have unnerved investors in Rentokil
Thursday 21 Dec 2023Normally, when a firm posts a 53% increase in quarterly revenues it doesn’t result in its share price dropping by a third in a matter of days. However, in the case of FTSE 100 pest control and hygiene business Rentokil (RTO) , the increase marked a slowdown from the first half growth rate of...