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Why shares in sofa seller DFS Furniture are springing back
Thursday 15 May 2025Shares in DFS Furniture (DFS) have rallied 16% year-to-date to 163p, taking one-year gains to almost 50%, following an unexpected profit upgrade from the sofa seller and hopes the Bank of England’s interest rate cuts will boost big-ticket spending. Green shoots of recovery are emerging at DFS, the...
Raft of bad news sends Mobico shares 62% lower year-to-date
Thursday 15 May 2025National Express coach owner Mobico (MCG) has seen its shares fall 85% over the past five years as recovery remains slow since the Covid pandemic. Last March it lowered annual profit guidance and delayed the publication of its results due to audit issues at its German business. Fast forward to 29...
UK consumer confidence falls as unemployment begins to rise
Thursday 15 May 2025The latest survey from consultants PwC shows another fall in UK consumer sentiment and a new round of belt-tightening by households concerned over the state of the economy, the job market and their finances. Following on from what the firm calls the ‘vibecession’ shown in its Autumn survey last...
Markets enjoy relief rally as China and US step back from brink of all-out trade war
Thursday 15 May 2025Initial enthusiasm may have waned but US stocks are still comfortably above their pre-Liberation Day levels following a de-escalation in the tariff stand-off between the US and China. A 90-day reduction in US tariffs on Chinese imports from 145% to 30% and Chinese tariffs on US imports from 125% to...
Pharma stocks face volatility on US plan to reduce drug prices
Thursday 15 May 2025As tariff fears ease elsewhere, the pharmaceutical sector now finds itself in the crosshairs thanks to an executive order trailed by president Donald Trump on 11 May. The administration apparently mandated a reduction in prescription drug prices of between a third and 80% to give the US ‘most...
The first-quarter earnings season was a mixed one for the UK’s big banks
Thursday 08 May 2025After a strong performance across the board in 2024, this year has been slightly less uniform for the UK’s Big Four high-street banks. First to report was global bank HSBC (HSBA) , which put in a good showing with underlying revenue and earnings increasing thanks mainly to its Asia-based wealth...
Latest payroll figures suggest US economy is on a firm footing despite tariffs
Thursday 08 May 2025For fans of the US stock market, the non-farm payroll report for April (2 May) was the proof they needed ‘exceptionalism’ is alive and well in terms of the economy. According to the Bureau of Labour Statistics, there were 177,000 new jobs created last month, compared with economists’ forecasts of...
Can Walmart mitigate tariff-related price shocks?
Thursday 08 May 2025Trade war uncertainties are weighing on sentiment towards consumer-facing stocks, and investors will be able to take the temperature of the all-important US consumer when Walmart (WMT:NYSE) reports first-quarter earnings on 15 May. Given the world’s biggest retailer’s sheer scale it should be able...
CVS shares boosted by benign working paper from the competition watchdog
Thursday 08 May 2025Veterinary services company CVS (CVSG:AIM) saw its shares jump 13% on 1 May in response to the release of the CMA’s (Competition and Markets Authority) working paper on potential remedies for the £6.3 billion vet market which it has been investigating over the last year. The latest price move takes...
Buffett surprises markets after stepping down as CEO after 60 years at the helm
Thursday 08 May 2025Shares in Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-B:NYSE) fell 5% on 5 May, after chair and CEO Warren Buffett announced plans to step down after 60 years at the helm. The 94-year-old saved the surprising news until the dying minutes of Berkshire’s shareholder meeting on 3 May, when he declared it was time for his...