Shares in Starbucks (SBUX) surged after the coffee roaster and retailer served up a second straight quarter of traffic growth. In a sign that CEO Brian Niccol’s turnaround strategy is working, the Seattle-based giant also upgraded its FY26 sales growth and earnings per share guidance. Guidance raised For FY26, Starbucks now expects global and US comparable store sales growth of 5% or greater. That is up from management’s prior forecast of an increase of 3% or more. The coffeehouse colossus also raised its guidance for adjusted earnings per share to a range of $2.25 to $2.45. That is up from…

In our latest Podcast, the Sharesify team talk ‘Mag 5’ earnings plus big beats and big misses. The discussion also turns to new highs, new lows and more UK M&A. Our resident tech guru Steven previews results from Alphabet (GOOG), Amazon (AMZN) and Meta (META). He also explains why new Apple (AAPL) CEO John Ternus could be working on a major new product reveal. James discusses energy giant BP’s (BP.) Q1 earnings beat. He also flags a surprise profit upgrade from car parts-to-bicycles seller Halfords (HFD). James tells us why investors are wiping cosmetics maker Warpaint (W7L:AIM) from portfolios and raises the…

Shares in Warpaint London (W7L:AIM) tumbled to a 52-week low after the cosmetics seller warned challenging trading has persisted in FY26. As a result, current year sales are expected to be more second-half weighted, creating uncertainty for investors. For the uninitiated, Warpaint sells low-priced colour cosmetics and personal care products. Its brands include W7, Technic, Dirty Works and Fish Soho. Customers include Tesco (TSCO), Boots and Superdrug as well as US retail titan Walmart (WMT). Warpaint’s attractions also include its growing direct online business. Unattractive outlook The makeup supplier warned revenue for the four months to April 2026 is expected…

Car parts-to-bicycles seller Halfords (HFD) delivered some good news for the retail sector by hiking FY26 earnings guidance. Shares in the Redditch-based business rallied on the surprise upgrade. Halfords attributed the positive outlook to ‘strong’ trading, further gross margin expansion and well-managed costs. The upgrade shows CEO Henry Birch’s refreshed strategy is working. Gross margin gains and tight cost controls are also helping Halfords to offset higher operating expenses. These have largely been caused by higher minimum wage and national insurance costs. For the year to 3 April 2026, Halfords now expects underlying pre-tax profits to be around the upper…

Shares in Coca-Cola (KO) bubbled up 6% to $79.6 on Wall Street after the soft drinks giant’s Q1 results beat estimates. Share price: $79.6 (+5.5%)Market cap: $325bnPE ratio: 24.8xDividend yield: 2.8% The Atlanta-based behemoth is seeing resilient demand for its beverages. Accordingly, Coca-Cola felt confident enough to raise its FY26 earnings outlook. Full of fizz For the quarter ended 3 April 2026, revenue fizzed up 12% to $12.47 billion. That was ahead of the $12.24 billion Wall Street expected. Earnings per share rose 18% to 86 cents, comfortably above the 81 cents consensus estimate. Organic revenue grew by 10% in…

In our latest podcast, Sharesify’s Steven Frazer and James Crux welcome Rebecca Maclean, co-manager of Dunedin Income Growth (DIG). One of the oldest investment trusts in the world, dating back to 1873, the company has paid a steady or rising dividend for more than 45 years. The trust offers a competitive yield backed by strong revenue reserves. Our special guest talks us through the storied trust’s investment style and objectives and explains how Dunedin’s managers define ‘quality’. Maclean also tells us why this UK Equity Income sector stalwart’s biggest position is in fact a French company, namely oil supermajor TotalEnergies (TTE). She…

Energy powerhouse BP (BP.) gained ground after the FTSE 100 company pumped out forecast-beating Q1 profits. During the quarter to March, BP benefited from ‘exceptional’ oil trading driven by the effects of the Middle East conflict. On the negative side of the ledger, operating cash flow disappointed and drove up net debt. BP also warned Q2 reported upstream production will be lower when compared to the first three months of 2026. Profits more than double In the first results presided over by new CEO Meg O’Neill, BP revealed profits more than doubled in the three months to March 2026. This…

Inflation is often described as a ‘hidden’ form of income tax as it reduces your spending power. The same is also true if you use your investments to provide a regular income. In this article, we’ll look at why inflation may be on the rise again. We’ll also highlight some funds, investment trusts and stocks that can help protect your purchasing power. Why is inflation rising? The main reason why inflation rises is because demand for goods or services exceeds the supply. That means companies can raise prices. However, if they raise them too far there is a risk demand will fall, so it’s a balancing act. Demand-led inflation tends to be fairly short-lived, as it is caused by short-term situations.…

High-flying Seraphim Space (SSIT) is seeking to raise up to £350 million via a C share issue. The investment trust backs private, early-stage ‘SpaceTech’ companies with the potential to dominate globally. Accordingly, it plans to deploy the fundraise proceeds into an ‘exciting pipeline of investment opportunities’. Seraphim Space launched in July 2021 at 100p. After falling to a 2023 low of 26.25p, the share price has recovered strongly. The trust is the best one-year share price total return performer in the Association of Investment Companies’ (AIC) Growth Capital sector. Seraphim Space trades on a 50%-plus premium to net asset value…

In our latest podcast, the Sharesify team discuss record US markets, chip stock Intel’s (INTC) overnight surge, today’s big FTSE 100 faller and incoming earnings from an array of corporates. Mondi shredded James explains why containerboard-to-paper bag maker Mondi (MNDI) has shed 65% of its value over the past five years. He reckons bargain hunters should be wary of this stock given its uncertain recovery prospects. Steven gives us the lowdown on Intel. He tells us why the after-hours action in the stock was one of the most violent repricings of a legacy semiconductor company in years. Next up, James…