Author: James Crux

James Crux writes extensively about funds and investment trusts and also specialises in retail, food and beverage sector stocks. He has spent 25 years working in the industry and was named Best Financial Consumer Journalist at the AIC Media Awards 2024 and 2025 for his work at Shares magazine (owned by AJ Bell). Before that, he was the editor of Growth Company Investor and a writer for investment and business titles What Investment and Business XL. James is a long-suffering West Ham supporter and a big fan of The Sopranos.

Pershing Square USA fell in debut dealings on the New York Stock Exchange

Shares in Bill Ackman’s investment management firm Pershing Square Inc (PS) fell in debut dealings on the New York Stock Exchange. So did shares in Pershing Square’s new US hedge fund Pershing Square USA (PSUS). But the billionaire investor insists shareholders in UK-listed Pershing Square Holdings (PSH) should benefit in three ways following the combined IPOs. Costs coming down ‘We are pleased that PSH shareholders will benefit from reduced performance fees going forward as a result of the successful completion of the IPO of PSUS, our new US-listed fund,’ said Ackman. ‘We believe our newly public management company, PS, has…

Read More
Podcast with James Breugger of Seraphim Space Investment Trust

In our latest special podcast, James Crux and Ian Conway are joined by James Bruegger, chief investment officer and managing partner of Seraphim Space Investment Trust (SSIT). The world’s first listed SpaceTech fund, Seraphim Space is opening access to a multi-trillion-dollar opportunity in the global SpaceTech sector, the frontier driving innovation in defence, security, climate change and sustainability. Bruegger tells the Sharesify team what first piqued his interest in SpaceTech. He also discusses the size of the market opportunity and why the SpaceTech industry is at an inflection point. Our special guest talks about the trust’s track record of picking…

Read More
IG Design said FY26 results will top expectations

Shares in IG Design (IGR) jumped after the creative and celebrational products seller said FY26 results will top expectations. Investors celebrated the latest positive update from the AIM-listed firm. IG Design said its revenue, profit and cash performances all exceeded estimates last year. The market also applauded the ‘highly complementary’, earnings-enhancing acquisition of Glenart. Focused on South Africa, the UK and the USA, Glenart’s particular specialty lies in the manufacture of crackers. More cracking news A company with a troubled recent past, IG Design makes greetings cards, wrapping paper, gift bags and other gifting products. It also makes goods not for…

Read More
Dove maker Unilever launched a fresh €1.5 billion share buyback

Consumer goods goliath Unilever (ULVR) reported better-than-expected Q1 sales as strong emerging markets demand more than offset sluggish developed markets growth. The Dove-to-Domestos maker also said it will launch a fresh €1.5 billion share buyback, which boosted the stock in early dealings. While Q1 turnover fell 3.3% to €12.6 billion, underlying sales grew by a better-than-expected 3.8%. This included volume growth of 2.9% and price growth of 0.9%. Unilever’s Power Brands spearheaded the performance. The FTSE 100 giant also called out momentum in emerging markets, where incomes are rising and big brands sell well. The Vaseline-to-Persil seller highlighted strong growth…

Read More
Starbucks served up a second straight quarter of traffic growth

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…

Read More
Sharesify podcast 29 April 2026

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…

Read More
Warpaint warned challenging trading conditions have persisted in FY26

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…

Read More
Halfords delivered a rare bit of retail sector good news by hiking FY26 earnings guidance

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…

Read More
Coca Cola’s Q1 results beat estimates

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…

Read More

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…

Read More