US groceries-to-general merchandise giant Walmart (NASDAQ:WMT) delivered forecast-beating Q2 results on 20 August. And the world’s biggest retailer raised its FY27 earnings guidance, drawing confidence from market share gains at home and abroad. So why did the shares plunge almost 10% to $103.84 on Wall Street despite this impressive ‘beat-and-raise’ quarter? Share price: $103.84 (-9.2%)Market cap: $826bnPE FY27: 36xYield FY27: 0.95% Source: Marketscreener.com Well, Walmart’s US comparable sales were their weakest in over six years. And Q3 guidance also disappointed the market. Investors were left wondering if the hitherto resilient US consumer is finally feeling the strain from higher gas…

Specialist value-seeking trust Temple Bar (LON:TMPL) lagged the FTSE All-Share Index in the six months to June 2026. However, this marginal underperformance must be viewed in the context of the stellar returns delivered by the trust in recent years. Since the half-year end, Temple Bar has resumed its outperformance of the benchmark. And manager Redwheel believes the portfolio continues to look undervalued, which bodes well for future returns. About Temple Bar Managed by Ian Lance and Nick Purves, Temple Bar’s investment approach focuses on companies whose market value is at a significant discount to the fair or intrinsic value of…

Shares in JD Sports Fashion (LON:JD) slumped after the sportswear retailer slashed its FY27 profit guidance. The trainers-to-tracksuits seller blamed weak consumer demand for the downgrade after seeing organic sales fall in North America, Europe and the UK in Q2. Downgrade disappointment For the year to January 2027, JD Sports is now guiding for adjusted pre-tax profits of £700 million to £800 million. That is down from the athleisure giant’s previous guidance for profits in the £750 million to £850 million range. The FTSE 100 retailer blamed the warning on weak underlying H1 sales trends and the ‘promotional market backdrop,…

In the latest Sharesify podcast, the guys discuss everything from markets testing new all-time highs to record UK M&A and optics stocks. Our resident tech whizz Steven talks us through the latest updates from UK tech stocks. He also tells us why the optical networking market has become one of the most interesting sub-sector beneficiaries of the AI boom. James rounds up the latest investment trust sector news including blowout results from Aberdeen Asian Income Fund (LON:AAIF) and a new addition to Seraphim Space’s (LON:SSIT) portfolio. And Ian tells us why shares in online ticketing platform Trainline (LON:TRN) hit the buffers and gives us his take…

Investment trust RTW Biotech Opportunities (LON:RTW) scored yet another win as Biomarin Pharmaceutical (NASDAQ:BMRN) snapped up private portfolio company Alesta Therapeutics for $490 million. Alesta is developing novel oral small-molecule therapies for underserved rare diseases. This transaction represents the sixth portfolio acquisition from RTW Bio’s portfolio in 2026. Sixth M&A transaction of 2026 Biomarin Pharmaceutical is paying up to $490 million to buy Alesta. The consideration is comprised of $275 million in cash upfront, and a further $215 million upon the achievement of certain milestones. RTW Bio first invested $2.4 million in the rare disease specialist in 2024 and 2025.…

Shares in Ultimate Products (LON:ULTP) shed 5% after the homeware brands owner reported ‘broadly flat’ sales for H2 of FY26. The Oldham-headquartered company pinned the blame on cautious ordering across the general merchandise market. And with its end-markets expected to remain in the doldrums in the current financial year, Ultimate Products downgraded FY27 guidance. Subdued consumer demand Ultimate Products owns the UK’s oldest houseware brand Salter as well as the iconic Beldray, established back in 1872. The AIM-listed company sells its wares to over 300 retailers in over 30 countries. According to its market research, nearly 80% of UK households…

Shares in Home Depot (NYSE:HD) ticked higher on Wall Street after the US home improvement retailer posted forecast-beating Q2 results and reaffirmed FY26 guidance. The company continued to gain market share in Q2 despite a drag from the sluggish housing market across the pond. Share price: $340.6 (+0.8%)Market cap: $337bnPE 2027: 23.4xDividend yield 2027: 2.75% However, enthusiasm for the stock was tempered by the US comparable sales figure. Like-for-likes grew just 1.3% with customer transactions down 0.8% at 443.2 million. This meant the sales increase was driven by price hikes rather than rising volumes. Q2 earnings beat For the second…

Growth capital trust Seraphim Space (LON:SSIT) has invested £22.2 million in Hubble Network. For the uninitiated, Hubble is a US start-up that is building the first satellite-powered Bluetooth network. The company is already backed by Seraphim’s investment manager through the Seraphim Space Venture Fund II. The SpaceTech-focused trust’s managers argue Hubble is well positioned to become a ‘category leader in the burgeoning direct-to-device satellite connectivity market’. Hubble marks the first addition of a new company to the trust using the proceeds of May’s £137 million C share issue. To learn more about Seraphim Space, watch our Podcast interview with James…

Outstanding H1 results from Aberdeen Asian Income Fund (LON:AAIF) showed an impressive net asset value (NAV) total return of 28%. The share price total return was even better at 30.9% as the high-yielder’s NAV discount narrowed from 7.6% to 5.7%. The £450 million cap’s blowout performance was mainly driven by technology holdings linked to artificial intelligence (AI) and semiconductor demand. And this latest period of strong performance means the fund has outperformed the index over one, three and five years. Alongside this outperformance, Aberdeen Asian Income Fund rewarded shareholders with a juicy dividend yield of 6.3%. Stellar results Managed by…

An investment trust discount arises when a trust’s share price is lower than its net asset value (NAV). The NAV is the value of the trust’s assets minus any liabilities, which can be divided by the number of shares in issue to get a per share number. For example, an investment trust with 100p of assets per share and a 95p share price trades at a 5% discount to NAV. And a trust with 100p of assets and a 50p share price trades at a 50% discount. Performance double-whammy Wide discounts can provide bargain-hunters with the opportunity to buy assets…