Following a strategic review, the struggling European Opportunities Trust (LON:EOT) is to wind itself up and offer shareholders three options. They can either roll their investment into a new open-ended Liontrust fund, LT European Opportunities. This fund will bemanaged by Alexander Darwall. EOT’s current manager Devon Equity Management is in the process of being acquired by Liontrust. Those who wish to stay in an investment trust can switch into JPMorgan European Growth & Income (LON:JEGI). The £620 million cap trust is the best performer in the AIC Europe sector over one, five and ten years. Shareholders who prefer to take…

Shares in Ultimate Products (LON:ULTP) ticked higher after the homeware brands owner’s Q3 update revealed revenue is tracking ahead of expectations. This positive news prompted analysts to upgrade their FY26 revenue estimates. Today’s update is encouraging in that it marks the end of quarterly revenue declines since the air fryer boom faded. It is a small step in the right direction for the Oldham-based company behind leading homeware brands including Salter and Beldray. Sales stabilise Ultimate Products generated sales of £34.8 million in the third quarter to April 2026. That was flat year-on-year and reflected continued subdued consumer demand for…

Nick Train’s Finsbury Growth & Income Trust (FGT) suffered a 14.4% decline in H1 net asset value (NAV) total return after key holdings plunged on AI disruption concerns. Finsbury Growth & Income’s negative share price total return of 14.1% lagged the 8.9% rise in the FTSE All Share Index. But chairman Pars Purewal has pledged to do ‘whatever it takes’ to improve shareholder returns. Three key measures Purewal conceded Finsbury Growth & Income’s recent performance has been ‘disappointing’. Nevertheless, he continues to back Train’s ‘disciplined, long-term approach focused on high quality businesses with resilient franchises and hard-to-replicate data assets, where…

In the latest Sharesify Podcast, the chaps discuss everything from market highs and microchips to Screwfix, spares and strikes and a pet retail recovery story. Steven explains why Micron (NASDAQ:MU) and SK Hynix (KRX:000660) have joined the trillion-dollar club. Our tech guru also discusses the latest strong results from global growth fund Scottish Mortgage (LON:SMT), one of a rare breed of investment trusts trading at a premium to net asset value (NAV). James walks us through some surprisingly resilient updates from consumer-facing names. Home improvement retailer Kingfisher (LON:KGF) continues to take market share, while Hollywood Bowl’s (LON:BOWL) air-conditioned bowling alleys are helping…

UK pet care leader Pets at Home (LON:PETS) saw profits plunge on broadly flat revenue in FY26 and slashed the dividend by more than 40% to conserve cash. So why did shares in the pet food-to-vet services seller rally on such dog-eared results? Well, new CEO James Bailey hailed progress with the retailer’s turnaround strategy. This has already stoked a return to growth for the retail business in Q4. The Cheshire-based firm said retail sales growth has ‘accelerated further’ in FY27-to-date despite tougher comparatives. And Pets at Home expects a further year of profit growth from its vets business. The…

Shares in Hollywood Bowl (LON:BOWL) rallied to a three-month high after the ten-pin bowling operator reported record H1 sales. This result reflected continued strong demand for its affordable leisure activities in both the UK and Canada. Investors also welcomed the launch of a fresh £5 million share buyback and an outlook statement pointing to a positive H2, with Hollywood Bowl sounding confident of meeting FY26 consensus expectations. Profitable growth The FTSE 250 bowling operator, which also runs mini-golf centres, racked up a 9.5% rise in total revenues to a record £141.5 million in H1. UK sales rose 9.4% to £118.4…

Private equity trust Oakley Capital Investments (LON:OCI) has announced a £33 million investment in XTEL through the Oakley Capital Fund VI. XTEL is a Belgian provider of revenue management and trade promotion software for consumer packaged goods companies including Unilever (LON:ULVR) and PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP). Private Equity TrustDiscount/Premium to NAV10-yr share price total return3i-24.1%501.9%Oakley Capital Investments-33%309.9%Patria Private Equity-30.4%280.7%HarbourVest Global-26.5%247.3%HgCapital Trust-37.8%232.3% Source: The AIC/Morningstar Going against the grain Trading on a wide 33% discount to net asset value (NAV), OCI aims to provide shareholders with consistent long-term capital growth in excess of the FTSE All-Share Index. It does this by providing liquid…

In our latest podcast special, Steven Frazer and James Crux are joined by Georgina Brittain, co-manager of JPMorgan UK Small Cap Growth & Income (LON:JUGI). This investment trust seeks to deliver capital growth over the long term and also pays a quarterly dividend. Georgina tells us what sets ‘JUGI’ apart from competitors in the AIC UK Smaller Companies sector and why she is seeing plenty of opportunities in this part of the market. Our special guest explains why free cash flow yield is her preferred valuation metric. She also lends us her view on the M&A backdrop, and the scope…

Home improvement giant Kingfisher (LON:KGF) rallied after hailing a ‘resilient’ start to FY27 and reaffirming guidance. The B&Q-to-Screwfix owner’s Q1 like-for-like sales softened 0.7% as a late start to spring impacted footfall. However, that proved better than the 0.9% decline expected by consensus. And Kingfisher also reported a third quarter of sequential sales improvement at its French DIY retail business Castorama. Hammering home guidance For the year to January 2027, Kingfisher is on track to deliver adjusted pre-tax profits in the £565 million to £625 million range. With its latest £300 million share buyback ongoing, Kingfisher also reiterated guidance for…

In the latest Sharesify Podcast, the team discuss the two companies dominating the headlines this week, namely Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) and SpaceX. Our tech guru Steven explains why the AI spending boom continues to power Nvidia, the world’s most important chip stock. He also delves into the details surrounding the IPO of Elon Musk’s SpaceX. James brings us back to Earth with a roundup of the latest UK consumer results. One self-help story to have caught his eye is The Works (LON:WRKS). The books-to-toys retailer is growing sales and expanding margins as CEO Gavin Peck’s growth strategy gains traction. And Ian…