Companies that process crops benefit when drought or wars such as the Russia/Ukraine conflict create shortages in parts of the world.Prices for food-related commodities including wheat, corn and soybeans remain elevated on a five-year view, though they have softened since Russia agreed for grain exports to resume through the Black Sea.Against a backdrop of supply shortages and food inflation,...

The FTSE 100 index added to early gains at midday on Wednesday, mirroring global stock markets which have regained some composure following January's steep losses.US markets were buoyed by a stronger than expected earnings report from Google-owner Alphabet, with the shares gaining 10% in after hours trading. Investors will be hoping for the same from Facebook when it reports after the US...

London's FTSE 100 opened higher on Wednesday as investors continued to shrug off fears about rising inflation, although sentiment will be tested on Thursday when the Bank of England provides an update on interest rates.The blue chip benchmark was also lifted after Wall Street markets finished in positive territory last night, the continued rebound in US shares helping to lift investor...

The FTSE 100 tumbled throughout trading on Wednesday, closing 1.3% lower to 6,567.37, as investor sentiment was hit by a perfect storm of Covid-19 vaccine troubles, anxiety over the US Federal Reserve's latest monetary policy update and a warning from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).A row over vaccine supplies from pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca (AZN) into the EU continued on Wednesday...

UK stocks tumbled throughout morning trading on Wednesday as investors braced for the US Federal Reserve's latest update on monetary policy, due later in the day.The Fed is expected to leave policy unchanged and stick to its ultra-loose stance with near zero interest rates, $120 billion of bond purchases every month and other liquidity relief measures to help the ailing US economy, which is...

UK stocks dipped modestly in early trading on Wednesday after the International Monetary Fund (IMF) raised its global growth recovery forecast but flagged Britain's severe pandemic impact as likely to drag on its own economic bounce-back.The IMF now expects the global economy to grow 5.5% this year, a 0.3% increase from October's forecast, but cut its UK estimates from 5.9% to 4.5% as virus...

Food prices are likely to go up as a result of pressure on the food supply chain linked to the coronavirus pandemic. Companies who can get food products to the consumer, either manufacturers supplying retailers or supermarkets being able to provide adequate stocks, could be winners from an investment perspective.We'll discuss the situation in this article along with two stock ideas to play the...

London's FTSE 100 ticks 77 points higher to 7,681 on Wednesday, investors evidently regaining confidence with miners, tobacco sellers and drug companies in demand early on.High-end housebuilder Berkeley (BKG) cheapens 3.5% to £39.93 after warning that profit growth will slow to 'more normal levels' from 2018/19, when profits are expected to be around 30% lower.Results for the year ended 30...

London's FTSE 100 trades 19 points higher at 7,062 early on, investors relieved after Britain and the European Union agreed to a transition period to avoid a 'cliff edge' Brexit next year.On a busy day of corporate news, online grocer Ocado (OCDO) cheapens 3% to 555.4p after delivering a softer first quarter trading update with retail sales growing 11.7% in the 13 weeks to 4 March. CEO Tim...

Agricultural products supplier Wynnstay (WYN:AIM) has warned first half profit will be down year-on-year. The culprit is the Just for Pets retail chain, seeing subdued demand and become loss making. The encouraging news is Wynnstay's core agri activities will show a better performance as trading headwinds for farmers are beginning to abate. The future of the pet retail arm is under review by...

Patient investors who have persevered with agricultural inputs supplier-to-specialist retailer Wynnstay (WYN:AIM) through the agri-sector downturn have been rewarded with a rally to 542.5p. Shares remains supportive of the income stalwart. Full year results (25 Jan) included an 8% dividend hike in the shareholder reward to 12p and news of recent recovery in dairy sector farmer output prices...

What sort of world will the infants of today experience when they reach adulthood? Will we be flying to work, holidaying on Mars, wearing super-sensory foil suits?Probably not, but we may well be desalinating huge quantities of sea water for drinking, eating more biologically enhanced super foods grown in urban farms, speeding through the city streets in self-driving cars, and wearing gadgets...

Investors on the lookout for relative safe havens in the wake of Brexit and ahead of a stormy US presidential election should consider the pets, vets and animal medicines market.This niche offers exposure to pockets of high-quality earnings, strong cash flows and rising dividends. The UK is renowned as a nation of animal lovers and the resilience of spending on the wellbeing of pet companions...

London shares began on a mildly negative note ahead of a raft of inflation data due out mid morning, while Europe is heavily lower after a series of terror attacks in Brussels this morning.The FTSE 100 index nudge around 15 points, or roughly 0.3%, lower to 6,167.Thomas Cook (TCG) falls 5% to 87.8p in the wake of this morning's deadly explosions in Brussels' airport and metro system. The...

We acknowledge the downwards pressure on farmer incomes that has triggered earnings downgrades for Wynnstay (WYN:AIM). Yet the sell-off at the agricultural inputs supplier should interest patient investors; particularly those hungry for income, given an unbroken 11-year dividend growth track record.Wales-headquartered Wynnstay has raised the shareholder reward every year since AIM admission in...

FTSE indices are mixed in early deals with larger companies fading but small caps on the rose, modestly. Among the blue-chips, Sage (SGE) rallies 5% to 598.25p as it confirms that it remains on track for full year guidance, with analysts anticipating largely flat earnings of 25.7p per share.The FTSE 100 index nudges close on 40 points lower to 5,878, with Wall Street and Asian markets firm...

Weakness at Wales-headquartered agricultural and retail concern Wynnstay (WYN:AIM) looks fully played out. A testing trading backdrop is already discounted, while a recent acquisition extends the £103 million cap's presence into a major new geographic region.Wynnstay, which supplies agricultural inputs to farmers and operates both country stores and a pet products chain, has seen its shares...

It used to be believed that investing with a conscience could only come at the expense of your profit performance. Being good capped your returns. Arguably, this is still the prevailing view of most investors yet the winds of change are blowing through stock markets, good investing is increasingly transferring from the 'do-gooder set' to the mainstream, and there's statistical data that claims...

Greetham was appointed CEO of Wynnstay in 2008, having previously founded Shropshire Grain Farm Supplies, a joint venture business purchased by the AIM-quoted group in 1997, when he took on the role of fertiliser operations manager.A decline in milk and grain prices has cast a short-term shadow over the quoted UK agriculture sector. Yet this shouldn't cloud a sunny outlook, with many...

London markets resume their positive momentum in early trade Tuesday, bucking the wider down trend of markets in the US and in trading in Asia. The UK's benchmark FTSE index rallies back over the psychologically important 7,000 again, rising around 25 points, or 0.3%, to 7,061, having first breached the landmark on Friday, closing at a record-breaking 7,022.51.Video games retailer GAME Digital...