Auto Trader shares hit the skids on Thursday, as fewer dealer listings due to vehicle shortages meant sales growth slowed substantially last year. At 788.2p per share, the FTSE 100 retailer was 14.2% lower on the day. Revenues rose 5% to £601.1 million during the fiscal year to March 2025, down from 14% in financial 2024. Sales at the core Auto Trader unit grew 7%, to £564.8 million. But at Autorama, its van leasing service, revenues reversed 12% to £36.3 million. Group operating profit rose 8% year on year, to £376.8 million, driven by a 4% increase at Auto Trader,…

After a weekend marked by Warren Buffett officially announcing his departure from Berkshire Hathaway, investors are reminded of the importance of disciplined, fundamentals-based investing. Now, perhaps more than ever, investors need to be diligent in an increasingly speculative market. This week’s Danger Zone pick is one stock that, after doing due diligence, is not worth owning. The company is burning cash at zombie stock-like levels, yet its valuation implies massive profit growth and a near quadrupling of the business’ market share. That disconnect is dangerous to any portfolio. I originally put Rivian (RIVN) in the Danger Zone on October 22,…

On 5/30/25, Cabot, Dow and Stepan will all trade ex-dividend for their respective upcoming dividends. Cabot will pay its quarterly dividend of $0.45 on 6/13/25, Dow will pay its quarterly dividend of $0.70 on 6/13/25, and Stepan will pay its quarterly dividend of $0.385 on 6/13/25. As a percentage of CBT’s recent stock price of $76.22, this dividend works out to approximately 0.59%, so look for shares of Cabot to trade 0.59% lower — all else being equal — when CBT shares open for trading on 5/30/25. Similarly, investors should look for DOW to open 2.42% lower in price and…

Question: Why are there so many ETFs? Answer: ETF issuance is profitable, so Wall Street keeps cranking out more products to sell. The large number of ETFs has little to do with serving your best interests as an investor. I leverage this data to identify three red flags you can use to avoid the worst ETFs: 1. Inadequate Liquidity This issue is the easiest to avoid, and my advice is simple. Avoid all ETFs with less than $100 million in assets. Low levels of liquidity can lead to a discrepancy between the price of the ETF and the underlying value…

Key News Asian equities had mixed performance overnight as the US dollar weakened and South Korea led gains in the region. Neither Hong Kong nor Mainland China managed to hold onto early morning gains, as both markets slid to post small losses. Hong Kong’s decline was driven by PDD’s significant financial results miss and large investments that weighed on the company’s bottom line. Sell-side analysts’ estimates were off by a wide margin; in their defense, the company has never broken out Temu’s results from domestic China revenue, making transparency an ongoing issue. PDD’s investment plans raised concerns about margin contraction…

The Consumer Price Index inflation report for May will be released on June 11. Inflation nowcasting from the Atlanta Federal Reserve estimates 0.12% headline monthly inflation for May and 0.23% when food and energy prices are removed. That would be similar to the 0.2% monthly CPI price increase reported in April for both headline and adjusted for food and energy.. However, these nowcasts are primarily informed by energy price trends and historical prices, so its possible that any impact from tariffs is missed. Still, many large firms whether retailers or car manufactures have not yet adjusted pricing in response to…

Another impressive performance at from Pets at Home’s petcare division pushed group sales and profits higher last year, the retailer announced on Wednesday. At 271.8p per share, the FTSE 250 firm’s shares were last 3.6% higher in midweek trading. At group level, consumer revenues rose 2.7% in the 12 months to March, to £2 billion, as sales at its veterinary services division soared 13% to £655.1 million. Pets at Home said “higher visits, average transaction values and significant growth in Care Plan revenues” pushed turnover to record levels. Underlying pre-tax profit at the vet services unit improved 23.3% year on…

If you have ever filed a homeowners insurance claim, you know it can feel more like an endurance test than a straightforward process. The savvy financial advisor Rick Kahler, president of Kahler Financial Group in Rapid City, S. D., tells us how to navigate this treacherous path. Larry Light: Trying to get paid for damage to your dwelling sounds like torture. Rick Kahler: While insurers are legally required to honor valid claims, they have strong financial incentives to delay, underpay or deny them whenever possible. Over the years, I’ve learned this the hard way. The most recent lesson started when…

One of the most common questions I get is, “Is now a good time for me to sell?” While the question is simple, the answer depends on several factors, including your liquidity needs, your risk tolerance, and your current portfolio’s allocation. The answer does not, however, depend on the current market price of the investment. This is when you should be selling your investment. When People Think They Should Sell When I am asked the question of when to sell, I often ask them what they think. Many times, they’ll come back with one of the following answers. When It…

$SPX Nears 6,000, but Trump’s Tariff Chaos Is Hitting Small Businesses Hard It must be Tuesday because President Trump has changed his mind about tariffs, again. Seriously, this tariff whipsawing is getting old. It is a lesson to investors, though: Timing the stock market based on a mercurial leader is conducive to making many bad choices. The president announced on Sunday that his 50% tariffs on European goods have been delayed until early July. Many rationalize that President Trump is using impeccably elastic timing to string partners off their game. They say it’s all part of his “Art of the…