Electrical giant, Dixons Carphone shares have rallied despite an embarrassing clerical error which sent them seesawing after the latest trading update. Initially, the retailer reported it had beaten the festive slump as its sales had seen a two per cent rise in the ten weeks to the 4^th January, causing share prices to rise four per cent. Just hours later though, the retailer had to admit that this was an error and sales had actually dropped two per cent, although its stock is still up, albeit not as sharply, standing at 146.10p at the time of writing.

The revised figures show that the retailer had had a two per cent drop in sales overall with mobile revenue been the biggest blip, falling nine per cent in the period. Electricals revenue rose two per cent and international sales on a like-for-like basis rose three per cent with the Nordics and Greece enjoying steady growth. So, is Dixons Carphone stock worth hanging on to or is the flat festive period a red flag for the future? Analysts remained positive pointing out that the drop in mobile revenue was to be expected as consumers are choosing to hang onto existing handsets for longer rather than trading them in for the latest models. AJ Bell described the figures as ‘a positive result’ and Retail Economics said the retailers price promise had ‘resonated well’ with customers although some have pointed out that the flat festive sales will have placed increased pressure on group Chief Executive, Alex Baldock.

Budget pub chain, Wetherspoons has had a bright Christmas, reporting sales were up but as its year-end debt will be higher than expected its shares rose just 0.69 per cent.

Drinkers have enjoyed the festive spirit as the pub chain reported a 4.7 per cent rise in like-for-like sales in the twelve-week period to mid-January. Set against a gloomy retail backdrop, these results look impressive and Wetherspoons shares now stand at 1,565.00p at the time of writing. The company’s debt is expected to be between £780 and £820 million by July – higher than expected due to ‘anticipated capital expenditure’. So, is this good news or should it be ringing warning bells for investors?

The chain has bold plans for the future, planning to open another 10-15 pubs this year and pledging to create 10,000 jobs over the next four years as part of a £200 million investment plan. Pro-Brexit chairman, Tim Martin has also announced a ‘let’s be friends’ promotion, slashing the prices of international drinks to celebrate Britain’s withdrawal from the EU, although critics have pointed out the price cuts are only possible because the UK is currently still in the EU.

Analysts are undecided about the cut-price chain at the moment – Liberium has maintained its hold rating saying that they were cautious about whether Wetherspoons could translate higher sales into profit as it faced higher wages and repair costs inflation.

Computer giant IBM has seen its share price rise by five per cent after stellar Q4 results which have seen it lauded on Wall Street as the top revenue performer of 2019.

The company beat analysts estimates to record revenue of $21.77 billion, with its cloud and cognitive software segment being the star performer, reporting a rise in revenue of 8.7 per cent year-on-year.

IBM’s share price now stands at $142.87, with earning per share of $4.71, also up on analyst’s forecasts. So, can IBM continue to defy expectations in 2020 or has it reached its peak? Analysts are optimistic – the strong cloud performance for the company is especially promising given that the International Data Corporation expects businesses to invest heavily in the cloud over the next five years and describes IBM as ‘’well positioned’ to capitalise on this trend with its Red Hat acquisition. Not everyone is convinced though – MoffettNathanson has issued a ‘sell’ rating saying that outside of RedHat and mainframes “nearly everything else was remarkably weak.”