If you'd invested in: XP Power and Connect Group

If only...

XP Power (LSE: XPP) designs and manufactures products used to supply, regulate and distribute electrical power. At the start of October, the company announced plans to buy US-based Comdel, a manufacturer of power systems, for $23m. For the first nine months of its financial year, XP Power saw an increase of 34% in its revenues compared with the same period a year earlier, thanks to its continuing strong growth in North America.

Be glad you didn't...

Connect Group (LSE: CNCT) is a UK-based specialist distribution firm with a market capitalisation of £249.4m. The company, originally known as WHSmith News, was created in 2006 after the demerger of WHSmith. It has seen significant share price volatility over the past few months, and earnings are expected to fall by nearly 8% on the year. Meanwhile, revenue is anticipated to decrease from £1.9m to £1.76m over the next few years.

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Alice grew up in Stockholm and studied at the University of the Arts London, where she gained a first-class BA in Journalism. She has written for several publications in Stockholm and London, and joined MoneyWeek in 2017.

Alice is now Consumer Editor at The Sun and covers everything from energy bills to Social Security.