25 September 2018
Next and Card Factory“A stronger oil price gave a welcome lift to the FTSE 100 on Tuesday, pushing up shares in Royal Dutch Shell and BP whose movements have a large influence on the overall stock market index. A stronger showing from tobacco and pharma stocks also gave support to the FTSE,” says Russ Mould, Investment Director at AJ Bell.
Next“A big component of...
24 September 2018
Randgold Resources and Thomas Cook“The FTSE 100 has failed to sustain positive momentum seen last week, with the index falling 0.3% to 7,468 on Monday. Tech, banking and natural resources are among the sectors struggling to win over investors, despite the presence of two M&A deals in the FTSE 100 – being the market reacting to Sky’s auction at the weekend and news of Randgold...
21 September 2018
Just Eat, Uber, Deliveroo and Moss Bros“Every small step forward counts in the world of investing and so it is pleasing to see the FTSE 100 head into the weekend on a positive note. The blue chip index is on track to end the week up 1.7%, a decent result given that we’ve spent the previous few months with a miserable performance on the markets. The biggest movers on the week have been...
20 September 2018
British American Tobacco and Diageo“The FTSE 100 has been going through a fairly stable period this month, if you ignore the first week’s trading. Stability is good for rebuilding investor confidence as we approach the final quarter of the year and bright spots on the London market on Thursday include mining, banks and travel stocks,” says Russ Mould, Investment Director at AJ Bell...
19 September 2018
Supermarkets: Sainsbury’s and Tesco and Kingfisher“A sense of calm can be felt on the markets today with the FTSE 100 nudging up 0.3% to 7,324. Screens are also flashing green across Continental Europe and Asia. Miners, banks, housebuilders and construction companies all enjoy share price gains on the London market, with the only real area of weakness being utilities,” says Russ Mould, Investment...
18 September 2018
Markets and Ocado Markets“An escalating trade war between the US and China may have provided an unhelpful backdrop to global markets yet parts of Asia have shrugged off the latest events with leading indices in China, Hong Kong and Japan rebounding on Tuesday.
“On the UK market, the FTSE dipped 0.2% in early trading to 7,286, dragged down by renewed weakness in...
17 September 2018
Dairy Crest and Petra Diamonds“There is a patchy start to the week for investors with London shares slipping and most of Continental Europe and Asia also in the red. The mining sector’s rally last week has proved to be short lived with Glencore, Antofagasta and Anglo American among the weakest FTSE 100 stocks on Monday. The only real bright spots on the UK market were utilities...
14 September 2018
Investec and JD Wetherspoon“The FTSE 100 has been a source of frustration for investors for several months and hopes that it would spring back to life after the summer ended haven’t been fulfilled. While the index of London’s largest listed companies was in positive territory on Friday, trading 0.4% higher just after the market opened, the performance is nowhere strong...
13 September 2018
Morrison stays on track as McColl’s link-up adds to recovery’s momentum“In some ways it is a shame that Morrison’s interim results are marred by two exceptional items that knock £61 million off stated profits, as the underlying financial and strategic progress is good,” says Russ Mould, Investment Director at AJ Bell.
“An eleventh straight quarter of like-for-like sales growth, strong momentum in wholesale thanks to...
13 September 2018
Morrisons and John Lewis Partnership“The FTSE 100 is pausing for breath after fighting back earlier this week. On Thursday morning it was flat at 7,306 with gains in the banking and mining sectors offset by weakness among utilities and consumer goods companies,” says Russ Mould, InvestmentDirector at AJ Bell.
Morrisons“For all the talk about heightened competitive pressures...
12 September 2018
SSE and Sports Direct“Investors will be happy to see the colour green on their screens today with the FTSE 100 finally returning to an upward trajectory. The blue chip index was up 0.1% to 7,280 in early trading on Wednesday, helped by strength in the mining, housebuilding, chemicals and oil sectors,” says Russ Mould, Investment Director at AJ Bell.
SSE“It is very...
11 September 2018
We've refreshed our Favourite funds listAt AJ Bell Youinvest, we're proud to offer a huge range of possible investments – including over 2,000 funds and shares from 24 markets. But we’re also acutely aware how time-consuming, not to say bewildering, it can be to sift through these choices to find the right one for you.
Many of our customers have told us they'd like some help narrowing...
11 September 2018
Ashtead“The FTSE 100 is not having a good time of late and trading on Tuesday takes the blue chip index down a further 0.2% to 7,266. Investors saving for their pension, new house, children’s school fees, loft conversion or any other major expenditure will be frustrated at how the UK market has performed this year as there is a high chance their...
10 September 2018
Associated British Foods and Debenhams“The FTSE 100 showed little sign of recovering the ground it lost last week in early trading as investors digested the latest political instability in Europe and as trade tensions continue to simmer away in the background,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
Associated British Foods“Investors may be getting worried about the ongoing...
7 September 2018
Sky shareholders face deal deadlinesNearly two years after an initial £10.75 per share takeover bid from Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox, shareholders in pay-TV giant Sky have some very important dates coming up which should finally settle the destiny of the company.
At 1pm on 12 September the deadline for acceptances on US media conglomerate Comcast’s £14.75 offer, backed by Sky...
7 September 2018
International Consolidated Airlines (British Airways) and Greene King“The FTSE 100 is on track for one of its worst weeks this year. Assuming no change from the 7,316 trading level seen early on Friday, the blue chip index will have fallen nearly 1.6% across the week, taking it to a five-month low.
“The banking sector remains one of the worst offenders with investors clearly worried about the state of the UK...
6 September 2018
Utilities rally as Ofgem review proves no worse than feared“ Centrica, SSE and United Utilities are all rallying this morning, even as the FTSE 100 languishes back at four-month lows, because the findings of the Ofgem report are no worse than expected and their shares’ dismal performance over the last 12 months reflected the chance of a harsher outcome,” says Russ Mould, AJ Bell Investment Director.
“The...
6 September 2018
Melrose Industries, Centrica and Sirius Minerals“The FTSE 100 is now trading at a five-month low as trade war concerns escalate. Software, mining, tobacco and banks are among the worst performing sectors so far this year with stocks like Vodafone, Imperial Brands and HSBC being particularly disappointing. “A continuation of the current downward trend could cause investors to lose confidence...
5 September 2018
Housebuilders: Berkeley / Barratt Developments and William Hill“It’s another red day for the markets with FTSE 100 falling 0.5% to 7,421 and losses seen across Asia and Europe. Emerging markets have been particularly weak and a lack of progress regarding international trade talks continues to unsettle investors,” says Russ Mould, Investment Director at AJ Bell.
Housebuilders: Berkeley / Barratt Developments“T...
4 September 2018
WPP and Halfords“The FTSE 100 was just about consolidating yesterday’s gains in early trading as speculation continues over whether Bank of England Governor Mark Carney is likely to stay in post beyond 2019,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
WPP“Advertising giant WPP answered one key question this week as it promoted internal candidate Mark Read to...
3 September 2018
Dechra Pharmaceuticals and Footasylum“The FTSE 100 gets off to a strong start on its first trading day of the autumn, gaining 0.6% to 7,478.98. The index endured a difficult August, falling by more than 4%,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
Dechra Pharmaceuticals“Today’s mixed update from veterinary products specialist Dechra Pharmaceuticals shows the dangers of a high...
31 August 2018
Whitbread sale of Costa begs the question of who will be next on the activists’ hit-list?“Today’s huge leap in Whitbread’s shares following the sale of Costa Coffee, breaking up the group far more quickly than expected and for a higher price than analysts had expected, must be seen as a vindication of activist investors that the FTSE 100 firm’s unwieldy structure meant that there was hidden value waiting to be unlocked,” says Russ...
31 August 2018
Whitbread and Sage“The FTSE 100 looks set to end the week on a downbeat note with a threat from Donald Trump to pull the US out of the World Trade Organisation helping to revive fears over global trade,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
Whitbread“After being told they would have to wait two years for a spin-off of Costa Coffee to complete when it was...
30 August 2018
Why next week’s US wage growth numbers may be even more important than usual“As America’s S&P 500 index continues to rack up new highs, investors are sensibly asking themselves what could go wrong and puncture the bull run in US stocks. History suggests that a combination of rising interest rates, lofty valuations and earnings disappointments usually proves deadly,” says Russ Mould, AJ Bell Investment Director.
“Interest...
30 August 2018
Property stocks, Hunting and Hays“Markets on Thursday were flashing red with losses seen across the UK, Europe and parts of Asia amid renewed concerns about the relationship between the US and China. The FTSE 100 traded 0.6% lower at 7,515 with miners, telecoms and media stocks among the worst performing blue chips,” says Russ Mould, Investment Director at AJ Bell.
Property stocks...