29 August 2018
Aston Martin and Countrywide“The FTSE continues to stage a comeback after the summer lull with another 0.1% advance to 7,625 on Wednesday. Utilities lead the charge with United Utilities, Severn Trent and National Grid all in positive territory,” says Russ Mould, Investment Director at AJ Bell.
Aston Martin“Aston Martin is set to be London’s highest profile stock market...
28 August 2018
Bunzl and NMC Health“The FTSE 100 springs to life following the Bank Holiday with a 0.7% gain to 7,629. Driving the index is strong showing from miners, transport groups, chemicals and financial sectors,” says Russ Mould, Investment Director at AJ Bell.
Bunzl“ Bunzl has delivered another business-as-usual performance with revenue, profit and the dividend all going up...
24 August 2018
Some of Britain's best known companies leave investors nursing losses“The FTSE 100 is on track to end the week with zero gains, hovering at the 7560 mark as the summer lull nears its conclusion. It’s a regular-seen scenario of miners trying to lift the index, only to be offset by weakness among tobacco stocks and utilities,” says Russ Mould, Investment Director at AJ Bell.
Some of Britain's best known companies...23 August 2018
CRH and Playtech“The FTSE 100 has ignored the latest tit-for-tat tariffs between the US and China to forge slightly higher in early trading,” says AJ Bell investment director Russ Mould.
CRH“Weather disruption has not prevented building materials business CRH from chalking up a solid first half, with revenue nudging higher and profit up 5%, there’s also a 2% hike...
22 August 2018
Avast and Grafton“Dollar weakness once again drags on the FTSE 100, leaving the blue chip index trading 0.3% lower at 7,545. In contrast, Asian markets are in much better health including a 0.6% rise in Japan’s Nikkei 225 index.
“Unhelpful to the London market is the fact that not a single FTSE 100 company has issued corporate results or trading updates on...
21 August 2018
BHP Billiton and Persimmon“Having risen for three trading sessions in a row, the FTSE 100 comes to a grinding halt. Strength in utility and consumer goods companies is not enough to offset weakness in miners, construction companies and financial stocks, leaving the blue chip index trading 0.1% lower at 7,582,” says Russ Mould, Investment Director at AJ Bell.
BHP Billiton“...
20 August 2018
G4S and Mulberry“The FTSE 100 starts the week on the front foot as investors await key trade talks between the US and China later this week,” says AJ Bell investment director Russ Mould.
Mulberry“Today’s announcement from luxury handbag maker Mulberry is a reminder that the victims of the current high street malaise in the UK do not just include the retailers...
17 August 2018
Graveyard index beats the FTSE 100“The market is firmly in holiday mode with minimal corporate announcements and no movement from the FTSE 100 on Friday. Trading at 7,559, the blue chip index is going to have work harder if it is to stand a chance of returning to the 7,877 high seen in May. Risk appetite looks weak at present, so markets may remain in a small trading range until...
16 August 2018
French woes weigh on Kingfisher“ Kingfisher’s Turkish joint-venture Koçtaş is a very, very small part of the DIY giant – it contributed just £3 million in profit last year in combination with a 49%-owned French operation – so investors don’t need to worry too much about that, but slack sales at the core Castorama brand in France is a bigger concern altogether,” says Russ Mould...
16 August 2018
Amazon / Insurance price comparison sites and on the beach“Investors will be very relieved there isn’t a continuation of yesterday’s market slump on Thursday. The FTSE 100 manages to claw back some of the lost territory with a 0.2% gain to 7,511.
“European markets follow suit, although Asia had another bad day with markets in India, Hong Kong and Japan all in the red, suggesting that some investors still...
15 August 2018
Balfour Beatty and Copper price / Mining sector“The FTSE 100 refuses to budge on Wednesday as mining sector weakness is offset by another good day for the insurance sector, plus gains in drug and healthcare companies,” says Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell.
Balfour Beatty“You can sum up the market reaction to Balfour Beatty’s results as ‘what have you got up your sleeve for your next...
14 August 2018
Turkey teaches new generation of investors some old (and painful) lessons“The collapse of the Turkish lira and the threat of contagion across emerging and also developed stock and bond markets look to be catching many investors off guard but this is just an example of what the economist J.K. Galbraith once termed ‘the extreme brevity of financial memory, because we have been here before,” says Russ Mould, AJ Bell...
14 August 2018
Royal Mail and Antofagasta“The utilities sector came to the market’s rescue on Tuesday, helping to put the FTSE 100 in positive territory with support from the insurance sector off the back of Esure’s takeover bid. The blue chip index nudged up 0.2% to 7,656 in early trading,” says Russ Mould, Investment Director at AJ Bell.
Royal Mail“ Royal Mail’s £50m fine by Ofcom for...
13 August 2018
Turkey fall out: emerging markets funds, South African companies, DP Eurasia and Chemring“Cyclical stocks were out of fashion on Monday as miners and travel companies served to drag down the FTSE 100, falling 0.7% to 7,617 amid wider weakness in global markets triggered by troubles in Turkey.
“On the UK market, TUI, EasyJet, Anglo American and Evraz were among the FTSE 100 stocks in negative territory.
“In Europe, the Cac 40 index in...
10 August 2018
House of Fraser fighting to avoid becoming fourth founder member of FTSE 100 to go bust“Three founder members of the FTSE 100 in 1984 went broke and it is to be hoped that House of Fraser – a private company since 2006 – does not become a fourth, not least for the sake of the company’s staff and suppliers,” says Russ Mould, Investment Director at AJ Bell.
“The retailer is being placed in administration but this is quite different...
10 August 2018
Volution and Prophotonix“The FTSE 100 is firmly lower this morning after weak trading in the US and Asia overnight. Just when you think the index is regaining some momentum it suffers another setback. Since achieving a record level in late May, the FTSE has been stuck in a pretty tight range,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
Volution“Investors in ventilation...
9 August 2018
TUI and Cineworld“The steady advance in the FTSE 100 so far this week is rudely interrupted as global tensions over trade continue to dog the financial markets,” says AJ Bell investment director Russ Mould.
TUI“It’s hard to know how to read today’s third quarter update from travel operator TUI. On the one hand earnings are down nearly 7% year-on-year and yet on...
8 August 2018
Short-sellers in Tesla get burned again as Musk floats plan to take firm private“A very experienced – and successful – hedge fund manager once told me that he never shorted high-flying, popular stocks until they had at least halved, because that was when confidence would finally begin to crack and shareholders would start to sell on the rallies and not buy on the dips. The latest action in Tesla’s share price reinforces the...
8 August 2018
TT Electronics and Hill & Smith“For a second day the FTSE 100 is enjoying modest gains although the index is still trading only slightly higher than it was a month ago, reflecting the lack of momentum behind stocks at present,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
TT Electronics“When electrical components manufacturer TT Electronics snapped up its smaller peer Stadium...
7 August 2018
Domino's pizza and Intertek“The FTSE 100 traded materially higher this morning after positive trading sessions in the US and Asia overnight,’ says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
Domino's pizza“Markets are always looking forward so it is unsurprising that a solid second quarter performance from takeaway pizza firm Domino’s, achieved despite the headwind created by...
6 August 2018
HSBC, Spire and IWG“The FTSE 100 was flat early on Monday amid ongoing tensions over trade between the US and China and some chatter on Brexit,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
HSBC“The better-than-expected performance of HSBC shares put pressure on the company to deliver with its first half results and on that basis they came up a little short.
“Prof...
2 August 2018
Countrywide and Rolls-Royce“The FTSE 100 traded lower on Thursday morning ahead of today’s UK interest rate decision. A hike is widely expected but investors will be watching the voting split and guidance on the future direction of rates closely,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
Countrywide“Investors should be very wary when a business is both operationally and...
1 August 2018
Apple’s valuation nears the $1 trillion mark – but is that such a good thing?“Apple’s third-quarter earnings easily beat analysts’ forecasts, as sales rose 17% and earnings per share soared by 40%, as price increases on its hardware and flourishing services and app store revenues more than compensated for sluggish volume growth in iPhones, iPads and iMacs,” says Russ Mould, AJ Bell Investment Director.
“The shares...
1 August 2018
Lloyds and Next“The FTSE 100 traded materially lower on Wednesday, with fears of a renewed escalation in trade fears taking a bite out of any positive sentiment created by Apple’s strong earnings report,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
Lloyds“It may seem strange given the volatility the sector has endured in the wake of the global financial crisis...
31 July 2018
Cash flow finally starts to gush at BP but concerns over BHP deal overshadow dividend increase“Gone are the days when BP was offering a dividend yield of 7% to 8% and that is actually a good thing, because it means investors are no longer demanding such a high return to compensate themselves for the risks associated with holding the shares,” says Russ Mould, AJ Bell Investment Director.
“Fears of a dividend cut three years ago, as oil...