4 July 2018
Sainsbury's and National Express“Markets continue to go through a one step forward, one step back motion. The FTSE 100 failed to match the excitement seen with England’s World Cup win last night, slipping 0.3% to 7,569 in morning trading on Wednesday. Asian markets were also looking gloomy with Hong Kong and Tokyo both in the red,” says Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell...
3 July 2018
Water Companies - United Utilities, Pennon and Severn Trent and ASOSUK and mainland European markets are back in positive territory on Tuesday, bucking a negative trend seen in parts of Asia. The FTSE 100 nudges 0.1% higher to 7,555, helped by gains in the pharmaceutical and oil sectors,” says Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell.
WATER COMPANIES / UNITED UTILITIES / PENNON / SEVERN TRENT
Utility companies...
2 July 2018
Tesco and Playtech“The UK stock market follows parts of Asia lower on Monday with the FTSE 100 falling 1.2% to 7,548. Weak oil prices drag down shares in Royal Dutch Shell and BP, as well as many of the big mining stocks, which in turn weigh on the FTSE,” says Russ Mould, Investment Director at AJ Bell.
Tesco“ Tesco continues to be very proactive in its quest to...
29 June 2018
Serco and FastJet“The FTSE 100 was on course to end a turbulent week on a high note. After gains in Asia and US overnight on softening trade rhetoric from the Trump administration, the index was up by more than 1% early on,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
Serco“There is profit growth and profit growth – the kind signalled by outsourcer Serco this...
28 June 2018
Signs of recovery could persuade predators to get ready for some Hunting“ General Electric announced the merger of its oil and gas operations with Baker Hughes in October 2016, when times were tough for oil services and equipment providers, and closed the transaction in July 2017, right near the sector’s lows. There now has to be a risk that it will undo that deal just as trading conditions start to improve, judging by...
28 June 2018
Greene King and Stagecoach“Markets are struggling to find direction on Thursday with the FTSE 100 down 0.2% to 7,607. In mainland Europe, markets in Paris and Frankfurt manage to nudge ahead but Madrid and Amsterdam ease back,” says Russ Mould, Investment Director at AJ Bell.
Greene King“The idea of one of Britain’s biggest pub companies going ex-growth may seem unlikely...
27 June 2018
Whitbread, ITV and IWG“The FTSE 100 has its hazard lights on, sitting still at 7,537 on Tuesday and awaiting a signal from investors whether they are confident enough to start buying equities again en masse,” says Russ Mould, Investment Director at AJ Bell.
Whitbread“Coffee-to-hotels company Whitbread is managing to keep its head above water despite various headwinds...
26 June 2018
FTSE manages modest recovery, sales disappoint at Sainsbury’s and Carpetright aims for recovery“After a big sell off on Monday as the US stepped up its rhetoric on trade, the FTSE recovers some ground on Tuesday. However, the index is still materially down on the highs achieved at the end of May,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
Sainsbury's“The widely followed figures on the groceries sector from Kantar make grim reading for...
26 June 2018
FANG+ index is on track to outpace NASDAQ’s bubbly gains of 1999 (and we all know how that ended …..)“After a stumble in spring, amid the Cambridge Analytica data scandal and broader worries over regulation, trade and tariffs, technology stocks are surging higher once more. The Fang+ index in America, which consists of ten high-flyers in total, has just passed the 3,000 level for the first time. It took the benchmark just 1,365 days to get there...
25 June 2018
Quilter/Old Mutual & Countrywide“It’s a bad start to the week for the FTSE 100, slipping 0.6% on Monday morning to 7,633. Share price weakness in banks, drug companies and natural resources producers act as the biggest drags on the market,” says Russ Mould, Investment Director at AJ Bell.
Quilter / Old Mutual“FTSE 100 life insurer Old Mutual has finally spun out its UK wealth...
22 June 2018
Markets and Woodford Patient Capital Trust“The FTSE 100 only manages to nudge up 0.2% on Friday to 7,572 with no major corporate news to drive trading volumes. Next week sees FTSE 100 companies Bunzl and Whitbread update on their trading and on the economic front there is data on UK GDP and mortgage approvals,” says Russ Mould, Investment Director at AJ Bell.
Markets“Investors in tracker...
22 June 2018
Financial markets side with Project Fear, two years after the EU referendumIt is two years since the British public voted in favour of Brexit and financial markets continue to approach March 2019 with a degree of trepidation.
This is not to say the markets are right to be cautious about what Brexit may bring but three clear trends suggest that investors would at the very least like greater clarity on what sort of deal the...
21 June 2018
Dixons Carphone and Saga“The FTSE 100 is regaining strength after a very patchy start to June. It nudged up 0.3% in early trading on Thursday to 7,651,” says Russ Mould, Investment Director at AJ Bell.
Dixons Carphone“There are no surprises in full year results from Dixons Carphone, much to the relief of its shareholders whose patience has been tested on several...
20 June 2018
Repeat of peak profits forecast shakes shares in Berkeley“Second-guessing Tony Pidgley, chairman of Berkeley Homes, is usually unwise and investors appear to be taking his forecast that profits have peaked at the house builder more seriously today than when he first made it back in December,” says Russ Mould, AJ Bell Investment Director.
“Berkeley’s focus on high-end properties in the South East means...
20 June 2018
Berkeley Group and Sirius Minerals“Investors are regaining confidence as evident by a 0.9% rise in the FTSE 100 to 7,669 on Wednesday. Miners, tobacco sellers and drug companies help top the leaderboard,” says Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell.
Berkeley Group“ Berkeley becomes the latest housebuilder to sound caution over the state of the property market. This raises the...
19 June 2018
McCarthy & Stone and Ferguson“Global stocks repeat the pattern seen yesterday with declines across numerous markets amid growing fears about trade war tensions between the US and China. The FTSE 100 slips 0.7% to 7,578 with miners among the worst hit. Stock markets in Europe and Asia are also in the red,” says Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell.
McCarthy & Stone“You...
18 June 2018
How investors can (just) make money tracking FTSE 100 relegations and promotions“The latest promotions to – and relegations from – the FTSE 100 index come into effect today and investors will be intrigued to see how shares in both relegated firms are down in early trading. G4S is down 3% and Mediclinic down 1%. A glance at the promoted firms will show that GVC is up 1% to perhaps suggest there is a trading strategy that could...
18 June 2018
Virgin Money/CYBG and South32“The FTSE 100 holds firm at the start of the new trading week, sitting still at 7,636. Gains among insurance, utility and banks stocks are offset by weakness among miners and pharma companies,” says Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell.
Virgin Money/ CYBG“The two companies may have reached an agreement on a recommended all-share business...
15 June 2018
Tesco keeps the tills ringing as Booker boosts sales momentum“ Sainsbury’s chief executive Mike Coupe may have been caught singing ‘We’re in the Money’ when his guard was temporarily down but Tesco boss Dave Lewis must be feeling equally pleased with himself after the first-quarter sales figures,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“Sales grew on a like-for-like basis for the tenth straight quarter...
15 June 2018
Tesco and Rolls-Royce“The FTSE 100 stubbornly refuses to make any real progress with the index on track to make minimal gains this week. On Friday morning it was flat at 7,763. So far this year the FTSE 100 is up by a little less than 1%. Large gains between March and May merely recovered the losses experienced earlier in the year,” says AJ Bell Investment Director...
14 June 2018
Seventh rate hike from Fed sets stock market investors their latest challenge“The US Federal Reserve’s determination to continue tightening monetary policy, via both higher interest rates and sterilisation of Quantitative Easing, is likely to make life more difficult for investors, if history is any guide, even if financial markets are largely still behaving as if improved returns on cash and increased borrowing costs poses...
14 June 2018
AVEVA, Rolls-Royce and N Brown“The FTSE continues to be stuck in the mud, slipping 0.6% to 7,654 on Thursday with notable weakness in utility, mining and insurance stocks,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
AVEVA“Thanks to its recent combination with Schneider Electric full year results from industrial software specialist AVEVA are fairly tricky to unpick. On some...
13 June 2018
Dixons Carphone and Connect“The FTSE 100 slips 0.2% to 7,685 on Wednesday morning. The market has lost momentum since its stellar run between March and May, perhaps because of the sheer amount of political noise causing investors to pause for thought until they can make sense of proceedings,” says Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell.
Dixons Carphone“Data breaches are...
12 June 2018
Halma shows how it is done with thirty-ninth consecutive dividend increase“It might not be a household name although a record of 39 consecutive increases of more than 5% in Halma’s annual dividend suggests that it should be, especially as this track record means the FTSE 100 firm is a good example of how a company that gets the basics right can reward patient investors,” says Russ Mould, AJ Bell Investment Director.
The...12 June 2018
Domino's Pizza, Boohoo and Housebuilders“Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un’s summit has failed to excite investors with the FTSE 100 unmoved on Tuesday morning at 7,736. This could be a temporary pause while markets wait for more solid information,” says Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell.
Domino's Pizza“The sudden departure of a company’s chief financial officer is rarely a good...