9 May 2018
Five slick ways to play oil“Oil traders may have seen President Trump’s decision to withdraw the US from the 2015 nuclear sanctions coming from some distance away but confirmation of the move and American plans to exclude OPEC’s third-biggest producer* from global markets is still giving a fresh lift to the price of crude,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“Inve...
9 May 2018
Greggs, Imperial Brands and Compass“The FTSE 100 index is doing the very best to break through the 7,600 market and test the all-time highs seen earlier this year. Today it nudges up to 7,593 in early trading, helped by strength in oil stocks,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
Greggs“Sausage rolls specialist Greggs has become the latest victim of bad weather and weak...
8 May 2018
CYBG / Virgin Money and William Hill“The FTSE is on the verge of breaking through the 7,600 level once again, meaning it only has to rise by approximately 2.5% from the current 7,591 level in order to achieve a new record high. The previous market close record was 7,778 on 12 January 2018,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
CYBG / Virgin Money“ CYBG has often been seen as...
4 May 2018
HSBC, Games Workshop and International Consolidated Airlines“The FTSE 100 is on track to finish the week on a positive note, rising approximately 0.3% over the five trading days to 7,521. Next week’s main events include the Bank of England’s UK interest rate decision,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
HSBC“A disappointing first quarter reporting season for UK banks concludes with an...
3 May 2018
Glencore and Trinity Mirror“The impressive rally in the FTSE since late March stops to catch its breath on Thursday, trading flat at 7,538. Gains in the mining, oil and supermarket sectors are offset by weakness in utilities and insurers,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
Glencore“Missing first quarter market expectations would often prompt a company to...
2 May 2018
Apple offers cash bonanza but still has three questions to answer“ Apple beat analysts’ forecasts for its second quarter, reassured on iPhone growth and upped its already massive cash returns to investors, by increasing its dividend and launching a new $100 billion share buyback scheme – but the fact that its shares rose only 2% after hours, shedding some of their initial gains, suggests that the tech firm has...
2 May 2018
Paddy Power Betfair, Sage and Ocado“The FTSE 100 enjoys another healthy rise on Wednesday morning as results from Apple surprised on the upside overnight,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
Paddy Power Betfair“News of a £500m capital return to shareholders is not enough to save bookmaker Paddy Power Betfair from a bashing by the market this morning as it reports a weak...
1 May 2018
BP clears a high hurdle, Just Eat’s margin dilemma and National Grid is out of gas“The FTSE 100 trades slightly higher on Tuesday, continuing its impressive recovery from the recent lows seen in late March. Trading above the 7,500 mark, the index is back within striking distance of the record highs attained in January,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
BP“Oil company BP beating expectations on trading for the first...
30 April 2018
Investors must decide whether services and buybacks trump slowing smartphone sales at Apple“Tuesday’s second-quarter figures from Apple have huge implications for both the company’s own shares, the wider technology sector and even the whole US stock market, as they may leave investors having to decide whether they are happy to swap state-of-the-art technological engineering for financial engineering,” says Russ Mould, AJ Bell Investment...
30 April 2018
FTSE springs into life, Sainsbury’s M&A raises questions about rivals and suppliers, and WPP on life after SorrellThe FTSE 100 springs into life on Monday with a 0.3% rise to 7,526, driven by a strong showing from financial stocks, Sainsbury’s M&A move and advertising giant WPP bouncing back,” says Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell.
Sainsbury’s“The proposed tie-up between Sainsbury’s and Asda raises a lot of questions regarding how the competitor and...
27 April 2018
FTSE keeps its chin up, Royal Bank of Scotland fights negative sentiment and new boss has tough job at Pets at Home“The FTSE 100 nudges up 0.2% to 7,437 on Friday, meaning it has made a small but welcome progress this week, rising a little less than 1% in total. Investors will no doubt be hoping for a stronger showing next week,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
Royal Bank of Scotland“ Royal Bank of Scotland becomes the latest UK bank to see its...
26 April 2018
Markets under pressure, Domino’s easy win, Taylor Wimpey blames the weather and Shell’s cash flow issue Global Markets“The recent UK stock market recovery has ground to a halt following a jump in US bond yields causing investors to rethink their stance on equities. Trends in the US have a habit of influencing investor action elsewhere in the world.
“Later today we have the latest monetary policy decision from European Central Bank which could also...
25 April 2018
Costa Coffee to go, Persimmon faces up to shareholders, Boohoo growth overshadows margin pressure“A weak trading session on Wall Street, driven by disappointing corporate earnings and a spike in the yields on government bonds, saw the FTSE 100 come under pressure on Wednesday. In early trading the index was down around 0.4%,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
Whitbread“That didn’t take long. Just over a week after it emerged...
24 April 2018
FTSE storms ahead, Melrose updates on GKN trading and Focusrite amplifies the small cap space“It’s another positive day for the FTSE 100, advancing 0.4% to 7,429 and extending a winning streak since late March. The UK blue chip index has taken its cue from strong trading on Asian markets earlier today and is clawing its way back towards the record highs marked in January,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
Melrose Industries“In...
23 April 2018
FTSE 100 keeps rising, Capita relief despite heavily discounted fundraise, Rotork in strong demand and Clarkson sinks on profit warning“After a decent showing last week, the FTSE 100 has continued to shine with a small advance on Monday to 7,370. Financial services, mining and pharma are among the stronger sectors on the UK stock market today,” says Russ Mould, Investment Director at AJ Bell.
CAPITA
“Shares in troubled outsourcing provider Capita have jumped upwards despite the...
20 April 2018
Sunny end to the week for UK stock market, Royal Mail boss is twelfth FTSE 100 CEO to be replaced this year and Reckitt Benckiser misses expectations“The FTSE 100 has made an impressive comeback since hitting a year-to-date low of 6,888 on 26 March. The blue chip index has risen by nearly 7% since that low and now trades at 7,365. This week alone it has risen by approximately 2.5%, meaning investors should have a reason to smile in addition to the April heatwave,” says Russ Mould, investment...
19 April 2018
FTSE comeback, Debenhams’ latest disaster and Weir doubles down on resources“The FTSE 100 gains 0.2% to 7,333.07 as yesterday’s weak inflation figures continue to weigh on the pound. Around 70% of constituents’ earnings come from overseas and weaker sterling should boost the relative value of these overseas earnings,” says AJ Bell investment director Russ Mould.
Debenhams“A 52% decline in first half underlying pre-tax...
18 April 2018
No wedding for Hammerson, Rio Tinto unscathed by disruption galore, and Dignity is back from the dead“The FTSE 100 advances 0.3% to 7,248 thanks to strength in the natural resources sector, backed up by a positive showing from tobacco stocks and insurers. We’re back in corporate earnings season again with a flurry of results and trading updates from big names scheduled for the coming few weeks, which should drive increased trading volumes on the...
17 April 2018
FTSE 100 in need of boost to earnings momentumOver a quarter of the FTSE 100 benchmark’s constituents are due to release figures or host their annual general meetings in the next two weeks and this could go a long way to shaping how UK equities perform in the coming weeks and months,” says Russ Mould, AJ Bell Investment Director.
“Short-term share price movements are driven by sentiment but...
17 April 2018
Sterling strength weighs on the FTSE, Majestic Wine invests for the future, ImmuPharma on trial“The FTSE 100 index trades slightly lower despite a strong close overnight on Wall Street. The blue chip index has been held back by a stronger pound,” says AJ Bell investment director Russ Mould.
Majestic Wine“Shares in wine retailer Majestic Wine are lower as the company signals plans to invest an additional £9m to £13m in its business in its...
16 April 2018
Syria strike fails to move market, second activist targets Whitbread and Shire’s oncology sale may complicate a potential takeover UK Stock Market“The UK stock market barely moves on Monday despite the Syria missile strikes at the weekend serving to heighten geopolitical tensions, something that has historically had a negative impact on stock markets around the world.
“Also perplexing is the failure for the gold price to move upwards; the precious metal has historically...
12 April 2018
Carpetright enters CVA, WHSmith looks to travel, Saga cruises higherThe FTSE 100 starts more or less flat on Thursday despite mounting tensions between the US and Russia over Syria,” says AJ Bell investment director Russ Mould. Carpetright
"Investors in carpet retailer Carpetright are having to endure more pain this morning as the company looks to enter a Company Voluntary Agreement (CVA) – essentially a formal...
11 April 2018
Spotify has enjoyed a successful first week – but now the hard work begins“Spotify shares are trading some 17% above their $132 initial reference price after their first week on the public markets but even that gain pales compared to the 51% average leap over the same time frame at Twitter, Snap and fellow recent float Dropbox,” says Russ Mould, AJ Bell Investment Director.
Flotation date IPO price ($) Change in shares...11 April 2018
Market volatility – we haven’t seen anything yet“Despite talk of stock market volatility, the reality is that the FTSE 100 and S&P 500 indices are still behaving pretty calmly relative to the last 20 years, so investors may need to be prepared for wilder times ahead,” says Russ Mould, AJ Bell Investment Director.
Similar quiet periods to match the subdued stock market action of 2015-2017 – such...
9 April 2018
Trade tensions cool, Rolls transformation continues, Keywords results underwhelm“The FTSE 100 starts the week on a positive note as trade tensions between the US and China appear to cool,” says AJ Bell investment director Russ Mould.
Rolls-Royce“The market appears to welcome the news engineering giant Rolls-Royce is selling off its fuel injection technology business L’Orange for a little over £600m.
“As well as providing a...