8 February 2018
Market slips back, AA recovery, new TalkTalk warning and Compass pushes ahead“The UK stock market recovery rally didn’t last long with the main indices taking a small step back as markets open on Thursday. The FTSE 100 slips 0.4% to 7,253 and the FTSE 250 dips 0.2% to 19,659. This implies investors are still nervous following the troubles at the start of the week,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
AA“The AA...
7 February 2018
Will the Year of the Dog mean China is markets’ best friend or a foe?While drops in the US dollar, the American Treasury market and even the US stock market are grabbing all of the headlines, China’s currency is storming higher, buoyed by solid economic data and the political stability which seems to be the result of last autumn’s 19th five-yearly Party Congress.
China’s Shanghai Composite index also made good...
7 February 2018
Five lessons to learn from the market meltdownAs the legendary US baseball player Yogi Berra once noted: “It’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future.”
The task is a precarious and generally thankless one, especially when it comes to financial markets, not least because no-one – but no-one – has a crystal ball.
Positive forecasts can easily come unstuck and then be subject to...
7 February 2018
Rio Tinto’s impressive comeback, Imperial Brands fights back and Scottish Mortgage tops the leaderboard“Investors will be relieved that the markets aren’t tanking for another day. The FTSE 100 is up 0.7% to 7,191 in early trading on Wednesday, although it is impossible to say if the recovery will be sustained for the rest of the week,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
Rio Tinto“FTSE 100 miner Rio Tinto is certainly singing the right...
6 February 2018
Ocado’s big challenge, good news for BP and sales setback for Babcock“Global stock markets continue to fall sharply with the FTSE 100 down a further 2.6% to 7,148 in early trading on Tuesday,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
Ocado“ Ocado says the last 12 months have been ‘transformational’ for the business after winning overseas partnerships. But the performance statistics don’t quite live up to the...
5 February 2018
Tesco’s important move, Randgold’s mining code shock and Ryanair’s gloomy outlook“The FTSE 100 starts the week on a bad note, falling 1.1% to 7,358, echoing a similar sell-off in Asia and following a weak session on the US last Friday,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
Tesco“ Tesco’s guidance for current financial year operating profit of at least £1.575bn shows the business is making steady progress in rebuilding...
2 February 2018
BT full year outlook clouded, AstraZeneca drugs sales fall, Cobham cashes in“The FTSE 100 was treading water in early trading ahead of the widely followed US non-farm payrolls release later,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
BT“The market appears slightly sceptical of telecoms business BT’s confidence in the full year outlook after a 3% dip in third quarter revenue. Pre-tax profit for the nine months to the...
1 February 2018
Shell shows that cash is king“For the last two years, Shell has been dogged by concerns that its annual dividend was at risk of a cut owing to the plunge in oil and natural gas prices but today’s full-year figures for 2017 should help put such worries to rest, thanks to an extensive self-help programme and also a rebound in crude,” says Russ Mould, AJ Bell Investment Director...
1 February 2018
Shell’s stellar year, Unilever nears 1-year anniversary of takeover approach, Vodafone has minor setback“The FTSE 100 picks up speed after a difficult few days, rising 10 points to 7,543 thanks to gains in utility stocks and banks,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
Royal Dutch Shell“Oil producers have been waiting for more than three years for the oil price to properly regain strength and it’s now finally happened. With Brent Crude oil...
31 January 2018
Is this really the end for the long bull run in bonds?Japanese Government Bonds (JGBs) have the nickname of ‘the widow maker’ because so many traders have come unstuck trying to call the top in the JGB market over the past 25 years, generally getting themselves carried out as they shorted, or sold, Tokyo’s debt market.
Experts who look at, and investors with exposure to, the West’s Government debt...
31 January 2018
Capita shock profit warning, Wizz Air loses altitude“The FTSE 100 stabilised after yesterday’s big sell off as investors braced themselves for the latest interest rate announcement from the US Federal Reserve,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
Capita“Outsourcer Capita lost nearly a third of its market value this morning, its biggest ever one day fall, as new chief executive Jonathan...
30 January 2018
Domino's Pizza, Informa and GreencoreRuss Mould, AJ Bell Investment Director comments:
Domino's Pizza“The cold weather spell towards the end of last year appears to have been a key sales driver for Domino's Pizza as it reports strong numbers for the 13 weeks to 24 December 2017. That's driven people to stay indoors, put their feet up and watch the telly with a takeaway. Domino's...
29 January 2018
Petra Diamonds profit warning, GKN pensions alert, SThree’s overseas jobs boost“The FTSE 100 starts the week on a positive note, rising 10 points to 7,675. Miners and insurers are leading the charge, more than offsetting weakness in consumer goods companies,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
Petra Diamonds“There is no sparkle to Petra Diamonds’ shares as they collapse on news of a profit warning. The miner says...
26 January 2018
Dollar’s dive could derail some highflying UK stocks in 2018“Way back in 1971 the then US Treasury Secretary John Connally famously declared ‘The dollar is our currency but it’s your problem’ and the person currently in that post, Steve Mnuchin, seems equally unconcerned by the greenback’s latest move lower,” says Russ Mould, AJ Bell Investment Director.
“However, a sustained slide in the buck could start...
26 January 2018
Ingenta, Jaywing and AstraZeneca“The FTSE 100 opened in positive territory ahead of this morning’s fourth quarter GDP figures, which will give some insight into the general state of the UK economy,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“ Ingenta, a leading software and service provider to the publishing and media industry, was a double-digit riser following further...
25 January 2018
Hornby, Kier and Greene King“The FTSE 100 opened in negative territory after sterling's gains and a mixed performance on Wall Street overnight dragged on the market,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“Model train maker Hornby was a double-digit faller after warning that full-year losses would be worse than expected. The group decided in October that it would no...
25 January 2018
All hail the declining dollarThe American politician John Connally packed a lot into his life, including a rare switch from the Democratic to the Republican Party, but he is best known for two things.
First, he was sat in the same limousine as John F. Kennedy when America’s thirty-fifth President was assassinated in Dealey Plaza, Dallas Texas in November 1963.
Second, as...
24 January 2018
Wetherspoon, WH Smith and Fresnillo“The FTSE 100 was down in early trading as a firmer pound hurt exporters,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“Pub group JD Wetherspoon topped the FTSE 250 board after better-than-expected like-for-like sales in the first 12 weeks of its second quarter. The group is now anticipating underlying pre-tax profits to be slightly better than...
23 January 2018
Pets at Home gives short-sellers a nasty bite“Having been carried out by online grocer Ocado yesterday short sellers are being bitten by Pets at Home today, as the specialist retailer and provider of veterinary and grooming services reveals stronger-than-expected trading for the third quarter,” says AJ Bell Investment Director, Russ Mould.
“Shares in the Cheshire-headquartered firm loped 8%...
23 January 2018
easyJet, N Brown and Marston's“The FTSE 100 is fighting back after last week's wobble, trading 17 points higher today at 7,732. The banking sector is once again helping to lead the index, together with gains in the large drug companies,” says AJ Bell Investment Director, Russ Mould.
"A better than expected first quarter trading has given easyJet’s shares a decent lift. It is...
22 January 2018
Dixons Carphone, GVC and Connect Group“The FTSE 100 nudged 4 points higher to 7,735, propelled by gains in banking and utility stocks,” says AJ Bell investment director Russ Mould.
“ Dixons Carphone’s trading update is a big relief to the market even though the CEO is leaving and the upper end of its full year pre-tax profit guidance has been trimmed from £400m to £385m. Investors...
19 January 2018
Carpetright, Dignity and Bonmarche“The FTSE 100 edged higher after investors in Asia appeared to be protecting positions this morning, given last night's decline on Wall Street,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“ Carpetright’s shares plummeted in early trading after it slashed its profit guidance following a slump in sales. The post-Christmas period is traditionally a...
18 January 2018
Countrywide, Whitbread and Halfords“The FTSE 100 was down in early trading, extending its three-day losing streak,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“Property services group Countrywide’s shares tumbled after it warned that full year income and earnings would be down on last time. The group’s performance has been hit by a slump in its sales and lettings business with...
17 January 2018
Are hopes for a tax-cut boost to US corporate earnings simply (American) pie in the sky?All four leading US stock market indices – Dow Jones Industrials, S&P 500, Nasdaq Composite and Russell 2000 – all racked up a string of record closing highs in 2017 and one key reason for this was what, ultimately, became President Trump’s first major piece of Capitol-Hill-approved legislation, namely December’s Tax and Jobs Act.
The tax changes...
17 January 2018
Carillion pensions fallout: Four things DB members should think about"The high profile failure of Carillion and the fact that all 27,000 members of the group’s various defined benefit (DB) schemes will likely go into the Pension Protection Fund (PPF) will bring the viability of DB pensions into sharp focus once again," says Tom Selby, senior analyst at AJ Bell.
“With the scheme sponsor in such severe distress, many...