13 July 2017
How to spot a share price collapse before it happensA profit warning, a decision to cut the dividend to zero and the sudden resignation of the chief executive mean shares in FTSE 250 index member Carillion are trading at 71p compared to more than 190p only a week ago.
To many investors, such carnage seems remarkable when six analysts cover the stock, according to the website www.brokerforecast.com...
7 July 2017
Dunelm, Distil and Mulberry“Blue-chips opened in negative territory with traders looking to UK manufacturing, construction and industrial production data mid-morning and the latest US jobs report this afternoon following a lower-than-expected rise in private sector payrolls earlier this week,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“Home furnishing group Dunelm led the...
6 July 2017
Frustrated Hornby shareholders still looking for light at the end of the tunnelA recommendation from the management team at Hornby that investors shunt into the sidings a 32.375p-a-share offer from Phoenix Asset Management leaves shareholders with three possible options when it comes to rescuing something from a situation where there seems to be little light at the end of the tunnel for the Corgi, Humbrol and Airfix brands...
6 July 2017
Food retailers seek to prove their value credentials – to both customers and investorsOne way in which “value” investors operate is to look at what has done badly and to see if there is potential for a change in fortunes, which could leave a stock or even a whole sector looking underappreciated, oversold and – ultimately – cheap.
One grouping which remains in the doldrums is the Food & Drug Retailers sector. This is dominated by the...
3 July 2017
Plus500, Electrocomponents and Faroe Petroleum“The FTSE100 was up in early trading with banks and mining shares to the fore. HSBC led the board with Anglo American in hot pursuit. Investors will be looking to PMI data from the UK and EU mid-morning,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“Online trading services provider Plus500’s shares soared after it anticipated that full-year...
30 June 2017
Investments to watch when the oil price movesLast week we looked at the four indicators which could help investors to spot turning points in the oil price (which is currently hovering around $46 a barrel, using Brent crude as a benchmark, just above its year lows). They were:
US oil inventories US and global oil rig activity US shale oil output The oil futures markets and whether...
30 June 2017
Fox Marble, Shanta Gold and fastjet“Blue-chips opened lower following falls on Wall Street and in Asia, with investors looking ahead to a raft of UK and EU data throughout the day. In the UK, the market will be looking to UK current account, GDP and services data, while in Europe it will be inflation data in focus,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“ Fox Marble’s shares...
29 June 2017
JD Sports, Harvey Nash and Purplebricks“Blue-chips opened strongly with banks and miners to the fore. Investors will be looking to data on UK mortgage approvals, M4 Money Supply and net lending to individuals and continue to assess Bank of England governor Mark Carney's statement yesterday that interest rates might need to be lifted,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“ JD...
28 June 2017
Bunzl shows that boring can be best"It might not be as exciting as picking an oil explorer or junior miner which makes a huge resource find and sends its shares gushing higher but investing is about keeping your money safe as much as it is making a return on it and today’s first-half trading update from Bunzl shows that the best long-term picks can be the dull ones," says AJ Bell...
28 June 2017
Stagecoach, Dixons Carphone and Petra Diamonds“The FTSE100 opened on the back foot following falls on Wall Street and Asia. Sterling was ahead on the dollar, but down on the euro,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“Bus and train operator Stagecoach was the FTSE250’s biggest faller in early trading after full-year statutory pre-tax profits plunged to £17.9m, down from £104.4m last...
27 June 2017
Tough short-term trading and long-term leases mean Debenhams shares take another dive" Debenhams shares sank 4% to levels not seen since the end of the last bear market in spring 2009 as new chief executive officer Sergio Bucher admitted that trading in the 15 weeks to 17 June had been 'volatile'," says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“It is too early to judge the merits of Bucher’s new strategy for Debenhams, barely two...
27 June 2017
Debenhams, Carpetright and BCA Marketplace“The FTSE100 opened in negative territory despite a strong showing by heavyweight miners. Anglo American, Rio Tinto, Antofagasta, BHP Billiton and Glencore locked out the top positions on the blue-chip board in early trading,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“Department store Debenhams was down in early trading after it warned that...
26 June 2017
Hornby, Empyrean Energy and Minoan“Blue-chips opened the week on the front foot, shrugging off sterling gains on the dollar and euro and being helped by rises among oil majors,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“Model railway and collectables group Hornby edged higher in early trading following the board’s dismissive response to a mandatory offer by its largest...
23 June 2017
Why oil’s latest slide matters to UK investorsOil prices are sliding to fresh lows for the year, despite May’s agreement in Vienna by OPEC and leading non-OPEC members (notably Russia) to stick to and extend the production cuts first announced last November by nine more months to the end of March 2018.
Oil is trading at new lows for 2017Source: Thomson Reuters Datastream
This will be as...
23 June 2017
blur Group, SolGold and Falcon“Blue-chips opened in negative territory on the anniversary of the Brexit vote following a after a mixed performance on Wall Street and gains in Asia. Investors will be looking to a raft of eurozone PMI data out this morning,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“Online marketplace blur Group’s shares plummeted after warning it was running...
22 June 2017
Imagination, Diageo and James Latham“Blue-chips were down in early trading following mixed performances on Wall Street and in Asia with investors looking ahead to a raft of PMI data out in the eurozone and the US. Uncertainty over Brexit continues to weigh on sentiment,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“ Imagination Technologies’ shares jumped after the group put itself...
21 June 2017
Whitbread, Berkeley and Hornby“The FTSE100 opened in negative territory with investors awaiting the Queen's Speech late this morning which is expected to cover a two-year period instead of one and to be laden with Brexit content,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“ Whitbread topped the blue-chip board in early trading after a 2.9% rise in like-for-like sales in the...
20 June 2017
N Brown, Kodal Minerals and Interserve“The FTSE100 was mildly firmer in early trading following on from yesterday's gains and rises in Wall Street and Asia overnight with investors awaiting key speeches by Chancellor Philip Hammond and Bank of England governor Mark Carney,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“Plus-size fashion retailer N Brown topped the FTSE All-Share board...
19 June 2017
Bonmarché, InnovaDerma and Filtronic“Blue-chips started the week on the front foot despite notable spikes in the value of sterling against both the dollar and euro although markets remain sensitive to any political or economic developments concerning both Brexit and the hung parliament,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“Fashion group Bonmarché’s shares were down in...
16 June 2017
Tesco, Rolls-Royce and Amec Foster Wheeler“Blue-chips opened on the front foot, recovering some ground after yesterday’s fall. The early focus for investors is the Bank of England quarterly bulletin and eurozone inflation data before US housing stats this afternoon,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“Supermarket giant Tesco was one of the biggest FTSE100 risers in early trading...
16 June 2017
Why the tech sector remains a key sentiment indicator for global stocksNo sooner had America’s technology-laden NASDAQ Composite stock index crossed the 6,000 mark for the first time in late April than two of its leading members, Amazon and Alphabet, have seen their share price reach $1,000.
The numbers in themselves mean little in absolute terms but they do signal that technology is well and truly back in fashion...
15 June 2017
DFS, Majestic Wine and Sky/Virgin Media“Blue-chips opened in negative territory with the Bank of England's midday policy meeting at the centre of the market's attention, although no change in interest rates or QE seems likely,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“Furniture group DFS was sitting uncomfortably at the foot of the FTSE All-Share Index after warning that full-year...
14 June 2017
Bellway soothes Brexit nerves for housebuilders"Higher-than-expected sales completions, a 13% jump in the weekly reservation rate and an increased order backlog are all chiming with investors in FTSE 250 house builder Bellway today, as the shares are trading up by more than 4% in early trading, to take them back to where they were in early 2016 before Brexit jitters began to hit home," says AJ...
14 June 2017
Bellway, British American Tobacco and Gemfields“The FTSE100 was virtually flat in early trading as sterling advancing on both the dollar and euro. Investors will be looking to UK average earnings and employment data out mid-morning and, in particular, whether earnings are keeping pace with the consumer-price index, which rose 2.9% in May,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“House...
13 June 2017
Capita, Merlin Entertainments and Ted Baker“The FTSE100 opened on the front foot as investors prepared for a string of UK inflation-related data out mid-morning, with sterling advancing on both the dollar and euro as prices for gold, silver and copper slipped,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“Outsourcing group Capita’s shares jumped in early trading on a bullish update ahead...