19 April 2017
Associated British Foods, Burberry and Rentokil“The FTSE100 was in negative territory after suffering its worst day since the EU referendum vote with MPs today expected to endorse Prime Minister Theresa May’s call for a snap general election on 8 June,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“ Associated British Foods topped the blue-chip board in early trading after making excellent...
18 April 2017
Snap election - Stock markets unlikely to be rattled for long“Nerves surrounding exactly what would be in Prime Minister Theresa May’s unscheduled statement today explain why the FTSE 100 fell so sharply at the opening but stocks may not remain too rattled for too long – assuming that the opinion polls and history both prove a reliable guide this time around," says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“An...
18 April 2017
cloudBuy, Begbies Traynor and SDX Energy“Blue-chips opened in negative territory following the Easter break with investors in a cautious mood against a backdrop of increased geopolitical tensions,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“Online marketplace developer cloudBuy was a double-digit riser in early trading as it looked forward to better times ahead. The outlook for the...
13 April 2017
Three reasons why commercial property is back in the investment spotlightThe FTSE 100 is off to a decent start, showing a capital gain of 3% to date, but the FTSE 250 is up by nearly 7%. This suggests that the dominant post-referendum theme of ‘pound down, stocks up’ is proving less powerful in 2017 than it did in 2016, as the more domestically-focused mid-cap benchmark is doing better than its better-known mega-cap...
13 April 2017
Royal Mail, Hays and Circle Property“A lengthy list of stocks going ex-dividend weighed heavily on the FTSE100 which tracked falls on Wall Street overnight and in Asia this morning with investors looking to the Bank of England's credit conditions survey due mid-morning,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“ Royal Mail’s decision to close its final salary pension scheme...
12 April 2017
Booker doubts, price pressure and pension deficit take shine off Tesco turnaround story“Rising (adjusted) profits, falling debts and a planned return to the dividend list in 2017-18 all suggest that boss Dave Lewis’ planned turnaround at grocery giant Tesco is firmly on track,” says Russ Mould, AJ Bell's Investment Director.
“However, the shares seem underwhelmed today, amid ongoing doubts over the merits of the Booker deal and...
12 April 2017
Tesco, BHP Billiton and Dunelm“Blue-chips opened on the front foot with traders looking to UK average earnings and jobless data out mid-morning,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“Supermarket giant Tesco was the biggest FTSE100 faller in early trading after its full-year profits took a £235m hit for overstating results in 2014. Overall, Tesco’s results were better...
11 April 2017
Bank of England unlikely to flinch as inflation shows first signs of easing“March’s headline inflation figure in the UK, as measured by the ONS’ new preferred measure of CPIH, flattened out at 2.3% and the Bank of England is unlikely to change its unhurried approach to raising headline interest rates from their current record low of 0.25% as a result,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“The CPIH and CPI...
11 April 2017
JD Sports, De La Rue and Egdon Resources“Blue-chips opened cautiously higher as investors awaited UK inflation data out mid-morning,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“ JD Sports was one of the FTSE250’s biggest early risers after it shrugged off Brexit concerns to post record full-year results. The foundation of its success remains its core sports fashion business but this...
10 April 2017
Highland Gold, Safestay and Empiric Student Property“The FTSE100 was virtually flat in early trading following minor gains in Asia markets. Investors are keeping their powder dry ahead of a raft of UK inflation data due out tomorrow,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“ Highland Gold swung to a net profit in the year to the end of December despite a fall in output. The group produced 261...
7 April 2017
Hornby, Hollywood Bowl and Gem Diamonds“The FTSE100 opened in negative territory as geopolitical tension intensified following the US missile attack on a Syrian air base in a response to a suspected chemical weapons attack in that country although safe-haven stocks and energy companies were up as oil prices increased,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“Model railway and...
6 April 2017
BTG, HomeServe and Ferrexpo“The FTSE100 opened in negative territory after firm falls on Wall Street and in the US dollar overnight as traders reacted to a hawkish set of US Federal Open Market Committee minutes,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“Specialist healthcare group BTG topped the FTSE250 board after it confirmed that revenues for the year to the end...
5 April 2017
Three themes to draw from the start of 2017The markets cannot always be right (not least as it would be impossible for investors to make money from them if all securities were always appropriately priced and valued) but their views must always be respected.
As such, it is worth pondering what lessons can be drawn from the price action witnessed in the first quarter of 2017, to see what the...
5 April 2017
Galliford Try/Bovis, Dart and Firestone Diamonds“The FTSE100 was up in early trading following the minor gains made on Wall Street and ahead of ahead of a raft of UK, European and US services purchasing-managers' index data,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“Housebuilders Galliford Try and Bovis both benefited from the end of their talks over a possible merger with investors...
4 April 2017
Topps Tiles, ASOS and Belvoir Lettings“Blue-chips opened on the front foot with traders looking to the construction purchasing-managers' index this morning, and British Retail Consortium's shop price index tonight,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“ Topps Tiles was one of the biggest FTSE All-Share fallers after a dip in first half like-for-like revenues. The group was...
3 April 2017
Apple design decision shakes Imagination to its core"Shares in Imagination Technologies are down by two-thirds this morning after key client Apple’s decision not to use the FTSE Small Cap’s silicon chip designs in products due for release in 18 to 24 months’ time," says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“This is a juddering setback for Imagination, whose shares had begun to run strongly under...
3 April 2017
Reckitt Benckiser, Frenkel Topping and Babcock“Blue-chips started the week in positive territory, mirroring the mild gains on key Asian stock markets. Investors will be focused be on a raft of purchasing-managers’ indices from the UK, Europe and the US,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“Consumer goods giant Reckitt Benckiser was up in early trading after it confirmed that it had...
31 March 2017
Koovs, Numis and Condor Gold“The FTSE100 opened in negative territory with miners among the main fallers. Investors will be looking to a string of UK economic data out this morning, including consumer confidence, current account and final GDP. Eurozone inflation data will also be in focus,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“India-focused online fashion group...
30 March 2017
Carr's, Booker and DFS“Blue-chips opened on the front foot as traders reacted to Prime Minister Theresa May triggering the formal start of Brexit talks with the EU,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“Agriculture and engineering group Carr's was the FTSE All-Share’s biggest faller in early trading with its shares plunging by over 22.2% after it warned that...
29 March 2017
Why valuation and cash flow matter more than politics when it comes to long-term share portfolio returnsShare prices have so far responded negatively to the abandonment of a vote on President Donald Trump’s healthcare plan (24 March).
The first real political setback for the Trump reform programme offers a timely reminder that long-term investors in stocks are better served by focusing on company cash flows and valuation than second-guessing what...
29 March 2017
TUI, Flybe and Centaur Media“Blue-chips opened in positive territory as UK Prime Minister Theresa May triggered Article 50 to begin Brexit talks with the EU. Traders will be looking to data on the UK's M4 money supply, mortgage approvals and net lending to individuals, with German import prices and US pending home sales in focus this afternoon,” says AJ Bell Investment...
28 March 2017
Four issues explain why two big shareholders oppose the Tesco-Booker deal"It is two months since Tesco and Booker announced their merger and the combination of a subsequent 9% slide in Tesco shares (taking them back to where they started before the deal became public) and opposition from two key shareholders is raising the question of whether the transaction is a good one for shareholders or not," says AJ Bell...
28 March 2017
Three trends that will help determine the direction of the oil price"Demand for oil seems to vary little over time and the commodity’s remarkable price inelasticity means that changes in crude are driven more by supply", says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
"The rally forged by November’s OPEC and non-OPEC production cuts is a case in point but oil’s recovery seems to be waning, as Brent struggles to hold...
28 March 2017
AG Barr, Wolseley and Card Factory“The FTSE100 opened on the front foot with investors looking ahead to a raft of data this afternoon from the US, including the goods trade balance and consumer confidence,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“Soft drinks group AG Barr edged up in early trading after it hiked its full year dividend following an increase in profits and...
27 March 2017
Hurricane Energy, Exova and Wood Group“Blue-chips were down in early trading as investors mulled the impact of US President Donald Trump’s defeat on healthcare reforms on his ability to implement other election pledges and looked ahead to the UK triggering Article 50 and the formal start of Brexit negotiations, ” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“ Hurricane Energy’s shares...