19 August 2020
UK house prices rose 2.6% in the year to AprilHouse prices rose in the year to April despite the mass shutdown of the housing market during the month. Prices rose by 2.6% in April, which was a slower pace than the previous month when they rose by 3.5%. The price rise is based on properties that completed in April, so many of the prices would have been agreed before the Covid-19 pandemic hit...
19 August 2020
Shock leap in inflationDespite the Bank of England predicting inflation would fall to near zero this year as a result of Covid-19, the rate has leapt this summer from 0.6% in June to 1% in July. Rising fuel prices, following the oil price slump earlier this year, have helped to push prices up.
What’s more, the lack of summer sales on the high street mean that clothing...
19 August 2020
FTSE subdued despite US stocks hitting new records“Despite another strong finish for US stocks overnight – with the Nasdaq and S&P 500 hitting new record highs – the FTSE 100 was only up modestly at 6,090.47 on Wednesday", says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“In microcosm this matches the trend of the last six months with the FTSE 100 struggling to keep pace with the rally in global...
18 August 2020
Coal burns a hole in BHP’s dividend while Persimmon rebuilds its pay-outA plunge in profits at its coal and petroleum divisions have prompted miner BHP to cut its second-half dividend by 30%, although income-seekers will take some comfort from house builder Persimmon’s return to the dividend list.
As the first-half results season draws to a close, 31 FTSE 100 firms have cut, cancelled, suspended or deferred their...
18 August 2020
Marks & Spencer saved by strong food sales, and Persimmon is recovering fast“Shares across most of Europe and Asia fell on Tuesday as investors were troubled by new tensions between the US and China, and several bits of corporate news disappointed,” says Russ Mould, Investment Director at AJ Bell.
“The US tightened restrictions on Chinese telecoms group Huawei in a bid to stop it buying computer chips made using US...
17 August 2020
FTSE flat as markets struggle for direction“After an early August rally for equities it has been harder going more recently and it feels like we are now in a holding pattern, waiting for something decisive to push the markets in either direction,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“The FTSE 100 opened the day flat despite the $101 billion injection into China’s financial system...
14 August 2020
Should you recession proof your investment portfolio? Stocks and funds to considerInvestors need to be a bit wary of piling into so-called recession-proof stocks for two reasons.
First, as the economist Joseph Stiglitz once noted, ‘the only perfect hedge is in a Japanese garden’ and something can still go wrong at a company even if its business is, in theory, fairly insensitive to the cycle. Competition can arrive, the regulator...
14 August 2020
Asian cues put UK stocks on the back foot, airlines grounded on France quarantine announcement“The FTSE 100 faltered badly on Friday, taking its cue from weak trading in Asia overnight sparked by worse than expected economic data out of China,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“China was first in to the coronavirus crisis and arguably one of the first to come out of its first phase, so the fragile nature of its recovery offers...
13 August 2020
AJ Bell Favourite funds list – Artemis Corporate Bond fund addedWhat is the AJ Bell Favourite funds list?
The AJ Bell Favourite funds list is designed to lighten your research load. There are thousands of funds out there – so we’ve narrowed the field by selecting a high-quality shortlist of funds we believe can deliver their objectives over the long term. To make the list, each fund needs to pass our robust...
13 August 2020
FTSE takes a step back after strong run, GVC scraps first half dividend“A combination of some big stocks trading without the rights to their dividend and a bit of profit taking after a strong run for equities so far in August saw the FTSE 100 on the back foot on Thursday morning,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“The index was still north of the 6,200 mark as investors awaited the latest unemployment...
12 August 2020
Just Eat Takeaway benefits from lockdown demand, and Admiral catches up on dividends“The FTSE 100 continues to make gains as risk appetite returns, approaching the 6,200 mark last seen in mid-to-late July,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“Continuing hopes for a vaccine and the prospect of a big stimulus package in the US are enabling investors to look past the global coronavirus crisis to the sunny uplands of...
12 August 2020
UK falls into deepest ever recessionNews that the UK has officially fallen into recession doesn’t come as a surprise, but the scale of the retraction in the economy means it’s the largest UK recession ever . The UK economy shrank by 20.4% in the second quarter as the country fell into lockdown and businesses shut their doors.
The figure for June is key, as we all knew that lockdown...
11 August 2020
Derwent London’s dividend provides another capital returnAnother dividend hike, which adds to a formidable run of increases that runs back well over 20 years, suggests that Derwent London has every confidence in its £5.4 billion portfolio of prime properties in the nation’s capital, even if investors are still unsure of the long-term outlook for office space. To back up management’s dividend decision...
![11-08-20-Derwent-article-v1].jpg](/sites/ajbell/files/styles/card_md/public/field/image/11-08-20-Derwent-article-v1%5D.webp?itok=H3IVO4eZ "11-08-20-Derwent-article-v1].jpg")
11 August 2020
Stimulus hopes lift FTSE and InterContinental Hotels making tentative recovery“Hopes of bi-partisan agreement on a US fiscal stimulus package helped stoke the fires of a market rally on Tuesday with the FTSE 100 now up 4% since the start of August and back firmly above 6,100,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“The index took its cue from this news and strong trading in the US overnight rather than backward...
10 August 2020
US jobs data supports stocks, Superdry’s balance sheet boost“The US jobs release reaffirmed its credentials as one of the most influential bits of economic data as Friday’s better than expected picture helped set the tone for the start of this week,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“The FTSE 100 was more than 1% higher and within touching distance of the 6,100 mark as investors brushed off...
7 August 2020
Bargain hunting investors still avoiding UK equity fundsInvestors returned to markets in force in the second quarter of the year, on the hunt for bargains following market falls earlier this year, according to the latest figures from the Investment Association. A total of £11.2bn was invested in funds in the three months to the end of June, helping to counteract some of the mass outflows seen in March...
7 August 2020
FTSE struggles for direction with US jobs figures in view, Rightmove’s dominance holds sway for now“The FTSE 100 had an up and down start to trading on Friday morning as investors eyed the latest US jobs report later on this afternoon,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“Investors will be hoping the index can end the week above the 6,000 mark after recently slipping below this threshold.
“Not helping sentiment was the Trump...
6 August 2020
AJ Bell funds – announcing our first ‘Assessment of Value’ reportIn recent years, the FCA have launched a number of initiatives to make investments more transparent and easier for customers to compare.
One such initiative is an ‘Assessment of Value’ report. Written by fund managers, this annual report outlines how the fund has produced value for customers.
There is no defined template for this report, so...
6 August 2020
ITV can’t make audience growth pay, and new Aviva CEO gets stuck in“The FTSE 100 gave up a good portion of its recent gains on Thursday morning as investors weighed the latest decision on interest rates from the Bank of England,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“The Bank unsurprisingly keeps its powder dry, probably eyeing the end of the furlough scheme as a good point to reassess given the impact...
5 August 2020
Legal & General holds dividend flat, and William Hill boosted by strong post-lockdown trading“While the markets continue on a cautious recovery path, the big move for gold through the $2,000 per ounce threshold is a reminder of the lingering fears over coronavirus and geo-political tensions linked to China.
“Encouraging PMI data in Europe helped push stocks higher as investors continue to eye further stimulus efforts in the US.
“The FTSE...
4 August 2020
BP dividend cut is no surprise and Diageo cash flow plunges“After yesterday’s stimulus-driven gains the FTSE 100 was back on the retreat on Tuesday morning, falling 0.4% to a smidge above the 6,000 mark.
“A busy day for corporate results was dominated by BP and Diageo, both of whose fortunes were determined by different types of black stuff.
“Gold prices remain tantalisingly close to the $2,000 per ounce...
3 August 2020
Chinese tensions and pandemic fears hit stocks again, HSBC faces high-wire act“It continues to look like the recovery from coronavirus will be a messier affair than the market hoped and stocks remain under pressure accordingly. The FTSE 100 follows a bad end to last week with a lacklustre start,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“Whether a growing rate of infections is a second wave or second spike in the...
31 July 2020
Updates from British American Tobacco and NatWest, and will investors back International Consolidated Airlines’ cash call? Markets / British American Tobacco / NatWest“July has been a second bad month in a row for investors in UK stocks with the FTSE 100 index now trading at lows last seen in late-May. The market has most certainly lost momentum and is slowly drifting down as many companies continue to struggle from the pandemic,” says Russ Mould, Investment Director...
31 July 2020
We've added new ethical funds to the AJ Bell Favourite funds listWhat is the AJ Bell Favourite funds list?
The AJ Bell Favourite funds list is designed to lighten your research load. There are thousands of funds out there – so we’ve narrowed the field by selecting a high-quality shortlist of funds we believe can deliver their objectives over the long term. To make the list, each fund needs to pass our robust...
30 July 2020
Markets dip on Fed disappointment and challenging corporate results, and Lloyds still has a pounding headache“Reporting season is in full flow with a significant number of companies across Europe and the US updating the market on their earnings strength or weakness,” says Russ Mould, Investment Director at AJ Bell.
“The FTSE 100 dipped 0.6% to 6,092 partially as a result of disappointing results from Lloyds. That also dragged down NatWest and Barclays and...