3 October 2016
Henderson, Stanley Gibbons and James Halstead“Equities opened on the front foot following gains on Wall Street and in Asia and despite Chancellor Philip Hammond warning that Brexit uncertainty could hit jobs,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“The agreed merger of Anglo-American investment giant Henderson Global with Janus Capital fulfils the aspirations of both groups with the...
30 September 2016
Why Brexit is bringing unexpected benefits to UK equities (at least for now)Taken in aggregate, profit and dividend forecasts can give a feel for whether one equity market looks cheap or expensive relative to another, or relative to its own history. In addition, momentum in aggregate earnings dividend forecasts can help to shape sentiment toward a particular market, at least in the short term – in its crudest form, rising...
30 September 2016
Trinity Mirror, Independent Oil and Gas, Bacanora“The FTSE100 opened in negative territory following weaker turns in the US and Asia on the back of trader concerns about the banking sector. Barclays and Royal Bank of Scotland were at the foot of the blue chip board in early trading,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“The growing reliance on digital revenues for newspaper groups is...
29 September 2016
WS Atkins, Harvey Nash and Imagination“The blue chip index tracked gains on Wall Street and in Asia overnight with oil majors BP and Royal Dutch Shell prominent following the surge in oil prices,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“Design, engineering and project management consultant WS Atkins reassured rather than excited investors with its trading update. The group...
28 September 2016
Sainsbury’s, TUI and PZ Cussons“The blue chip index opened on the front following firmer Wall Street stock indices with the market looking to US durable goods data this afternoon,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“Supermarket giant Sainsbury’s like-for-like sales fell again in the second quarter due to food price deflation. Sainsbury’s had a decent first quarter...
27 September 2016
boohoo.com, Wolseley and Card Factory“The blue chip index opened in positive territory after a torrid time for US stocks last night,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“Online fashion group boohoo.com continued to maintain strong growth across all regions in the first half and expects revenue growth of 30-35% for the full year. Currency exchange movements since the EU...
26 September 2016
MJ Gleeson, Egdon and Lamprell“FTSE indices were in negative territory in early trading following lower sessions on Wall Street on Friday and in Asia this morning,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“Urban regeneration group MJ Gleeson’s twin track strategy of developing low cost homes for open market sale in the North of England and strategic land sales in the South...
23 September 2016
Sports Direct, CVS and Indivior“FTSE indices were in negative territory after overnight falls in Asia with traders looking to eurozone purchasing managers' index data due out later this morning,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“ Sports Direct’s independent shareholders have been clamouring for change at the top for some time. But it is a moot point whether founder...
22 September 2016
Kier, Mitchells & Butlers and Conroy“Equities tracked overnight gains on Wall Street and in Asia after the US Federal Reserve stayed interest rates, but hinted they could rise by the year's end,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“Construction and support services group Kier has seen no impact on its operations since the Brexit vote and remains course to achieve its goal...
21 September 2016
Bonmarché, Diageo and Majestic Wine“Equities opened on the front foot following rises on Wall Street and in Asia with traders already looking ahead to tonight's interest rate call by the US Federal Reserve. This morning, they will scrutinise UK public-sector net borrowing numbers and also the fine detail of the Bank of England's quarterly bulletin,” says AJ Bell Investment Director...
20 September 2016
French Connection, Kingfisher and Sports Direct“The FTSE100 opened in positive territory in the wake of falls on Wall Street and in Asia, with traders looking to Thursday's US Federal Reserve meeting where interest rates are seen being held,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
Fashion retailer French Connection had a disappointing first half with its struggling wholesale business...
19 September 2016
DP Poland, Finsbury Food and Dairy Crest“Blue-chips opened strongly following the softer session on Wall Street overnight Friday and gains on Asia this morning with miners, oil majors, banks and house builders ahead, the latter gaining as house prices surged in September.,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“ DP Poland maintained its strong rise in sales as the Polish...
15 September 2016
What to do with your ARM windfallThe £24.3 billion, cash only acquisition of UK microchip designer ARM by Japan's Softbank was officially sealed on 5th September, removing a high quality technology company from the UK stock market.
If you were one of the lucky investors who have put money into this British technology success story via your pension or ISAs you are likely to have...
14 September 2016
What to look for in the final furlongs of 2016Any investors who followed the old market maxim “Sell In May” will be cursing, as equity, bond and commodity markets generally look and feel bouncy after a summer of gains.
Anyone with money in property funds may grimace a little, although Legal & General UK Property Fund is now removing its downward “fair value” adjustment to its portfolio, amid...
14 September 2016
Dunelm, Galliford Try and Character“Homewares retailer Dunelm remains committed to developing its store network despite the lion’s share of its growth coming from home delivery sales. Dunelm opened six new superstores in the last financial year and this is being ramped up in the current year with nine planned openings. Three of these will be in the London area where it sees a clear...
13 September 2016
JD Sports, Ocado and Hilton Food Group“FTSE indices opened on the front foot following gains on Wall Street and in Asia overnight, with UK traders looking to a raft of inflation data out mid-morning,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“ JD Sports raced out of the blocks in the first half with adjusted pre-tax profits up 66% on last year’s previous record. The favourable...
12 September 2016
Associated British Foods, Anglo Asian and Brady“Equities opened sharply lower following heavy losses on Wall Street at the end of last week with traders anticipating a US rate hike,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
The fall in sterling since the Brexit vote is having a bitter-sweet effect on Associated British Foods. Annual earnings per share for this year will be slightly ahead...
9 September 2016
JD Wetherspoon, Greene King and Hornby“The FTSE100 was in negative territory in early trading following softness on Wall Street overnight and with traders looking to data on the UK's goods trade balance, construction output and consumer inflation expectations later this morning,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“Pub group JD Wetherspoon chairman Tim Martin pulled no...
8 September 2016
Dixons Carphone, Zoopla and Avation“Equities confounded forecasts and opened on the front foot although traders remained focused on the European Central Bank's interest rate announcement later today,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“The Brexit vote seems to be having no impact on consumers’ insatiable thirst for the latest electrical gadgets with trading at retail...
7 September 2016
Barratt Developments, Sports Direct and Trakm8“The blue-chip index was in negative territory in early trading with investors looking to UK retail figures, industrial and manufacturing production data and the Halifax house price index later this morning,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“It has been ‘business as usual’ for housebuilder Barratt Developments since the EU referendum...
6 September 2016
Property funds saga – where are we now?A swathe of post-Brexit vote property fund suspensions in June and July frayed the nerves of investors, with some commentators drawing doomsday comparisons with the Great Financial Crisis of 2007/08. After all, commercial property was one of the first asset classes to feel the strain six years ago as the global financial system creaked under the...
6 September 2016
Halfords, Redrow and Berkeley“Stocks were mixed in early trading – blue-chips down slightly and the FTSE 250 up slightly - with investors looking to UK and Eurozone retail sales data out later this morning,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
Halfords is basking in the golden glow of Team GB’s Olympic success with cycling sales up by 11%. This followed strong...
5 September 2016
Impending iPhone 7 launch has failed to revive Apples share price momentumThe lack of any great price momentum in Apple’s stock suggests expectations for the iPhone 7 are relatively low compared to previous launches as company CEO Tim Cook prepares to unveil the next-generation product, potentially on Wednesday at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco.
Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell, comments:
“A...
5 September 2016
Dechra, Koovs and Wizz Air“The FTSE 100 was virtually flat in early trading as investors awaited a string of UK, US and Euro-zone purchasing managers' index data and mulled the Brexit warnings that UK prime minister Theresa May received from both the US and Japan at the G20 meeting,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
International veterinary pharmaceutical group...
2 September 2016
Go-Ahead, Fyffes and Eckoh“Equities opened on the front foot after an overall positive session on Wall Street and ahead of the much-anticipated US non-farm payrolls data this afternoon,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“Rail and transport group Go-Ahead chief executive David Brown is sharing the pain of disgruntled commuters by turning down his bonus and a pay...