22 January 2025
Russ Mould: What to look out for in Apple's latest resultsRuss Mould covers the upcoming corporate news and quarterly results from major US tech companies, focusing on Apple's first-quarter performance and its impact on the stock market.
22 January 2025
Gilt yields unmoved on public sector borrowing shock, tech stocks boosted by Trump interest in AI, EasyJet falls, Wetherspoons’ subdued Christmas and Trainline faces state-backed rival threat“The bond market hasn’t panicked about UK government borrowing shooting up to £17.8 billion,” says Russ Mould, Investment Director at AJ Bell.
“While the public sector net borrowing figure was much higher than the £14.1 billion consensus estimate, the UK 10-year gilt yield was unchanged at 4.594% which implies the bond market had already priced in...
22 January 2025
Why are so many active fund managers underperforming?Every six months at AJ Bell, we publish a report on the proportion of active managers beating the typical passive fund in seven key equity sectors. It’s called Manager versus Machine, and ever since we launched the report in 2021, it has made challenging reading for active fund managers.
In the latest edition, our analysis showed that overall...
21 January 2025
The changes we've made to the AJ Bell fundsThe AJ Bell funds are managed by the team at AJ Bell Investments, with one aim: helping you invest. We look after the funds and make the daily decisions to keep your money working hard for you.
That means, from time to time, we’ll make updates to the funds in response to differing market conditions. In this article, we’ll take you through the...
21 January 2025
Markets zigzag as Trump returns, Lloyds jumps on hopes the Treasury will intervene on motor finance scandal, Marston’s hit by weather, Shoe Zone trips up and Premier Foods lifts guidance“Donald Trump is the master of unpredictability. Just as markets think they’ve sussed his next move, he either does something different or nothing at all,” says Russ Mould, Investment Director at AJ Bell.
“It only took a few hours into the new presidential term for this situation to arise, hence markets have been up and down like a yo-yo as...
20 January 2025
Markets await Trump’s return to the White House, bitcoin hits new record high, Reach upgrades guidance and Pod Point cash drains away“Markets are beating to the drum of Donald Trump on the day of his return to the White House,” says Russ Mould, Investment Director at AJ Bell.
“Wall Street is preparing itself for the big event with futures prices implying a tick-up for the S&P and Nasdaq indices when US markets open later on. Oil prices are holding firm and bitcoin has surged to...
17 January 2025
Record breaking bank earnings help ease the pressure on US marketsThere’s been a lot of talk about American exceptionalism, and it has undoubtedly helped deliver a strong run for US markets over the past year, but macro data continues to set a tone of confusion. US CPI inflation data over the past week was OK, but core CPI got slightly better, and this discrepancy does little for clarity.
It begs the question...
17 January 2025
FTSE 100 hits new record high, retail sales plunge, reports of merger talks between Rio Tinto and Glencore, DFS warns of weak demand and upgrades at William Hill owner“The FTSE 100 has hit a new record high despite all the doom and gloom around Budget-related cost pressures on businesses and a sell-off in the government bond market,” says Dan Coatsworth, Investment Analyst at AJ Bell.
“It’s refreshing to see positive news around the UK stock market given its unloved reputation.
“Helping to drive the index up...
16 January 2025
Russ Mould: What to expect from Netflix's full-year resultsJoin Russ Mould for insights into what to look out for in Netflix's latest earnings report.
16 January 2025
Which UK stocks have analysts tipped for success in 2025?As we enter 2025, it can be useful for investors to look at what analysts think will happen in markets in the year. At present, 59% of all analysts’ recommendations for companies in the FTSE 100 are buys and just 7% are sells - the highest and lowest scores respectively over the past 11 years.
It’s a similar case for the FTSE 350 index, where 61%...
16 January 2025
Richemont update triggers luxury goods rally, Renault motors ahead, Whitbread and Dunelm disappoint, Taylor Wimpey sees cost pressures, AI drives record quarter for TSMC, Trustpilot shines and Pearson delivers mixed update“Investors were in a risk-on mood after a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas and a positive response to corporate results in the European retail, luxury, and automotive sectors,” says Russ Mould, Investment Director at AJ Bell.
“The Dax briefly hit a new record high as investors raced to buy shares in German e-commerce platform Zalando after...
16 January 2025
Donald Trump’s return to the White House: the impact on money and markets and what to consider nextDonald Trump’s return to the White House next week has major implications for people’s money. Whether that’s investments in the stock market, government bonds, cash in the bank and even holiday money, his policies have far-reaching consequences.
Trump’s election victory has already had an impact on stocks, bonds and currencies and we’re likely to...
15 January 2025
Why gilts have been popular investments so far in 2025There are two sides to every story and while the headlines are awash with news of a bond market sell-off, retail investors’ appetite for gilts is picking up.
The UK Treasury last week sold £4.25 billion of five-year gilts (aka UK government bonds) at an average yield of 4.49%, with £12.74 billion worth of bids received. AJ Bell saw strong demand...
15 January 2025
Inflation data boosts housebuilders and banks, Currys brings back dividends, new twist for Loungers’ bid, strong Christmas for pubs and Royal Mail’s owner and Frontier Developments rebounds“A surprise pullback in the rate of inflation has given joy to investors,” says Russ Mould, Investment Director at AJ Bell.
“It strengthens the argument for the Bank of England to continue cutting interest rates and that’s fired up shares in housebuilders in the hope that mortgage rates will go down and more people will be able to afford to get...
14 January 2025
Warnings from BP and JD Sports, gilt yields and the pound steady, Ocado food venture with Marks & Spencer showing progress, activist circles YouGov and festive joy for Card Factory“The FTSE 100 held firm despite headwinds from BP warning of lower production and weak refining markets and Reinet Investments selling an approximate 2% stake in cigarette-to-vaping group British American Tobacco,” says Russ Mould, Investment Director at AJ Bell.
“The warning from BP sours the recent recovery in its share price after a prolonged...
13 January 2025
Gilt yields rise again, Entain avoids same losing streak as Flutter, Serco CEO leaves after just two years, PageGroup trims guidance, Oxford Nanopore sticks to goals and Sosandar’s festive joy“Gilt yields continued to creep higher as the market fretted about Rachel Reeves’ spending plans and borrowing requirements,” says Russ Mould, Investment Director at AJ Bell.
“10-year gilt yields rose to 4.891% and 30-year yields hit 5.46%. The higher the yields go, the higher the cost of borrowing for the government and the greater the likelihood...
13 January 2025
FTSE 100 boardrooms more stable than football dressing rooms in 2024In 2024 it looks like shareholders and boardrooms once more showed more patience than football club executives and supporters, even if the FTSE 100 index made relatively modest progress compared to many of its major international peers.
A total of 14 FTSE 100 firms saw a change in chief executive, just above the post-2000 average of 13, while a new...
10 January 2025
FTSE 100 steady ahead of US jobs data, Sainsbury’s success story remains blighted by Argos woes, TSMC reports better than expected quarterly revenue, Prada in hunt for Versace and Alliance Pharma set to succumb to takeover“After a see-saw start, the FTSE 100 was broadly unchanged in early trading with UK stocks treading water ahead of US jobs figures later on,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“The US market was closed yesterday for former president Jimmy Carter’s funeral so the only direction for UK shares came from Asia which saw mixed trading.
“A...
9 January 2025
Fundsmith Equity posts fourth year of index underperformanceTerry Smith has published his annual letter to shareholders of the Fundsmith Equity fund, showing that 2024 was the fourth consecutive calendar year the fund has underperformed the MSCI World Index and the third consecutive calendar year it has underperformed the Global sector.
It means that Fundsmith Equity investors have now seen four calendar...
9 January 2025
What rising gilt yields mean for investorsThe bond market has taken fright from the growing sense of inflationary pressures in the air. The benchmark UK 10-year gilt has now risen to levels not seen since the financial crisis. It’s somewhat odd that bond yields have risen to new highs so long after interest rates have peaked, which suggests markets were complacent about inflation and...
9 January 2025
Russ Mould: What to expect from Ocado, Currys and Dunelm next weekThe household names should provide valuable insight into consumer spending habits
9 January 2025
UK government bond and pound sell-off continues, shocking day for retailers as Tesco, Marks & Spencer and B&M shares hit by gloomy UK backdrop and Greggs disappoints with festive update“Turmoil in the markets implies a massive loss of confidence in the UK government. The 30-year gilt yield briefly hit 5.445%, surpassing the Liz Truss crisis period, and the pound slumped to $1.2256 against the US dollar which is the lowest level since November 2023,” says Russ Mould, Investment Director at AJ Bell.
“The feel-good factor around the...
8 January 2025
FTSE stands tall despite Shell disappointment, Flutter warning pulls down Entain, Johnson Matthey steps up fight against activist, Hornby gives Mike Ashley some festive joy and Samsung misses expectations“The FTSE 100 held firm despite headwinds from Shell’s disappointing update and a sell-off in the utilities sector. Financials came to the rescue, with investors bidding up banks and shares in London Stock Exchange,” says Russ Mould, Investment Director at AJ Bell.
“A 0.1% rise in the UK index should be taken as a win coming straight after a...
8 January 2025
Number of AIM companies worth more than £1 billion at nine-year lowThe number of companies on London’s AIM market worth more than £1 billion has hit a nine-year low. A mere six stocks were worth more than £1 billion at the end of 2024* compared with 30 at the end of 2021.
From those 30 companies and excluding those still worth more than £1 billion, seven have disappeared through takeovers, three have moved to the...
7 January 2025
UK stocks lower, tougher times ahead for Next, Nvidia unveils new products, Meta appoints prominent Trump supporter to board and UK retail sales data disappoints“The FTSE 100 was dragged lower by housebuilders and miners after mixed trading in the US and Asia,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“Asia-focused financials were lower after the Hang Seng index dropped sharply. The sell-off was linked to news the US is putting several Chinese firms in its crosshairs including Tencent.
“On the UK...