8 April 2024
Markets pause for thought, oil prices go into reverse and Entain rises on renewed bid speculation“Markets have taken a moment to reflect on last week’s barrage of data points which caught people by surprise,” says Russ Mould, Investment Director at AJ Bell.
“With little on the corporate reporting agenda and many people enjoying annual leave during the Easter school holiday, the pause has come just at the right time. It provides an opportunity...
5 April 2024
Markets shaken by rate cut comment and oil hitting $90 a barrel, nervousness ahead of US jobs data and Shell sees slowdown in integrated gas division“Storm clouds circled equity markets as investors started to fret about when interest rates would be cut given heightened inflationary pressures from oil hitting $90 a barrel and negative comments from a key figure,” says Russ Mould, Investment Director at AJ Bell.
“Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank president Neel Kashkari questioned if the US...
4 April 2024
Powell comments ease market rates concerns, DS Smith weighs up multiple offers and Google considers bid for HubSpot“Investors must feel they’re stuck in some kind of Groundhog Day waiting for central bankers to finally let the clock run down and cut rates,” says Danni Hewson, Head of Financial Analysis at AJ Bell.
“Will rate cuts come before the summer? Will we get one, two or even three by the end of the year, or will conflicting economic data throw a spanner...
4 April 2024
FTSE 100 higher on commodity price strength, Disney shares down despite beating activist, Motorpoint sees pick-up in business and Future returns to growth“The FTSE 100 ticked higher on Thursday as US markets enjoyed a better session overnight,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“Miners were in demand as commodities prices continued to surge – an inflationary development which might provoke some nervousness about the fate of long-awaited interest rate cuts.
“Federal Reserve chair Jerome...
4 April 2024
Russ Mould: Why everyone is talking about the grocery sectorA slowdown in the pace of food price inflation is good for shoppers – but what does it mean for Tesco’s profit margins?
3 April 2024
How to choose a gold mining stock“Gold is not everyone’s idea of a suitable portfolio investment – former Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown once dismissed it as a ‘barbarous relic’ – but the precious metal’s rise to new all-time highs is eye-catching all the same,” says AJ Bell investment director Russ Mould.
“This may be due to how US inflation is...
3 April 2024
FTSE 100 lower after selling in US and Asia, Wizz Air and Ryanair see passenger boost, Renishaw shares down after cold water poured on takeover reports and Topps Tiles warns on profit“The FTSE 100 took its cue from selling in Asia and the US overnight to trade lower on Wednesday,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“Up until now the market has been remarkably sanguine about expectations on when the first interest rate cut will fall consistently being pushed back. But investors’ patience may finally be running thin.
...2 April 2024
UK property market subdued and Superdry shares crash after takeover talks end“The ongoing rise in oil prices amid a tighter supply outlook is a worry for corporates and consumers as it is a major inflationary force,” says Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell.
“A 0.8% advance to $88.08 per barrel puts the commodity price at its highest level since October 2023 and explains why Shell and BP were among the biggest...
28 March 2024
Favourite funds update - March 2024The 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, independent selection process.
What have we...
28 March 2024
FTSE 100 higher as resources stocks rally, Spirent recommends new bid, JD Sports shares jump and AO World profit to be at top end of guidance“The FTSE 100 was higher ahead of the Easter weekend, lifted by strength in the resources sector as Chinese markets rallied,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“The UK market continues to shrink quicker than a cashmere sweater on a 60-degree cycle with telecoms testing specialist Spirent Communications succumbing to a new bid from US...
27 March 2024
Minimum wage chatter hits pub stocks, H&M bounces back and Carnival reports bumper cruise demand“The S&P 500 rebounded after a few troublesome sessions despite tech giants Nvidia and Alphabet slipping back,” says AJ Bell Investment Analyst Dan Coatsworth.
“These stocks often set the tone for market sentiment – if the mega caps are doing well, investors tend to be upbeat and vice versa. However, today’s session in the US was led by a business...
27 March 2024
FTSE dips, Ithaca strikes North Sea deal, S4 misses sales targets, CMA concludes greenwashing probe into Boohoo and ASOS, GameStop slumps, bidding war for DS Smith and Travis Perkins CEO to leave“The FTSE 100 remains short of direction heading towards the long Easter weekend with the main movers on the index driven higher by M&A activity,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“Distribution specialist Diploma found itself in demand as it announced the acquisition of a US speciality fastener distributor and underlined it expected...
27 March 2024
Russ Mould: Big week ahead for the UK property marketNew data on mortgage approvals and house prices will be closely watched by anyone with shares in housebuilders and estate agents
26 March 2024
Trump Media soars on market debut and BYD misses profit expectations“The meme stock craze is back in full force as investors raced to bid up shares in Donald Trump’s media company,” says AJ Bell Investment Analyst Dan Coatsworth.
“You only have to look at Reddit’s infamous Wall Street Bets forum to find examples of investors hyping the stock ahead of Trump Media’s merger with a special purpose acquisition vehicle...
26 March 2024
Bellway fails to banish investors’ housing market blues“The bad news is that Bellway’s completions, revenues, profits and dividend are all down sharply in the first half of its financial year, and the builder is setting aside another £16.8 million to cover cladding remediation costs, but the good news is none of this is really a surprise,” s ays AJ Bell investment director Russ Mould.
“Boss Jason...
26 March 2024
FTSE 100 dips ahead of US consumer confidence reading, Ocado Retail sees strong quarter, ASOS sales remain in freefall and last chance saloon for Revolution Bars“The FTSE 100 dipped at the open but remains within striking distance of its all-time highs above 8,000 as investors eye a reading of US consumer confidence this afternoon,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“This could reinforce or undermine the ‘soft landing’ narrative – with the Federal Reserve looking to tame inflation without...
25 March 2024
UK government sells another chunk of NatWest shares, US tech firms Apple, Alphabet and Meta under investigation and Boeing clears out top management“The UK bucked a positive trend across European markets by slipping into the red. Spirax-Sarco Engineering took the wooden spoon after topping the FTSE 100’s biggest fallers, down 4% despite the absence of any news,” says AJ Bell Investment Analyst Dan Coatsworth.
“The UK government continues to sell down its stake in NatWest, taking it below 30%...
25 March 2024
Renewed geopolitical tensions halt equity market rally, S4 Capital takeover chatter continues and Kingfisher warns on profit“Heightened tensions between Ukraine and Russia have brought a halt to the rally in equity markets seen last week,” says Russ Mould, Investment Director at AJ Bell.
“Investors were nervously watching proceedings from the side lines, particularly as oil prices crept up once again, including a 0.5% rise in Brent Crude to $85.84 a barrel. The...
22 March 2024
FTSE continues to climb as investor sentiment high, Fedex soars on cost cutting and Nike trips up on outlook“After a stunning session on Thursday, the FTSE 100 continued its ascent at the end of the trading week with a 0.6% rise to 7,930. Little by little it is edging back towards the 8,000 mark which was hit in February 2023,” says Russ Mould, Investment Director at AJ Bell.
“It’s been quite the week for news flow. Naturally, everything has centred...
21 March 2024
Rate cut optimism boosts UK markets and Apple falls as US files lawsuit“Considering nothing actually changed today, it feels like a lot has happened,” says Danni Hewson, Head of Financial Analysis at AJ Bell.
“London markets have had a sublime day, with the FTSE 100 closing at a 10-month high as investors grow increasingly optimistic that rate cuts are on the way.
“The MPC might have held firm for a fifth meeting in...
21 March 2024
Russ Mould on the Gambling Sector: This is why investors have bet on Flutter winning in the USIn this week's episode of Breaking the Mould, AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould discusses the gambling sector ahead of forthcoming results from the owner of Paddy Power.
21 March 2024
Markets rally on rate cut hopes, Virgin Money board recommends Nationwide’s takeover offer, Next in optimistic mood as sales and profit rise and dividends back at Direct Line“All it took was the slightest hint of satisfaction by the Fed to make markets rally once again,” says Russ Mould, Investment Director at AJ Bell.
“Jerome Powell’s comment that ‘the risks of achieving our inflation goals are coming into better balance’ was enough to give the market confidence that we’ll soon see rate cuts, with three expected this...
20 March 2024
Close Brothers beefs up its balance sheet ahead of its brush with the regulator“The acquisition of Novitas in 2017 has haunted Close Brothers ever since and the merchant bank now has another spectre at its shoulder, namely the Financial Conduct Authority’s investigation into discretionary commission arrangements (DCA) in the car financing market,” says AJ Bell investment director Russ Mould.
“Thankfully, the FTSE 250 member...
20 March 2024
FTSE 100 lower after UK inflation data and ahead of Fed meeting, Burberry hit by Kering warning, Prudential delivers strong results and Computacenter warns of second-half weighting in 2024“The FTSE 100 dipped at the open despite UK inflation numbers falling more than expected for February,” says AJ Bell Investment Director Russ Mould.
“The market is now pricing in a higher chance of a June rate cut, even if today’s reading is extremely unlikely to have any influence on the Bank of England’s decision making later this week.
“British...
19 March 2024
Markets choppy ahead of UK inflation data, Unilever tops FTSE 100, AstraZeneca snaps up Fusion in $2.4 billion deal and Ted Baker staring into high street abyss“It’s been a choppy day on London markets, with investors hyper aware that they could be in for a bumpy ride over the next couple of days,” says AJ Bell Head of Financial Analysis Danni Hewson.
“The consensus is that inflation will have fallen in the next set of figures out tomorrow morning and that the Bank of England will continue its rate freeze...