Russ Mould is AJ Bell's Investment Director. He has a Master's degree in Modern History from the University of Oxford and more than 30 years' experience of the capital markets.
He started out at Scottish Equitable in 1991 as a fund manager, where he had responsibility for the Nordic and Swiss equity markets. In 1993, Russ joined SG Warburg, now part of UBS investment bank, and worked there as an equity analyst covering the technology sectors for 12 years. He has also worked on IPOs and M&A deals. Russ was voted best analyst in the semiconductor sector in 2001 by Institutional Investor and reached the level of Managing Director in 2003 when he became head of UBS' global semiconductor research effort.
A member of the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment (MSCI), Russ is responsible for providing written and video content for customers and clients. He also helps to build the company’s profile in print and broadcast media as part of AJ Bell's wider PR and brand team, working alongside the Investment Committee.
Russ joined Shares Magazine as technology correspondent in 2005 and took on the post of Editor in 2008. He was appointed as AJ Bell's Investment Director in 2013 following the company's acquisition of Shares' parent company, MSM Media. Russ regularly creates content across the AJ Bell website, including the Daily Market Update and Chart of the Week, and he hosts his own 'Breaking the Mould' weekly video series.
Outside of work, Russ is a qualified cricket coach, Italian speaker and avid fan of Doctor Who and NFL.
22 June 2023
Associated British Foods third-quarter trading updateAfter a 55% surge from their autumn lows, shares in Associated British Foods, the owner of Primark, British Sugar, Twinings and Ovaltine, are up by a sixth over the last year.
The shares rally has been fuelled by a rally in the pound, a drop in oil and gas prices (to the potential benefit of consumer spending) and a marked fall in sea freight costs...
16 June 2023
Why the US deficit is a taxing issue for the Federal ReserveThe Federal Open Markets Committee continues to argue that it is ‘data dependent’ when it comes to setting monetary policy. The latest round of inflation figures is therefore likely to be very influential but two equally important numbers that get less attention than they should are US tax receipts and the Federal deficit – not least because the...
9 June 2023
Central bank policy decisions in the USA, EU and JapanIt is one of those weeks when central banks take centre stage, because the US Federal Reserve, the European Central Bank and the Bank of Japan are all scheduled to make their latest policy decisions. The BoJ may be pleased to see inflation, after flirting with deflation for most of the last three decades, and seems in little rush to curb an...
2 June 2023
Prudential announces FTSE 100’s 26th CFO change in 2023Whatever lay behind the sudden dismissal of Prudential’s chief financial officer James Turner, a breach of conduct rules is an unusual reason for someone to leave such a position, even in a year when no fewer than 26 changes in CFO have already been announced by FTSE 100 firms.
Shareholder pressure on the board after poor operational or share...
23 May 2023
Have global stock markets reached peak USA?Softbank’s decision to list ARM on the New York Stock Exchange, rather than its London equivalent, and a seemingly growing queue of FTSE 100 firms that desire to switch their listing Stateside, is causing much angst and prompting the London Stock Exchange to ease its rules for new market entrants.
This raises two issues. The first is investor...
11 May 2023
Is the NASDAQ in a new bull market or stuck in the old bear one?It was the worst-performing major equity index in 2022 and, so far, it has been the best in 2023, so investors may well be tempted to think that the NASDAQ, and technology stocks more generally, are back in business, especially after the meaty rally in stocks such as Meta Platforms and Microsoft following their first-quarter results.
In addition...
27 April 2023
Why big tech needs to deliver if US indices are to maintain their momentumAmerica’s S&P 500 has added $2.4 trillion in market capitalisation so far in 2023 and just six stocks – Meta Platforms, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, Google’s parent Alphabet and Microsoft has provided $1.6 trillion of that gain between them, or two-thirds of the total.
After a lukewarm set of figures from Netflix last week, and a sharp year-on-year...
27 April 2023
FTSE 100 dividend forecasts slide amid uncertain climateAfter the index’s spring stumble, the FTSE 100 is now expected to yield 4.2% in 2022, with the index’s total dividend pay-out expected to come in at £76.4 billion, before going on to reach £84.8 billion in 2023, excluding special dividends.
Estimates seeped lower from the summer and the first round of full-year results (for those firms with a...
20 April 2023
Hunting shares move higher as US orders flood inStrong order intake, notably in the USA, higher-than-expected first quarter profits and the prospect of improved cash generation later in the year are all helping to boost shares in energy services and equipment expert Hunting. Oil and gas prices may be some way below the highs of 2022, but a renewed focus on supply and security is still leading to...
23 February 2023
Dull production outlook takes some of the shine off copper producer AntofagastaUsually, a firm copper price would be a good sign for both the global economy and the share price of FTSE 100 member Antofagasta, but the Chilean producer’s shares are looking a little dull after its full-year results for 2022.
This may be down to ongoing fears that a recession is coming, although Antofagasta has its own specific issues with which...
