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.
16 February 2023
The Super Bowl Rule: Will Chiefs’ win mean US stocks turn choppy?Gamblers who sided with the two-point favourite Philadelphia will have lost their money as the Eagles lost the fifty-seventh Super Bowl to the Kansas City Chiefs and their quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, is now a two-time winner and Most Valuable Player in the NFL’s biggest game. But it’s not just punters who may be a little disappointed, at least if...
10 February 2023
BP increases spending on oil and gas and renewablesWhile the profits, dividend, buybacks and debt reductions will grab a lot of the headlines, perhaps the most interesting number in BP’s full-year results statement is capital expenditure, because the firm is nudging up its spending plans on both renewables and oil and gas.
The increase in drilling and exploration work may be an acknowledgement...
26 January 2023
EasyJet heads back toward cruising altitudeA lower loss than a year ago, increased passenger numbers and revenues per customer and guidance for higher-than-expected profits for the full year all suggest that easyJet is finally emerging from three, storm-filled years.
If chief executive Johan Lundgren’s profit forecast proves accurate, easyJet will be in the black on an annual basis for the...
20 January 2023
Ocado Retail faces yet another year in loss as lockdown boom fades“Another year, another loss and another trading deficit is on the cards for 2023 from Ocado Retail food delivery joint-venture between Ocado and Marks & Spencer, even if the business’ new boss, Hannah Gibson, continues to put a positive spin on it by targeting positive earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA, or...
12 January 2023
FTSE 100 dividends forecast to hit new record in 2023 but slowing profit growth and recession pose a threatAfter the index’s autumn rally and cuts to analysts’ dividend forecasts, the FTSE 100 is now expected to yield 3.8% in 2022. The index’s total dividend pay-out is expected to reach £79.1 billion in 2022, compared to £78.5 billion in 2021, excluding special dividends.
Total payments peaked at £85.2 billion in 2018 and 2022 is struggling to reach...
5 January 2023
Apple loses a trillion dollars of market cap in a yearSuper-spy Austin Power’s nemesis, Dr. Evil, used to get his millions, billions and trillions mixed up when he tried to hold the world to ransom, much to the confusion of his partners in crime, but shareholders in Apple may not be laughing after seeing the stock shed $1 trillion in market cap, or one-third of its value, over the past twelve months.
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20 December 2022
Five key themes that shaped portfolios’ investment returns in 2022Portfolio builders – not to mention our economies, central bankers and politicians – have become accustomed to an era of cheap energy, food, goods and labour, but that cosy environment came under duress in 2022 and as a result volatility picked up and the going got a lot tougher for investors, especially if they followed a classic 60% equity, 40%...
16 December 2022
Micron first-quarter resultsSilicon chips are a good guide to global economic health owing to their ubiquity – they are everywhere, from smart phones to laptops, car to industrial robots and servers to smart meters and global sales are expected to top $600 billion in 2023, to set a second consecutive all-time high.
However, the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index, or SOX, formed...
9 December 2022
UK unemployment, wage growth and inflation figuresThe search for the peak in inflation goes on, while workers continue to hope (and strike) for pay increases which protect the purchasing power of their cash. Central bankers will also be on the alert, as they clearly fear a 1970s-style wage spiral but will also be wary of any turn in the jobs market. Job vacancies are starting to shrink (on both...
23 November 2022
Telecom Plus sends out all the right signals with first-half resultsThe failure of energy suppliers such as bulb, ampower, igloo, Hub Energy and many, many more has caused great distress to many householders, but a lot of them have been able to get help from Utility Warehouse, whose parent is Telecom Plus, says AJ Bell investment director Russ Mould.
As a result, the FTSE 250 firm is adding customers at a record...
