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.
29 May 2019
How investors can choose between the four options they have regarding the M&S rights issueLast week’s underwhelming set of full-year results and the possibility that next week’s reshuffle will relegate the company from the FTSE 100 for the first time ever means that Marks & Spencer will be hoping that its proposed £600 million rights issue goes as smoothly as possible. Investors now have four options available to them as they assess...
24 May 2019
Change in Prime Minister unlikely to ignite stock marketThe FTSE All-Share is up today, as investors weigh up the prospect of a new Prime Minister and hope for greater domestic political stability. However, history suggests it takes more than a new incumbent in 10 Downing Street to really get the stock market going.
Since the inception of the FTSE All-Share in 1964, three Prime Ministers have taken...
13 May 2019
Four ways to tell whether a dividend may be safeMarks & Spencer has already taken the plunge and announced a plan to cut its dividend and although BT has decided to keep its payment unchanged investors are understandably nervous about some of the yields offered by some of the UK’s biggest firms. With the best cash ISAs offering an interest rate of around 1.5% and the UK 10-year Government bond...
15 February 2019
Short-sellers may be on to something in the UK (but they are getting stomped in the US)Not everyone approves of the practice of short-selling but supporters will point to the diligent research involved, the risk posed by the unlimited downside of a short position and the liquidity provided, says Russ Mould, AJ Bell Investment Director. Some investors may view hedge funds’ occasionally public promotion of their bearish views as...
3 January 2019
Share buybacks prove useless as Apple shares get crushed after profit warningApple frightened investors back in November when boss Tim Cook announced the firm would no longer disclose unit sales figures for iPhones, iPads and iMacs and the overnight profit warning has confirmed investors’ worst fears.
At the after-hours trading close of $146 a share, Apple’s total market valuation is now just under $700 billion after the...
6 December 2018
World Investment Outlook - Chapter one: UKThe FTSE All-Share trades within barely 10% of an all-time high that it set in Spring 2018 but investors might not guess as much, given the prevailing confusion over the Brexit talks, a fragile Government and dire warnings over the economy from the Bank of England and its Governor Mark Carney.
Sterling has acted as the main Brexit shock absorber...
6 December 2018
World Investment Outlook - Chapter two: USALike him or loathe him, markets are having to listen to President Trump and keep an eye on his Twitter account for good measure (even if his heavy use of the service has done precious little to help that particular company’s wobbly profit and loss account or share price).
It is hard to believe that the mid-term elections are already behind us and...
6 December 2018
World Investment Outlook – Chapter three: JapanThe dream lives on, at least for Prime Minister (PM) Shinzō Abe. The 2019 Rugby World Cup will be but a taster for the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) President, fresh from his victory in September’s party leadership contest. He has his eyes on the real political prize, which is Japan’s status as host of the 2020 Olympic Games.
If Abe can stay in...
6 December 2018
World Investment Outlook – Chapter four: AsiaIt could be argued that the Asian baby was rather thrown out with the Turkish bathwater in 2018, as a stronger dollar, weaker commodity prices and Istanbul’s foreign borrowing woes all served to weigh on emerging markets overall.
Those investors with substantial asset allocations to the Asian region will be content to ride out the storm, arguing...
6 December 2018
World Investment Outlook – Chapter five: Western EuropeSince 2012, European Central Bank (ECB) President Mario Draghi has done “whatever it takes” to keep the euro and the Eurozone’s economy on the road – but 2019 will usher in the next chapter in the story. The ECB stops adding to its QE scheme in December, and Draghi steps down next October.
Meanwhile, the impact of Brexit will (presumably) be felt...
