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.
14 February 2017
Why the big lenders banks remain a bankable indicator for the wider health of marketsOne of this column’s key themes for 2017 is the health of UK banks and why this is important to any investors with exposure to the UK equity market.
The Big five quoted names – Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds, Royal Bank of Scotland and Standard Chartered – represent around 15% of aggregate FTSE 100 pre-tax profit and dividend payments, according to...
9 February 2017
How to tell whether the yield curve is about to throw the markets a fastballFor all of their ongoing enthusiasm for the reflationary ‘Trump’ trade, stock markets have stopped going up and bond markets have stopped going down on both sides of the Atlantic, at least for the moment. To further muddy the waters, the dollar has weakened and gold poked its head back above the $1,200-an-ounce mark.
Despite the misgivings voiced...
3 February 2017
Time to see whether the “three steps and a stumble” rule will apply or not in 2017While markets were spot on when they put just a 4% chance on a rate rise from the US Federal Reserve at its first policy meeting of the year last Wednesday (1 February) the American central bank is still targeting three interest rate increases, of 0.25% each for 2017.
That would take the Fed Funds target rate to a range of 1.25% to 1.50% from its...
26 January 2017
How to assess whether China will offer anything to crow about in the Year of the RoosterFirst of all this column would like to wish all of its regular readers kung hei fat choi, offering good wishes as China’s Year of the Rooster begins on Saturday 28 January.
Roosters are reportedly punctual and trustworthy and since this is a Fire year among the Chinese elements, those born in the coming 12 months will supposedly be good at managing...
19 January 2017
Five ways to judge whether bouncy markets are becoming (too) bubblyAs the FTSE 100 stands near record highs following a stunning run of 14 consecutive gains which spanned the festive and New Year period all investors will be asking themselves is whether the UK’s leading index is becoming overcooked. In fact, with stock market indices from Korea to Kuwait, Singapore to Switzerland and Egypt to Europe’s Stoxx 50 all...
12 January 2017
Do brokers pick the winners?When it comes to stock picking there are many different styles and ways of selecting the individual shares which investors feel best suit their overall strategy, target returns, time horizon and appetite for risk (assuming they feel confident enough to do this in the first place, rather than leave the job to a fund manager).
Momentum is one, where...
9 January 2017
Can the FTSE 100 extend its winning streak?The FTSE 100 has recorded nine consecutive closing highs and the natural question for investors is whether this progress can be maintained. Here Russ Mould, AJ Bell's Investment Director looks at:
The four sectors that are likely to define the FTSE 100 progress during 2017 What exposure top performing funds have to these sectorsTo judge whether...
5 January 2017
How to make sure the FTSE 100 is on the right trackAfter ending 2016 on a hot streak, with three consecutive closing record highs, the FTSE 100 continues to barrel higher, with the 7,200 mark now firmly in its sights.
FTSE 100 set a run of new all-time record highs at the turn of the year
Source: Thomson Reuters Datastream
This naturally begs the question of whether this momentum can be...
21 December 2016
Five themes that look set to shape portfolio returns in 2017After last week’s attempts to learn key lessons from 2016, this column will now turn its attention to the year ahead. In the (unfortunate) absence of a crystal ball, no promises or guarantees can be offered, but below are five themes which investors will need to think about when it comes to portfolio strategy in 2017 and beyond.
They are:
The...
21 December 2016
World investment outlook 2017: The rest of the worldThe world investment outlook is written by Russ Mould, AJ Bell Investment Director and contains a wealth of information on the world financial markets and events to help with your investment strategies in 2017.
Here he considers the outlook for the rest of the world.
The three key issues for 2017 The dollar and whether any sustained strength in the...
