magazine archive
magazine archive
Big News
Vodafone could face hefty Kabel Deutschland legal bill
Thursday 21 Nov 2019Mobile network Vodafone ( VOD ) could be left with a €5bn bill if a German court ruling goes against it next week. On 27 November, a German court will give its verdict on the valuation fairness of Vodafone’s acquisition offer for Kabel Deutschland in 2013. The €87 per share valued the German...
Eddie Stobart and Carpetright shareholders poorly served by bids
Thursday 21 Nov 2019Recent takeover approaches for haulage operator Eddie Stobart Logistics ( ESL:AIM ) and flooring retailer Carpetright ( CPR ) are providing a raw deal for retail investors as major shareholders take control. Investors in Eddie Stobart, famous for the distinctive livery on its heavy goods delivery...
Holding auditors' feet to the fire
Thursday 21 Nov 2019In the wake of numerous accounting scandals over the last two years, the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) – which oversees the accounting profession – is contemplating asking for tougher powers from the Government to set pay standards for auditors and focus management minds on the quality of the...
Income investors on alert as global dividend growth slows
Thursday 21 Nov 2019Global dividend payments grew by 2.8% in the third quarter to $355bn, the slowest rate of increase for several years according to research by asset manager Janus Henderson. Its Global Dividend index measures how much income firms are paying their investors on their capital and is calculated in US...
Why quality growth funds like Fundsmith are feeling the pain
Thursday 21 Nov 2019The third quarter of this year represented a major milestone for the UK fund management industry although it’s one it would probably prefer to keep quiet. According to the Investment Association, in the three months from July to September, UK-registered equity funds saw their biggest quarterly...
Shareholder pressure forces Standard Chartered to change pension deal
Thursday 14 Nov 2019The recent backtracking by emerging markets-focused bank Standard Chartered ( STAN ) on executive pay shows the impact shareholder pressure can have on this issue and puts the spotlight on other companies which have faced significant pay revolts. Nearly 40% of the shareholder base failed to back...
Investors pile into gold just before price slumps
Thursday 14 Nov 2019Reports that the US and China are making progress to resolve their trade dispute has been welcomed by many investors. But for those who invest in gold, and the mining companies that dig the precious metal out of the ground, the news has been less well-received. Gold is considered a safe haven asset...
Destocking threat to industrial sector forecasts
Thursday 14 Nov 2019Investors may need to look beyond the short-term as capital goods and industrial sectors come to terms with weakening demand. Profit warnings could be rife in these sectors in coming months. ‘Organic revenue assumptions are being pulled back and destocking is prevalent in industries such as steel,...
More gloom for UK amid downgrade for country’s credit outlook
Thursday 14 Nov 2019This week started on the back foot for investors who were digesting news that credit rating agency Moody’s had cut its outlook on the UK from ‘stable’ to ‘negative’, paving the way forward for a full downgrade of its current Aa2 rating. Rating agencies, whose job it is to assess creditworthiness,...
How safe are dividends from BP, BT and Crest Nicholson?
Thursday 07 Nov 2019According to the latest AJ Bell Dividend Dashboard report, the FTSE 100 is yielding 4.8%. However, the same research shows FTSE dividends are, on average, covered just 1.63 times by earnings which suggest investors need to investigate the sustainability of these payouts. For example, the...