magazine archive
magazine archive
Big News
Are tobacco stocks now uninvestable?
Thursday 03 Oct 2019The defensive attractions of the tobacco sector, traditionally owned for its earnings resilience and rising dividends, appear to be wafting away amid increasing political and regulatory concerns over vaping. The promise of tighter rules on the vaping sector is bad news for the tobacco giants which...
Pearson, Sainsbury’s, WPP and the week’s other big news
Thursday 03 Oct 2019Academic publishing firm Pearson ( PSN ) earned a dunce’s cap from the market on 26 September. Its shares fell more than 10% to 740p as it warned earnings would be at the lower end of expectations thanks to weak sales to US universities. Full year operating profit is expected to come in towards the...
What new fund liquidity rules mean for investors
Thursday 03 Oct 2019The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is taking measures to address concerns about liquidity in the funds market. New rules are being considered which could see more frequent fund suspensions if there is uncertainty about the value of assets. There may also be different redemption conditions for...
Prudential demerger could see M&G join the FTSE 100
Thursday 03 Oct 2019In March 2018 insurance company Prudential ( PRU ) announced that it would demerge M&G , its UK and European savings and investment business, and list it as a separate company on the London market. Eighteen months on, assuming that investors agree the proposal at the annual general meeting (...
The companies that could benefit from Thomas Cook’s demise
Thursday 26 Sep 2019The collapse of the world’s oldest travel company Thomas Cook has major implications for other companies on the stock market. Our preferred stocks to play this situation are Dart ( DTG:AIM ) and On The Beach ( OTB ) . Thomas Cook has approximately 2.5m customers, representing 28% of the UK’s...
Should you invest in Airbnb when its shares hit the stock market next year?
Thursday 26 Sep 2019Home-sharing start-up Airbnb plans to join the US stock market in 2020. The news broke just days after WeWork, the office space sharing business, was forced to delay its own stock market plans after struggling to convince investors of its long-term profitability and corporate governance issues...
Climate change protests put sustainable investing back in the spotlight
Thursday 26 Sep 2019Last Friday (20 Sep) saw coordinated demonstrations around the world by young people angry at what they see as a lack of progress by governments and businesses in tackling climate change. This topic is becoming increasingly important to investors. The latest data from the World Meteorological...
India-focused investment funds rally on economic stimulus plan
Thursday 26 Sep 2019Indian Prime Minister Narenda Modi has slashed corporate tax rates in a bid to boost the faltering economy in a move triggering euphoria in the Indian equity markets. Shares in the UK stock market’s quartet of India-focused investment trusts all joined in the rally, being Aberdeen New India ( ANII...
Sirius Minerals’ shareholders need to make a big decision
Thursday 19 Sep 2019Potash miner Sirius Minerals ( SXX ) has stunned the market after being forced to cancel plans to raise $500m through a bond sale, meaning there is now great uncertainty over the future of its polyhalite mine in North Yorkshire. Its shares halved on the news (17 Sep) to 4.92p. A stock popular with...
Why the sharp jump in the oil price matter to investors
Thursday 19 Sep 2019You may soon be counting the cost of actions thousands of miles away when you fill your car at the pump and the surge in oil prices has significant implications for markets too. The drone attack on Saudi Arabia’s Abqaiq and Khurais processing plants knocked out half the country’s production...