magazine archive
magazine archive
Editor's View
Earnings upgrade strategy produces tasty results
Thursday 26 Nov 2020There is a growing trend for companies to report better than expected earnings and this is something that investors should follow. Earnings growth is one of the strongest catalysts for share price growth, so it pays to watch the companies doing well operationally and financially. Beating estimates...
Let’s hope ESG doesn’t become a meaningless term
Thursday 19 Nov 2020In an age where ESG (environmental, social and governance) factors are becoming more important to investors, it can feel like funds and companies are clamouring to paint themselves in these colours for the cachet it involves. The danger is that the term is diluted to the point of meaninglessness...
Investors right to be more enthusiastic about the future
Thursday 12 Nov 2020Investors have just seen the wildest day for markets in a very long time thanks to encouraging news about a Covid-19 vaccine. Many people have taken the view that we now have a fix for the coronavirus crisis and a panacea for the global economy. We are certainly more enthusiastic about the outlook...
Big oil’s dividend dilemma
Thursday 05 Nov 2020On 29 October Royal Dutch Shell ( RDSB ) provided the market with a positive surprise, increasing its dividend by 4% as it booked a larger than forecast third-quarter profit. However, before we get too excited by the dividend hike, it is but a ripple in the ocean when you consider the pay-out had...
The companies taking advantage of M&A opportunities
Thursday 29 Oct 2020The coronavirus crisis has had a big impact on businesses and their finances – it has also left some firms vulnerable to opportunistic bids. Companies running the gamut from retirement housebuilder McCarthy & Stone ( MCS ) to telecoms firm TalkTalk ( TALK ) , have been the subject of approaches...
Expect a UK market rebound? Choose the FTSE 250 for stronger growth
Thursday 22 Oct 2020It is crunch time once again for UK equities as investors try to make sense of how Brexit will play out. As we write, trade negotiations between the UK and EU have seen both sides engage in a game of bluff. Reaching a deal could be a momentous occasion for UK stocks as it would remove a lot of the...
European stock recovery is picking up pace
Thursday 15 Oct 2020Investors should be watching European markets closely as there is a lot of positive news coming from companies and interesting share price movements in recent weeks. A trio of firms caught the market’s attention on 9 October by increasing their earnings guidance for the year. Retailers Pandora and...
Pace picking up for acquisition-fuelled fundraisings
Thursday 08 Oct 2020Equity fundraisings are taking a different shape with the reasons behind asking shareholders for cash shifting more towards long-term strategic thinking, with the select few still seeking to shore up their balance sheet now coming across as desperate. In March to May, the principle reason for...
Slow and steady wins the race when it comes to Diageo
Thursday 01 Oct 2020Much focus is given by investors to companies which either have the fastest earnings growth, best performing shares, highest quality characteristics or cheapest valuation. In doing so, they often forget to look at the middle ground which can still contain decent businesses that might be growing at...
Why you shouldn’t give up on the UK despite miserable performance
Thursday 24 Sep 2020The recent and long-term performance of UK stocks is disappointing. Just look at how the FTSE 100 has performed against other global indices year-to-date and again since the Brexit vote. It suggests that ever since the result of the 2016 EU referendum, political risk has deterred investors from...