magazine archive
magazine archive
Editor's View
The Creme Egg effect: ‘How do you pick your stocks?’
Thursday 13 Apr 2023For years, Cadbury’s has tempted chocolate fans with its Creme Egg adverts asking, ‘how do you eat yours?’. While Shares readers may have enjoyed their fill of the gooey stuff at Easter, Cadbury’s marketing technique has led me to think about how investors find stocks for their portfolio. ‘How do...
What to do in an ‘everything, everywhere, all at once’ market?
Thursday 06 Apr 2023How do you react when you are overwhelmed? A common response is to be paralysed into inaction or to panic and make hasty decisions. These are both risks for investors right now. One could easily look at stories about banking crises, volatile rate expectations, geopolitical tensions and inflationary...
Greggs classified as a retailer? It’s in the wrong sector and this needs to change
Thursday 30 Mar 2023Have you ever come across a company whose shares are classified as being in one sector, but in reality, should sit in a different one? It matters from a valuation perspective. For years, catering group Compass ( CPG ) was in the travel and leisure sector, sitting alongside travel agents, airlines...
Learning the hard way only to invest in stuff you really understand
Thursday 23 Mar 2023The events of the past week have underlined the importance of only investing in things you really understand. We look more deeply at the fallout from the Credit Suisse (CSGN:SWX) rescue job in a separate feature but a key reason it has not fully ended the concern over the banking system is the way...
Higher rates on cash savings could drive more generous dividends from shares
Thursday 16 Mar 2023There is a powerful headwind for company directors and fund managers. It’s an issue causing all kinds of a stir behind closed doors. I’m talking about how you can get more than 4% on cash without taking any investment risks. Even the one-year gilt (UK government bond) is yielding 4.1%. That’s very...
The UK stock market indices have a crisis on their hands
Thursday 09 Mar 2023For years, UK-listed technology and biotechnology companies moaned about how they could get a higher valuation if their shares traded on the US market. Some added a secondary listing, others ditched the UK completely and parked their shares across the Atlantic. It was a trend that bubbled away, but...
How the trading down trend is continuing to gather pace
Thursday 02 Mar 2023The latest update from Primark-owner Associated British Foods ( ABF ) was encouraging for the company’s shareholders. It flagged resilient demand as it upgraded profit guidance. Whether this is reflective of a consumer not feeling the pinch as much as feared or evidence that people are pursuing...
Why isn’t Manchester United worth more than $6 billion?
Thursday 23 Feb 2023Amid all the frenzied coverage of a possible takeover of Manchester United (MANU:NYSE) – one question occurred to this observer. Why isn’t it worth more than the reported price tag of $6 billion slapped on the club by current owners the Glazers? For now, it looks as if the Qataris and their main...
Great start to the year for markets – where should you invest now?
Thursday 16 Feb 2023With markets having enjoyed a solid start to 2023, investors have become more optimistic about equities and bonds. While there are good reasons to be more upbeat, it’s important to understand what could go wrong as well as right in the months ahead. Markets are up because investors believe...
BT and Vodafone are both struggling to dial up growth – here’s why
Thursday 09 Feb 2023Here’s the good news for investors in Vodafone ( VOD ) and BT ( BT.A ) : over the past 20 years the pair have paid out a cumulative 362p combined in dividends per share. For someone holding 1,000 shares in each company the dividends paid add up to £1,682.90 for Vodafone and £1,992.30 for BT. The...