magazine archive
magazine archive
Talking Point
The big property conundrum
Thursday 16 Feb 2017The UK financial regulator is looking at potential changes to commercial property funds to avoid a repeat of last year’s investor panic with the sector. It is part of a wider probe into the use of illiquid assets in open-ended funds. Several property funds suspended trading in July 2016 as...
How to get first dibs on Woodford’s 5% income fund
Thursday 09 Feb 2017Highly respected fund manager Neil Woodford is to launch a new income fund in March initially targeting a 5% dividend yield. It will be called CF Woodford Income Focus and will only invest in companies that trade on a stock market. HOW CAN I INVEST? Investors will be able to apply for units in CF...
Are motor retailers out of gas?
Thursday 02 Feb 2017Quoted motor retailers’ shares have fallen heavily along with other domestically-exposed names following the vote for Brexit. Investors are pricing in a softer outlook for the industry, which already appeared to be cooling having enjoyed a sustained boom in new car sales. The Society of Motor...
Is the ‘Trump Bump’ for investors about to end?
Thursday 26 Jan 2017Donald Trump’s presidential victory cost Paddy Power Betfair ( PPB ) £5m in lost bets. We doubt it will be the only left nursing losses under his administration. The dust is now settling from Trump’s inauguration and the outlook for investors isn’t necessarily all good news. The initial reaction to...
Why Acacia Mining should merge with Endeavour
Thursday 19 Jan 2017The potential merger between Acacia Mining ( ACA ) and Toronto-listed Endeavour Mining (EDV:TSX) looks positive in our view. Although still at the discussion stage and lacking information on deal structure, we do believe a combined business would be highly attractive to any investor seeking a mid-...
October M&A highest on record
Thursday 12 Jan 2017A landslide of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in the fourth quarter of 2016 saw the highest value of deals ever recorded in a single month in October. Global deal-making hit $526bn in October 2016 driven by megadeals including US telecom network AT&T’s (T:NYSE) offer for media and...
Six stocks with electric share price momentum
Thursday 22 Dec 2016Renewed momentum in the stock market saw the FTSE 100 index break through the 7,000 mark in mid-December after another bout of sterling weakness. An investing strategy based on momentum has a pleasing simplicity to it. You simply buy what is going up and keep buying it. Catalyst required The bad...
FTSE 100 dividend health check
Thursday 15 Dec 2016AJ Bell’s latest Dividend Dashboard report shows half the dividends from the FTSE 100 are forecast to be paid out by just seven companies in the coming 12 months. The reliance on just a handful of big dividend payers to generate the yield from UK shares means investors need to remain watchful in...
We explain why the oil price is racing ahead
Thursday 08 Dec 2016Oil prices have hit their highest level in a year following the decision last week by production cartel OPEC to cut output. We now explain five key issues concerning oil. 1. Expectations were low The oil price reaction suggests there was considerable scepticism over production cartel OPEC’s ability...
Rising interest rates: Key points
Thursday 01 Dec 2016Imagine you’re pumping up a balloon. The further you push down on the pump, the larger the balloon inflates. When you pull up on the pump, the balloon starts to shrink. The relationship between interest rates and financial assets is very similar. Falling interest rates and yields – pushing down on...