magazine archive
magazine archive
Big News
This week’s most important macro stories
Thursday 14 Jun 2018There is plenty of macro news to digest at present; much of it centred around US president Donald Trump. For now, the markets seem relaxed about the battles being fought with the US and its traditional allies over trade, despite Trump rejecting a communique previously agreed at the G7 summit in...
Profit margin fears dog housebuilders
Thursday 14 Jun 2018Updates from Bellway ( BWY ) and Cr est Nicholson ( CRST ) on 12 June are reinforcing concerns about the margin performance of the housebuilding sector. As AJ Bell investment director Russ Mould observes: ‘The industry has enjoyed a bumper period, supported by rising house prices, low interest...
Why Playtech’s acquisition of Snaitech is a potential game-changer
Thursday 14 Jun 2018Gambling software supplier Playtech’s ( PTEC ) €846m acquisition of Italian gaming operator Snaitech is a game-changer according to broker Numis. The company says Snaitech will help it establish a strong presence in Italy, which is Europe’s largest and growing gaming market with an underdeveloped...
Jurassic-sized expectations for Frontier Developments
Thursday 14 Jun 2018High-flying video games creator Frontier Developments ( FDEV:AIM ) ’s news that revenue and earnings for the year to May 2018 beat market expectations has helped to revive the share price after recent weakness, lifting it 2.8% to £16.60. However, we note that stockbroker FinnCap didn’t upgrade its...
BT in charm offensive to get investors back onside
Thursday 07 Jun 2018BT ( BT.A ) has launched a charm offensive to convince analysts and investors that it can successfully navigate the many financial and regulatory challenges it is facing. Last month the £20.5bn telco put dividend growth on hold. Income is one of the major reasons why shareholders own the stock. In...
Markets are climbing the ‘wall of worry’
Thursday 07 Jun 2018Investors appear to be shrugging off several potential macro-economic and political risks as US and Europe indices continue to trade close to record high levels. The ability of the market to surmount several negative factors and continue rising is often described as climbing the ‘wall of worry’...
Battle for control at Stobart and Petropavlovsk
Thursday 07 Jun 2018Former management appear to be fighting back at industrial transport firm Stobart ( STOB ) and Russia-focused gold miner Petropavlovsk ( POG ) . Stobart, the operator of Southend Airport, has confirmed that former chief executive Andrew Tinkler and other shareholders including Woodford Investment...
What does the Government sale of RBS stake mean for investors?
Thursday 07 Jun 2018Shares in Royal Bank of Scotland ( RBS ) are under pressure after the UK Government sold part of its holding in the bank, but it could ultimately prove an important step in the company’s rehabilitation. Long suffering shareholders in RBS are having an interesting year. The bank finally settled with...
Why Hotel Chocolat continues to be a sweet investment
Thursday 07 Jun 2018Premium British chocolatier Hotel Chocolat ( HOTC:AIM ) is in an increasingly sweet situation. Its consistent improvement in cash flow generation has allowed for the early repayment of £6.4m of ‘Chocolate Bonds’ debt. Back in 2010 and 2014, the company’s Chocolate Tasting Club subsidiary issued two...
Bodycote boom time raises the fear of inevitable bust
Thursday 07 Jun 2018An operationally geared business model and limited visibility on future work could leave Bodycote ( BOY ) short of expectations if a cyclical downturn emerges. Forecasts for the heating and thermal systems engineer have been upgraded at least twice this calendar year thanks to a robust end market...