magazine archive
magazine archive
Editor's View
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...
The price conundrum for stock market winners
Thursday 17 Sep 2020Every now and again you come across a stock which keeps churning out good news, fuelling a share price rally. Backing winners is an obvious strategy for investors; after all, surely there is merit in putting your money into a business that is going places rather than one that is stuck in the mud?...
Companies with value propositions could shine
Thursday 10 Sep 2020After a strong rebound in UK retail sales over the summer as lockdown measures were relaxed, one might conclude that value-led propositions are going to be the strongest part of the sector in the coming months. Retail sales volumes increased by 3.6% between June and July. This was driven in large...
IPOs are back as companies eye a window of opportunity
Thursday 03 Sep 2020A surge in companies coming to the stock market would suggest there is a considerable improvement in investor confidence since the brutal sell-off in equities earlier this year. It also helps that investors have been happy to back companies during the pandemic. It makes sense for other companies to...