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Big News
Markets nervy as tech tanks and Brexit bites
Thursday 22 Nov 2018Uncertainty and volatility appear to be prevailing on both sides of the Atlantic with any hope of a so-called ‘Santa Rally’ in stocks looking unlikely at present. The 19 November session saw renewed heavy selling on the US markets in big technology stocks after consumer electronics giant Apple cut...
Private equity investment trust giant 3i plays the waiting game
Thursday 22 Nov 2018The UK’s largest private equity investment trust 3i ( III ) appears to be in rude health if you look past the sentiment-driven volatility in its share price. Indeed, while the shares were caught up in the Brexit-related sell-off of UK assets, first half numbers (15 Nov) revealed a robust total...
Housebuilder shares in bleak territory amid property price shock
Thursday 22 Nov 2018The latest Rightmove house price survey has added to the gloom surrounding UK housebuilders which have also been caught up in Brexit-related market concerns. The average UK asking price this month is £5,200 or 1.7% lower than October at £302,000, according to Rightmove. This is the biggest drop in...
Dividend relief lifts Vodafone
Thursday 15 Nov 2018First-half year results from Vodafone ( VOD ) , which helped the share price to strong gains on 13 November, tell us one thing loud and clear. This is a story where little else matters outside the dividend. A typical sea of adjustments and footnotes, new chief executive Nick Read’s ambition is to...
Supermarket sales slow after summer surprise
Thursday 15 Nov 2018After feasting on better sales over the summer thanks to extraordinarily good weather and the FIFA World Cup, it seems the big supermarkets are back to lean times ahead of Christmas. The latest Kantar Worldpanel data shows UK supermarket spending rose by 2.6% in the 12 weeks to 4 November compared...
Are investors overreacting to talk of a possible US ban on menthol cigarettes?
Thursday 15 Nov 2018Investors may be overreacting to chatter about a potential ban on menthol cigarettes from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as part of its drive to crack down on smoking among young people. Cigarette seller British American Tobacco ( BATS ) took a near-10% hit to its share price on the...
UK economic outlook flags risks for banks and consumer-facing businesses
Thursday 15 Nov 2018A new report from consultant PwC suggests the UK economy could remain on a modest growth path in the years ahead but highlights some key pressure points including rising levels of debt. While a reduction in government borrowings is expected, households and companies are expected to borrow at faster...
Tracsis rules out cash return as acquisition pipeline bulges
Thursday 15 Nov 2018Transport infrastructure technology company Tracsis ( TRCS:AIM ) is categorically ruling out returning any of its £22.3m cash pile to shareholders. Instead, chief executive officer John McArthur has told Shares that he wants to put that money to better use by continuing its long-run policy of...
What the US midterm election results mean for markets
Thursday 08 Nov 2018The markets are digesting the prospect of political gridlock in Washington as, in a widely predicted outcome, the Democrats secured the House of Representatives while the Republicans held on to the Senate. Data from Bank of America Merrill Lynch shows historically the best S&P 500 returns under...
Aberdeen plans global private-market sustainability trust
Thursday 08 Nov 2018When ethical investing began in the 1970s it was very much a niche market. The first funds were launched by Methodists (the Pax Fund in the US) and Quakers (the Stewardship funds in the UK). According to the Sustainable Investment and Finance Association there are now over 100 UK ethical funds with...