magazine archive
magazine archive
Editor's View
Tobacco and oil and gas sectors are both facing transition troubles
Thursday 10 Oct 2024Both the tobacco and oil and gas industries face a similar quandary right now - they are generating lots of cash from activities which many perceive as being unethical and damaging, but their transitions into other areas are currently not offering anywhere near the same levels of return. This...
The sector which very much isn’t participating in the China rally
Thursday 03 Oct 2024As Sabuhi Gard covers in a piece of news analysis this week, China-related stocks and funds are flying thanks to Beijing’s announcement of a big stimulus package. However, there is one industry with ties to the world’s second largest economy which is very much not joining in the party – the car...
Investors nervously awaiting developments in Westminster and Washington
Thursday 26 Sep 2024There are two political events in the remainder of 2024 on either side of the Atlantic to which investors need to pay full attention. The first of these is Labour’s first Budget for 14 years on 30 October, with chancellor Rachel Reeves giving few clues to the details in her speech to the party...
A quarter of a century of helping people with their investments
Thursday 19 Sep 2024It’s time to break out the birthday candles as Shares marks 25 years since its first issue hit the newsstands in September 1999. I’m just the latest custodian of this publication, having had the pleasure of editing Shares for a just under a year, and while there has been an enormous amount of...
Gloomy messaging ahead of economic set-piece could become a self-fulfilling prophecy
Thursday 12 Sep 2024As an exercise in expectations management, the Labour government’s trailing of its October Budget has been impressive. Rhetoric around what people should come to expect at the end of next month has been gloomier than a wet Tuesday in February. In our Personal Finance section this week Laith Khalaf...
A tricky transition for miners to manage
Thursday 05 Sep 2024The mining sector is at an inflection point. Historically associated with polluting materials like coal, the industry has a huge role to play if the world is to transition itself away from fossil fuels. However, while long-term targets remain around net zero, there are hints of governments...
What could happen with oil prices and why investors should care
Thursday 29 Aug 2024The recent escalation between Israel and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah offered the latest reminder of what a tinderbox the Middle East is right now and the implications that has for oil prices. The black stuff moved back through $80 per barrel after a period of weakness, offering a reminder of...
Could conditions be about to turn in favour of active fund managers?
Thursday 22 Aug 2024The active fund management industry has had a tough time of things of late. Trackers, largely exchange-traded funds, which look to match the returns from global stock markets, have attracted substantial inflows as investors prize their low costs and the diversification they offer. Compounding this...
Does high executive pay matter for investors?
Thursday 15 Aug 2024The issue of executive pay and how it compares with that of the average worker is one which can generate a fair amount of heat and noise, but how much does it actually matter to shareholders? A new report from the High Pay Centre, a think tank which aims to promote quote, unquote fairer pay, shows...
How stocks perform after the first rate cut in the cycle
Thursday 08 Aug 2024It may have been overshadowed since by significant market volatility but, widely expected as it was, the Bank of England’s decision to cut interest rates for the first time since 2020 represents a significant inflection point. And with the usual caveat that the past is not a guide to the future,...