magazine archive
magazine archive
Editor's View
Why markets aren’t worried about global debt (yet)
Thursday 19 Aug 2021According to asset manager Janus Henderson global government debt soared by a fifth to a record $62.5 trillion by the end of 2020 in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. On the corporate side Janus Henderson reported borrowings up 10% worldwide to $13.5 trillion. So we’re looking at a combined...
What a bombshell climate report and global wildfires mean for markets
Thursday 12 Aug 2021Wildfires are raging across Europe and North America, while the latest report from the IPCC (International Panel on Climate Change) warns temperatures are likely to rise 1.5 centigrade above pre-industrial levels in the next two decades, prompting extreme weather and environmental devastation. And...
Doling out the dividends: are the best days almost over?
Thursday 05 Aug 2021Billions of pounds worth of dividends have been declared in recent weeks by names such as Anglo American ( AAL ) , Rio Tinto ( RIO ) and Royal Dutch Shell (RDSB ), meaning there is a cash bounty on its way to shareholders. These companies, along with other big names declaring dividends including...
Bank of America still thinks oil will hit $100 in 2022
Thursday 29 Jul 2021Guessing where the oil price will be in a year’s time feels like the equivalent of pinning the tail on the donkey except you are underwater and your hands are tied behind your back. There are so many moving parts to the crude market and intangibles around what direction the economy might take...
Why Freedom Day has been such a dud on the markets
Thursday 22 Jul 2021It is often said that it is better to travel than arrive when it comes to investing and England’s ‘Freedom Day’ seems to be a case in point. The long-awaited lifting of restrictions has come against the backdrop of rising infections and the FTSE 100 plunged to a two-month low on the day itself (19...
Will Freedom Day represent the top of the market?
Thursday 15 Jul 2021The UK’s Freedom Day should have been cause for celebration. Instead, we’re having to navigate choppier stock market conditions, hundreds of thousands of children and workers are stuck at home isolating, and don’t even mention the Euro 2020 result. It’s worth understanding what has driven the...
Common theme for UK takeovers: property assets
Thursday 08 Jul 2021Property assets have become the common theme connecting this year’s flurry of takeovers on the UK stock market. As Shares went to press, Morrisons ( MRW ) was subject to a bidding war and GCP Student Living ( DIGS ) had just received a takeover approach. In May, both Spire Healthcare ( SPI ) and St...
Turning point for markets: sectors to explore or ditch
Thursday 01 Jul 2021Society is at a turning point and so is the stock market as the focus shifts from Covid recovery opportunities to the threat of rising inflation and changes to monetary policy. Fundamentally, what’s worked this year in terms of stock selection may not continue to do so. Companies will need to show...
Can oil and gas ever be ESG friendly?
Thursday 24 Jun 2021While the pledge to hit net zero targets by oil and gas majors BP ( BP. ) and Royal Dutch Shell ( RDSB ) may have captured the headlines over the past 18 months or so, the push for more ESG-focused strategies is permeating further down the industry food chain. In most of this author’s recent...
This is why markets are more relaxed about inflation again
Thursday 17 Jun 2021After a strong start to 2021 for global equity markets, as investors looked toward a post-Covid recovery, sentiment weakened sharply. This was down to fears that the pent-up demand and government’s large stimulus efforts would send inflation spiralling through the roof and lead to a rapid...