magazine archive
magazine archive
Editor's View
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,...
Are investors asking themselves the wrong questions about rate cuts?
Thursday 01 Aug 2024Leafing through the second-half outlooks and thought pieces, Shares was struck by a piece not from one of the serried ranks of Wall Street or Square Mile analysts but by a strategist at Boston-based MFS Investment Managers. Portfolio manager and global investment strategist Robert M. Almeida, Jr...
Boom time for the travel sector could be coming to an end
Thursday 25 Jul 2024Since we emerged from the pandemic, people’s spending have shifted from stuff to experiences with holidays particularly prized by those with the means to afford them. Airlines and travel operators enjoyed bumper demand as people were desperate to get away for a week in the sun, having been denied...
Does the FCA’s new listing regime really offer better protection for investors?
Thursday 18 Jul 2024In an effort to encourage more companies to float on the London Stock Exchange, and presumably encourage more people to invest in them, the FCA (Financial Conduct Authority) has unveiled a new listing regime which comes into force at the end of July. The rules – described by the FCA as ‘Big Bang 2...
It could be now or never if the Fed wants to cut rates before the election
Thursday 11 Jul 2024The recent presidential debate brought the US election into focus and the November poll is now looming large in investors’ consciousness. A knock-on effect of the timing of the election is the US Federal Reserve is running out of room if it is going to cut interest rates before doing so would be...