magazine archive
magazine archive
Editor's View
Is this the last hurrah for UK GDP?
Thursday 02 Feb 2017Eight months ago the country was in a bad mood, worried about sinking into recession and fearing for the state of the UK economy following the Brexit vote. Today we are still in that nervous period despite better than expected fourth quarter GDP figures and upbeat consumer confidence data. Media...
Stock market scandal heads to the cinema
Thursday 26 Jan 2017A stock market scandal is heading for the silver screen next month in the UK. If you’ve any interest in mining stocks, I’d highly recommend you check out the film. Elements of its story may sound familiar to investors who’ve dabbled in natural resources companies or listened to presentations by...
May’s Brexit plan won’t calm the stock market
Thursday 19 Jan 2017If the market hates uncertainty, how does it react when there is clarity on events? Theresa May’s Brexit speech on Tuesday (17 January) saw the pound rally and the FTSE 100 decline in value. Surprised? One might have thought the opposite movement would have happened, given the Brexit vote was the...
Can the bull run last?
Thursday 12 Jan 2017It has been an untypically strong start to the year for stocks in 2017. The usual Santa Rally is extending well into the New Year and the FTSE 100 is in previously uncharted territory above 7,200, supported in part by renewed Brexit-inspired weakness in sterling. The latest edition of The Harriman...
A good year to invest
Thursday 22 Dec 2016For all the twists and turns in the world during 2016, it has been a pretty good year for investors. Running the numbers on the FTSE All-Share index, 348 stocks have delivered a positive share price return, versus 267 with a negative performance according to SharePad. Fifty-six stocks in the FTSE...
Yield of screams
Thursday 15 Dec 2016Income is the dominant theme in this week’s edition of Shares . We talk about what to buy, what to avoid and discuss income issues specific to people in retirement. Dividends are one of the most important factors coveted by investors when weighing up which stocks or funds to buy. They are the...
New twist to income story
Thursday 08 Dec 2016Can you hear the bells ringing? No, not the ones from your local carol concert; I’m talking about the noise from the market that implies the public still can’t quench its thirst for income. In the past week I’ve seen three signs that suggest income remains a priority for investors. One event shows...
Beware the fad for growth
Thursday 01 Dec 2016Investment bank Morgan Stanley sees European earnings per share (EPS) growing for the first time in five years in 2017 and forecasts a 12% increase. It is even more positive on the UK with 18% EPS growth estimate, thanks to the London market’s higher commodity weighting and the currency tailwind...
Read the M&A signs
Thursday 24 Nov 2016Takeover activity in the small and mid-cap space is gathering pace. Investors should consider buying stocks where deals haven’t immediately been accepted, have failed, or where other bidders may enter the scene. You might think that sounds a bit counter-intuitive as surely the best scenario is to...
Everyone needs copper
Thursday 17 Nov 2016A 30% rise in the copper price over the past month has put a rocket under the shares of copper miners. There are many reasons behind the unprecedented commodity price movement and most of them suggest you should stay bullish on the metal, even after the big price surge. I believe all investors...