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SPAC surge sees return of serial software business builder Vin Murria
Thursday 25 Mar 2021Investors have an opportunity to ride the value creation coattails of Vin Murria, the serial software sector entrepreneur who has twice made a packet for shareholders. Murria will chair AdvancedAdvT ( ADVT ) , a so-called SPAC (special purpose acquisition company) which has raised £130 million from...
Questions raised by return of share buyback craze
Thursday 25 Mar 2021A year after the UK locked down for the first time and companies went into ‘survival mode’, cutting all non-essential spending and hoarding cash, share repurchases are making a comeback. Investors should be asking why firms are buying back stock and not reinvesting their capital to generate higher...
AstraZeneca’s share price movement leaves investors confused
Thursday 18 Mar 2021Shares in pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca ( AZN ) are behaving in a way which may confuse investors. Its share price has been in a falling trend since last summer despite being one of the first companies to develop a successful Covid vaccine, and therefore playing a crucial role in helping to...
Smithson dampens expectations for superior performance hat-trick
Thursday 18 Mar 2021FTSE 250 investment trust Smithson ( SSON ) has posted a second year of exceptional performance, with a net asset value total return per share of 31.4% for 2020 compared with a 12.2% return for the MSCI World SMID index, the fund’s benchmark. This follows an NAV total return per share of 33.2% in...
Signs that the iron ore rally could be over
Thursday 18 Mar 2021Signs are starting to emerge that the rally in iron ore prices may have peaked. The price of iron ore, a key ingredient in steelmaking and a bellwether metal for the health of the global economy, has surged in the past year. This has been driven by soaring demand from China – the world’s largest...
VW charges up for electric vehicle push
Thursday 18 Mar 2021In August 2020 we flagged German auto maker Volkswagen as a value play at €139, since when the stock has gained more than 40%. Its shares have been particularly strong this year as the firm rolls out its electric vehicle strategy, culminating in this week’s ‘Power Day’. In contrast, electric...
Domino's to give investors a bigger slice of excess cash
Thursday 11 Mar 2021Pizza franchise chain Domino’s Pizza ( DOM ) surprised investors when it announced (9 Mar) a fresh medium-term growth plan, a big share repurchase programme and strong recent trading, with the stock gaining over 12% in response. New chief executive Dominic Paul plans to increase system sales by...
Alliance Trust could soon have massive capacity for dividend growth
Thursday 11 Mar 2021Investment trust Alliance Trust ( ATST ) has racked up 54 years of rising dividends and expects to pay a higher dividend in 2021 and beyond, boosted by a massive ‘merger reserve’ that gives the trust huge scope to support long-term dividend growth. Though net asset value ( NAV ) total return...
Markets look to shake off inflation-linked wobble
Thursday 11 Mar 2021As we write the bond and stock markets have stabilised after a period when fears over mounting inflation and an increase in interest rates saw fixed income yields spike and equities fall over. Having reached a record high market close in mid-February the MSCI World index of developed markets then...
Shares in estate agents soar since the Budget
Thursday 11 Mar 2021The chancellor’s announcement last week of an extension of the stamp duty holiday until the end of June and a mortgage guarantee scheme starting in April have sent home-buyers into a frenzy. The question facing investors in the UK’s listed estate agents and property services firms is whether the...