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Are any dividends safe?
Thursday 26 Mar 2020The FTSE 100 index is offering a prospective dividend yield of 5.6% according to data from Stockopedia, but the slew of cancelled payments throws into doubt even those regarded as rock-solid. THE DAMAGE IN PERSPECTIVE Incredibly, the total amount of cancellations, which is currently worth £1.6bn...
Multi-billion stimulus unveiled as governments fight for global economy
Thursday 26 Mar 2020Central banks and politicians across the globe are desperately pulling whatever levers they can in an attempt to stem the macroeconomic gloom as the current health crisis continues to escalate. With the UK now in lockdown, the UK government has announced a £350bn package of support in what is the...
China offers the world a glimmer of hope
Thursday 26 Mar 2020A glimmer of hope from the coronavirus pandemic could come from China, which is starting to come out the other side as new cases fall and lockdown restrictions begin to ease. While the crisis in the country is far from over, Chinese premier Xi Jinping said most of China is now ‘low risk’ as it...
BATM hopes for summer launch of new coronavirus home testing kits
Thursday 26 Mar 2020A new diagnostic home testing kit for the coronavirus could be ready within three to four months, according to one specialist equipment manufacturer. AIM-quoted BATM Advanced Communications ( BVC:AIM ) , a medical equipment designer based in Israel, has gone into partnership with life sciences firm...
Panic buying of US dollar sends sterling to 35-year low
Thursday 26 Mar 2020In the past week the US dollar has soared against other currencies as investors have stampeded into what are considered safe-haven assets on fears that the coronavirus will send global economies into freefall. At one point, sterling hit a 35-year low against the US currency at $1.15, partly on the...
Making sense of the latest market movements
Thursday 19 Mar 2020There is a scramble to work out the extent of the coronavirus impact and how much of it has been priced in by markets as investors react to a rapidly increasing number of global infections. The US market really fell over on 16 March, giving back all of the gains from a big rally on 13 March and...
Will airlines and holiday companies survive the coronavirus fallout?
Thursday 19 Mar 2020Airlines and holiday companies face a precarious future and there’s no guarantee they’ll survive what could be a long-term travel freeze and slow recovery. However, the London-listed operators apart from TUI ( TUI ) look better placed than their European rivals. EasyJet ( EZJ ) , Wizz Air ( WIZZ )...
Banks face mounting challenges from low rates and coronavirus
Thursday 19 Mar 2020On balance, decisions this month by the US Federal Reserve and the Bank of England to slash interest rates in order to help prop up their respective economies in the face of slowing growth – and the threat of a recession due to the spread of coronavirus – are bad news for the banking sector. While...
Sectors seeing increased demand as a result of coronavirus
Thursday 19 Mar 2020The extent of the economic fallout from consumer self-isolation is becoming palpable with share prices in the retail, leisure and hospitality sectors falling sharply. However the enforced change in behaviour is having a positive impact in some areas. Dixons Carphone ( DC. ) , AO World ( AO. ) and...
What the Budget and UK rate cut means for markets and investors
Thursday 12 Mar 2020The Bank of England and the Treasury managed a one-two punch on 11 March as interest rates were cut by 50 basis points to a record low of 0.25% and hundreds of billions of pounds of new spending was announced. This did little to boost sentiment in the wider market as ongoing coronavirus fears and a...