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Red-hot US jobs figures cause confusion over market direction
Thursday 09 Feb 2023Last week’s much stronger-than-expected January employment report from the Bureau of Labour Statistics has thrown investors a curve ball when it comes to reading the US economy and therefore the outlook for interest rates and the stock market. The non-farm labour survey showed US employment...
Why Caterpillar's results are better news for wider economy than itself
Thursday 02 Feb 2023Thanks to the size and the breadth of its market exposure, the performance of US industrials firm Caterpillar (CAT:NYSE) is often seen as providing an insight into the health of the global economy. The messages from its fourth quarter earnings report (31 Jan) were mixed but ultimately contained...
Why Alphabet should be afraid of Microsoft’s $10 billion investment into ChatGPT
Thursday 02 Feb 2023The idea of Alphabet’s (GOOG:NASDAQ) Google search engine being disrupted seems far-fetched given its huge global market share. But the conversation has been given more credence after Microsoft (MSFT:NASDAQ) announced a multi-year $10 billion investment in OpenAI’s ChatGPT. The deal comes less than...
New boss has his say as Rolls-Royce stages big share price recovery
Thursday 02 Feb 2023Aircraft engine maker Rolls-Royce ( RR. ) has been pulled higher in the slipstream of a recovering aviation sector in recent months to trade within sight of 52-week highs. Rolls is reliant on lucrative spares and repairs revenue on an installed base of aircraft engines. This revenue stream is...
Weakness in the chip industry could spell trouble for the whole tech sector
Thursday 02 Feb 2023Given its historic reputation as an indicator of general risk appetite, investors may be wondering why the Philadelphia Semiconductor index, or the SOX as it is known, is falling while the broader US stock market is rising on hopes of a ‘soft landing’ for the economy. The reason for the weakness is...
Why British American Tobacco has run out of puff
Thursday 02 Feb 2023Having been as high as £36.28 in June 2022, shares in British American Tobacco ( BATS ) have subsequently run out of puff. They have fallen 16.5% to £30.31 since last summer’s peak and down 8.3% in 2023-to-date. This reverse reflects profit-taking as well as a wider investor sentiment switch from ‘...
Thungela loses its crown as coal prices fall back
Thursday 26 Jan 2023Having been one of the best performing shares in 2022, South African coal miner Thungela Resources ( TGA ) has now lost momentum. The stock has fallen by nearly 40% in value over the past four months as coal prices have weakened as weather conditions in parts of Europe have been milder than...
Could Procter & Gamble’s latest update spell trouble for its UK rivals?
Thursday 26 Jan 2023US consumer health and hygiene giant Procter & Gamble (PG:NYSE) delivered what initially looked like a positive set of second quarter results, beating revenue estimates and increasing its full year organic growth forecast. However, P&G shares fell to two-month lows as investors were spooked...
Expert predicts further bad news for popular investment trust Scottish Mortgage
Thursday 26 Jan 2023Shares in Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust (SMT) are down by one third in value over the past 12 months at 746.6p, having sold off due to the impact of high inflation and rising interest rates on long duration assets including the ‘world’s most exceptional growth companies’ it invests in...
Activist investors give big boost to Salesforce and Restaurant Group
Thursday 26 Jan 2023It’s been a rough period for shareholders of software provider Salesforce (CRM:NASDAQ) with the shares halving since November 2021. Some relief came on 23 January after the Wall Street Journal reported activist investor Elliott Management had taken a multi-billion-dollar stake. The shares gained...