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Quality growth strategy delivered strong returns in 2021 for Smithson
Thursday 17 Mar 2022While its performance in 2022 has been poor, mid cap investor Smithson Investment Trust ( SSON ) reported a respectable return for 2021. It achieved a net asset value total return per share of 18.9%, slightly ahead of the 17.8% return for the MSCI World Small and Mid-cap index. In common with other...
Sanctions create potential earnings boost for non-Russian potash producers
Thursday 17 Mar 2022The EU’s move to cut off Belarus, one of the world’s top suppliers of potash, is creating a potential earnings boost for non-Russian and Belarus potash companies. Belarus has permitted Moscow to use its territory as a conduit to invade Ukraine. Potash is a term commonly used for potassium and it is...
Mike Ashley increases Frasers’ stake in German fashion retailer Hugo Boss
Thursday 17 Mar 2022It’s been an expensive but lucrative couple of weeks for Mike Ashley’s Frasers ( FRAS ) retail group which has increased its stake in German luxury fashion firm Hugo Boss to 18.2%, taking advantage of recent share price weakness. The holding, which is made up of a 4.5% direct stake and a 13.7%...
Why global shares could receive a major boost from large pension fund rebalancing
Thursday 17 Mar 2022Strategist Nikolaos Panigirtzoglou at JP Morgan estimates global shares could benefit from a $230 billion buying spree as some of the world’s largest investors rebalance portfolios before the end of March. The activity will be driven by large pension funds and sovereign wealth funds looking to...
Investors in China should brace for even greater volatility as risks multiply
Thursday 17 Mar 2022Amid all the concerns on investors’ minds, China has risen to the fore after technology stocks were crushed earlier this week. Due a combination of factors, the Hang Seng Tech index collapsed 11% on 14 March to its lowest level since before the pandemic. The following day it fell by a further 8.1%...
ITV shares dive 30% on content cost shock
Thursday 10 Mar 2022Shares in free-to-air broadcaster ITV ( ITV ) , slumped by nearly 30% on 3 March, despite the group announcing better than expected results. Investors were shocked by the marked increase in content spend, and questioned the viability of ITV’s new streaming platform ITVX. Despite being in lockdown...
Surge in commodity prices threatens to derail the global economy
Thursday 10 Mar 2022Prices of everything from oil and wheat to nickel are surging amid forecasts that supplies from Russia and Ukraine will be disrupted. This threatens to hurt corporate earnings and curb business investment, and at the same time cause consumers to scale back their spending, both leading to economic...
The retailers on discount after a New Year rout
Thursday 10 Mar 2022Consumer sentiment has deteriorated significantly in recent months due to high inflation, with the cost of living at decade highs and latterly, amid concerns over the escalating hostilities in Ukraine. Combined with the earnings impact of inflationary pressures, this has driven the share prices of...
Testing times: What the Ukraine crisis means for investments
Thursday 03 Mar 2022For now, the escalating conflict in Ukraine shows no signs of easing. After the initial shock, markets were hopeful the economic impact of the war might be contained as the West’s opening salvo of sanctions in response to Russia’s invasion (24 Feb) were weaker than some had anticipated. However,...
Investors unconvinced by Lloyds strategy after earnings disappointment
Thursday 03 Mar 2022Even on a down day for the markets prompted by war in Ukraine the 9% fall in Lloyds Banking ( LLOY ) shares on 24 February was notable as it reported full year results. Earnings were weaker than forecast due to higher-than-expected fraud costs and restructuring charges. The market appeared...