magazine archive
magazine archive
Week Ahead
March rate cut off the agenda altogether after ‘stunning’ US jobs report
Thursday 08 Feb 2024In our previous issue we predicted the market would take its cue from the central banks’ rhetoric regarding future interest rate cuts, and suggested there may be some volatility around the US payroll figures. Sure enough, both the Bank of England and the Federal Reserve batted away any suggestion...
Can Coca-Cola serve up another sparkling performance?
Thursday 08 Feb 2024Investors will be thirsting for another serving of good news when beverages behemoth Coca-Cola (KO:NYSE) reports earnings for the fourth quarter and full year to December 2023 on 13 February before the opening bell on Wall Street. Consensus calls for a year-on-year rise in fourth-quarter sales and...
McDonald’s expected to serve up another quarter of steady growth
Thursday 01 Feb 2024Investors will be looking forward to tucking into fourth-quarter results from fast-food giant McDonald’s (MCD:NYSE) on 5 February to see whether despite higher interest rates US consumers are still hungry for its value-for-money offering. ‘It's hard to see McDonald's not winning in any consumer...
Central bank statements likely to be key to short-term market direction
Thursday 01 Feb 2024Even though hopes for early interest rate cuts have been dialed back since the start of the year, the focus this week will still have been on the central bank meetings in the US and the UK with analysts trying to decipher the commentaries for clues as to future policy intentions. In the UK, the...
Vodafone trading update could include positive share-price catalyst
Thursday 01 Feb 2024Investors in mobile operator Vodafone (VOD) will be keen to hear at next week’s third-quarter trading update (5 February) whether a deal for its Italian business is in the offing. Swiss operator Swisscom (SCMN:SWX) and French firm Iliad have both expressed an interest, with Iliad valuing Vodafone...
Will Pets at Home win a pat on the head from investors?
Thursday 25 Jan 2024Compared to other retail verticals, Christmas is relatively less important to the pet care market. Nevertheless, UK market leader Pets at Home (PETS) will need to reassure investors that retail like-for-like sales momentum has been sustained when it bounds in with a third-quarter trading update on...
Crucial week for markets as central banks set out their stalls for 2024
Thursday 25 Jan 2024After a stellar rally in the final quarter of last year, markets are on the back foot in 2024 as hopes of a round of interest rate cuts early in the spring have faded following higher-than-expected inflation data in the UK and stronger retail sales figures in the US. While economists had penciled...
UK Christmas retail sales likely to be a mixed bag and US GDP in focus
Thursday 18 Jan 2024There isn’t a great deal of UK economic news to look forward to over the next seven days, the highlight being official December retail sales due on 19 January. If reports from supermarkets and high-street retailers are any guide, shoppers spent more freely on groceries than last year, and bought...
Why investors might expect a positive earnings surprise from Associated British Foods
Thursday 18 Jan 2024Primark’s Christmas trading performance, as well as management commentary around trading early in the new calendar year, will be the main focus when the discount fashion chain’s parent Associated British Foods (ABF) next updates the market on 23 January. With a tailwind from the cost-of-living...
All eyes on AI as Microsoft kicks off Big Tech earnings season
Thursday 18 Jan 2024Although financial companies traditionally signal the start of the US earnings season, next week is when the tech heavyweights begin reporting starting with Microsoft (MSFT:NASDAQ) on 23 January. Expect AI (artificial intelligence) to continue to dominate the commentary with all eyes on Copilot and...