magazine archive
magazine archive
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20 small caps where analysts are upgrading earnings forecasts
Thursday 23 Jul 2020Small caps may have fallen further than large caps in March, with the FTSE Small Cap index losing 40% in value from the highs compared with 35% for the FTSE 350. But contrary to popular perception they have recouped more of the losses and are down 15% year-to-date compared with 18% for the FTSE 350...
The reasons why inflation could make a comeback
Thursday 23 Jul 2020In its latest report on 14 July the UK’s Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) said the country is on track for the largest decline in gross domestic product ( GDP ) for 300 years with a 2020 contraction of 12.7%. GDP is a measure of the total value of goods and services in the economy. It says...
What a looming UK jobs crisis means for stocks
Thursday 16 Jul 2020The UK is on the cusp of a serious unemployment crisis. In recent weeks thousands more job cuts have been announced by major employers and the real pain is probably still to come with the conclusion of the furlough scheme in October. Widespread unemployment, expected to hit levels not seen since at...
Ethical investing 1: Boohoo 0
Thursday 16 Jul 2020Shares in once high-flying Boohoo ( BOO:AIM ) have fallen by 44% so far in July with professional fund managers and retail investors losing patience with the online fashion group’s poor ESG (environmental, social and governance) practices. Shares believes the Boohoo blow-up sets a precedent for how...
Fundraisings underline investor preference for long-term growth
Thursday 16 Jul 2020So far this year UK companies have tapped investors for a record £15.7 billion of cash through 217 share placings, according to AJ Bell investment director Russ Mould. ‘The question for investors is whether this rash of fundraisings is a threat, an opportunity or somewhere in between,’ he says. The...
The bosses who have made a mint by dealing shares amid Covid-19
Thursday 09 Jul 2020It can be useful to keep an eye out for directors that are buying and selling shares in their own companies. There is a simple reason for this; those at the top should know the state of their businesses better than anyone and so a chief executive investing his or her hard-earned cash into a company...
Down, up, where next? The outlook for investments after a wild six months
Thursday 09 Jul 2020The last six months have been extremely turbulent for the markets with significant divergence in performance across different regions, sectors and themes. The story has been one of topsy-turvy trading with an alarming cliff edge drop in March, as investors capitulated, and then a rapid recovery...
Digital payments boom: how to profit from the decline of cash
Thursday 02 Jul 2020In 2020 you are no longer faced with the dilemma of fumbling around in your pocket for change to pay for your coffee as the train readies to leave. Instead you can simply tap your debit or credit card, or even your phone or smartwatch, on the machine and get on your way. This is the modern world of...
Stocks that have failed to recover from coronavirus
Thursday 25 Jun 2020Stock markets around the world have staged a big recovery from their March lows, yet there are many individual companies that have stubbornly failed to find their feet. Supermarket chain Sainsbury’s ( SBRY ) and aircraft engines maker Rolls-Royce ( RR. ) are among a small clutch of FTSE 100...
Pubs, hotels and leisure stocks: should you keep your distance?
Thursday 25 Jun 2020Last week saw the much-awaited reopening of ‘non-essential’ retailers, after 12 weeks of lockdown restrictions, with images of crowds milling around at retail parks and lengthy queues outside high-street stores. Research group Springboard says that while consumers have started to return to shops,...