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The story behind Smithson’s soggy first half
Thursday 12 Aug 2021A rare sub-par performance in the first half of 2021 for global small and mid cap investment trust Smithson ( SSON ) has been taken fairly calmly by investors. Going forward its managers are confident they can navigate the inflation threat which has contributed to its holdings losing some of their...
Could changing consumer behaviour knock the recovery off course?
Thursday 12 Aug 2021In the last few weeks, fears of rising inflation have been joined by worries that the continued impact of the Delta variant could mean the UK economy might not grow as fast as hoped this year, leading to what economists call stagflation. While many consumers were able to build up their savings...
Former Headlam boss seeks to repeat magic with Likewise
Thursday 05 Aug 2021Investors who like to back proven management teams should note the 18 August AIM market debut of Likewise , the UK floor coverings distributor. It was founded in 2018 by chief executive Tony Brewer who used to be CEO at Europe’s leading floor coverings distributor Headlam ( HEAD ) . The latter’s...
Spot the common theme among UK takeover targets
Thursday 05 Aug 2021There is a common theme in the current wave of takeovers involving UK stocks, namely that many of the targets operate in the business-to-business space and provide products or services to other companies. Since the middle of July there have been more than half a dozen significant bids, most of...
Robinhood shares act like a yo-yo, diving then surging
Thursday 05 Aug 2021Investors initially gave stock market newbie Robinhood a big thumb’s down, making it one of the worst performing new issues in years after the shares fell over 8% on their first day of trading on Nasdaq. However, the stock has since acted like a yo-yo, surging to $59.36 versus a $38 listing price...
Investment trusts under scrutiny for Chinese tech holdings
Thursday 05 Aug 2021Chinese authorities continue to bear their regulatory teeth with Tencent the latest stock to slump on chatter about Beijing seeking to wield its power . The social media and gaming technology giant saw its stock plunge as much as 10% at one point on 2 August. Tencent is under fire over how it...
Lloyds on top for banking sector dividends
Thursday 05 Aug 2021L loyds ( LLOY ) is the highest yielding mainstream London-listed bank following the latest quarterly results, offering a prospective 5.2% based on 2022 forecasts. A clearer picture on dividends was a consistent feature of the banks’ reporting season as the companies move on from the pandemic...
Recovery in exhibitions business puts the spotlight on Informa and Relx
Thursday 05 Aug 2021The latest results from Informa ( INF ) and Relx ( REL ) have pointed to an improving environment for the exhibitions segment of their businesses. This marks a key change from the recent torrid trading environment. Covid travel-related restrictions, coupled with the need to socially distance,...
Tech heavyweights slip despite stellar results
Thursday 29 Jul 2021Three of the world’s largest technology companies crushed quarterly forecasts as Apple, Alphabet and Microsoft continue to reap rewards from the perfect positive storm created for big tech by the pandemic. But share prices failed to keep pace with the record revenue and profit after a strong run in...
Reckitt and Unilever struggle with accelerating cost inflation
Thursday 29 Jul 2021A 27 July first half results update from consumer goods giant Reckitt Benckiser ( RKT ) and the 9% slide in the share price on the day will have served as a rude awakening for investors who thought big brands could raise prices at the stroke of a wand. Despite a ‘structural rebasing’ in demand for...