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FTSE 350 stocks face Scottish independence risk
Thursday 06 May 2021Across the UK voters go to the polls today (6 May) with investors’ attention likely to be focused on voting for the Scottish parliament – with the SNP looking to secure the majority it can claim as a mandate for a new independence referendum. Polling suggests the outcome is on a knife edge. The SNP...
Boom time for ‘beer, banks and bricks’ in the UK
Thursday 06 May 2021B arclays ( BARC ) boss Jes Staley recently outlined his bank’s prediction that the UK is about to enjoy its biggest economic boom since the aftermath of the Second World War as vaccines provide a route out of lockdown and pent-up demand, backed by cash saved in lockdown, is unleashed. While this...
Superb figures from Alphabet and Microsoft leave Tesla in the shade
Thursday 29 Apr 2021Both Google-owner Alphabet and software titan Microsoft beat market expectation with their latest quarterly earnings. The performance helped to boost global stock market sentiment and demonstrated that despite the rotation out of growth into value stocks, areas of the technology growth space remain...
Get the lowdown on Wickes after its demerger
Thursday 29 Apr 2021Shares in DIY retailer Wickes ( WIX ) have begun trading (28 Apr) as a stand-alone business on the London Stock Exchange ( LSE ) following its Covid-delayed demerger from Travis Perkins ( TPK ) , a deal which saw the erstwhile parent’s shareholders receive one Wickes share for each Travis Perkins...
Copper predicted to reach $15,000 as metal hits 10-year high
Thursday 29 Apr 2021Copper has been predicted to hit $15,000 per tonne by analysts at Goldman Sachs, up from its current level of around $9,700, as demand soars and supply fails to catch up, with the metal reaching a 10-year high on 26 April. In a report titled ‘Copper is the new oil’, the Goldman analysts say there...
Global chip shortage threatens industrial growth forecasts
Thursday 29 Apr 2021An unusual and unexpected side effect of the pandemic has been the strain on the global supply chain in manufacturing as products and parts made in far-clung parts of the world have been delayed reaching customers. Added to this, a shortage of containers has sent freight rates sky high so not only...
Biden regulation and tax changes could derail certain investments
Thursday 22 Apr 2021The latest signs that the Biden administration is getting tough on corporate regulation and tax have put the tobacco sector under pressure. Shares in British American Tobacco ( BATS ) and Imperial Brands ( IMB ) fell between 5% and 6% on 20 April, mirroring similar moves for their US-listed...
Pressure builds on GlaxoSmithKline as activist enters the fray
Thursday 22 Apr 2021Shares in GlaxoSmithKline ( GSK ) are on an upward path after the Financial Times reported that activist US investor Elliott Investment Management had taken a ‘significant’ multi-billion-pound stake. The $42 billion fund, known for active campaigns at miner BHP ( BHP ) and Premier Inn owner...
London-listed banks should report strong first quarter but challenges remain
Thursday 22 Apr 2021With the major UK banks due to report their first quarter results in the next couple of weeks, we believe the rally in the sector which began last autumn has staying power based on valuation grounds. However, this is only a sector to trade short-term and we would be wary of brokers pushing an...
Get the inside track on new float MusicMagpie
Thursday 22 Apr 2021Smartphones-to-computers recycler and reseller MusicMagpie ( MMAG:AIM ) is set to swoop onto AIM (22 April) today through a flotation valuing the ‘re-commerce’ business at £208 million. That market valuation equates to roughly 1.4 times historic sales and 15 times historic earnings. Trading as...