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Upcoming UK IPOs May 2021: Who are they and what do they do? 14th May 2021 by Laura Stutt - We take a look at UK IPOs due to be listed on the LSE over the next month and how their sector has been performing… ...more
Should We Still Sell in May and Go Away? 14th May 2021 by Alpesh Patel - There is an old stock market maxim that says we should "sell in May and go away." Like most proverbs or cliches, it has a… ...more
Getting to know Moneysupermarket 12th May 2021 by Richard Beddard - Moneysupermarket wants to get to know us, so it can sell us more products. Innovation and diversification are the pillars of a strategy responding to… ...more
Weekly Commentary 10/05/21: The Beautiful Game 10th May 2021 by Bruce Packard - It’s good to have management with experience of boom and bust cycles, so Bruce looks at two companies run by Chairmen over 80 years old.… ...more
New UK IPOs April 2021: Who are they and what do they do? 5th May 2021 by Laura Stutt - We take a look at UK IPOs listed on the LSE throughout April 2021 and how they’ve performed upon opening. ...more
Weekly Commentary 03/05/21 Paradigm shift 3rd May 2021 by Bruce Packard - The FTSE 100 was flat this week, struggling to hold its level above 7,000. Nasdaq 100 also was flat at 13,970 with Facebook (+11% over… ...more
Should We Buy Any Stock Market Dips? 30th April 2021 by Alpesh Patel - Do we wait for dips? Buy now? Buy more? Is it all over now, again? As the Dow Jones Index took a tumble at the… ...more
PZ Cussons doubles down on focus 28th April 2021 by Richard Beddard - PZ Cussons is sharpening its focus on eight leading brands To recap My interest in PZ Cussons started in 2019. The company owned famous brands… ...more
A strawberry picker’s market? 26th April 2021 by Bruce Packard - In this kind of market, it's tough sticking with your process, picking stocks on fundamentals. The US 10y bond yield, having peaked at around 1.75%… ...more
The Trader: More results from my filter 23rd April 2021 by Michael Taylor - April is typically a strong month – perhaps because of all the tax-selling clearing and reducing sell pressure. New ISA money tends to enter the… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Venture Life 21st April 2021 by Maynard Paton - I like companies that boast significant net cash. My reasons include: Limited risk of funding difficulties should trouble strike; Management might be sensible by holding… ...more
Weekly Commentary 19/04/21 Bittersweet distractors 19th April 2021 by Bruce Packard - Bruce wonders if value vs momentum factors is really the best way to think about companies on the stock market. He also looks at the… ...more
Why Chasing Dividends in Stock Investments is a Bad Idea 16th April 2021 by Alpesh Patel - What defines a worthy stock for investment or retirement income? Unfortunately, for many investors, the answer is a stock that pays dividends. While dividends are… ...more
Dynamic 35: BlackRock World Mining Review 16th April 2021 by David Stevenson - Investing in mining stocks is always a speculative exercise. On a practical level, although there is some logic to investing in large diversified global mining… ...more
Good strategy/Bad strategy 14th April 2021 by Richard Beddard - A company’s strategy should not just tell us what it wants to achieve, but why and how. Richard introduces a simple framework for analysing strategy… ...more
Weekly Commentary 12/04/21: Equity. James Equity. 12th April 2021 by Bruce Packard - The FTSE SmallCap index +12.4% is the best performing index so far this year, ahead of the S&P500 +9% and Nasdaq +7%. Surprisingly both the… ...more
The Trader: More results from my filter 7th April 2021 by Michael Taylor - I run my filter every week, usually on a Saturday morning. By running the filter every week, it allows five trading sessions to pass and… ...more
Reversals & Recovery Stocks: Price Action Reversals 2nd April 2021 by Jason Needham - In this article I'll be looking at trend reversals with a focus on price action. I'll break down the meaningful timeframes that add weight to… ...more
Time to Get Out of Tech Stocks? If So, Into What for Returns? 2nd April 2021 by Alpesh Patel - Tech stocks were strong performers last year. The pandemic meant that providers of remote services like Zoom Video Communications or Peloton Interactive experienced massive sales… ...more
Shares to help you sleep at night 31st March 2021 by Richard Beddard - I am probably jinxing it now, but owning shares in Howden Joinery has never lost me sleep. I was reminded of this fact earlier in… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 29/03/21 12 month rebound 29th March 2021 by Bruce Packard - The FTSE at 6700 +4% from the start of the year seems to be holding up better than the likes of Nasdaq 12,800 and S&P500… ...more
The Trader: Introducing the single page 26th March 2021 by Michael Taylor - A few months ago, SharePad released a new feature. It’s called the Single Page. The Single Page feature can be found by clicking this icon… ...more
Small-Cap Spotlight Report: Norcros 24th March 2021 by Maynard Paton - Let me start by confessing this article covers pension deficits. What follows may not be that thrilling and does require you to concentrate. But please… ...more
Prudent 15: BioPharma Credit 23rd March 2021 by David Stevenson - In these articles about funds, I have tended to be steer clear of the many, many alternative funds listed on the London market. That is… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 22/03/21 Ports and platforms 22nd March 2021 by Bruce Packard - Last week James Anderson of Baillie Gifford announced that he is to step down from running the Scottish Mortgage IT. Tom Slater will continue running… ...more
Alpesh Patel on funds: Poor Performing Funds Destroying Billions from Your Retirement 19th March 2021 by Alpesh Patel - It has been a difficult few years for UK investment fund managers. Between the debacle of the Woodford Equity Income Fund and the COVID-19 pandemic,… ...more
Quality cyclicals – not for the faint-hearted 17th March 2021 by Richard Beddard - Over the years I have ignored Kingspan because it is big, acquisitive, and supplies building materials. My gut reaction to these facts is that Kingspan… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 15/03/21 Fungible v flammable 15th March 2021 by Bruce Packard - At $1720 gold is now down 9% since the start of the year, while bitcoin is up 92% to $57K over the same time period.… ...more
The Trader: Trading Turnarounds – Part II 12th March 2021 by Michael Taylor - In my previous article on trading turnarounds, we looked at why trading turnarounds can take time and investors can lose patience. We looked at how… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Best of the Best 10th March 2021 by Maynard Paton - One of my favourite SharePad screens identifies good-quality companies that have grown without acquisition. I first used the screen to identify Medica by using the… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 08/03/21 – Baillie Gifford v Albert Bridge 8th March 2021 by Bruce Packard - Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust, the Tesla owning £15bn technology fund was down 9% last week. There’s a fun argument going on in the opinion section… ...more
Alpesh Patel on US Investing: Should We Buy Any Stock Market Dips? 5th March 2021 by Alpesh Patel - As the Dow Jones Index took a tumble at the end of February, many analysts saw this as the beginning of a long-overdue market correction.… ...more
Turning over even more rocks 4th March 2021 by Richard Beddard - Here is a slice of stockmarket history for you, an interview with Peter Lynch from 1996. Lynch was a famous American fund manager. Asked the… ...more
The Trader: Trading Turnarounds 2nd March 2021 by Michael Taylor - Everyone likes a turnaround. This is because people like the idea of buying at the bottom and reaping the rewards. However, trading turnarounds can take… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 01/03/21 – What has been will be again 1st March 2021 by Bruce Packard - Nasdaq sold off last week, down 7% since the middle of February, though still up since the start of the year. Tesla fell to $680,… ...more
Small-Cap Spotlight Report: Argo Blockchain 24th February 2021 by Maynard Paton - Let’s start with a wealth warning: This article covers bitcoin miner Argo Blockchain; I am not a bitcoin expert; The bitcoin price is highly unpredictable;… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 22/02/21 – All Aboard for Mu Mu Land 22nd February 2021 by Bruce Packard - At midnight, on 1st January this year, the K.L.F. released their back catalogue of music (hits such as 3AM Eternal, Justified and Ancient, Last Train… ...more
Alpesh Patel on US Investing: Is the US Stock Market Going to Crash? 19th February 2021 by Alpesh Patel - After a dip caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in March of 2020, the US stock market rallied back and closed out the year at an… ...more
The second most important ratio 17th February 2021 by Richard Beddard - If you look DotDigital, as I did a few years ago, you will find much to like about the business: Source: SharePad financial summary It… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 15/02/21 – Getting high on junk bonds 15th February 2021 by Bruce Packard - Last week Bloomberg reported that junk bond yields in the US fell below 4% the lowest level ever recorded and down from 11.5% peak yield… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: IG Group 11th February 2021 by Maynard Paton - For some time now IG Group has been flashing on my SharePad filters. The three screenshots just below show IG offers: High margins; Decent returns… ...more
Dynamic 35: Oakley Capital Investments 9th February 2021 by David Stevenson - Private equity fund in transition – new addition to Dynamic 35 Listed private equity funds have had a chequered record on the London Stock Exchange.… ...more
My two ETF Growth Portfolios: January 2021 Update 9th February 2021 by David Stevenson - Back in the middle of August I outlined two growth-oriented portfolios, comprising a gaggle of exchange traded funds. The first was a Global Trends portfolio,… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 08/02/21 – The signs are here 8th February 2021 by Bruce Packard - Moonpig IPO’ed last week at 350p, valuing the company at £1.2bn, and the shares rose +24% to 430p the following day. Meanwhile the FT reported… ...more
Roll up! Get yer easy returns here… 3rd February 2021 by Richard Beddard - Bunzl, a company I investigated last year, is a classic roll up A distributor of everyday items consumed by businesses and organisations, it routinely acquires… ...more
The Trader: Results from my filter 2nd February 2021 by Michael Taylor - My last article detailed my new filter. If you missed it then you can read about it here. As discussed, this filter looks for stocks… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 01/02/21 – Bored Markets Hypothesis 1st February 2021 by Bruce Packard - Some of the speculative exuberance has spilled over the punch bowl at the cryptocurrency party into a number of glass half empty equities. GameStonk, err… ...more
Lessons from the Trend (Part 2): Moving Averages 29th January 2021 by Jason Needham - In this article I will continue focusing on primary and secondary trends but this time I will use moving averages to define market phases. You… ...more
Small-Cap Spotlight Report: LoopUp 27th January 2021 by Maynard Paton - Welcome to a series of occasional articles in which I shine an investigative spotlight on particular small-caps. My aim is to demonstrate how to analyse… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 25/01/21 – Expectation v surprise 25th January 2021 by Bruce Packard - I was initially unimpressed by the UK’s mass vaccination rollout. However it is important to keep updating your beliefs when data is better than you… ...more
Alpesh Patel on US Investing: Beware! Overvalued Stock Market – What You Need to Know 22nd January 2021 by Alpesh Patel - Another captivating headline – this time from Forbes. So what are the facts, and why is it increasingly a stock pickers market, where if a… ...more
Made from girders 21st January 2021 by Richard Beddard - Barr makes Irn Bru, which I drank once, getting on for forty years ago in Scotland. Irn Bru is to Barr what Coke is to… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 18/01/21 – Reincarnation as the bond market 18th January 2021 by Bruce Packard - In the early days of a new Democrat presidency, the President’s campaign manager observed that: “I used to think if there was reincarnation, I wanted… ...more
The Trader: Introducing my new filter 15th January 2021 by Michael Taylor - I released a new filter several weeks ago. This was a new filter I was testing and mentioned this in my Investors Chronicle column. I’ve… ...more
The Dynamic 35: Manchester and London 14th January 2021 by David Stevenson - "While we have this euphoria it's pretty hard to imagine the bubble breaking. But look at the data and you think this thing could go..."… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Avon Rubber 13th January 2021 by Maynard Paton - Happy 2021! I trust SharePad will help bring you good fortune in what could be another twelve months of financial thrills and spills. As usual… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 11/01/21 – Gatekeepers 11th January 2021 by Bruce Packard - The FTSE 100 started the year strongly +6% during the week to 6857. Both the S&P 500 +1.3% to 3804 Nasdaq +1.4% to 13068 were… ...more
Annual reports made simple 6th January 2021 by Richard Beddard - Happy New year. This year, I have resolved to keep things simple, which is not easy in investing. Aide memoire... Just before Christmas Chris, a… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 04/01/21 – Wait and Hope 4th January 2021 by Bruce Packard - “Until the day when God shall deign to reveal the future to man, all human wisdom is summed up in these two words... wait and… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 29/12/20 – Amateurs 29th December 2020 by Bruce Packard - The FTSE 100 closed around 6,487 to 24 December down -15% from the start of the year. From a peak of 7670 in mid-January the… ...more
Lessons from lockdown and other stories 23rd December 2020 by Richard Beddard - This year has confirmed that most of the news is at best irrelevant to me as an investor. Worse, the news stressed me out. It… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 21/12/20 – Bidding up Codemasters 21st December 2020 by Bruce Packard - The FTSE stayed level around 6580, while Nasdaq hit a new high of 12752. Bitcoin rose through $20,000 for the first time. I have a… ...more
Lessons from the Trend (Part 1): Breakouts 16th December 2020 by Jason Needham - All the best trends in the market need to start somewhere. I’m going to show you how to define a trend using two methods and… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 14/12/20 – Taxes steering behaviour? 14th December 2020 by Bruce Packard - After a strong November and start of December the FTSE 100 was largely unchanged this week at 6566. More broadly, the signs of a cyclical… ...more
Nichols: More than Vimto 10th December 2020 by Richard Beddard - Having prospected for investments in the soft drinks industry, I think Nichols is perhaps the most intriguing of quite an interesting group. It has been… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 07/12/20 – Vaccine inoculating risk tolerance 7th December 2020 by Bruce Packard - The best performing FTSE 100 stock last week was Rolls Royce, up 19%. The worst was Unilever down 6.5%, which suggests expectations of a vaccine… ...more
Alpesh Patel on US Investing: Stocks set to rally in 2021 4th December 2020 by Alpesh Patel - "Goldman Sachs says these stocks are set to rally in 2021" It’s a captivating headline, isn’t it? Don’t worry; I’ll tell you which stocks in… ...more
The Dynamic 35 : The Schroders Asian Total Return Trust 2nd December 2020 by David Stevenson - Traditionally most investors tend to regard the division between developed markets (DM) and emerging markets (EM) as a simple divide. We all put more money… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 30/11/20 – The platform bandwagon rolls on 30th November 2020 by Bruce Packard - FTSE weakened slightly to 6300 in the second half of last week, but the bounce of former “Covid losers” continued with Rolls Royce, Glencore, Shell… ...more
The Trader: A look at the pharmaceuticals sector 27th November 2020 by Michael Taylor - The pharmaceuticals sector is another popular sector with private investors and retail traders. This is because the volatility is high and traders are often attracted… ...more
Finding the soft drinks companies with the most fizz 25th November 2020 by Richard Beddard - I know this is going to make me sound like an alcoholic, but I rarely drink soft drinks. When a reader requested an overview of… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 23/11/20 – Expectations rising 23rd November 2020 by Bruce Packard - We are beginning to see companies operating in the “real” economy announce raised guidance. Somero (exceeding previous revenue guidance by +7%), but also Headlam (materially… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Manolete Partners 20th November 2020 by Maynard Paton - I am always looking for ‘multi-baggers’ — investments that can double, triple, quadruple or more. And here’s some very good news: I have stumbled on… ...more
Alpesh Patel on US Investing: The Stocks that “Have It All” 20th November 2020 by Alpesh Patel - Like humans, such perfection doesn't exist in stocks. Like humans, fish in a big enough pond, and for a while, some get as close as… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 16/11/20 – Reflation trade 16th November 2020 by Bruce Packard - Banks and other “covid losers” were up strongly at the start of last week as Pfizer announced they believe they have a credible vaccine. US… ...more
The Trader: A look at the commodities sector 13th November 2020 by Michael Taylor - The commodities sector is popular with private investors and retail traders. Life changing gains (and life changing losses) can be made on this sector. Back… ...more
Dynamic 35: India Capital Growth fund 13th November 2020 by David Stevenson - This week I have a very adventurous addition to my list of 35 Dynamic funds. I admit that it’s not without risk and its recent… ...more
Investing through the pandemic 11th November 2020 by Richard Beddard - When I told my wife I was researching Hotel Chocolat and my first action would be to buy some chocolate, she reminded me that the… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 09/11/20 – Study silence to learn the music 9th November 2020 by Bruce Packard - The US Presidential election turned out to be closer than most people expected. Nasdaq up almost +10% over the week to 12078. Tech stocks reacted… ...more
Alpesh Patel on US Investing: 3 “Strong Buy” looking stocks set to move up 5th November 2020 by Alpesh Patel - There is no shortage of stocks that are delivering triple digit returns. Scholar Rock, Miragen, Zedge, Socket Mobile - even Tupperware is up nearly 1,000%.… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Jarvis Securities 4th November 2020 by Maynard Paton - Today I have returned to one of my favourite SharePad screens. This screen applies two ratios favoured by ‘quality’ investors — operating margin and return… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 02/11/20 – Insiders selling at the top? 2nd November 2020 by Bruce Packard - Last week markets sold off into the rising cases of Covid. The FTSE 100 fell 5% last week to 5561. Large UK banks HSBC and… ...more
Floored 28th October 2020 by Richard Beddard - James Halstead makes vinyl flooring, the kind we see in hospital corridors, GP surgeries, clinics, schools, offices, laboratories, prisons, factories, shops, trains and boats around… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 26/10/20 – Paying up for quality? 26th October 2020 by Bruce Packard - Markets recovered slightly towards the end of the week, with the FTSE 100 at 5888. Nasdaq was at 11662. Last week Netflix reported Q3 results,… ...more
Dynamic 35: Aurora Investment Trust 23rd October 2020 by David Stevenson - A new addition to the Dynamic 35 Aurora Investment trust I wanted to start this article with an immediate declaration. I am a non-executive director… ...more
The Trader: A look at the automobile sector 22nd October 2020 by Michael Taylor - The automobile sector is not one I usually deal in. However, by using the RNS service each morning and sifting through company reports, it’s easy… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 19/10/20 – On network effects and fads 19th October 2020 by Bruce Packard - “Fad companies are companies with good business models or good products. So, why would we be interested in shorting a company that has a good… ...more
Stock selection & staying in lane 16th October 2020 by Jason Needham - In this article I'm going to cover some big picture charting and try my best to bring across to the reader three different time frames… ...more
Don’t waste a good crisis 15th October 2020 by Richard Beddard - Before I started fishing for a share to investigate for this week’s article, I culled my personal filter library. Many of the filters are derivations,… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 12/10/20 – On content, distribution and kurtosis 12th October 2020 by Bruce Packard - Last week the FTSE recovered to just over 6000. The (perhaps inappropriately named) Bond film No Time to Die, was postponed until next year by… ...more
The Trader: A look at the hospitality sector 7th October 2020 by Michael Taylor - The hospitality sector has been smashed in recent months. This is for several reasons. Lower footfall in high streets, offices closed and the work from… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 05/10/20 – On uncertainty and confidence 5th October 2020 by Bruce Packard - Last week Andy Haldane at the Bank of England gave an interesting speech on “Economic Anxiety” noting that pessimism can be as contagious as the… ...more
What does not kill a business can make it stronger 2nd October 2020 by Richard Beddard - This article was not supposed to be about paper maker James Cropper. I set out to write about Animalcare, a veterinary pharmaceutical company, but I… ...more
Dynamic 35: RTW Venture 1st October 2020 by David Stevenson - I have a new addition to my Dynamic 35 list of investment trusts and closed end funds. It is called RTW Venture and it is… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Polar Capital 30th September 2020 by Maynard Paton - I am not a great fan of the fund-management industry. I cannot think of another sector where the employees collect enormous salaries while the customers… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 28/09/20 – Beginner’s mind and Buy and Build 28th September 2020 by Bruce Packard - Markets sold off last week as virus case rises rose (FTSE 100 fell to below 5800 before recovering slightly later in the week, Nasdaq down… ...more
The Trader: The Impact of Coronavirus on Trading 23rd September 2020 by Michael Taylor - One of the effects on Coronavirus has been to crash the entire stock market only to see it recover strongly. However, the impact of Coronavirus… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 21/09/20 – The long journey to exoneration 21st September 2020 by Bruce Packard - The FTSE 100 just about held its level above 6000 last week. Last week was Chilean Independence Day. It is a little known footnote in… ...more
This time is different for Design Group 17th September 2020 by Richard Beddard - If you watch Design Group’s annual results presentation, you may detect a bashful smile on chief executive Paul Fineman’s face. Paul Fineman, chief executive of… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 14/09/20 – Americans on AIM 14th September 2020 by Bruce Packard - The oil price fell to a 3 month low in the middle of last week to below $40 a barrel. Oil is in contango (futures… ...more
The Trader: Spread Betting 11th September 2020 by Michael Taylor - Spread betting is another way of buying and selling shares. Instead of buying the actual stock when we purchase through our broker, in spread betting… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Fuller, Smith & Turner 9th September 2020 by Maynard Paton - First, a wealth warning. The last price-to-book ‘bargain’ I looked at for SharePad was Hammerson. Back then the property group’s £5 billion asset base could… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 07/09/20 – Come back on St Leger Day 7th September 2020 by Bruce Packard - St Leger Day, as in ““Sell in May and go away, don’t come back till St Leger Day”, is approaching. I’ve always wondered who St… ...more
A company that is already successful 3rd September 2020 by Richard Beddard - It would be convenient to report that I diligently pick every share I investigate from a Sharepad filter of exquisite construction, but it would be… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 31/08/20 – Let the future ≠ the past 31st August 2020 by Bruce Packard - Nasdaq continued to hit new highs, at 11,666 up +30% from the start of the year and up 2.5x in the last 5 years. I… ...more
My two ETF Growth Portfolios 28th August 2020 by David Stevenson - This week I am focusing not on my usual subject of investment trusts but switching attention to exchange traded funds or ETFs. These are a… ...more
The Trader: Working Through Rough Periods 26th August 2020 by Michael Taylor - Unless you’re an Instagram trader, set with a laptop by the pool and a Lamborghini in the background, everybody goes through rough patches in trading.… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 24/08/20 – Searching for uncorrelated returns 24th August 2020 by Bruce Packard - Rightmove released a survey showing that the UK housing agreed sales picked up strongly to a record £37bn. A day later Persimmon reported half year… ...more
The Trader: A Day In The Life of a Stock Trader 21st August 2020 by Michael Taylor - One of the questions I’m frequently asked is how I structure my day. Time is a trader’s most important currency because sometimes it can be… ...more
A safety first stock 19th August 2020 by Richard Beddard - I found James Latham a couple of months ago when I was trawling for cheap shares with strong balance sheets. The shares are still cheap,… ...more
UK banks – in the eye of the storm? 13th August 2020 by Bruce Packard - Every crisis presents opportunities. A contrarian strategy of buying bank shares during the point of maximum gloom during a recession has often, but not always,… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 10/08/20 – The last “forever” stock 10th August 2020 by Jeremy Grime - The last “forever” stock For Jeremy’s last weekly note he reviews his value investing mistakes and aims to find the stock that in 10 years'… ...more
Preparing for the worst, capitalising on the best 5th August 2020 by Richard Beddard - Listening to Porvair’s long-standing chief executive Ben Stocks talk about the challenges ahead, it is clear the company is bracing itself. Phrases like “preparing for… ...more
The Trader: Knowing Your Market 4th August 2020 by Michael Taylor - We have covered many aspects of trading in previous articles, such as Why You Should Be Using R, Exit Strategies, and How To Avoid Blowing… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 03/08/20 – Lessons 3rd August 2020 by Jeremy Grime - Lessons In the spirit of reflection in a year of uncertainty and extremes, Jeremy analyses some past weekly notes and takes another look at one he wants… ...more
Prudent 15: Ecofin Global Utilities and Infrastructure Trust (EGL) 30th July 2020 by David Stevenson - I do not think it is unfair to say that over the last decade we have seen a powerful shift in sentiment towards utility stocks,… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Fever-Tree Drinks 29th July 2020 by Maynard Paton - They say mums always know best. Mine has bought Fever-Tree tonic waters for some years now and I recently asked whether she remained a customer.… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 27/07/20 – The Relative Value Trade 27th July 2020 by Jeremy Grime - The Relative Value Trade With a huge injection of liquidity last week the valuation differential between large US tech stocks and UK small companies is… ...more
Making a new discoverIE 22nd July 2020 by Richard Beddard - I discovered discoverIE using a simple and fruitful method of finding new investment ideas: a list of shares sorted in SharePad by previous annual report… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 20/07/20 – Clearing up the debris 20th July 2020 by Jeremy Grime - Clearing up the debris The pace of structural change is faster, perhaps, than ever before and there are an increasing number of quoted companies dedicated… ...more
Prudent 15: International Public Partnerships 17th July 2020 by David Stevenson - The safe bet on infrastructure: INPP (International Public Partnerships) Over the next couple of articles, we’ll be adding two new funds to our Prudent 15… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Headlam 15th July 2020 by Maynard Paton - Let me start by thanking you for clicking on an article with Headlam in the title. Rest assured, not everyone will want to read about… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 13/07/20 – Flight to Quality 13th July 2020 by Jeremy Grime - Flight to Quality As the bubble spreads from large tech to healthcare and motor companies in anticipation of a flight to quality Jeremy takes a… ...more
Volex: Reassuringly above average 9th July 2020 by Richard Beddard - If you’ve read my recent articles you will know I have been ranking shares using basic financial statistics. I found Bioventix by ranking five criteria.… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 06/07/20 – Inflation 6th July 2020 by Jeremy Grime - Inflation The growth bubble continues, but eyeing inflationary storm clouds gathering over the horizon Jeremy takes a look at Melrose Industries as a potential hedge… ...more
Dynamic 35: Witan Investment Trust 1st July 2020 by David Stevenson - Witan – a long term buy and hold globalist fund with a value bias Investing should really be about simplicity. Take global investing. Nearly every… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 29/06/20 – Director Dealing 29th June 2020 by Jeremy Grime - Director Dealing As markets tread water after extreme volatility Jeremy finds that directors have a 77% win rate on their purchasing during the volatility. A… ...more
The Trader: Examining Retail Trading Behaviour 25th June 2020 by Michael Taylor - One of the many oft-repeated quotes around traders is that 90% of traders lose money. However, this depends on how one classifies a ‘trader’. Many… ...more
A cheap profitable share with a strong balance sheet 24th June 2020 by Richard Beddard - Today I have added two more criteria to turn the list of cheap shares with strong balance sheets I made in my last article into… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 22/06/20 – High Conviction from here on 22nd June 2020 by Jeremy Grime - High Conviction from here on With the seamless transition from bear market to bubble Jeremy suspects that now is a time to make sure we… ...more
Ranking potential bargains 17th June 2020 by Richard Beddard - A SharePad customer, Chris, reminded me of the power of ranking recently, when he emailed to say (among other things): "I find that I am… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 15/06/20 – On-line valuations 15th June 2020 by Jeremy Grime - On-line valuations The silly valuation of the latest US IPO causes Jeremy to ponder some of the UK online valuations and finds the spreadbetters to… ...more
Prudent 15: The SDCL Energy Efficiency Income Trust 12th June 2020 by David Stevenson - The SDCL Energy Efficiency Income Trust The idea of investing in a fund which will help facilitate the transition towards a more sustainable energy mix… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Frontier Developments 10th June 2020 by Maynard Paton - Has the market become too obsessed with ‘pandemic-proof’ shares? I ask because my SharePad screening has brought Frontier Developments to my attention. The shares of… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 08/06/20 – The Recovery Trade 8th June 2020 by Jeremy Grime - The Recovery Trade In this strong market the pain trade is to buy. There are reasons this could be right and Jeremy suggests the carpet… ...more
The Trader: Taking advantage of SharePad News 7th June 2020 by Michael Taylor - A few months ago, I wrote about how to optimise your news feed on ShareScope Pro. My suggestions to improve the news feed have been… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 01/06/20 – Dash to Trash 1st June 2020 by Jeremy Grime - Dash to Trash After 14 years of growth out-performance, value is now set to perform in a recovery. Jeremy takes a look at the value… ...more
Getting to grips with software companies 29th May 2020 by Richard Beddard - First, an admission. The software biz is a bit of a mystery to me. There’s a vast ecosystem of enterprise solutions, software that businesses increasingly… ...more
Dynamic 35: Hg Capital 27th May 2020 by David Stevenson - A smarter way of buying into the right kind of private growth businesses It is an unfortunate truth that more and more high growth businesses… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 25/05/20 – Investing in Intangibles 25th May 2020 by Jeremy Grime - Investing in Intangibles Intangibles take greater precedence today. Both accountants and governments struggle with this while markets are quick to find answers through royalty companies.… ...more
The Trader: Five rules for new traders 22nd May 2020 by Michael Taylor - A combination of market volatility and being locked in during lockdown has led to many turning their eye to getting involved in the stock market.… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 18/05/20 – Investing in Acquirors 18th May 2020 by Jeremy Grime - Investing in Acquirors Jeremy worries about software valuations and is concerned that returns at Ideagen and Tracsis could turn out to be far less than… ...more
The changing shape of QinetiQ 15th May 2020 by Richard Beddard - I have picked QinetiQ from my “Cash King” filter because it was one of the more reasonably priced companies that passed all the criteria. It’s… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Hikma Pharmaceuticals 13th May 2020 by Maynard Paton - One way to invest during the pandemic is to consider shares that have climbed higher as the market has dropped. Such companies may well be… ...more
Dynamic 35: Edinburgh Worldwide 12th May 2020 by David Stevenson - Edinburgh Worldwide – a great long-term home for growth investors Investors in funds such as Scottish Mortgage will have noticed a very peculiar phenomenon over… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 11/05/20 – The 50-year view 11th May 2020 by Jeremy Grime - The 50-year view As equity markets squeeze up Jeremy suggests equities may have further to go on the back of credit markets. A screen of… ...more
The Trader: How to Avoid Blowing Your Account 7th May 2020 by Michael Taylor - The market is moving with extreme volatility in recent weeks. This offers traders many opportunities to prosper and profit, but volatility is a double-edged sword.… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 04/05/20 – The Small Cap Opportunity 4th May 2020 by Jeremy Grime - The Small Cap Opportunity With markets squeezing up, pushed by central banks money printing we are at a moment of opportunity for overlooked small cap… ...more
In search of the cash kings 29th April 2020 by Richard Beddard - While the stock market and the pandemic may have stabilised, I’m still thinking about financially strong firms. We never know when the next shock will… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 27/04/20 – To the Future 27th April 2020 by Jeremy Grime - To the Future With markets trending sideways Jeremy sees inflation ahead and takes at look at the food manufacturers which could be beneficiaries. Devro’s sausage… ...more
The Trader: Why You Should Be Using R 23rd April 2020 by Michael Taylor - R is a component in trading that we use to define risk. It is a crucial aspect of trading systems and by thinking in terms… ...more
Prudent 15: Ruffer Investment Company 22nd April 2020 by David Stevenson - The Ruffer Investment Company – big bets on a global new normal "There are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks where decades happen"… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 20/04/20 – Depression in a Wall of Money 20th April 2020 by Jeremy Grime - Depression in a Wall of Money The market is caught between an oncoming depression and a wall of money inflating valuations. In this environment the… ...more
Filtering for financial fortresses 15th April 2020 by Richard Beddard - The conclusion of my last article on finding companies with strong finances contained two caveats. Companies with seasonal cash flows can look like they have… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 13/04/20 – With Recovery comes Refinance 13th April 2020 by Jeremy Grime - With Recovery comes Refinance It is easy to stress over whether we are in a bear rally or the start of a bull market. But… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: A Covid-19 Special 8th April 2020 by Maynard Paton - Let me start with a confession.This Covid-19 ‘Special’ may not be all that special. I have just applied a new SharePad screen to seek ‘quality… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 06/04/20 – After Value comes Recovery 6th April 2020 by Jeremy Grime - After Value comes Recovery In a world full of value Jeremy takes a look at what a recovery may look like and picks a couple… ...more
Dynamic 35: Augmentum 3rd April 2020 by David Stevenson - A big bet on Fintech worth taking at this price - Augmentum OK, I’m not going to beat around the bush. l readily concede that… ...more
Putting safety first 2nd April 2020 by Richard Beddard - Funny thing (peculiar, not ha! ha!). Search SharePad news for the phrase “strong balance sheet” and there are dozens of companies every day confirming their… ...more
The Trader: Why the trend is your friend 31st March 2020 by Michael Taylor - “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” Whether or… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 30/03/20 – Value time 30th March 2020 by Jeremy Grime - Value time With no earnings visibility it is easy to forget there are green shoots over the horizon. This is a time to seek value.… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 23/03/20 – Irrational or True? 23rd March 2020 by Jeremy Grime - Irrational or True? We are now in a market of fear and there are signs of inefficiency and irrational behaviour, which is a time of… ...more
Prudent 15: BH Global 20th March 2020 by David Stevenson - Kicking off with BH Global (BHGG) You can always read more about my views on funds at my blog www.adventurousinvestor.com. I update this most days,… ...more
Getting more out of return on capital 18th March 2020 by Richard Beddard - How we measure return on capital depends on what we want to know: whether a company is good at making profit from its operations, or… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 16/03/20 – Timing is everything 16th March 2020 by Jeremy Grime - Timing is everything With the current crisis Jeremy dusts off the recovery stocks folder. Airlines that survive will have huge upside on the back of… ...more
The Trader: Exit Strategies 13th March 2020 by Michael Taylor - In April 2017, I had a real nightmare. I had been trading full time on the market for four months and had had enormous success… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: AB Dynamics 11th March 2020 by Maynard Paton - Recent market ructions have sent many shares tumbling — and perhaps created some buying opportunities. Amid the mayhem, I devised a straightforward screen. I simply… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 09/03/20 – Purging Excess 9th March 2020 by Jeremy Grime - Purging Excess Bear markets cleanse excess. Jeremy takes a look at the growth narratives and accounting adjustments that have been adopted and suspects the bear… ...more
Going for repeat business 4th March 2020 by Richard Beddard - Fundsmith Equity probably needs no introduction. Since its launch in November 2010 the fund has racked up class-leading annualised returns of more than 18%, compared… ...more
Dynamic 35: Syncona 3rd March 2020 by David Stevenson - The genomics revolution and the appeal of Syncona It’s easy to get carried away with the short to medium term noise coming out of stock… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 02/03/20 – Correction or Bear Market? 2nd March 2020 by Jeremy Grime - Correction or Bear Market? The question of whether the sudden market correction is a temporary contagion of fear, or the beginning of a bear market… ...more
The Trader: Optimising Your RNS Feed 26th February 2020 by Michael Taylor - In this article, I’ll show you how to clean up and manage your RNS feed by adding a filter and removing noise, colour coding your… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 24/02/20 – Barbell Portfolio 24th February 2020 by Jeremy Grime - Barbell Portfolio The tax advantages of technology companies and private equity combined with quantitative easing are shrinking stock markets. Until this changes the shrinkage will… ...more
Taking back control 19th February 2020 by Richard Beddard - Richard investigates Dialight, a supplier of industrial LED lighting that flared up ten years ago briefly setting the stock market alight, and subsequently dimmed alarmingly.… ...more
Dynamic 35: Scottish Mortgage 18th February 2020 by David Stevenson - I must say I’m very excited to be writing for SharePad and ShareScope. I’ve been an avid user of both for more than 10 years… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 17/02/20 – Dinosaurs don’t gallop 17th February 2020 by Jeremy Grime - Dinosaurs don’t gallop Jim Slater coined the term “elephants don’t gallop” and in this technology enabled era it may be better termed “dinosaurs don’t gallop”.… ...more
XP POWER 14th February 2020 by Alistair Blair - Older readers may recall a distant era when electrical devices used to plug straight into the wall. Nowadays, everything electrical seems to need an annoying… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Boohoo 12th February 2020 by Maynard Paton - Cash flow movements can often indicate whether or not a business enjoys a powerful operational advantage. A strong business might: Receive customer payments upfront for… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 10/02/20 – Employee Culture 10th February 2020 by Jeremy Grime - Employee Culture With quality as the watchword a review of staff feedback can tell us much about the culture of a company. A review of… ...more
A market of stocks or a stock market? 7th February 2020 by Michael Taylor - January was a good month, despite the FTSE 100 closing down nearly 3.5% and the outbreak on coronavirus soon to kill us all. Or is… ...more
When bad news is good news 5th February 2020 by Richard Beddard - Richard investigates Vitec, which has reported some bad news in 2019. It could be an opportunity to buy shares in a high quality business at… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 03/02/20 – Acquirers in a low interest world 3rd February 2020 by Jeremy Grime - Acquirers in a low interest world In the continuing world of cheap money the buy and build companies have generally performed well. But its important… ...more
Taste the Feeling 29th January 2020 by Michael Taylor - Taste the Feeling is a Coca-Cola slogan from 2016. I think it’s a very good, because Coca-Cola isn’t just a product. It’s a religion. The… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 27/01/20 – Mind the gap 27th January 2020 by Jeremy Grime - Mind the Gap It’s been a good few months. The FTSE small cap is up 14% since October, while the FTSE 100 is up around… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Greggs 24th January 2020 by Maynard Paton - ‘Run your winners’ is popular stock-market advice. Great companies often remain great investments for a lot longer than most people expect… … and can deliver… ...more
Death in paradise 22nd January 2020 by Richard Beddard - The demise of Thomas Cook impacted the whole package tour industry including London listed Online Travel Agent, On The Beach. Whether you trust the accounting… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 20/01/20 – Culture in payments 20th January 2020 by Jeremy Grime - Culture in Payments There were no spare seats when I arrived at Panmure Gordon’s offices last week for the Non-Standard Finance investor day titled “Culture… ...more
Why mindset is the most important factor 16th January 2020 by Michael Taylor - "Nature versus nurture" has been a debate that has raged for hundreds of years. Sir Francis Galton (pictured above), who was a Victorian era statistician… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 13/01/20 – Culture 13th January 2020 by Jeremy Grime - Culture Luck plays a part in investing but there is also a theory that you make your luck. Both K3Capital and Dart Group are cyclical… ...more
Out with the old, in with the new 8th January 2020 by Richard Beddard - Richard enters 2020 with a cleaned-up SharePad setup primed to help him find companies developing competitive advantages. He expects it to make him a better… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 06/01/20 – The Roaring 20’s 6th January 2020 by Jeremy Grime - The Roaring 20’s Nothing quite starts a new decade as reassuringly as Greggs Vegan Steak Bake causing late night queuing in Newcastle. With Pizza Hut’s… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 30/12/19 – Change Alley 30th December 2019 by Jeremy Grime - Change Alley Suggesting that Scrooge’s drive and self-discipline was something we should aspire to didn’t go down well with my millennial children. I rationalised the… ...more
The Wright brothers were not capitalists 24th December 2019 by Michael Taylor - Warren Buffett is famous to have said “If a capitalist had been present at Kitty Hawk back in the early 1900s, he should have shot… ...more
Alpha FX speaks my language 24th December 2019 by Richard Beddard - In response to a reader’s suggestion, Richard investigates Alpha FX. It is exactly the kind of people-first business that could be building a long-term competitive… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 23/12/19 – Lessons for 2020 23rd December 2019 by Jeremy Grime - Lessons for 2020 It has been rather enjoyable as the year draws to a close. The Boris Bounce was a pleasant experience for investors. Excitingly… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Mears 18th December 2019 by Maynard Paton - This article has not turned out as I had expected. I searched on SharePad for magnificent dividend histories, and thought I would be evaluating a… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 16/12/19 – The Golden Era of Small Caps 16th December 2019 by Jeremy Grime - The Golden Era of Small Caps The fear was palpable last Thursday as I sat in a broking office. The millennials queuing at the voting… ...more
The ultimate competitive advantage 11th December 2019 by Richard Beddard - Business schools identify the sources of competitive advantage that tie customers to companies and what they produce. Fundamentally though, there is only one true competitive… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 09/12/19 – The Volatility Reduction Trade 9th December 2019 by Jeremy Grime - The Volatility Reduction Trade The gating of M&G’s property fund caused the press to become excitable last week. The Questor column in The Telegraph advised… ...more
Cups and bowls 6th December 2019 by Michael Taylor - Cups and handles, and bowls, have been very popular with trend traders. These patterns can be powerful as they show sentiment of the stock gradually… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 02/12/19 – Shrinking Markets 2nd December 2019 by Jeremy Grime - Shrinking Markets The liquidation of Nautilus Minerals caught my eye last week. This was a company which was to be one of the first underwater… ...more
Skin in the game: Two for the watchlist 27th November 2019 by Richard Beddard - Richard uses his “Skin in the game” table to find companies whose directors are major shareholders. The experiment starts off badly with Asset Co., but… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 25/11/19 – Superstocks 25th November 2019 by Jeremy Grime - Superstocks I have been living with value stock affliction for some time. It can be irritating particularly when the wind is blowing the wrong way.… ...more
Is there life on the High Street? 22nd November 2019 by Michael Taylor - With Debenhams going bang, the demise of Mothercare, and Carpetright finally succumbing to their challenges (Carpetright was taken over – but at a price only… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Dotdigital 19th November 2019 by Maynard Paton - Today I have returned to the share screen I employed to pinpoint Victrex earlier this year. To quickly recap, this screen applies two ratios favoured… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 18/11/19 – What Goes Around…. 18th November 2019 by Jeremy Grime - What Goes Around…. It is clear the technology growth bubble is now starting to unwind but the difficult question is where to go to next?… ...more
Investing alongside managers with skin in the game 13th November 2019 by Richard Beddard - Richard uses SharePad to find companies whose managers are also significant shareholders. They are likely to be building businesses for the long-term, he says. The… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 11/11/19 – The Cult of Equities 11th November 2019 by Jeremy Grime - The Cult of Equities Each week that passes my excitement is building. Value is coming back. I have felt like a fish out of water… ...more
Support & Resistance 6th November 2019 by Michael Taylor - Support and resistance are two common concepts when it comes to technical analysis. They are the most basic but also the most important points when… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 04/11/19 – Profiting from Folly and Disaster 4th November 2019 by Jeremy Grime - Profiting from Folly and Disaster Old fashioned companies such as TP ICAP have started putting strong trading statement out which is strange times indeed. This… ...more
Burberry joins “Future of Fashion” portfolio 29th October 2019 by Richard Beddard - In his quest for companies that control their own destinies, Richard discovers luxury fashion brand Burberry, a company whose products he is in no danger… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 28/10/19 – Sticking to our guns 28th October 2019 by Jeremy Grime - Sticking to our guns Investing can be lonely. Buying stocks in a downturn can be hard - we don’t know if we are catching a… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Rightmove 23rd October 2019 by Maynard Paton - Studying free cash conversion is vital when evaluating a set of accounts. The measure compares free cash flow to reported earnings, and can indicate whether… ...more
Finding companies that control their own destinies 16th October 2019 by Richard Beddard - Fallout from the demise of Thomas Cook reminds Richard of the virtues of vertical integration. In the month since the demise of Thomas Cook, the… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 21/10/19 – A New Era Dawns 14th October 2019 by Jeremy Grime - A New Era Dawns Often it is easy to be so pre-occupied with the present that we miss the elephant quietly sauntering past the boardroom… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 14/10/19 – Forex 14th October 2019 by Jeremy Grime - Forex There are reasons to be gloomy just now. As I walked past Westminster last week the protester carrying an anti-Brexit placard looked forlorn as… ...more
Two Technical Analysis Tools You Need: Candlesticks and Volume 9th October 2019 by Michael Taylor - We briefly touched on technical analysis in my previous article ‘The Four Stages of a Stock’, and in this article I want to introduce some… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 07/10/19 – Special Situations 7th October 2019 by Jeremy Grime - Special Situations At times like this it is easy to make mistakes. I confess to being bored of my stocks. They haven’t done anything exciting… ...more
KAINOS 4th October 2019 by Alistair Blair - THE SETTING Kainos (Greek for fresh, innovative) was launched in 1986 when the old British IT champion ICL recognised the quality of computer science graduates… ...more
What PZ Cussons’ cashflow tells us about its strategy 2nd October 2019 by Richard Beddard - Having found PZ Cussons through his Keep It Simple, Stupid filter, Richard examines the company through its cash flow statement. To his delight, he finds… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 30/09/19 30th September 2019 by Jeremy Grime - Liquidity Crunch Across the table in the rather tired looking meeting room, the grey haired but immaculately presented fund manager bit his bottom lip as… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Medica 24th September 2019 by Maynard Paton - Dynamic growth shares are among the market’s most exciting investments. Find a business that has expanded rapidly and offers the prospect of further earnings growth… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 23/09/19 23rd September 2019 by Jeremy Grime - Navigating Change Conservatively Sometimes it can be useful to stand back and take stock so we don’t get those market eyes that can’t see the… ...more
Filtering out the big spenders 18th September 2019 by Richard Beddard - Richard invents a new filter that promises to weed out big acquirers in a drive for simplicity he hopes will make investigating his next company… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 16/09/19 16th September 2019 by Jeremy Grime - Inefficient Markets I find myself increasingly bullish. Or maybe I have recently had a holiday and by the end of the week all bullishness will… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 09/09/19 9th September 2019 by Jeremy Grime - Business Models I found myself wondering whether models become outdated over time. In this age of diversity, governance reporting, and gender indexes I question whether… ...more
The future of holidays portfolio 4th September 2019 by Richard Beddard - Richard returns from his holiday and wonders whether he can put the experience to use by investing in holiday companies. First step: Create a portfolio… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 02/09/19 2nd September 2019 by Jeremy Grime - It’s a bi-polar world Printing money hoping that will engineer inflation has in the past resulted in inflation, but it hasn’t worked. As central banks… ...more
Why shorting is good for investors 30th August 2019 by Michael Taylor - Although I am much more of a trader myself as I rely on trading profits to pay my bills, I do think investors have much… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Hammerson 28th August 2019 by Maynard Paton - Buying a share at a discount to its book (or net asset) value ought to be the safest way of investing. Indeed, what could go… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 27/08/19 27th August 2019 by Jeremy Grime - The Great British Corporate Sale One of the things the City of London excels at is selling its own to overseas acquirors. Back in the… ...more
Hidden potential in new division 21st August 2019 by Richard Beddard - Richard analyses Bloomsbury Publishing’s segmental report to work out where the profit is coming from. The Harry Potter effect is still evident, but the company… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 19/08/19 19th August 2019 by Jeremy Grime - Agricultural Investing The nerves were tested last week. Back in Q4 last year the 17% fall in the FTSE 100 was one of those typical… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 12/08/19 12th August 2019 by Jeremy Grime - The Narrative of Growth I suspect I am not alone in being trained as a value investor in the 1980’s. That was an era when… ...more
Finding the best companies to analyse 6th August 2019 by Richard Beddard - A wise man once advised investors to stick to their circle of competence. Richard uses SharePad to keep his eye on the prize, and it… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 05/08/19 5th August 2019 by Jeremy Grime - In need of boredom Equity investors need to be an optimistic bunch - since equity markets outperform over the long run. Academics Dimson Marsh and… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: AG Barr 30th July 2019 by Maynard Paton - Quality companies undergoing temporary problems can often become attractive investment opportunities. On that basis, perhaps AG Barr is worth closer inspection. The soft-drinks manufacturer famous… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 29/07/19 29th July 2019 by Jeremy Grime - Testing times I find this one of the most uncomfortable investing era’s I can recall. The outperformance of growth stocks continues while markets grind higher… ...more
The Four Stages of a Stock 26th July 2019 by Michael Taylor - Technical analysis is either loved or hated. Many people like to claim it as ‘voodoo’ and trying to predict the future, but the fact is… ...more
The art of the sale 23rd July 2019 by Richard Beddard - In response to a reader’s request for a sell filter, Richard goes looking for trouble in his portfolio by setting some “curiosity triggers”.... One of… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 22/07/19 22nd July 2019 by Jeremy Grime - The Greening of Fund Management It is still useful to contemplate the state of the world over a good lunch as I did last week… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 15/07/19 15th July 2019 by Jeremy Grime - Where are the Customers’ Yachts? The book “Where are the Customers’ Yachts?” by Fred Schwed was written 75 years ago but as we watch the… ...more
How to work out whether a firm is good acquirer 10th July 2019 by Richard Beddard - Richard uses a trick from Judges Scientific’s playbook to assess local hero Scientific Digital Imaging. Both companies acquire scientific instrument manufacturers using a “buy and… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 08/07/19 8th July 2019 by Jeremy Grime - The Bubble has burst Sometimes we spend so long waiting for something to happen we don’t realise it has started. But I think it has… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Imperial Brands 3rd July 2019 by Maynard Paton - Imagine this. You find a blue-chip company that offers: * 21 years of consecutive dividend increases, with the last ten years showing 10% per annum… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 01/07/19 1st July 2019 by Jeremy Grime - Disruption in the Courts Early for lunch on the 24th floor of Tower 42 in the City I gazed over the tower blocks of the… ...more
The Future of Retail portfolio 26th June 2019 by Richard Beddard - Rule number one in investing is to buy what you know, but how does that work when what you know is changing day by day?… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 24/06/19 24th June 2019 by Jeremy Grime - Structural Change in the City It always amazes me how debt can lead to innovation. Humans find ingenious solutions. The Bank of England was founded… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: JD Sports Fashion 18th June 2019 by Maynard Paton - Today I am revisiting the share screen that pinpointed Games Workshop back in January. The shares of the quirky wargaming retailer have soared more than… ...more
Weekly commentary: 17/06/19 17th June 2019 by Jeremy Grime - It’s “avoid the warnings” time Last week saw a few profit warnings. Somero, Ted Baker, Quiz, Pendragon warnings were based on revenue disappointments but I… ...more
Scapa has had a rocky three weeks. Its market capitalisation is down by 50%. Is it a buy? 13th June 2019 by Alistair Blair - THE SETTING After nine years of impressive revivification under CEO Heejae Chae, the specialist tapes maker Scapa has just delivered three tingling episodes in three… ...more
Checking the numbers match the story 11th June 2019 by Richard Beddard - One thing we should always check is that a company’s long-term performance matches the story it tells us. Churchill China says it is “adding value”… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 10/06/19 10th June 2019 by Jeremy Grime - Companies with Culture The noise around Woodford’s humiliation last week was deafening. And it was a bad week for Hargreaves Lansdown (-14%). I don’t recall… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Jupiter Fund Management 5th June 2019 by Maynard Paton - Today I have revisited a share screen that applies two ratios favoured by ‘quality’ investors — operating margin and return on equity (ROE). The exact… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 03/06/19 3rd June 2019 by Jeremy Grime - The “End of Global Trade” Week Last week the talk moved from politics to trade wars. Consensus seems to be that the trade war between… ...more
Hidden treasure on your doorstep 30th May 2019 by Richard Beddard - Finding local businesses listed on the stock market is easy with the help of SharePad and Google Maps. Richard maps the market to find out… ...more
Weekly commentary: 28/05/19 28th May 2019 by Jeremy Grime - Time to own value? Unicorns The Unicorns stable door has been left wide open. Beyond Meat, a US loss making protein meat brand, listed in… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Domino’s Pizza 22nd May 2019 by Maynard Paton - This in-depth article covers one of the most impressive UK growth stocks of the last 20 years — Domino’s Pizza. Domino’s appeared on my radar… ...more
Portmeirion: When confidence crumbles 14th May 2019 by Richard Beddard - SharePad is not just about discovering new shares, it can help us see shares we are familiar with in a new light. Richard uses it… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Abcam 8th May 2019 by Maynard Paton - Today I have returned to the share screen I employed to pinpoint Victrex the other week. To quickly recap, this screen applies two ratios favoured… ...more
Bodycote: A stalwart in cyclical clothing 2nd May 2019 by Richard Beddard - Richard investigates a company that not only walks the walk, it talks the talk. I am not going to lie, even if it means shattering… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Victrex 25th April 2019 by Maynard Paton - This week I am tracking down a potential long-term winner by employing two ratios favoured by ‘quality’ investors. The first measure is operating margin, which… ...more
RM: Will profit endure? 16th April 2019 by Richard Beddard - Richard considers whether the supplier of educational resources and software services can sustain profitability and reignite growth. There’s a good chance, he thinks, which makes… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Renishaw 8th April 2019 by Maynard Paton - I am convinced the very best shares to own are often led by executives who truly act in the interests of ordinary shareholders. In particular,… ...more
RM: Is profit real? 3rd April 2019 by Richard Beddard - Richard investigates RM, one of the stock market's great survivors, starting with just one question. It takes him on a twisty trail... Before we get… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Craneware 26th March 2019 by Maynard Paton - Years ago I read Super Stocks, an investment book that claimed to reveal “powerful new ideas” to uncover “opportunities for spectacular profits”. I sadly can’t… ...more
Moneysupermaaaaaaahhhhhhket 19th March 2019 by Richard Beddard - The veteran price comparison company is changing, and maybe for the better. Richard investigates one of the companies that easily met the criteria of his… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Accesso Technology 12th March 2019 by Maynard Paton - This article has not turned out as I had expected. I was hoping to study a quality growth business that had seen its share price… ...more
Fishing like Fundsmith 5th March 2019 by Richard Beddard - Richard builds a Fundsmith filter, taking it from concept to conclusion. The aim: To reduce the “junk” in our watchlists so we are fishing in… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Hargreaves Lansdown 27th February 2019 by Maynard Paton - Quality companies often produce exceptional returns for ordinary investors. Just ask Terry Smith or Nick Train. These ace fund managers have delivered wonderful gains by… ...more
Performance measurement for pros 20th February 2019 by Richard Beddard - Investors tend to judge their portfolios by how much they go up or down in value, typically compared to a benchmark index like the FTSE… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Apple 11th February 2019 by Maynard Paton - Being able to analyse international shares — at no extra cost! — is a wonderful feature of SharePad. And finding overseas shares within SharePad is… ...more
Putting performance into perspective 5th February 2019 by Richard Beddard - Richard reads Fundsmith Equity Fund’s annual letter to fundholders and suggests a modest improvement that could change your perception of financial history. He also responds… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Games Workshop 30th January 2019 by Maynard Paton - Could now be the time to return to dynamic growth shares? Wonder-stocks such as Fever-Tree, Boohoo.com and Keywords Studios are all well below their highs… ...more
Starting with the big picture 23rd January 2019 by Richard Beddard - Richard starts his analysis of fast growing online beach holiday retailer On The Beach with new SharePad views designed to give him the big picture… ...more
Magic Formula stocks for 2019 & 2018 performance 18th January 2019 by Marketing - Back in 2016 we began testing and tracking three model portfolios based on Joel Greenblatt’s magic formula approach (click here to read more about this)… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Plus500 16th January 2019 by Maynard Paton - Before I start looking at Plus500 (LSE: PLUS), I have some good news…. …you can now employ my SharePad screening criteria with just a few… ...more
Assessing whether profit is real 10th January 2019 by Richard Beddard - On the face of it Ricardo is a great company, but in recent years its earnings have deviated a long way from the cold hard… ...more
How I build and manage my share portfolio 10th January 2019 by Martin Stamp - The key thing to stress at the beginning and, as many of you will already be well aware, there are many ways to become a… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Somero Enterprises 2nd January 2019 by Maynard Paton - How did your portfolio fare during 2018? If you managed to side-step the market falls, very well done. For the rest of us — including… ...more
A SharePad for every occasion 21st December 2018 by Richard Beddard - Richard takes a break from company analysis and reveals a new layout for news, and reflects on some of the other tweeks he has used this… ...more
Two good companies, but which is better? 17th December 2018 by Richard Beddard - Richard takes a first look at Softcat, and he likes what he sees, even in comparison to rival Computacenter, another fine business. Both companies make… ...more
A Special SharePad Investigation: Patisserie Valerie 11th December 2018 by Maynard Paton - Before I go any further, let me just state that I am not here to say “I told you so”. But whenever I have lost… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Mattioli Woods 4th December 2018 by Maynard Paton - Many years ago, one of my favourite sources for investment ideas was the Financial Times. However, the FT’s articles did not interest me, and nor… ...more
How to win 79% of the time – the Santa Claus effect 28th November 2018 by Martin Stamp - How to be a winner 79% of the time and be up an average of 3.5%. Sounds enticing. I was reminded of the Santa Claus… ...more
Searching SharePad for something special 27th November 2018 by Richard Beddard - Richard Beddard investigates DotDigital in SharePad. The data indicates it has been very prosperous since it floated on the London Stock Exchange in 2011. A… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Warpaint London 21st November 2018 by Maynard Paton - I am always looking for shares that can double, triple, quadruple or more during the years ahead. And one good way of finding such great… ...more
What really makes a great business? 14th November 2018 by Richard Beddard - To identify great businesses we must go beyond the numbers and understand what causes them. In this article I revisit 4Imprint, an investment I should… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Zytronic 9th November 2018 by Maynard Paton - Let me start with a confession: 2018 is fast becoming a year to forget for my portfolio. Suffice to say, my shares have suffered a… ...more
Evaluating a hot tip 2nd November 2018 by Richard Beddard - Psst, company XYZ is going great guns, it's shooting for the moon, get in before it is too late!!! In today's article, Richard uses SharePad… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: PayPoint 23rd October 2018 by Maynard Paton - I don’t know about your shares, but my portfolio was thumped during this month’s market sell-off. The drubbing prompted me to consider whether I should… ...more
When dull businesses come good 16th October 2018 by Richard Beddard - Stroll into a WH Smith and you might wonder why a shop that sells Sellotape, colouring books and slime (really!) exists today, but the company… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Character 8th October 2018 by Maynard Paton - My SharePad screening for buying opportunities has short-listed Character (LSE: CCT) as a possible longer-term investment. The attraction here is a quite extraordinary story about… ...more
Filtering new issues 28th September 2018 by Richard Beddard - New issues have a reputation for delivering poor investment returns. In this article we filter SharePad for companies that may be more seasoned than they… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: CMC Markets 11th September 2018 by Maynard Paton - In this article I continue my hunt for shares that could deliver market-beating returns… …and this time my SharePad system has identified CMC Markets (LSE:… ...more
The old ones are the good ones 11th September 2018 by Richard Beddard - Exciting news: Aston Martin is readying itself to float on the stock market. Investors should think twice though, before buying the shares. Typically, it is… ...more
Screening for my next long-term winner: Ramsdens 31st August 2018 by Maynard Paton - I am always hunting for great shares that could power ahead of the market during the years to come… …and just few days ago, my… ...more
Building a base filter 30th August 2018 by Richard Beddard - To demonstrate how to filter in SharePad, we’ll build a base filter that filters out the shares we are least likely to be interested in.… ...more
The perils of filtering stocks 20th August 2018 by Richard Beddard - This is the second article in the series “From ideas to investments” in which I look at the process of finding and evaluating investment ideas.… ...more
How the stock market actually works 27th July 2018 by Richard Beddard - Today's article is the first in a new series called ‘From ideas to investments’ which takes an in-depth look at how to generate investment ideas… ...more
Motorpoint: A car dealer that stands out from the crowd 19th July 2018 by Richard Beddard - Financial statistics from SharePad and non-financial data from the company itself all indicate Motorpoint is no ordinary car dealer. If you’ve bought a vehicle from… ...more
Next – A closer look at its online business 19th July 2018 by Phil Oakley - For many years Next has been a very profitable retailer of clothes and homewares. Like most of its peers it has had to face up… ...more
Stock Watch – Portmeirion 11th July 2018 by Phil Oakley - Portmeirion Group is based in Stoke on Trent and is a leading maker of homeware products such as tableware, cookware, placemats, candles and fragrances. It… ...more
Hunting in a sea of pessimism 3rd July 2018 by Phil Oakley - Buying shares that are out of favour is a favourite strategy amongst contrarian value investors. However, in recent times it is not one that has… ...more
When bad companies become good: IG Design 2nd July 2018 by Richard Beddard - IG Design, formerly International Greetings, is one of my biggest investment mistakes—even though I made a few quid on it. Since I sold my shares… ...more
Stock Watch: Morrisons – Is a bad business turning itself into a reasonable one? 26th June 2018 by Phil Oakley - Ten years ago, Morrisons was doing reasonably well. Under the leadership of Dutchman Marc Bolland it was wooing customers with a very simple and powerful… ...more
Electrocomponents: Becoming First Choice 20th June 2018 by Richard Beddard - You don’t have to look far to discover Electrocomponents’ ambition. “BECOMING FIRST CHOICE” is the title of its annual report this year. But that strapline… ...more
Avoiding bad shares is just as important as picking good ones 13th June 2018 by Phil Oakley - If you've been investing in individual shares for a while then you've probably gone through the experience of losing some money on one or more… ...more
Stock Watch: Hill & Smith Holdings 5th June 2018 by Phil Oakley - Shares in Hill & Smith Holdings (LSE:HILS) have been a very solid investment in recent years. The company's strategy of focusing on niche infrastructure markets… ...more
Face-off: Tenpin versus Hollywood Bowl 5th June 2018 by Richard Beddard - Tenpin bowling chains are like London buses. You wait around for years and then two of them list almost at the same time. Phil Oakley… ...more
Stock Watch: Superdry 22nd May 2018 by Phil Oakley - Superdry wants to create a global lifestyle brand by selling premium, high quality and affordable clothing to people. Its brand may not be as recognisable… ...more
First steps to an inheritance tax-exempt portfolio 21st May 2018 by Richard Beddard - Investing in AIM-listed shares can help you reduce inheritance tax but you have to be picky. Not all shares qualify, and they must be good… ...more
Buying quality on its own is no guarantee of success 15th May 2018 by Phil Oakley - There are many different ways to make money from the stock market. Over the last few years, one of the most popular and discussed strategies… ...more
Stock Watch: InterContinental Hotels 9th May 2018 by Phil Oakley - Disclosure: At the time of writing I own shares in InterContinental Hotels. InterContinental Hotels (IHG) can trace its roots back to the Bass brewing company.… ...more
A new issue that is already a winner 8th May 2018 by Richard Beddard - Looking through the prisms of profitability, debt, cash flow, strategy and valuation, Strix may be an exception to the rule that new issues make bad… ...more
Dark days for regulated utility shares 24th April 2018 by Phil Oakley - Since they were privatised in the mid 1980s and early 1990s, the shares of regulated utility companies have found a place in many private investors'… ...more
Key questions to ask company management 23rd April 2018 by Phil Oakley - If you are attending any events which enable you to meet company management face-to-face, take along Phil's handy crib sheet - a list of key… ...more
AGMs – If in doubt, ask 23rd April 2018 by Richard Beddard - Most companies will answer questions from shareholders and potential shareholders. At Annual General Meetings shareholders have a right to ask questions and get answers. A… ...more
Stock Watch: Cranswick 17th April 2018 by Phil Oakley - Cranswick is a UK-based food producer. It specialises in the production and selling of pork and poultry products. The sales mix of its business is… ...more
Should investors avoid low margin companies? 10th April 2018 by Phil Oakley - Highly profitable companies can make outstanding long-term investments. Arguably, the best way to measure a company's profitability is to compare its profits with the amount… ...more
Putting performance in perspective 9th April 2018 by Richard Beddard - To get a grip on where a company is going you have to understand where it has come from. Fortunately, that doesn’t mean reading every… ...more
Stock Watch: Domino’s Pizza 27th March 2018 by Phil Oakley - Domino's Pizza is a very good business. It has exploited the trend of the growth in take-away pizza superbly and now has a 46% share… ...more
Working out what could go wrong with a share 26th March 2018 by Richard Beddard - Investors pin their hopes on what could go right. The great product. The winning strategy. The growing market. The new technology. These may be good… ...more
Checking out a company’s cash conversion 21st March 2018 by Phil Oakley - A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the issues investors faced in working out a company’s true profits. In many cases, the ways in… ...more
Decrypting a company’s business model and strategy 13th March 2018 by Richard Beddard - While it’s comforting to know a business has enjoyed success, long-term investors must also form an opinion on its prospects if we’re to hold the… ...more
Stock Watch: Hollywood Bowl 13th March 2018 by Phil Oakley - Hollywood Bowl is the UK’s largest operator of tenpin bowling centres. It currently has 58 centres across the UK with 43 trading under the Hollywood… ...more
Can you trust a company’s profits? 7th March 2018 by Phil Oakley - This article is more suited to experienced investors. Profits are all important when it comes to investing in companies. To make money over the long… ...more
Stock Watch: Galliford Try 28th February 2018 by Phil Oakley - Shares in building and construction company Galliford Try have been hammered since it announced its half year results a couple of weeks ago. The results… ...more
How to read an annual report 27th February 2018 by Richard Beddard - Rule number one in long-term investing is to understand how the businesses you expect to profit from will make money - otherwise, how can you… ...more
A smarter way to use analysts’ EPS forecasts 21st February 2018 by Phil Oakley - Should investors pay much attention to analysts’ profit forecasts? There is a school of thought that suggests that they should not. Detractors say that forecasts… ...more
Stock Watch: City Pub Group 14th February 2018 by Phil Oakley - (LSE:CPC 196p, Mkt Cap £96.3m, EMS 1500, Analysts 2) City Pub Group listed on AIM back in November. The company currently owns 38 managed pubs… ...more
The Terry Smith algorithm 14th February 2018 by Richard Beddard - In this article I’ve attempted to find Fundsmith-like companies using SharePad. The results are mixed but there’s a lot to be learned from the experiment.… ...more
A checklist for busy investors 7th February 2018 by Phil Oakley - There are many full time private investors out there but for others investing is a hobby or something that they fit around their day to… ...more
Using SharePad’s “Live” tables in your own spreadsheets 30th January 2018 by Richard Beddard - Maybe you already download tables of data from SharePad by clicking on the sharing button in SharePad's blue Table view, but this data is dead.… ...more
Stockwatch: Avon Rubber
30th January 2018 by Phil Oakley - Avon Rubber is a good example of a company that fits into the category of a profitable niche business. It started off as a cloth… ...more
A better way to track changes in company performance 23rd January 2018 by Phil Oakley - It doesn't take too much time to get a feel for how well a company is doing. Most people do this by looking at percentage… ...more
Stock Watch: Nichols 16th January 2018 by Phil Oakley - Soft drinks company Nichols (AIM:NICL) has been a good share to own over the last few years. It has many of the hallmarks of a… ...more
Buy and build 15th January 2018 by Richard Beddard - If you take a look at Diploma through the lens of SharePad's summary page (under the green 'Financials' tab), you will find it shares many… ...more
Magic Formula stocks for 2018 10th January 2018 by Phil Oakley - For those of you who like the idea of a buy and forget investing strategy then Joel Greenblatt's Magic Formula of buying good companies at… ...more
Settings for the big picture 3rd January 2018 by Richard Beddard - Happy New Year! I've started mine by tidying up my many desktops: my physical desk, my laptop's desktop, and SharePad. I did so much experimenting… ...more
Simple is best – Magic Formula Investing in 2017 19th December 2017 by Phil Oakley - If you were to ask me to recommend just one book on investing then I would struggle to think of anything better than Joel Greenblatt's… ...more
Stock Watch: Henry Boot (LSE:Boot) 6th December 2017 by Phil Oakley - Henry Boot is a Sheffield-based company which makes money from property and construction activities. It has four main sources of income: Buying land, getting planning… ...more
Two charts to unlock a company’s finances 6th December 2017 by Richard Beddard - By way of introducing two charts I'm routinely using to suss out how companies are financed - the twin pillars of debt and equity -… ...more
Searching for companies paying out more of their profits 29th November 2017 by Phil Oakley - One of the main considerations for people investing in shares these days is the dividend income they will get from owning them. With a world… ...more
Stock Watch: Fenner 22nd November 2017 by Phil Oakley - Over a decade ago when I was a smaller companies analyst in the City, UK engineering company Fenner was part of the portfolio of stocks… ...more
Is the current ratio an outdated measure of company safety? 15th November 2017 by Phil Oakley - One of the most commonly cited measures of a company's financial strength is something known as the current ratio. It is a measure of liquidity… ...more
The elusive hire firms you can buy and hold 14th November 2017 by Richard Beddard - Last week I introduced the listed plant and tool hire companies and mentioned in passing the industry has a bit of a boom bust reputation. Perhaps I… ...more
Income Opportunities From Dividends 10th November 2017 by Phil Oakley - In the last of his Investors Chronicle articles, Phil looks at companies reinstating dividends or starting to pay them for the 1st time. Read pdf… ...more
Homing in on hire firms 7th November 2017 by Richard Beddard - Homing in on hire firms When business is sluggish at construction sites and factories, tools and equipment are returned and hire companies make less profit.… ...more
How to steer clear of dividend traps 3rd November 2017 by Phil Oakley - First published in Investors Chronicle, Phil explains how to avoid the shares that might let you down. Read pdf article ...more
Finding safe high-yielding shares 27th October 2017 by Phil Oakley - First published in Investors Chronicle, Phil explains how to identify which high-yielding shares are most likely to maintain or grow their dividends. Read pdf article ...more
Stock Watch: Abcam – is lower profitability worth paying for? 23rd October 2017 by Richard Beddard - Abcam shares are more popular than ever. Perhaps they're worth it. Nailed on growth stock There's no doubt Abcam has grown. In performance terms it's… ...more
When valuations don’t matter and when they do 11th October 2017 by Phil Oakley - Lots of people will tell you that the price you pay for a share really matters. This is because it has a big say on… ...more
Stock Watch: Elegant Hotels Group 4th October 2017 by Phil Oakley - Elegant Hotels is the owner and operator of a number of upmarket hotels on the Caribbean island of Barbados. The company has been in business… ...more
Finding companies that speak your language 4th October 2017 by Richard Beddard - Finding companies that speak your language It's a commonly held view that the only bits of financial reports worth paying attention to are the numbers… ...more
How much is a company worth? A look at different ways to value shares 27th September 2017 by Phil Oakley - Two weeks ago I wrote about how to try and value companies that aren't making a profit. This week I'm going back to basics for… ...more
Tech recruiter is statistically attractive, but is it special? 26th September 2017 by Richard Beddard - There are two questions I ask of all companies I might invest in. Do the statistics indicate the business is highly profitable and, if they… ...more
13th September 2017 by Phil Oakley - How to value loss-making companies One of the questions I am frequently asked is: "How do I value loss-making companies?". The short answer is that… ...more
How I choose my next share using filters and charts 13th September 2017 by Richard Beddard - After many years of investment I still feel a sense of anticipation when I examine lists of shares looking for new opportunities. It's like opening… ...more
Stock Watch: Redrow 13th September 2017 by Phil Oakley - The state of the housing market - and the direction of house prices in particular - is a key driver of Britain's economy. When house… ...more
Stock Watch: Scapa Group 5th September 2017 by Phil Oakley - Scapa Group has transformed itself over the last few years by following a strategy of offering more value to its customers. It has worked well… ...more
A blueprint for better long term investing 31st August 2017 by Phil Oakley - Holidays are great for switching off from the stresses and strains of the daily grind and concentrating on what's really important in life. I've just… ...more
Shares to hold to the grave, and beyond… 31st August 2017 by Richard Beddard - For my debut SharePad article, I've been invited to introduce my stockpicking strategy. It's a daunting prospect because strategy is everything. Without a strategy, luck… ...more
Stock Watch: Ashtead Group 10th August 2017 by Phil Oakley - Ashtead makes its money by renting out equipment to construction and industrial companies - things like aerial platforms, forklift trucks, tools, diggers, cranes, power generators… ...more
Stock Watch: Castings 25th July 2017 by Phil Oakley - Castings plc is a foundry business. Foundries are factories which produce metal castings. Castings has two in the UK - in the West Midlands and… ...more
Hunting in the minefield of cheap shares 18th July 2017 by Phil Oakley - Most people like a bargain. Bargain hunting on the stock market has long been a popular pastime or even a full time occupation for investors.… ...more
The case for dividend investing in dangerous markets 4th July 2017 by Phil Oakley - I am finding investing more than just a little bit frustrating these days. The reason for this is that I am struggling to find shares… ...more
Stock Watch: RPC 4th July 2017 by Phil Oakley - RPC (rigid plastic containers) designs and manufacturers plastic products for packaging markets. The company makes thousands of different products such as plastic bottles, food containers,… ...more
Stock Watch: James Halstead 27th June 2017 by Phil Oakley - James Halstead has been in business since 1915. It started out dyeing, finishing, waterproofing and rubberising textiles that were used in rainwear and outdoor clothing.… ...more
Making sense of highly priced shares 21st June 2017 by Phil Oakley - In my 20 years of investing I am finding the current stock market conditions the most challenging I have ever encountered. My investing career started… ...more
Stock Watch: Watkins Jones 14th June 2017 by Phil Oakley - Stock Watch: Watkins Jones Watkins Jones is a property developer, best known for building private student accommodation. It floated on AIM in March 2016. The… ...more
The case for enterprise valuations 6th June 2017 by Phil Oakley - A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the subject of PE ratios (click here to read the article) and the ins and outs of… ...more
Stock Watch: Howden Joinery Group (Howdens) 31st May 2017 by Phil Oakley - Howden Joinery Group is the parent company for Howdens. Howdens was established in 1995 with 14 depots by its current chief executive Matthew Ingle when… ...more
PE ratios and how to use them 23rd May 2017 by Phil Oakley - PE ratios and how to use them Price to earnings (PE) ratios are the most commonly used method of weighing up the value of a… ...more
Stock Watch: Smart Metering Systems (AIM:SMS) 16th May 2017 by Phil Oakley - I recently wrote about Smart Metering Systems in my exclusive weekly newsletter for SharePad and ShareScope customers. It's an interesting company so I have decided… ...more
Stock Watch: FW Thorpe 9th May 2017 by Phil Oakley - FW Thorpe was founded in 1936 and has been listed on the stock exchange since 1965. The company designs and manufactures professional lighting systems for… ...more
Looking beyond free cash flow 9th May 2017 by Phil Oakley - Ask me about the kind of financial characteristics I like to see in a potential investment and the first two I will usually cite are… ...more
Stock Watch: FW Thorpe 24th April 2017 by Phil Oakley - FW Thorpe was founded in 1936 and has been listed on the stock exchange since 1965. The company designs and manufactures professional lighting systems for… ...more
Analysing the stocks in a filter 19th April 2017 by Phil Oakley - Running filters or screens is a popular way of finding shares to invest in. Whilst screening can be very powerful it is important to recognise… ...more
UK Dividend aristocrats 30th March 2017 by Phil Oakley - Phil's Investors Chronicle article on how to be a successful dividend investor. Read the article ...more
Why depreciation matters and EBITDA doesn’t 30th March 2017 by Phil Oakley - When it comes to weighing up asset-intensive sectors, depreciation matters. It is a real cost. This does not stop people ignoring it and touting the… ...more
The end of “hidden debts” 28th March 2017 by Phil Oakley - Accounting is a dry subject but a very important one. I perfectly understand why private investors' eyes glaze over at the mere mention of the… ...more
Stock Watch: XP Power 15th March 2017 by Phil Oakley - XP Power is based is headquartered in Singapore and has manufacturing sites in Vietnam and China. The company makes power control systems which convert power… ...more
How to avoid value traps 10th March 2017 by Phil Oakley - In this instalment, Phil explains how to spot value traps and finds some cheap shares that might bounce back. Read the article ...more
Free cash flow: what it is and how to use it 3rd March 2017 by Phil Oakley - In this week's Investors Chronicle, Phil explains how to use free cash flow to your advantage. Read the article ...more
Stock Watch: Treatt plc (LSE:TET) 1st March 2017 by Phil Oakley - Treatt plc has been in business since 1886. Based in Bury St Edmunds, the company specialises in making and selling products based on essential oils.… ...more
Kraft-Heinz’s bid for Unilever 22nd February 2017 by Phil Oakley - Disclosure: Phil Oakley owns shares in Unilever Last week's bid by US food company Kraft-Heinz for Unilever caught many investors by surprise. But in retrospect… ...more
Weighing up investment trusts 15th February 2017 by Phil Oakley - Many private investors like to build a portfolio of individual shares in order to grow the value of their savings as well as trying to… ...more
Riding a retail roll out 8th February 2017 by Phil Oakley - Note: This in an advanced article best suited to more experienced and confident investors. One of the most profitable investing strategies can be to buy… ...more
Does Tesco buying Booker make sense? 2nd February 2017 by Phil Oakley - Mergers and takeovers are part and parcel of the investing world. However, I think it's fair to say that last week's (27th January 2017) announcement… ...more
Value investing today 26th January 2017 by Phil Oakley - One of the great things about investing is that there are lots of different ways for people to try and make money. This means that… ...more
If you want to beat the stock market own fewer shares not more 18th January 2017 by Phil Oakley - As a private investor managing your own share portfolio you have to achieve two things over the long haul to consider your efforts a success.… ...more
Sector Watch: Beverages 18th January 2017 by Phil Oakley - Companies which make and sell branded drinks have long been popular with investors. One of the main reasons for this is that as businesses they… ...more
Sector Watch: FTSE 100 and AIM 100 Miners 13th January 2017 by Phil Oakley - Mining companies are very difficult to analyse. Their profits and cash flows are very closely related to trends in commodity prices and sentiment towards the… ...more
Paying up for quality shares – how much is too much? 10th January 2017 by Phil Oakley - "It's far better to buy a wonderful company at a fair price than a fair company at a wonderful price." - Warren Buffett "The desirability of a… ...more
A great year for modified magic formula investing 4th January 2017 by Phil Oakley - A year ago I started a trial of three model portfolios based on Joel Greenblatt's magic formula approach (click here to read more about this). I wanted… ...more
What is investing? 10th November 2015 by Phil Oakley - Why do people invest their money rather than just save? It's not just about growing your savings so that you will have more money in… ...more
A brief guide to tax-efficient saving 9th November 2015 by Phil Oakley - Tax-efficient savings accounts (ISAs) and self-invested personal pensions (SIPPs) are the best option for most savers and investors. Here's what you need to know. Savings… ...more
Choosing your first investments 8th November 2015 by Phil Oakley - For some people the thought of picking their own shares can be a little bit daunting. Rest assured, it doesn't have to be. Whilst it… ...more
Investing in funds, investment trusts and ETFs 7th November 2015 by Phil Oakley - Many investors like to build a portfolio of individual shares and even bonds but for some investors, investment funds can be a useful alternative. For… ...more
Investing your portfolio for retirement income 6th November 2015 by Phil Oakley - From what I can see we are still firmly in a bull market in shares. Momentum remains a strategy that is paying off handsomely with… ...more
Chapter 1: Introduction 14th October 2015 by Phil Oakley - If you are reading this, the chances are that you've decided to take control of your investments. You may have been investing for some time… ...more
Chapter 2: Balance sheets 13th October 2015 by Phil Oakley - SharePad is packed full of useful financial data. This data holds the key to understanding the financial health and value of any company you are… ...more
Chapter 3: Analysing balance sheets 12th October 2015 by Phil Oakley - In the previous chapter we looked at how a balance sheet was put together and the numbers that go into it. In this chapter, we are going… ...more
Chapter 4: Income statements 11th October 2015 by Phil Oakley - Hopefully, you will now understand balance sheets and how important and useful they are. Let's move on to a set a numbers which most people think are… ...more
Chapter 5: Analysing income statements 10th October 2015 by Phil Oakley - Now that we've dealt with the basic format of an income statement it's time to move on and show you how SharePad turns those numbers into really… ...more
Chapter 6: The cash flow statement 9th October 2015 by Phil Oakley - The last four chapters have been spent looking at the balance sheet and income statement and how to use them. In this chapter, we will… ...more
Chapter 7: Analysing cash flow statements 8th October 2015 by Phil Oakley - We did a little bit of cash flow analysis in the last chapter. In this one, we look at the cash flow ratios that SharePad calculates… ...more
Chapter 8: Is this a good business? 7th October 2015 by Phil Oakley - How to measure company returns In the previous chapter, we learnt that profits and cash received (cash flow) are rarely the same value. We looked… ...more
Chapter 9: Share valuations 6th October 2015 by Phil Oakley - How to tell when shares are cheap or expensive In the previous chapter we looked at how to find out if a company was any good or… ...more
Chapter 10: Value investing 5th October 2015 by Phil Oakley - The previous chapters have hopefully shown you how useful SharePad can be when you are sifting through the finances of a company. Information that might… ...more
Chapter 11: Dividend investing 4th October 2015 by Phil Oakley - If you are watching or listening to the news at the end of the day you will usually be told what happened to the stock… ...more
Chapter 12: Growth investing 3rd October 2015 by Phil Oakley - The last couple of chapters have focused on two particular styles of investing - dividend investing and value investing. Both these approaches to owning shares… ...more
Chapter 13: Investing in bonds 2nd October 2015 by Phil Oakley - Despite their names, ShareScope and SharePad are not just all about shares. They can help you with other investments as well. In this article I'm… ...more
Appendix A: Putting it all together 1st October 2015 by Phil Oakley - In this chapter, I use the data and tools in SharePad to show you how I analyse shares but it also applies to ShareScope. Even… ...more

Getting to know Moneysupermarket 12th May 2021 by Richard Beddard - Moneysupermarket wants to get to know us, so it can sell us more products. Innovation and diversification are the pillars of a strategy responding to… ...more
PZ Cussons doubles down on focus 28th April 2021 by Richard Beddard - PZ Cussons is sharpening its focus on eight leading brands To recap My interest in PZ Cussons started in 2019. The company owned famous brands… ...more
Good strategy/Bad strategy 14th April 2021 by Richard Beddard - A company’s strategy should not just tell us what it wants to achieve, but why and how. Richard introduces a simple framework for analysing strategy… ...more
Small-Cap Spotlight Report: Norcros 24th March 2021 by Maynard Paton - Let me start by confessing this article covers pension deficits. What follows may not be that thrilling and does require you to concentrate. But please… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 22/03/21 Ports and platforms 22nd March 2021 by Bruce Packard - Last week James Anderson of Baillie Gifford announced that he is to step down from running the Scottish Mortgage IT. Tom Slater will continue running… ...more
Quality cyclicals – not for the faint-hearted 17th March 2021 by Richard Beddard - Over the years I have ignored Kingspan because it is big, acquisitive, and supplies building materials. My gut reaction to these facts is that Kingspan… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 15/03/21 Fungible v flammable 15th March 2021 by Bruce Packard - At $1720 gold is now down 9% since the start of the year, while bitcoin is up 92% to $57K over the same time period.… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Best of the Best 10th March 2021 by Maynard Paton - One of my favourite SharePad screens identifies good-quality companies that have grown without acquisition. I first used the screen to identify Medica by using the… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 08/03/21 – Baillie Gifford v Albert Bridge 8th March 2021 by Bruce Packard - Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust, the Tesla owning £15bn technology fund was down 9% last week. There’s a fun argument going on in the opinion section… ...more
Turning over even more rocks 4th March 2021 by Richard Beddard - Here is a slice of stockmarket history for you, an interview with Peter Lynch from 1996. Lynch was a famous American fund manager. Asked the… ...more
The Trader: Trading Turnarounds 2nd March 2021 by Michael Taylor - Everyone likes a turnaround. This is because people like the idea of buying at the bottom and reaping the rewards. However, trading turnarounds can take… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 01/03/21 – What has been will be again 1st March 2021 by Bruce Packard - Nasdaq sold off last week, down 7% since the middle of February, though still up since the start of the year. Tesla fell to $680,… ...more
Small-Cap Spotlight Report: Argo Blockchain 24th February 2021 by Maynard Paton - Let’s start with a wealth warning: This article covers bitcoin miner Argo Blockchain; I am not a bitcoin expert; The bitcoin price is highly unpredictable;… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 22/02/21 – All Aboard for Mu Mu Land 22nd February 2021 by Bruce Packard - At midnight, on 1st January this year, the K.L.F. released their back catalogue of music (hits such as 3AM Eternal, Justified and Ancient, Last Train… ...more
The second most important ratio 17th February 2021 by Richard Beddard - If you look DotDigital, as I did a few years ago, you will find much to like about the business: Source: SharePad financial summary It… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 15/02/21 – Getting high on junk bonds 15th February 2021 by Bruce Packard - Last week Bloomberg reported that junk bond yields in the US fell below 4% the lowest level ever recorded and down from 11.5% peak yield… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: IG Group 11th February 2021 by Maynard Paton - For some time now IG Group has been flashing on my SharePad filters. The three screenshots just below show IG offers: High margins; Decent returns… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 08/02/21 – The signs are here 8th February 2021 by Bruce Packard - Moonpig IPO’ed last week at 350p, valuing the company at £1.2bn, and the shares rose +24% to 430p the following day. Meanwhile the FT reported… ...more
Roll up! Get yer easy returns here… 3rd February 2021 by Richard Beddard - Bunzl, a company I investigated last year, is a classic roll up A distributor of everyday items consumed by businesses and organisations, it routinely acquires… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 01/02/21 – Bored Markets Hypothesis 1st February 2021 by Bruce Packard - Some of the speculative exuberance has spilled over the punch bowl at the cryptocurrency party into a number of glass half empty equities. GameStonk, err… ...more
Small-Cap Spotlight Report: LoopUp 27th January 2021 by Maynard Paton - Welcome to a series of occasional articles in which I shine an investigative spotlight on particular small-caps. My aim is to demonstrate how to analyse… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 25/01/21 – Expectation v surprise 25th January 2021 by Bruce Packard - I was initially unimpressed by the UK’s mass vaccination rollout. However it is important to keep updating your beliefs when data is better than you… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 18/01/21 – Reincarnation as the bond market 18th January 2021 by Bruce Packard - In the early days of a new Democrat presidency, the President’s campaign manager observed that: “I used to think if there was reincarnation, I wanted… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Avon Rubber 13th January 2021 by Maynard Paton - Happy 2021! I trust SharePad will help bring you good fortune in what could be another twelve months of financial thrills and spills. As usual… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 11/01/21 – Gatekeepers 11th January 2021 by Bruce Packard - The FTSE 100 started the year strongly +6% during the week to 6857. Both the S&P 500 +1.3% to 3804 Nasdaq +1.4% to 13068 were… ...more
Annual reports made simple 6th January 2021 by Richard Beddard - Happy New year. This year, I have resolved to keep things simple, which is not easy in investing. Aide memoire... Just before Christmas Chris, a… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 04/01/21 – Wait and Hope 4th January 2021 by Bruce Packard - “Until the day when God shall deign to reveal the future to man, all human wisdom is summed up in these two words... wait and… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 29/12/20 – Amateurs 29th December 2020 by Bruce Packard - The FTSE 100 closed around 6,487 to 24 December down -15% from the start of the year. From a peak of 7670 in mid-January the… ...more
Lessons from lockdown and other stories 23rd December 2020 by Richard Beddard - This year has confirmed that most of the news is at best irrelevant to me as an investor. Worse, the news stressed me out. It… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 21/12/20 – Bidding up Codemasters 21st December 2020 by Bruce Packard - The FTSE stayed level around 6580, while Nasdaq hit a new high of 12752. Bitcoin rose through $20,000 for the first time. I have a… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 14/12/20 – Taxes steering behaviour? 14th December 2020 by Bruce Packard - After a strong November and start of December the FTSE 100 was largely unchanged this week at 6566. More broadly, the signs of a cyclical… ...more
Nichols: More than Vimto 10th December 2020 by Richard Beddard - Having prospected for investments in the soft drinks industry, I think Nichols is perhaps the most intriguing of quite an interesting group. It has been… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 07/12/20 – Vaccine inoculating risk tolerance 7th December 2020 by Bruce Packard - The best performing FTSE 100 stock last week was Rolls Royce, up 19%. The worst was Unilever down 6.5%, which suggests expectations of a vaccine… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 30/11/20 – The platform bandwagon rolls on 30th November 2020 by Bruce Packard - FTSE weakened slightly to 6300 in the second half of last week, but the bounce of former “Covid losers” continued with Rolls Royce, Glencore, Shell… ...more
Finding the soft drinks companies with the most fizz 25th November 2020 by Richard Beddard - I know this is going to make me sound like an alcoholic, but I rarely drink soft drinks. When a reader requested an overview of… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 23/11/20 – Expectations rising 23rd November 2020 by Bruce Packard - We are beginning to see companies operating in the “real” economy announce raised guidance. Somero (exceeding previous revenue guidance by +7%), but also Headlam (materially… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Manolete Partners 20th November 2020 by Maynard Paton - I am always looking for ‘multi-baggers’ — investments that can double, triple, quadruple or more. And here’s some very good news: I have stumbled on… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 16/11/20 – Reflation trade 16th November 2020 by Bruce Packard - Banks and other “covid losers” were up strongly at the start of last week as Pfizer announced they believe they have a credible vaccine. US… ...more
Investing through the pandemic 11th November 2020 by Richard Beddard - When I told my wife I was researching Hotel Chocolat and my first action would be to buy some chocolate, she reminded me that the… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 09/11/20 – Study silence to learn the music 9th November 2020 by Bruce Packard - The US Presidential election turned out to be closer than most people expected. Nasdaq up almost +10% over the week to 12078. Tech stocks reacted… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Jarvis Securities 4th November 2020 by Maynard Paton - Today I have returned to one of my favourite SharePad screens. This screen applies two ratios favoured by ‘quality’ investors — operating margin and return… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 02/11/20 – Insiders selling at the top? 2nd November 2020 by Bruce Packard - Last week markets sold off into the rising cases of Covid. The FTSE 100 fell 5% last week to 5561. Large UK banks HSBC and… ...more
Floored 28th October 2020 by Richard Beddard - James Halstead makes vinyl flooring, the kind we see in hospital corridors, GP surgeries, clinics, schools, offices, laboratories, prisons, factories, shops, trains and boats around… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 26/10/20 – Paying up for quality? 26th October 2020 by Bruce Packard - Markets recovered slightly towards the end of the week, with the FTSE 100 at 5888. Nasdaq was at 11662. Last week Netflix reported Q3 results,… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 19/10/20 – On network effects and fads 19th October 2020 by Bruce Packard - “Fad companies are companies with good business models or good products. So, why would we be interested in shorting a company that has a good… ...more
Don’t waste a good crisis 15th October 2020 by Richard Beddard - Before I started fishing for a share to investigate for this week’s article, I culled my personal filter library. Many of the filters are derivations,… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 12/10/20 – On content, distribution and kurtosis 12th October 2020 by Bruce Packard - Last week the FTSE recovered to just over 6000. The (perhaps inappropriately named) Bond film No Time to Die, was postponed until next year by… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 05/10/20 – On uncertainty and confidence 5th October 2020 by Bruce Packard - Last week Andy Haldane at the Bank of England gave an interesting speech on “Economic Anxiety” noting that pessimism can be as contagious as the… ...more
What does not kill a business can make it stronger 2nd October 2020 by Richard Beddard - This article was not supposed to be about paper maker James Cropper. I set out to write about Animalcare, a veterinary pharmaceutical company, but I… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Polar Capital 30th September 2020 by Maynard Paton - I am not a great fan of the fund-management industry. I cannot think of another sector where the employees collect enormous salaries while the customers… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 28/09/20 – Beginner’s mind and Buy and Build 28th September 2020 by Bruce Packard - Markets sold off last week as virus case rises rose (FTSE 100 fell to below 5800 before recovering slightly later in the week, Nasdaq down… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 21/09/20 – The long journey to exoneration 21st September 2020 by Bruce Packard - The FTSE 100 just about held its level above 6000 last week. Last week was Chilean Independence Day. It is a little known footnote in… ...more
This time is different for Design Group 17th September 2020 by Richard Beddard - If you watch Design Group’s annual results presentation, you may detect a bashful smile on chief executive Paul Fineman’s face. Paul Fineman, chief executive of… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 14/09/20 – Americans on AIM 14th September 2020 by Bruce Packard - The oil price fell to a 3 month low in the middle of last week to below $40 a barrel. Oil is in contango (futures… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Fuller, Smith & Turner 9th September 2020 by Maynard Paton - First, a wealth warning. The last price-to-book ‘bargain’ I looked at for SharePad was Hammerson. Back then the property group’s £5 billion asset base could… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 07/09/20 – Come back on St Leger Day 7th September 2020 by Bruce Packard - St Leger Day, as in ““Sell in May and go away, don’t come back till St Leger Day”, is approaching. I’ve always wondered who St… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 31/08/20 – Let the future ≠ the past 31st August 2020 by Bruce Packard - Nasdaq continued to hit new highs, at 11,666 up +30% from the start of the year and up 2.5x in the last 5 years. I… ...more
A safety first stock 19th August 2020 by Richard Beddard - I found James Latham a couple of months ago when I was trawling for cheap shares with strong balance sheets. The shares are still cheap,… ...more
UK banks – in the eye of the storm? 13th August 2020 by Bruce Packard - Every crisis presents opportunities. A contrarian strategy of buying bank shares during the point of maximum gloom during a recession has often, but not always,… ...more
Preparing for the worst, capitalising on the best 5th August 2020 by Richard Beddard - Listening to Porvair’s long-standing chief executive Ben Stocks talk about the challenges ahead, it is clear the company is bracing itself. Phrases like “preparing for… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Fever-Tree Drinks 29th July 2020 by Maynard Paton - They say mums always know best. Mine has bought Fever-Tree tonic waters for some years now and I recently asked whether she remained a customer.… ...more
Making a new discoverIE 22nd July 2020 by Richard Beddard - I discovered discoverIE using a simple and fruitful method of finding new investment ideas: a list of shares sorted in SharePad by previous annual report… ...more
Volex: Reassuringly above average 9th July 2020 by Richard Beddard - If you’ve read my recent articles you will know I have been ranking shares using basic financial statistics. I found Bioventix by ranking five criteria.… ...more
A cheap profitable share with a strong balance sheet 24th June 2020 by Richard Beddard - Today I have added two more criteria to turn the list of cheap shares with strong balance sheets I made in my last article into… ...more
Ranking potential bargains 17th June 2020 by Richard Beddard - A SharePad customer, Chris, reminded me of the power of ranking recently, when he emailed to say (among other things): "I find that I am… ...more
Getting to grips with software companies 29th May 2020 by Richard Beddard - First, an admission. The software biz is a bit of a mystery to me. There’s a vast ecosystem of enterprise solutions, software that businesses increasingly… ...more
The changing shape of QinetiQ 15th May 2020 by Richard Beddard - I have picked QinetiQ from my “Cash King” filter because it was one of the more reasonably priced companies that passed all the criteria. It’s… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Hikma Pharmaceuticals 13th May 2020 by Maynard Paton - One way to invest during the pandemic is to consider shares that have climbed higher as the market has dropped. Such companies may well be… ...more
In search of the cash kings 29th April 2020 by Richard Beddard - While the stock market and the pandemic may have stabilised, I’m still thinking about financially strong firms. We never know when the next shock will… ...more
Filtering for financial fortresses 15th April 2020 by Richard Beddard - The conclusion of my last article on finding companies with strong finances contained two caveats. Companies with seasonal cash flows can look like they have… ...more
Putting safety first 2nd April 2020 by Richard Beddard - Funny thing (peculiar, not ha! ha!). Search SharePad news for the phrase “strong balance sheet” and there are dozens of companies every day confirming their… ...more
Getting more out of return on capital 18th March 2020 by Richard Beddard - How we measure return on capital depends on what we want to know: whether a company is good at making profit from its operations, or… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: AB Dynamics 11th March 2020 by Maynard Paton - Recent market ructions have sent many shares tumbling — and perhaps created some buying opportunities. Amid the mayhem, I devised a straightforward screen. I simply… ...more
Taking back control 19th February 2020 by Richard Beddard - Richard investigates Dialight, a supplier of industrial LED lighting that flared up ten years ago briefly setting the stock market alight, and subsequently dimmed alarmingly.… ...more
XP POWER 14th February 2020 by Alistair Blair - Older readers may recall a distant era when electrical devices used to plug straight into the wall. Nowadays, everything electrical seems to need an annoying… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Boohoo 12th February 2020 by Maynard Paton - Cash flow movements can often indicate whether or not a business enjoys a powerful operational advantage. A strong business might: Receive customer payments upfront for… ...more
When bad news is good news 5th February 2020 by Richard Beddard - Richard investigates Vitec, which has reported some bad news in 2019. It could be an opportunity to buy shares in a high quality business at… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Greggs 24th January 2020 by Maynard Paton - ‘Run your winners’ is popular stock-market advice. Great companies often remain great investments for a lot longer than most people expect… … and can deliver… ...more
Out with the old, in with the new 8th January 2020 by Richard Beddard - Richard enters 2020 with a cleaned-up SharePad setup primed to help him find companies developing competitive advantages. He expects it to make him a better… ...more
Alpha FX speaks my language 24th December 2019 by Richard Beddard - In response to a reader’s suggestion, Richard investigates Alpha FX. It is exactly the kind of people-first business that could be building a long-term competitive… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Mears 18th December 2019 by Maynard Paton - This article has not turned out as I had expected. I searched on SharePad for magnificent dividend histories, and thought I would be evaluating a… ...more
The ultimate competitive advantage 11th December 2019 by Richard Beddard - Business schools identify the sources of competitive advantage that tie customers to companies and what they produce. Fundamentally though, there is only one true competitive… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Dotdigital 19th November 2019 by Maynard Paton - Today I have returned to the share screen I employed to pinpoint Victrex earlier this year. To quickly recap, this screen applies two ratios favoured… ...more
Burberry joins “Future of Fashion” portfolio 29th October 2019 by Richard Beddard - In his quest for companies that control their own destinies, Richard discovers luxury fashion brand Burberry, a company whose products he is in no danger… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Rightmove 23rd October 2019 by Maynard Paton - Studying free cash conversion is vital when evaluating a set of accounts. The measure compares free cash flow to reported earnings, and can indicate whether… ...more
Finding companies that control their own destinies 16th October 2019 by Richard Beddard - Fallout from the demise of Thomas Cook reminds Richard of the virtues of vertical integration. In the month since the demise of Thomas Cook, the… ...more
KAINOS 4th October 2019 by Alistair Blair - THE SETTING Kainos (Greek for fresh, innovative) was launched in 1986 when the old British IT champion ICL recognised the quality of computer science graduates… ...more
What PZ Cussons’ cashflow tells us about its strategy 2nd October 2019 by Richard Beddard - Having found PZ Cussons through his Keep It Simple, Stupid filter, Richard examines the company through its cash flow statement. To his delight, he finds… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Medica 24th September 2019 by Maynard Paton - Dynamic growth shares are among the market’s most exciting investments. Find a business that has expanded rapidly and offers the prospect of further earnings growth… ...more
Filtering out the big spenders 18th September 2019 by Richard Beddard - Richard invents a new filter that promises to weed out big acquirers in a drive for simplicity he hopes will make investigating his next company… ...more
The future of holidays portfolio 4th September 2019 by Richard Beddard - Richard returns from his holiday and wonders whether he can put the experience to use by investing in holiday companies. First step: Create a portfolio… ...more
Why shorting is good for investors 30th August 2019 by Michael Taylor - Although I am much more of a trader myself as I rely on trading profits to pay my bills, I do think investors have much… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Hammerson 28th August 2019 by Maynard Paton - Buying a share at a discount to its book (or net asset) value ought to be the safest way of investing. Indeed, what could go… ...more
Hidden potential in new division 21st August 2019 by Richard Beddard - Richard analyses Bloomsbury Publishing’s segmental report to work out where the profit is coming from. The Harry Potter effect is still evident, but the company… ...more
Finding the best companies to analyse 6th August 2019 by Richard Beddard - A wise man once advised investors to stick to their circle of competence. Richard uses SharePad to keep his eye on the prize, and it… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: AG Barr 30th July 2019 by Maynard Paton - Quality companies undergoing temporary problems can often become attractive investment opportunities. On that basis, perhaps AG Barr is worth closer inspection. The soft-drinks manufacturer famous… ...more
How to work out whether a firm is good acquirer 10th July 2019 by Richard Beddard - Richard uses a trick from Judges Scientific’s playbook to assess local hero Scientific Digital Imaging. Both companies acquire scientific instrument manufacturers using a “buy and… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Imperial Brands 3rd July 2019 by Maynard Paton - Imagine this. You find a blue-chip company that offers: * 21 years of consecutive dividend increases, with the last ten years showing 10% per annum… ...more
The Future of Retail portfolio 26th June 2019 by Richard Beddard - Rule number one in investing is to buy what you know, but how does that work when what you know is changing day by day?… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: JD Sports Fashion 18th June 2019 by Maynard Paton - Today I am revisiting the share screen that pinpointed Games Workshop back in January. The shares of the quirky wargaming retailer have soared more than… ...more
Weekly commentary: 17/06/19 17th June 2019 by Jeremy Grime - It’s “avoid the warnings” time Last week saw a few profit warnings. Somero, Ted Baker, Quiz, Pendragon warnings were based on revenue disappointments but I… ...more
Scapa has had a rocky three weeks. Its market capitalisation is down by 50%. Is it a buy? 13th June 2019 by Alistair Blair - THE SETTING After nine years of impressive revivification under CEO Heejae Chae, the specialist tapes maker Scapa has just delivered three tingling episodes in three… ...more
Checking the numbers match the story 11th June 2019 by Richard Beddard - One thing we should always check is that a company’s long-term performance matches the story it tells us. Churchill China says it is “adding value”… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Jupiter Fund Management 5th June 2019 by Maynard Paton - Today I have revisited a share screen that applies two ratios favoured by ‘quality’ investors — operating margin and return on equity (ROE). The exact… ...more
Hidden treasure on your doorstep 30th May 2019 by Richard Beddard - Finding local businesses listed on the stock market is easy with the help of SharePad and Google Maps. Richard maps the market to find out… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Domino’s Pizza 22nd May 2019 by Maynard Paton - This in-depth article covers one of the most impressive UK growth stocks of the last 20 years — Domino’s Pizza. Domino’s appeared on my radar… ...more
Portmeirion: When confidence crumbles 14th May 2019 by Richard Beddard - SharePad is not just about discovering new shares, it can help us see shares we are familiar with in a new light. Richard uses it… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Abcam 8th May 2019 by Maynard Paton - Today I have returned to the share screen I employed to pinpoint Victrex the other week. To quickly recap, this screen applies two ratios favoured… ...more
Bodycote: A stalwart in cyclical clothing 2nd May 2019 by Richard Beddard - Richard investigates a company that not only walks the walk, it talks the talk. I am not going to lie, even if it means shattering… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Victrex 25th April 2019 by Maynard Paton - This week I am tracking down a potential long-term winner by employing two ratios favoured by ‘quality’ investors. The first measure is operating margin, which… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Renishaw 8th April 2019 by Maynard Paton - I am convinced the very best shares to own are often led by executives who truly act in the interests of ordinary shareholders. In particular,… ...more
RM: Is profit real? 3rd April 2019 by Richard Beddard - Richard investigates RM, one of the stock market's great survivors, starting with just one question. It takes him on a twisty trail... Before we get… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Craneware 26th March 2019 by Maynard Paton - Years ago I read Super Stocks, an investment book that claimed to reveal “powerful new ideas” to uncover “opportunities for spectacular profits”. I sadly can’t… ...more
Moneysupermaaaaaaahhhhhhket 19th March 2019 by Richard Beddard - The veteran price comparison company is changing, and maybe for the better. Richard investigates one of the companies that easily met the criteria of his… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Accesso Technology 12th March 2019 by Maynard Paton - This article has not turned out as I had expected. I was hoping to study a quality growth business that had seen its share price… ...more
Fishing like Fundsmith 5th March 2019 by Richard Beddard - Richard builds a Fundsmith filter, taking it from concept to conclusion. The aim: To reduce the “junk” in our watchlists so we are fishing in… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Hargreaves Lansdown 27th February 2019 by Maynard Paton - Quality companies often produce exceptional returns for ordinary investors. Just ask Terry Smith or Nick Train. These ace fund managers have delivered wonderful gains by… ...more
Performance measurement for pros 20th February 2019 by Richard Beddard - Investors tend to judge their portfolios by how much they go up or down in value, typically compared to a benchmark index like the FTSE… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Apple 11th February 2019 by Maynard Paton - Being able to analyse international shares — at no extra cost! — is a wonderful feature of SharePad. And finding overseas shares within SharePad is… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Games Workshop 30th January 2019 by Maynard Paton - Could now be the time to return to dynamic growth shares? Wonder-stocks such as Fever-Tree, Boohoo.com and Keywords Studios are all well below their highs… ...more
Starting with the big picture 23rd January 2019 by Richard Beddard - Richard starts his analysis of fast growing online beach holiday retailer On The Beach with new SharePad views designed to give him the big picture… ...more
Magic Formula stocks for 2019 & 2018 performance 18th January 2019 by Marketing - Back in 2016 we began testing and tracking three model portfolios based on Joel Greenblatt’s magic formula approach (click here to read more about this)… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Plus500 16th January 2019 by Maynard Paton - Before I start looking at Plus500 (LSE: PLUS), I have some good news…. …you can now employ my SharePad screening criteria with just a few… ...more
Assessing whether profit is real 10th January 2019 by Richard Beddard - On the face of it Ricardo is a great company, but in recent years its earnings have deviated a long way from the cold hard… ...more
How I build and manage my share portfolio 10th January 2019 by Martin Stamp - The key thing to stress at the beginning and, as many of you will already be well aware, there are many ways to become a… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Somero Enterprises 2nd January 2019 by Maynard Paton - How did your portfolio fare during 2018? If you managed to side-step the market falls, very well done. For the rest of us — including… ...more
A SharePad for every occasion 21st December 2018 by Richard Beddard - Richard takes a break from company analysis and reveals a new layout for news, and reflects on some of the other tweeks he has used this… ...more
Two good companies, but which is better? 17th December 2018 by Richard Beddard - Richard takes a first look at Softcat, and he likes what he sees, even in comparison to rival Computacenter, another fine business. Both companies make… ...more
A Special SharePad Investigation: Patisserie Valerie 11th December 2018 by Maynard Paton - Before I go any further, let me just state that I am not here to say “I told you so”. But whenever I have lost… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Mattioli Woods 4th December 2018 by Maynard Paton - Many years ago, one of my favourite sources for investment ideas was the Financial Times. However, the FT’s articles did not interest me, and nor… ...more
Searching SharePad for something special 27th November 2018 by Richard Beddard - Richard Beddard investigates DotDigital in SharePad. The data indicates it has been very prosperous since it floated on the London Stock Exchange in 2011. A… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Warpaint London 21st November 2018 by Maynard Paton - I am always looking for shares that can double, triple, quadruple or more during the years ahead. And one good way of finding such great… ...more
What really makes a great business? 14th November 2018 by Richard Beddard - To identify great businesses we must go beyond the numbers and understand what causes them. In this article I revisit 4Imprint, an investment I should… ...more
Filtering new issues 28th September 2018 by Richard Beddard - New issues have a reputation for delivering poor investment returns. In this article we filter SharePad for companies that may be more seasoned than they… ...more
The old ones are the good ones 11th September 2018 by Richard Beddard - Exciting news: Aston Martin is readying itself to float on the stock market. Investors should think twice though, before buying the shares. Typically, it is… ...more
Building a base filter 30th August 2018 by Richard Beddard - To demonstrate how to filter in SharePad, we’ll build a base filter that filters out the shares we are least likely to be interested in.… ...more
The perils of filtering stocks 20th August 2018 by Richard Beddard - This is the second article in the series “From ideas to investments” in which I look at the process of finding and evaluating investment ideas.… ...more
How the stock market actually works 27th July 2018 by Richard Beddard - Today's article is the first in a new series called ‘From ideas to investments’ which takes an in-depth look at how to generate investment ideas… ...more
Avoiding bad shares is just as important as picking good ones 13th June 2018 by Phil Oakley - If you've been investing in individual shares for a while then you've probably gone through the experience of losing some money on one or more… ...more
First steps to an inheritance tax-exempt portfolio 21st May 2018 by Richard Beddard - Investing in AIM-listed shares can help you reduce inheritance tax but you have to be picky. Not all shares qualify, and they must be good… ...more
Buying quality on its own is no guarantee of success 15th May 2018 by Phil Oakley - There are many different ways to make money from the stock market. Over the last few years, one of the most popular and discussed strategies… ...more
A new issue that is already a winner 8th May 2018 by Richard Beddard - Looking through the prisms of profitability, debt, cash flow, strategy and valuation, Strix may be an exception to the rule that new issues make bad… ...more
AGMs – If in doubt, ask 23rd April 2018 by Richard Beddard - Most companies will answer questions from shareholders and potential shareholders. At Annual General Meetings shareholders have a right to ask questions and get answers. A… ...more
Should investors avoid low margin companies? 10th April 2018 by Phil Oakley - Highly profitable companies can make outstanding long-term investments. Arguably, the best way to measure a company's profitability is to compare its profits with the amount… ...more
Putting performance in perspective 9th April 2018 by Richard Beddard - To get a grip on where a company is going you have to understand where it has come from. Fortunately, that doesn’t mean reading every… ...more
Working out what could go wrong with a share 26th March 2018 by Richard Beddard - Investors pin their hopes on what could go right. The great product. The winning strategy. The growing market. The new technology. These may be good… ...more
Checking out a company’s cash conversion 21st March 2018 by Phil Oakley - A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the issues investors faced in working out a company’s true profits. In many cases, the ways in… ...more
Decrypting a company’s business model and strategy 13th March 2018 by Richard Beddard - While it’s comforting to know a business has enjoyed success, long-term investors must also form an opinion on its prospects if we’re to hold the… ...more
Can you trust a company’s profits? 7th March 2018 by Phil Oakley - This article is more suited to experienced investors. Profits are all important when it comes to investing in companies. To make money over the long… ...more
How to read an annual report 27th February 2018 by Richard Beddard - Rule number one in long-term investing is to understand how the businesses you expect to profit from will make money - otherwise, how can you… ...more
A smarter way to use analysts’ EPS forecasts 21st February 2018 by Phil Oakley - Should investors pay much attention to analysts’ profit forecasts? There is a school of thought that suggests that they should not. Detractors say that forecasts… ...more
The Terry Smith algorithm 14th February 2018 by Richard Beddard - In this article I’ve attempted to find Fundsmith-like companies using SharePad. The results are mixed but there’s a lot to be learned from the experiment.… ...more
A checklist for busy investors 7th February 2018 by Phil Oakley - There are many full time private investors out there but for others investing is a hobby or something that they fit around their day to… ...more
Using SharePad’s “Live” tables in your own spreadsheets 30th January 2018 by Richard Beddard - Maybe you already download tables of data from SharePad by clicking on the sharing button in SharePad's blue Table view, but this data is dead.… ...more
A better way to track changes in company performance 23rd January 2018 by Phil Oakley - It doesn't take too much time to get a feel for how well a company is doing. Most people do this by looking at percentage… ...more
Buy and build 15th January 2018 by Richard Beddard - If you take a look at Diploma through the lens of SharePad's summary page (under the green 'Financials' tab), you will find it shares many… ...more
Settings for the big picture 3rd January 2018 by Richard Beddard - Happy New Year! I've started mine by tidying up my many desktops: my physical desk, my laptop's desktop, and SharePad. I did so much experimenting… ...more
Two charts to unlock a company’s finances 6th December 2017 by Richard Beddard - By way of introducing two charts I'm routinely using to suss out how companies are financed - the twin pillars of debt and equity -… ...more
Is the current ratio an outdated measure of company safety? 15th November 2017 by Phil Oakley - One of the most commonly cited measures of a company's financial strength is something known as the current ratio. It is a measure of liquidity… ...more
Income Opportunities From Dividends 10th November 2017 by Phil Oakley - In the last of his Investors Chronicle articles, Phil looks at companies reinstating dividends or starting to pay them for the 1st time. Read pdf… ...more
How to steer clear of dividend traps 3rd November 2017 by Phil Oakley - First published in Investors Chronicle, Phil explains how to avoid the shares that might let you down. Read pdf article ...more
Finding safe high-yielding shares 27th October 2017 by Phil Oakley - First published in Investors Chronicle, Phil explains how to identify which high-yielding shares are most likely to maintain or grow their dividends. Read pdf article ...more
Finding companies that speak your language 4th October 2017 by Richard Beddard - Finding companies that speak your language It's a commonly held view that the only bits of financial reports worth paying attention to are the numbers… ...more
How much is a company worth? A look at different ways to value shares 27th September 2017 by Phil Oakley - Two weeks ago I wrote about how to try and value companies that aren't making a profit. This week I'm going back to basics for… ...more
13th September 2017 by Phil Oakley - How to value loss-making companies One of the questions I am frequently asked is: "How do I value loss-making companies?". The short answer is that… ...more
How I choose my next share using filters and charts 13th September 2017 by Richard Beddard - After many years of investment I still feel a sense of anticipation when I examine lists of shares looking for new opportunities. It's like opening… ...more
Hunting in the minefield of cheap shares 18th July 2017 by Phil Oakley - Most people like a bargain. Bargain hunting on the stock market has long been a popular pastime or even a full time occupation for investors.… ...more
The case for dividend investing in dangerous markets 4th July 2017 by Phil Oakley - I am finding investing more than just a little bit frustrating these days. The reason for this is that I am struggling to find shares… ...more
Making sense of highly priced shares 21st June 2017 by Phil Oakley - In my 20 years of investing I am finding the current stock market conditions the most challenging I have ever encountered. My investing career started… ...more
The case for enterprise valuations 6th June 2017 by Phil Oakley - A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the subject of PE ratios (click here to read the article) and the ins and outs of… ...more
PE ratios and how to use them 23rd May 2017 by Phil Oakley - PE ratios and how to use them Price to earnings (PE) ratios are the most commonly used method of weighing up the value of a… ...more
Looking beyond free cash flow 9th May 2017 by Phil Oakley - Ask me about the kind of financial characteristics I like to see in a potential investment and the first two I will usually cite are… ...more
Analysing the stocks in a filter 19th April 2017 by Phil Oakley - Running filters or screens is a popular way of finding shares to invest in. Whilst screening can be very powerful it is important to recognise… ...more
Why depreciation matters and EBITDA doesn’t 30th March 2017 by Phil Oakley - When it comes to weighing up asset-intensive sectors, depreciation matters. It is a real cost. This does not stop people ignoring it and touting the… ...more
The end of “hidden debts” 28th March 2017 by Phil Oakley - Accounting is a dry subject but a very important one. I perfectly understand why private investors' eyes glaze over at the mere mention of the… ...more
How to avoid value traps 10th March 2017 by Phil Oakley - In this instalment, Phil explains how to spot value traps and finds some cheap shares that might bounce back. Read the article ...more
Free cash flow: what it is and how to use it 3rd March 2017 by Phil Oakley - In this week's Investors Chronicle, Phil explains how to use free cash flow to your advantage. Read the article ...more
Weighing up investment trusts 15th February 2017 by Phil Oakley - Many private investors like to build a portfolio of individual shares in order to grow the value of their savings as well as trying to… ...more
Riding a retail roll out 8th February 2017 by Phil Oakley - Note: This in an advanced article best suited to more experienced and confident investors. One of the most profitable investing strategies can be to buy… ...more
Paying up for quality shares – how much is too much? 10th January 2017 by Phil Oakley - "It's far better to buy a wonderful company at a fair price than a fair company at a wonderful price." - Warren Buffett "The desirability of a… ...more

Reversals & Recovery Stocks: Price Action Reversals 2nd April 2021 by Jason Needham - In this article I'll be looking at trend reversals with a focus on price action. I'll break down the meaningful timeframes that add weight to… ...more
Shares to help you sleep at night 31st March 2021 by Richard Beddard - I am probably jinxing it now, but owning shares in Howden Joinery has never lost me sleep. I was reminded of this fact earlier in… ...more
The Trader: Trading Turnarounds – Part II 12th March 2021 by Michael Taylor - In my previous article on trading turnarounds, we looked at why trading turnarounds can take time and investors can lose patience. We looked at how… ...more
The Trader: Trading Turnarounds 2nd March 2021 by Michael Taylor - Everyone likes a turnaround. This is because people like the idea of buying at the bottom and reaping the rewards. However, trading turnarounds can take… ...more
The Trader: Results from my filter 2nd February 2021 by Michael Taylor - My last article detailed my new filter. If you missed it then you can read about it here. As discussed, this filter looks for stocks… ...more
Lessons from the Trend (Part 2): Moving Averages 29th January 2021 by Jason Needham - In this article I will continue focusing on primary and secondary trends but this time I will use moving averages to define market phases. You… ...more
The Trader: Introducing my new filter 15th January 2021 by Michael Taylor - I released a new filter several weeks ago. This was a new filter I was testing and mentioned this in my Investors Chronicle column. I’ve… ...more
Lessons from the Trend (Part 1): Breakouts 16th December 2020 by Jason Needham - All the best trends in the market need to start somewhere. I’m going to show you how to define a trend using two methods and… ...more
The Trader: A look at the pharmaceuticals sector 27th November 2020 by Michael Taylor - The pharmaceuticals sector is another popular sector with private investors and retail traders. This is because the volatility is high and traders are often attracted… ...more
The Trader: A look at the commodities sector 13th November 2020 by Michael Taylor - The commodities sector is popular with private investors and retail traders. Life changing gains (and life changing losses) can be made on this sector. Back… ...more
Stock selection & staying in lane 16th October 2020 by Jason Needham - In this article I'm going to cover some big picture charting and try my best to bring across to the reader three different time frames… ...more
The Trader: Five rules for new traders 22nd May 2020 by Michael Taylor - A combination of market volatility and being locked in during lockdown has led to many turning their eye to getting involved in the stock market.… ...more
The Trader: How to Avoid Blowing Your Account 7th May 2020 by Michael Taylor - The market is moving with extreme volatility in recent weeks. This offers traders many opportunities to prosper and profit, but volatility is a double-edged sword.… ...more
The Trader: Why You Should Be Using R 23rd April 2020 by Michael Taylor - R is a component in trading that we use to define risk. It is a crucial aspect of trading systems and by thinking in terms… ...more
The Trader: Why the trend is your friend 31st March 2020 by Michael Taylor - “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” Whether or… ...more
The Trader: Exit Strategies 13th March 2020 by Michael Taylor - In April 2017, I had a real nightmare. I had been trading full time on the market for four months and had had enormous success… ...more
The Trader: Optimising Your RNS Feed 26th February 2020 by Michael Taylor - In this article, I’ll show you how to clean up and manage your RNS feed by adding a filter and removing noise, colour coding your… ...more
A market of stocks or a stock market? 7th February 2020 by Michael Taylor - January was a good month, despite the FTSE 100 closing down nearly 3.5% and the outbreak on coronavirus soon to kill us all. Or is… ...more
Taste the Feeling 29th January 2020 by Michael Taylor - Taste the Feeling is a Coca-Cola slogan from 2016. I think it’s a very good, because Coca-Cola isn’t just a product. It’s a religion. The… ...more
Why mindset is the most important factor 16th January 2020 by Michael Taylor - "Nature versus nurture" has been a debate that has raged for hundreds of years. Sir Francis Galton (pictured above), who was a Victorian era statistician… ...more
Cups and bowls 6th December 2019 by Michael Taylor - Cups and handles, and bowls, have been very popular with trend traders. These patterns can be powerful as they show sentiment of the stock gradually… ...more
Is there life on the High Street? 22nd November 2019 by Michael Taylor - With Debenhams going bang, the demise of Mothercare, and Carpetright finally succumbing to their challenges (Carpetright was taken over – but at a price only… ...more
Support & Resistance 6th November 2019 by Michael Taylor - Support and resistance are two common concepts when it comes to technical analysis. They are the most basic but also the most important points when… ...more
Two Technical Analysis Tools You Need: Candlesticks and Volume 9th October 2019 by Michael Taylor - We briefly touched on technical analysis in my previous article ‘The Four Stages of a Stock’, and in this article I want to introduce some… ...more
Why shorting is good for investors 30th August 2019 by Michael Taylor - Although I am much more of a trader myself as I rely on trading profits to pay my bills, I do think investors have much… ...more
The Four Stages of a Stock 26th July 2019 by Michael Taylor - Technical analysis is either loved or hated. Many people like to claim it as ‘voodoo’ and trying to predict the future, but the fact is… ...more

The Trader: More results from my filter 23rd April 2021 by Michael Taylor - April is typically a strong month – perhaps because of all the tax-selling clearing and reducing sell pressure. New ISA money tends to enter the… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Venture Life 21st April 2021 by Maynard Paton - I like companies that boast significant net cash. My reasons include: Limited risk of funding difficulties should trouble strike; Management might be sensible by holding… ...more
The Trader: More results from my filter 7th April 2021 by Michael Taylor - I run my filter every week, usually on a Saturday morning. By running the filter every week, it allows five trading sessions to pass and… ...more
Reversals & Recovery Stocks: Price Action Reversals 2nd April 2021 by Jason Needham - In this article I'll be looking at trend reversals with a focus on price action. I'll break down the meaningful timeframes that add weight to… ...more
Shares to help you sleep at night 31st March 2021 by Richard Beddard - I am probably jinxing it now, but owning shares in Howden Joinery has never lost me sleep. I was reminded of this fact earlier in… ...more
Quality cyclicals – not for the faint-hearted 17th March 2021 by Richard Beddard - Over the years I have ignored Kingspan because it is big, acquisitive, and supplies building materials. My gut reaction to these facts is that Kingspan… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Best of the Best 10th March 2021 by Maynard Paton - One of my favourite SharePad screens identifies good-quality companies that have grown without acquisition. I first used the screen to identify Medica by using the… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: IG Group 11th February 2021 by Maynard Paton - For some time now IG Group has been flashing on my SharePad filters. The three screenshots just below show IG offers: High margins; Decent returns… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Avon Rubber 13th January 2021 by Maynard Paton - Happy 2021! I trust SharePad will help bring you good fortune in what could be another twelve months of financial thrills and spills. As usual… ...more
Lessons from lockdown and other stories 23rd December 2020 by Richard Beddard - This year has confirmed that most of the news is at best irrelevant to me as an investor. Worse, the news stressed me out. It… ...more
Finding the soft drinks companies with the most fizz 25th November 2020 by Richard Beddard - I know this is going to make me sound like an alcoholic, but I rarely drink soft drinks. When a reader requested an overview of… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Manolete Partners 20th November 2020 by Maynard Paton - I am always looking for ‘multi-baggers’ — investments that can double, triple, quadruple or more. And here’s some very good news: I have stumbled on… ...more
Alpesh Patel on US Investing: 3 “Strong Buy” looking stocks set to move up 5th November 2020 by Alpesh Patel - There is no shortage of stocks that are delivering triple digit returns. Scholar Rock, Miragen, Zedge, Socket Mobile - even Tupperware is up nearly 1,000%.… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Jarvis Securities 4th November 2020 by Maynard Paton - Today I have returned to one of my favourite SharePad screens. This screen applies two ratios favoured by ‘quality’ investors — operating margin and return… ...more
Don’t waste a good crisis 15th October 2020 by Richard Beddard - Before I started fishing for a share to investigate for this week’s article, I culled my personal filter library. Many of the filters are derivations,… ...more
What does not kill a business can make it stronger 2nd October 2020 by Richard Beddard - This article was not supposed to be about paper maker James Cropper. I set out to write about Animalcare, a veterinary pharmaceutical company, but I… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Polar Capital 30th September 2020 by Maynard Paton - I am not a great fan of the fund-management industry. I cannot think of another sector where the employees collect enormous salaries while the customers… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Fuller, Smith & Turner 9th September 2020 by Maynard Paton - First, a wealth warning. The last price-to-book ‘bargain’ I looked at for SharePad was Hammerson. Back then the property group’s £5 billion asset base could… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Headlam 15th July 2020 by Maynard Paton - Let me start by thanking you for clicking on an article with Headlam in the title. Rest assured, not everyone will want to read about… ...more
Ranking potential bargains 17th June 2020 by Richard Beddard - A SharePad customer, Chris, reminded me of the power of ranking recently, when he emailed to say (among other things): "I find that I am… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Frontier Developments 10th June 2020 by Maynard Paton - Has the market become too obsessed with ‘pandemic-proof’ shares? I ask because my SharePad screening has brought Frontier Developments to my attention. The shares of… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Hikma Pharmaceuticals 13th May 2020 by Maynard Paton - One way to invest during the pandemic is to consider shares that have climbed higher as the market has dropped. Such companies may well be… ...more
In search of the cash kings 29th April 2020 by Richard Beddard - While the stock market and the pandemic may have stabilised, I’m still thinking about financially strong firms. We never know when the next shock will… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: A Covid-19 Special 8th April 2020 by Maynard Paton - Let me start with a confession.This Covid-19 ‘Special’ may not be all that special. I have just applied a new SharePad screen to seek ‘quality… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: AB Dynamics 11th March 2020 by Maynard Paton - Recent market ructions have sent many shares tumbling — and perhaps created some buying opportunities. Amid the mayhem, I devised a straightforward screen. I simply… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Boohoo 12th February 2020 by Maynard Paton - Cash flow movements can often indicate whether or not a business enjoys a powerful operational advantage. A strong business might: Receive customer payments upfront for… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Greggs 24th January 2020 by Maynard Paton - ‘Run your winners’ is popular stock-market advice. Great companies often remain great investments for a lot longer than most people expect… … and can deliver… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Mears 18th December 2019 by Maynard Paton - This article has not turned out as I had expected. I searched on SharePad for magnificent dividend histories, and thought I would be evaluating a… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Rightmove 23rd October 2019 by Maynard Paton - Studying free cash conversion is vital when evaluating a set of accounts. The measure compares free cash flow to reported earnings, and can indicate whether… ...more
Finding companies that control their own destinies 16th October 2019 by Richard Beddard - Fallout from the demise of Thomas Cook reminds Richard of the virtues of vertical integration. In the month since the demise of Thomas Cook, the… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Medica 24th September 2019 by Maynard Paton - Dynamic growth shares are among the market’s most exciting investments. Find a business that has expanded rapidly and offers the prospect of further earnings growth… ...more
Filtering out the big spenders 18th September 2019 by Richard Beddard - Richard invents a new filter that promises to weed out big acquirers in a drive for simplicity he hopes will make investigating his next company… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Hammerson 28th August 2019 by Maynard Paton - Buying a share at a discount to its book (or net asset) value ought to be the safest way of investing. Indeed, what could go… ...more
Finding the best companies to analyse 6th August 2019 by Richard Beddard - A wise man once advised investors to stick to their circle of competence. Richard uses SharePad to keep his eye on the prize, and it… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: AG Barr 30th July 2019 by Maynard Paton - Quality companies undergoing temporary problems can often become attractive investment opportunities. On that basis, perhaps AG Barr is worth closer inspection. The soft-drinks manufacturer famous… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Imperial Brands 3rd July 2019 by Maynard Paton - Imagine this. You find a blue-chip company that offers: * 21 years of consecutive dividend increases, with the last ten years showing 10% per annum… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: JD Sports Fashion 18th June 2019 by Maynard Paton - Today I am revisiting the share screen that pinpointed Games Workshop back in January. The shares of the quirky wargaming retailer have soared more than… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Jupiter Fund Management 5th June 2019 by Maynard Paton - Today I have revisited a share screen that applies two ratios favoured by ‘quality’ investors — operating margin and return on equity (ROE). The exact… ...more
Hidden treasure on your doorstep 30th May 2019 by Richard Beddard - Finding local businesses listed on the stock market is easy with the help of SharePad and Google Maps. Richard maps the market to find out… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Domino’s Pizza 22nd May 2019 by Maynard Paton - This in-depth article covers one of the most impressive UK growth stocks of the last 20 years — Domino’s Pizza. Domino’s appeared on my radar… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Abcam 8th May 2019 by Maynard Paton - Today I have returned to the share screen I employed to pinpoint Victrex the other week. To quickly recap, this screen applies two ratios favoured… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Victrex 25th April 2019 by Maynard Paton - This week I am tracking down a potential long-term winner by employing two ratios favoured by ‘quality’ investors. The first measure is operating margin, which… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Renishaw 8th April 2019 by Maynard Paton - I am convinced the very best shares to own are often led by executives who truly act in the interests of ordinary shareholders. In particular,… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Craneware 26th March 2019 by Maynard Paton - Years ago I read Super Stocks, an investment book that claimed to reveal “powerful new ideas” to uncover “opportunities for spectacular profits”. I sadly can’t… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Accesso Technology 12th March 2019 by Maynard Paton - This article has not turned out as I had expected. I was hoping to study a quality growth business that had seen its share price… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Hargreaves Lansdown 27th February 2019 by Maynard Paton - Quality companies often produce exceptional returns for ordinary investors. Just ask Terry Smith or Nick Train. These ace fund managers have delivered wonderful gains by… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Apple 11th February 2019 by Maynard Paton - Being able to analyse international shares — at no extra cost! — is a wonderful feature of SharePad. And finding overseas shares within SharePad is… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Games Workshop 30th January 2019 by Maynard Paton - Could now be the time to return to dynamic growth shares? Wonder-stocks such as Fever-Tree, Boohoo.com and Keywords Studios are all well below their highs… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Plus500 16th January 2019 by Maynard Paton - Before I start looking at Plus500 (LSE: PLUS), I have some good news…. …you can now employ my SharePad screening criteria with just a few… ...more
How I build and manage my share portfolio 10th January 2019 by Martin Stamp - The key thing to stress at the beginning and, as many of you will already be well aware, there are many ways to become a… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Somero Enterprises 2nd January 2019 by Maynard Paton - How did your portfolio fare during 2018? If you managed to side-step the market falls, very well done. For the rest of us — including… ...more
A Special SharePad Investigation: Patisserie Valerie 11th December 2018 by Maynard Paton - Before I go any further, let me just state that I am not here to say “I told you so”. But whenever I have lost… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Mattioli Woods 4th December 2018 by Maynard Paton - Many years ago, one of my favourite sources for investment ideas was the Financial Times. However, the FT’s articles did not interest me, and nor… ...more
Screening For My Next Long-Term Winner: Warpaint London 21st November 2018 by Maynard Paton - I am always looking for shares that can double, triple, quadruple or more during the years ahead. And one good way of finding such great… ...more

The Trader: More results from my filter 7th April 2021 by Michael Taylor - I run my filter every week, usually on a Saturday morning. By running the filter every week, it allows five trading sessions to pass and… ...more
Time to Get Out of Tech Stocks? If So, Into What for Returns? 2nd April 2021 by Alpesh Patel - Tech stocks were strong performers last year. The pandemic meant that providers of remote services like Zoom Video Communications or Peloton Interactive experienced massive sales… ...more
The Trader: Introducing the single page 26th March 2021 by Michael Taylor - A few months ago, SharePad released a new feature. It’s called the Single Page. The Single Page feature can be found by clicking this icon… ...more
The Trader: Trading Turnarounds – Part II 12th March 2021 by Michael Taylor - In my previous article on trading turnarounds, we looked at why trading turnarounds can take time and investors can lose patience. We looked at how… ...more
The Trader: Trading Turnarounds 2nd March 2021 by Michael Taylor - Everyone likes a turnaround. This is because people like the idea of buying at the bottom and reaping the rewards. However, trading turnarounds can take… ...more
The Trader: Results from my filter 2nd February 2021 by Michael Taylor - My last article detailed my new filter. If you missed it then you can read about it here. As discussed, this filter looks for stocks… ...more
The Trader: Introducing my new filter 15th January 2021 by Michael Taylor - I released a new filter several weeks ago. This was a new filter I was testing and mentioned this in my Investors Chronicle column. I’ve… ...more
Lessons from the Trend (Part 1): Breakouts 16th December 2020 by Jason Needham - All the best trends in the market need to start somewhere. I’m going to show you how to define a trend using two methods and… ...more
The Trader: A look at the pharmaceuticals sector 27th November 2020 by Michael Taylor - The pharmaceuticals sector is another popular sector with private investors and retail traders. This is because the volatility is high and traders are often attracted… ...more
The Trader: A look at the commodities sector 13th November 2020 by Michael Taylor - The commodities sector is popular with private investors and retail traders. Life changing gains (and life changing losses) can be made on this sector. Back… ...more
The Trader: A look at the automobile sector 22nd October 2020 by Michael Taylor - The automobile sector is not one I usually deal in. However, by using the RNS service each morning and sifting through company reports, it’s easy… ...more
Stock selection & staying in lane 16th October 2020 by Jason Needham - In this article I'm going to cover some big picture charting and try my best to bring across to the reader three different time frames… ...more
The Trader: A look at the hospitality sector 7th October 2020 by Michael Taylor - The hospitality sector has been smashed in recent months. This is for several reasons. Lower footfall in high streets, offices closed and the work from… ...more
The Trader: The Impact of Coronavirus on Trading 23rd September 2020 by Michael Taylor - One of the effects on Coronavirus has been to crash the entire stock market only to see it recover strongly. However, the impact of Coronavirus… ...more
The Trader: Spread Betting 11th September 2020 by Michael Taylor - Spread betting is another way of buying and selling shares. Instead of buying the actual stock when we purchase through our broker, in spread betting… ...more
The Trader: Working Through Rough Periods 26th August 2020 by Michael Taylor - Unless you’re an Instagram trader, set with a laptop by the pool and a Lamborghini in the background, everybody goes through rough patches in trading.… ...more
The Trader: A Day In The Life of a Stock Trader 21st August 2020 by Michael Taylor - One of the questions I’m frequently asked is how I structure my day. Time is a trader’s most important currency because sometimes it can be… ...more
The Trader: Knowing Your Market 4th August 2020 by Michael Taylor - We have covered many aspects of trading in previous articles, such as Why You Should Be Using R, Exit Strategies, and How To Avoid Blowing… ...more
The Trader: Examining Retail Trading Behaviour 25th June 2020 by Michael Taylor - One of the many oft-repeated quotes around traders is that 90% of traders lose money. However, this depends on how one classifies a ‘trader’. Many… ...more
The Trader: Taking advantage of SharePad News 7th June 2020 by Michael Taylor - A few months ago, I wrote about how to optimise your news feed on ShareScope Pro. My suggestions to improve the news feed have been… ...more
The Trader: Five rules for new traders 22nd May 2020 by Michael Taylor - A combination of market volatility and being locked in during lockdown has led to many turning their eye to getting involved in the stock market.… ...more
The Trader: How to Avoid Blowing Your Account 7th May 2020 by Michael Taylor - The market is moving with extreme volatility in recent weeks. This offers traders many opportunities to prosper and profit, but volatility is a double-edged sword.… ...more
The Trader: Why You Should Be Using R 23rd April 2020 by Michael Taylor - R is a component in trading that we use to define risk. It is a crucial aspect of trading systems and by thinking in terms… ...more
The Trader: Why the trend is your friend 31st March 2020 by Michael Taylor - “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” Whether or… ...more
The Trader: Exit Strategies 13th March 2020 by Michael Taylor - In April 2017, I had a real nightmare. I had been trading full time on the market for four months and had had enormous success… ...more
The Trader: Optimising Your RNS Feed 26th February 2020 by Michael Taylor - In this article, I’ll show you how to clean up and manage your RNS feed by adding a filter and removing noise, colour coding your… ...more

Dynamic 35: BlackRock World Mining Review 16th April 2021 by David Stevenson - Investing in mining stocks is always a speculative exercise. On a practical level, although there is some logic to investing in large diversified global mining… ...more
Prudent 15: BioPharma Credit 23rd March 2021 by David Stevenson - In these articles about funds, I have tended to be steer clear of the many, many alternative funds listed on the London market. That is… ...more
Dynamic 35: Oakley Capital Investments 9th February 2021 by David Stevenson - Private equity fund in transition – new addition to Dynamic 35 Listed private equity funds have had a chequered record on the London Stock Exchange.… ...more
My two ETF Growth Portfolios: January 2021 Update 9th February 2021 by David Stevenson - Back in the middle of August I outlined two growth-oriented portfolios, comprising a gaggle of exchange traded funds. The first was a Global Trends portfolio,… ...more
The Dynamic 35: Manchester and London 14th January 2021 by David Stevenson - "While we have this euphoria it's pretty hard to imagine the bubble breaking. But look at the data and you think this thing could go..."… ...more
The Dynamic 35 : The Schroders Asian Total Return Trust 2nd December 2020 by David Stevenson - Traditionally most investors tend to regard the division between developed markets (DM) and emerging markets (EM) as a simple divide. We all put more money… ...more
Dynamic 35: India Capital Growth fund 13th November 2020 by David Stevenson - This week I have a very adventurous addition to my list of 35 Dynamic funds. I admit that it’s not without risk and its recent… ...more
Dynamic 35: Aurora Investment Trust 23rd October 2020 by David Stevenson - A new addition to the Dynamic 35 Aurora Investment trust I wanted to start this article with an immediate declaration. I am a non-executive director… ...more
Dynamic 35: RTW Venture 1st October 2020 by David Stevenson - I have a new addition to my Dynamic 35 list of investment trusts and closed end funds. It is called RTW Venture and it is… ...more
My two ETF Growth Portfolios 28th August 2020 by David Stevenson - This week I am focusing not on my usual subject of investment trusts but switching attention to exchange traded funds or ETFs. These are a… ...more
Prudent 15: Ecofin Global Utilities and Infrastructure Trust (EGL) 30th July 2020 by David Stevenson - I do not think it is unfair to say that over the last decade we have seen a powerful shift in sentiment towards utility stocks,… ...more
Prudent 15: International Public Partnerships 17th July 2020 by David Stevenson - The safe bet on infrastructure: INPP (International Public Partnerships) Over the next couple of articles, we’ll be adding two new funds to our Prudent 15… ...more
Dynamic 35: Witan Investment Trust 1st July 2020 by David Stevenson - Witan – a long term buy and hold globalist fund with a value bias Investing should really be about simplicity. Take global investing. Nearly every… ...more
Prudent 15: The SDCL Energy Efficiency Income Trust 12th June 2020 by David Stevenson - The SDCL Energy Efficiency Income Trust The idea of investing in a fund which will help facilitate the transition towards a more sustainable energy mix… ...more
Dynamic 35: Hg Capital 27th May 2020 by David Stevenson - A smarter way of buying into the right kind of private growth businesses It is an unfortunate truth that more and more high growth businesses… ...more
Dynamic 35: Edinburgh Worldwide 12th May 2020 by David Stevenson - Edinburgh Worldwide – a great long-term home for growth investors Investors in funds such as Scottish Mortgage will have noticed a very peculiar phenomenon over… ...more
Prudent 15: Ruffer Investment Company 22nd April 2020 by David Stevenson - The Ruffer Investment Company – big bets on a global new normal "There are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks where decades happen"… ...more
Dynamic 35: Augmentum 3rd April 2020 by David Stevenson - A big bet on Fintech worth taking at this price - Augmentum OK, I’m not going to beat around the bush. l readily concede that… ...more
Prudent 15: BH Global 20th March 2020 by David Stevenson - Kicking off with BH Global (BHGG) You can always read more about my views on funds at my blog www.adventurousinvestor.com. I update this most days,… ...more
Putting performance into perspective 5th February 2019 by Richard Beddard - Richard reads Fundsmith Equity Fund’s annual letter to fundholders and suggests a modest improvement that could change your perception of financial history. He also responds… ...more

Weekly Commentary 10/05/21: The Beautiful Game 10th May 2021 by Bruce Packard - It’s good to have management with experience of boom and bust cycles, so Bruce looks at two companies run by Chairmen over 80 years old.… ...more
Weekly Commentary 03/05/21 Paradigm shift 3rd May 2021 by Bruce Packard - The FTSE 100 was flat this week, struggling to hold its level above 7,000. Nasdaq 100 also was flat at 13,970 with Facebook (+11% over… ...more
A strawberry picker’s market? 26th April 2021 by Bruce Packard - In this kind of market, it's tough sticking with your process, picking stocks on fundamentals. The US 10y bond yield, having peaked at around 1.75%… ...more
Weekly Commentary 19/04/21 Bittersweet distractors 19th April 2021 by Bruce Packard - Bruce wonders if value vs momentum factors is really the best way to think about companies on the stock market. He also looks at the… ...more
Weekly Commentary 12/04/21: Equity. James Equity. 12th April 2021 by Bruce Packard - The FTSE SmallCap index +12.4% is the best performing index so far this year, ahead of the S&P500 +9% and Nasdaq +7%. Surprisingly both the… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 29/03/21 12 month rebound 29th March 2021 by Bruce Packard - The FTSE at 6700 +4% from the start of the year seems to be holding up better than the likes of Nasdaq 12,800 and S&P500… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 22/03/21 Ports and platforms 22nd March 2021 by Bruce Packard - Last week James Anderson of Baillie Gifford announced that he is to step down from running the Scottish Mortgage IT. Tom Slater will continue running… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 15/03/21 Fungible v flammable 15th March 2021 by Bruce Packard - At $1720 gold is now down 9% since the start of the year, while bitcoin is up 92% to $57K over the same time period.… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 08/03/21 – Baillie Gifford v Albert Bridge 8th March 2021 by Bruce Packard - Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust, the Tesla owning £15bn technology fund was down 9% last week. There’s a fun argument going on in the opinion section… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 01/03/21 – What has been will be again 1st March 2021 by Bruce Packard - Nasdaq sold off last week, down 7% since the middle of February, though still up since the start of the year. Tesla fell to $680,… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 22/02/21 – All Aboard for Mu Mu Land 22nd February 2021 by Bruce Packard - At midnight, on 1st January this year, the K.L.F. released their back catalogue of music (hits such as 3AM Eternal, Justified and Ancient, Last Train… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 15/02/21 – Getting high on junk bonds 15th February 2021 by Bruce Packard - Last week Bloomberg reported that junk bond yields in the US fell below 4% the lowest level ever recorded and down from 11.5% peak yield… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 08/02/21 – The signs are here 8th February 2021 by Bruce Packard - Moonpig IPO’ed last week at 350p, valuing the company at £1.2bn, and the shares rose +24% to 430p the following day. Meanwhile the FT reported… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 01/02/21 – Bored Markets Hypothesis 1st February 2021 by Bruce Packard - Some of the speculative exuberance has spilled over the punch bowl at the cryptocurrency party into a number of glass half empty equities. GameStonk, err… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 25/01/21 – Expectation v surprise 25th January 2021 by Bruce Packard - I was initially unimpressed by the UK’s mass vaccination rollout. However it is important to keep updating your beliefs when data is better than you… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 18/01/21 – Reincarnation as the bond market 18th January 2021 by Bruce Packard - In the early days of a new Democrat presidency, the President’s campaign manager observed that: “I used to think if there was reincarnation, I wanted… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 11/01/21 – Gatekeepers 11th January 2021 by Bruce Packard - The FTSE 100 started the year strongly +6% during the week to 6857. Both the S&P 500 +1.3% to 3804 Nasdaq +1.4% to 13068 were… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 04/01/21 – Wait and Hope 4th January 2021 by Bruce Packard - “Until the day when God shall deign to reveal the future to man, all human wisdom is summed up in these two words... wait and… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 29/12/20 – Amateurs 29th December 2020 by Bruce Packard - The FTSE 100 closed around 6,487 to 24 December down -15% from the start of the year. From a peak of 7670 in mid-January the… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 21/12/20 – Bidding up Codemasters 21st December 2020 by Bruce Packard - The FTSE stayed level around 6580, while Nasdaq hit a new high of 12752. Bitcoin rose through $20,000 for the first time. I have a… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 14/12/20 – Taxes steering behaviour? 14th December 2020 by Bruce Packard - After a strong November and start of December the FTSE 100 was largely unchanged this week at 6566. More broadly, the signs of a cyclical… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 07/12/20 – Vaccine inoculating risk tolerance 7th December 2020 by Bruce Packard - The best performing FTSE 100 stock last week was Rolls Royce, up 19%. The worst was Unilever down 6.5%, which suggests expectations of a vaccine… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 30/11/20 – The platform bandwagon rolls on 30th November 2020 by Bruce Packard - FTSE weakened slightly to 6300 in the second half of last week, but the bounce of former “Covid losers” continued with Rolls Royce, Glencore, Shell… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 23/11/20 – Expectations rising 23rd November 2020 by Bruce Packard - We are beginning to see companies operating in the “real” economy announce raised guidance. Somero (exceeding previous revenue guidance by +7%), but also Headlam (materially… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 16/11/20 – Reflation trade 16th November 2020 by Bruce Packard - Banks and other “covid losers” were up strongly at the start of last week as Pfizer announced they believe they have a credible vaccine. US… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 09/11/20 – Study silence to learn the music 9th November 2020 by Bruce Packard - The US Presidential election turned out to be closer than most people expected. Nasdaq up almost +10% over the week to 12078. Tech stocks reacted… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 02/11/20 – Insiders selling at the top? 2nd November 2020 by Bruce Packard - Last week markets sold off into the rising cases of Covid. The FTSE 100 fell 5% last week to 5561. Large UK banks HSBC and… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 26/10/20 – Paying up for quality? 26th October 2020 by Bruce Packard - Markets recovered slightly towards the end of the week, with the FTSE 100 at 5888. Nasdaq was at 11662. Last week Netflix reported Q3 results,… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 19/10/20 – On network effects and fads 19th October 2020 by Bruce Packard - “Fad companies are companies with good business models or good products. So, why would we be interested in shorting a company that has a good… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 12/10/20 – On content, distribution and kurtosis 12th October 2020 by Bruce Packard - Last week the FTSE recovered to just over 6000. The (perhaps inappropriately named) Bond film No Time to Die, was postponed until next year by… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 05/10/20 – On uncertainty and confidence 5th October 2020 by Bruce Packard - Last week Andy Haldane at the Bank of England gave an interesting speech on “Economic Anxiety” noting that pessimism can be as contagious as the… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 28/09/20 – Beginner’s mind and Buy and Build 28th September 2020 by Bruce Packard - Markets sold off last week as virus case rises rose (FTSE 100 fell to below 5800 before recovering slightly later in the week, Nasdaq down… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 21/09/20 – The long journey to exoneration 21st September 2020 by Bruce Packard - The FTSE 100 just about held its level above 6000 last week. Last week was Chilean Independence Day. It is a little known footnote in… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 14/09/20 – Americans on AIM 14th September 2020 by Bruce Packard - The oil price fell to a 3 month low in the middle of last week to below $40 a barrel. Oil is in contango (futures… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 07/09/20 – Come back on St Leger Day 7th September 2020 by Bruce Packard - St Leger Day, as in ““Sell in May and go away, don’t come back till St Leger Day”, is approaching. I’ve always wondered who St… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 31/08/20 – Let the future ≠ the past 31st August 2020 by Bruce Packard - Nasdaq continued to hit new highs, at 11,666 up +30% from the start of the year and up 2.5x in the last 5 years. I… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 24/08/20 – Searching for uncorrelated returns 24th August 2020 by Bruce Packard - Rightmove released a survey showing that the UK housing agreed sales picked up strongly to a record £37bn. A day later Persimmon reported half year… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 10/08/20 – The last “forever” stock 10th August 2020 by Jeremy Grime - The last “forever” stock For Jeremy’s last weekly note he reviews his value investing mistakes and aims to find the stock that in 10 years'… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 03/08/20 – Lessons 3rd August 2020 by Jeremy Grime - Lessons In the spirit of reflection in a year of uncertainty and extremes, Jeremy analyses some past weekly notes and takes another look at one he wants… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 27/07/20 – The Relative Value Trade 27th July 2020 by Jeremy Grime - The Relative Value Trade With a huge injection of liquidity last week the valuation differential between large US tech stocks and UK small companies is… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 20/07/20 – Clearing up the debris 20th July 2020 by Jeremy Grime - Clearing up the debris The pace of structural change is faster, perhaps, than ever before and there are an increasing number of quoted companies dedicated… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 13/07/20 – Flight to Quality 13th July 2020 by Jeremy Grime - Flight to Quality As the bubble spreads from large tech to healthcare and motor companies in anticipation of a flight to quality Jeremy takes a… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 06/07/20 – Inflation 6th July 2020 by Jeremy Grime - Inflation The growth bubble continues, but eyeing inflationary storm clouds gathering over the horizon Jeremy takes a look at Melrose Industries as a potential hedge… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 29/06/20 – Director Dealing 29th June 2020 by Jeremy Grime - Director Dealing As markets tread water after extreme volatility Jeremy finds that directors have a 77% win rate on their purchasing during the volatility. A… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 22/06/20 – High Conviction from here on 22nd June 2020 by Jeremy Grime - High Conviction from here on With the seamless transition from bear market to bubble Jeremy suspects that now is a time to make sure we… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 15/06/20 – On-line valuations 15th June 2020 by Jeremy Grime - On-line valuations The silly valuation of the latest US IPO causes Jeremy to ponder some of the UK online valuations and finds the spreadbetters to… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 08/06/20 – The Recovery Trade 8th June 2020 by Jeremy Grime - The Recovery Trade In this strong market the pain trade is to buy. There are reasons this could be right and Jeremy suggests the carpet… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 01/06/20 – Dash to Trash 1st June 2020 by Jeremy Grime - Dash to Trash After 14 years of growth out-performance, value is now set to perform in a recovery. Jeremy takes a look at the value… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 25/05/20 – Investing in Intangibles 25th May 2020 by Jeremy Grime - Investing in Intangibles Intangibles take greater precedence today. Both accountants and governments struggle with this while markets are quick to find answers through royalty companies.… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 18/05/20 – Investing in Acquirors 18th May 2020 by Jeremy Grime - Investing in Acquirors Jeremy worries about software valuations and is concerned that returns at Ideagen and Tracsis could turn out to be far less than… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 11/05/20 – The 50-year view 11th May 2020 by Jeremy Grime - The 50-year view As equity markets squeeze up Jeremy suggests equities may have further to go on the back of credit markets. A screen of… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 04/05/20 – The Small Cap Opportunity 4th May 2020 by Jeremy Grime - The Small Cap Opportunity With markets squeezing up, pushed by central banks money printing we are at a moment of opportunity for overlooked small cap… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 27/04/20 – To the Future 27th April 2020 by Jeremy Grime - To the Future With markets trending sideways Jeremy sees inflation ahead and takes at look at the food manufacturers which could be beneficiaries. Devro’s sausage… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 20/04/20 – Depression in a Wall of Money 20th April 2020 by Jeremy Grime - Depression in a Wall of Money The market is caught between an oncoming depression and a wall of money inflating valuations. In this environment the… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 13/04/20 – With Recovery comes Refinance 13th April 2020 by Jeremy Grime - With Recovery comes Refinance It is easy to stress over whether we are in a bear rally or the start of a bull market. But… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 06/04/20 – After Value comes Recovery 6th April 2020 by Jeremy Grime - After Value comes Recovery In a world full of value Jeremy takes a look at what a recovery may look like and picks a couple… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 30/03/20 – Value time 30th March 2020 by Jeremy Grime - Value time With no earnings visibility it is easy to forget there are green shoots over the horizon. This is a time to seek value.… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 23/03/20 – Irrational or True? 23rd March 2020 by Jeremy Grime - Irrational or True? We are now in a market of fear and there are signs of inefficiency and irrational behaviour, which is a time of… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 16/03/20 – Timing is everything 16th March 2020 by Jeremy Grime - Timing is everything With the current crisis Jeremy dusts off the recovery stocks folder. Airlines that survive will have huge upside on the back of… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 09/03/20 – Purging Excess 9th March 2020 by Jeremy Grime - Purging Excess Bear markets cleanse excess. Jeremy takes a look at the growth narratives and accounting adjustments that have been adopted and suspects the bear… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 02/03/20 – Correction or Bear Market? 2nd March 2020 by Jeremy Grime - Correction or Bear Market? The question of whether the sudden market correction is a temporary contagion of fear, or the beginning of a bear market… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 24/02/20 – Barbell Portfolio 24th February 2020 by Jeremy Grime - Barbell Portfolio The tax advantages of technology companies and private equity combined with quantitative easing are shrinking stock markets. Until this changes the shrinkage will… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 17/02/20 – Dinosaurs don’t gallop 17th February 2020 by Jeremy Grime - Dinosaurs don’t gallop Jim Slater coined the term “elephants don’t gallop” and in this technology enabled era it may be better termed “dinosaurs don’t gallop”.… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 10/02/20 – Employee Culture 10th February 2020 by Jeremy Grime - Employee Culture With quality as the watchword a review of staff feedback can tell us much about the culture of a company. A review of… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 27/01/20 – Mind the gap 27th January 2020 by Jeremy Grime - Mind the Gap It’s been a good few months. The FTSE small cap is up 14% since October, while the FTSE 100 is up around… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 20/01/20 – Culture in payments 20th January 2020 by Jeremy Grime - Culture in Payments There were no spare seats when I arrived at Panmure Gordon’s offices last week for the Non-Standard Finance investor day titled “Culture… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 13/01/20 – Culture 13th January 2020 by Jeremy Grime - Culture Luck plays a part in investing but there is also a theory that you make your luck. Both K3Capital and Dart Group are cyclical… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 06/01/20 – The Roaring 20’s 6th January 2020 by Jeremy Grime - The Roaring 20’s Nothing quite starts a new decade as reassuringly as Greggs Vegan Steak Bake causing late night queuing in Newcastle. With Pizza Hut’s… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 30/12/19 – Change Alley 30th December 2019 by Jeremy Grime - Change Alley Suggesting that Scrooge’s drive and self-discipline was something we should aspire to didn’t go down well with my millennial children. I rationalised the… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 23/12/19 – Lessons for 2020 23rd December 2019 by Jeremy Grime - Lessons for 2020 It has been rather enjoyable as the year draws to a close. The Boris Bounce was a pleasant experience for investors. Excitingly… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 16/12/19 – The Golden Era of Small Caps 16th December 2019 by Jeremy Grime - The Golden Era of Small Caps The fear was palpable last Thursday as I sat in a broking office. The millennials queuing at the voting… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 09/12/19 – The Volatility Reduction Trade 9th December 2019 by Jeremy Grime - The Volatility Reduction Trade The gating of M&G’s property fund caused the press to become excitable last week. The Questor column in The Telegraph advised… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 02/12/19 – Shrinking Markets 2nd December 2019 by Jeremy Grime - Shrinking Markets The liquidation of Nautilus Minerals caught my eye last week. This was a company which was to be one of the first underwater… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 25/11/19 – Superstocks 25th November 2019 by Jeremy Grime - Superstocks I have been living with value stock affliction for some time. It can be irritating particularly when the wind is blowing the wrong way.… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 18/11/19 – What Goes Around…. 18th November 2019 by Jeremy Grime - What Goes Around…. It is clear the technology growth bubble is now starting to unwind but the difficult question is where to go to next?… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 11/11/19 – The Cult of Equities 11th November 2019 by Jeremy Grime - The Cult of Equities Each week that passes my excitement is building. Value is coming back. I have felt like a fish out of water… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 04/11/19 – Profiting from Folly and Disaster 4th November 2019 by Jeremy Grime - Profiting from Folly and Disaster Old fashioned companies such as TP ICAP have started putting strong trading statement out which is strange times indeed. This… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 28/10/19 – Sticking to our guns 28th October 2019 by Jeremy Grime - Sticking to our guns Investing can be lonely. Buying stocks in a downturn can be hard - we don’t know if we are catching a… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 21/10/19 – A New Era Dawns 14th October 2019 by Jeremy Grime - A New Era Dawns Often it is easy to be so pre-occupied with the present that we miss the elephant quietly sauntering past the boardroom… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 14/10/19 – Forex 14th October 2019 by Jeremy Grime - Forex There are reasons to be gloomy just now. As I walked past Westminster last week the protester carrying an anti-Brexit placard looked forlorn as… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 07/10/19 – Special Situations 7th October 2019 by Jeremy Grime - Special Situations At times like this it is easy to make mistakes. I confess to being bored of my stocks. They haven’t done anything exciting… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 30/09/19 30th September 2019 by Jeremy Grime - Liquidity Crunch Across the table in the rather tired looking meeting room, the grey haired but immaculately presented fund manager bit his bottom lip as… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 23/09/19 23rd September 2019 by Jeremy Grime - Navigating Change Conservatively Sometimes it can be useful to stand back and take stock so we don’t get those market eyes that can’t see the… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 16/09/19 16th September 2019 by Jeremy Grime - Inefficient Markets I find myself increasingly bullish. Or maybe I have recently had a holiday and by the end of the week all bullishness will… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 09/09/19 9th September 2019 by Jeremy Grime - Business Models I found myself wondering whether models become outdated over time. In this age of diversity, governance reporting, and gender indexes I question whether… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 02/09/19 2nd September 2019 by Jeremy Grime - It’s a bi-polar world Printing money hoping that will engineer inflation has in the past resulted in inflation, but it hasn’t worked. As central banks… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 27/08/19 27th August 2019 by Jeremy Grime - The Great British Corporate Sale One of the things the City of London excels at is selling its own to overseas acquirors. Back in the… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 19/08/19 19th August 2019 by Jeremy Grime - Agricultural Investing The nerves were tested last week. Back in Q4 last year the 17% fall in the FTSE 100 was one of those typical… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 12/08/19 12th August 2019 by Jeremy Grime - The Narrative of Growth I suspect I am not alone in being trained as a value investor in the 1980’s. That was an era when… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 05/08/19 5th August 2019 by Jeremy Grime - In need of boredom Equity investors need to be an optimistic bunch - since equity markets outperform over the long run. Academics Dimson Marsh and… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 29/07/19 29th July 2019 by Jeremy Grime - Testing times I find this one of the most uncomfortable investing era’s I can recall. The outperformance of growth stocks continues while markets grind higher… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 22/07/19 22nd July 2019 by Jeremy Grime - The Greening of Fund Management It is still useful to contemplate the state of the world over a good lunch as I did last week… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 15/07/19 15th July 2019 by Jeremy Grime - Where are the Customers’ Yachts? The book “Where are the Customers’ Yachts?” by Fred Schwed was written 75 years ago but as we watch the… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 08/07/19 8th July 2019 by Jeremy Grime - The Bubble has burst Sometimes we spend so long waiting for something to happen we don’t realise it has started. But I think it has… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 01/07/19 1st July 2019 by Jeremy Grime - Disruption in the Courts Early for lunch on the 24th floor of Tower 42 in the City I gazed over the tower blocks of the… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 24/06/19 24th June 2019 by Jeremy Grime - Structural Change in the City It always amazes me how debt can lead to innovation. Humans find ingenious solutions. The Bank of England was founded… ...more
Weekly commentary: 17/06/19 17th June 2019 by Jeremy Grime - It’s “avoid the warnings” time Last week saw a few profit warnings. Somero, Ted Baker, Quiz, Pendragon warnings were based on revenue disappointments but I… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 10/06/19 10th June 2019 by Jeremy Grime - Companies with Culture The noise around Woodford’s humiliation last week was deafening. And it was a bad week for Hargreaves Lansdown (-14%). I don’t recall… ...more
Weekly Commentary: 03/06/19 3rd June 2019 by Jeremy Grime - The “End of Global Trade” Week Last week the talk moved from politics to trade wars. Consensus seems to be that the trade war between… ...more
Weekly commentary: 28/05/19 28th May 2019 by Jeremy Grime - Time to own value? Unicorns The Unicorns stable door has been left wide open. Beyond Meat, a US loss making protein meat brand, listed in… ...more

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