Financial Analyst, former management consultant, equity research analyst Bruce Packard started his career at Credit Suisse followed by various banks and stockbroking firms before quitting The City to work in financial PR, Litigation finance and finally financial education. In 2008 he predicted the nationalisation of the UK banking industry.
I’m a self-invested, low frequency, buy and hold investor focused on quality. As well as writing for ShareScope I like to capture my financial analysis and non-conformist thoughts on my own blog brucepackard.com. I also used to own a craft beer bar in Berlin and for fun play beach volleyball (unlikely to turn professional though).
A look at what might be causing the divergence in performance between the FTSE Small Cap (SMX) index -8%, which has outperformed FTSE AIM (AXX) -44% since Sept 2021. Companies covered CAV, WYN and TET. The FTSE 100 was down -0.75% to 8,244 last week. The Nasdaq100 and S&P500 were both up just over +1%.
A look at stimulus coming from the People’s Bank of China and deficit spending by Western governments, both of which seem expansionary. Companies covered: IPO, OMG and ABDP. The FTSE 100 was flat last week, bouncing around 8,270. In the USA, the Nasdaq100 and S&P500 were both up less than +1%. China on the other
Bruce looks at the reversal in the copper price, and what this might signal about global growth and interest rate expectations. Companies covered WOSG, HVO and FEVR. The FTSE 100 rose +1% to 8,273. US markets were much stronger, with the Nasdaq100 up +6.% and the S&P500 up +4%. That seems to be driven by
A look at UK retail fund flow data, from the Investment Association, which represents UK Fund Management Firms. Companies covered CLX, AQX and ESYS. The FTSE 100 was up +0.5% to 8,369 last week. The Nasdaq100 was down -0.7% and the S&P500 was flat. Both of these US indices are up +25% YTD, whereas AIM
A look at Nvidia, which is forecast to grow sales by 11x since 2020, compared to Cisco Systems valuation in the previous technology bubble. Companies covered BUR, CGEO and GHH. The FTSE 100 rose +1% to 8,294 last week. The Nasdaq 100 has recovered strongly from its wobble earlier in August, and was up +5.4%
A difficult start to August seems to be driven by the Japanese carry-trade unwinding. Companies covered: DATA, LTG, CRPR. Markets sold off heavily on Monday. The FTSE 100 fell -3.6% in the last 5 days to 7,974. Meanwhile, the futures market suggested that US markets would start the week badly. The FT contained an article
Some background reading on cybersecurity and hacking, topical in the wake of Crowdstrike-related chaos from last week. Companies covered TRST, RNO and CRL. The FTSE 100 rose +0.5% to 8,216 last week. Nasdaq100 and S&P500 were down -4% and -2% respectively. For contrast, the Russell 2000 small cap index jumped +7%, encouraged by helpful inflation
A look at the bank sector, that has been disappointing for decades but has now begun to outperform the wider market. Companies covered BARC, CBG, LLOY, MTRO, HSBA, STAN Lloyds kicks off the H1 Jun reporting season for UK banks on the 25th of July, closely followed by NatWest, Standard Chartered, HSBC and Barclays. Most
After a difficult 3 years for London-listed smaller companies, Bruce looks at a couple of reasons to feel positive about the future. Companies covered: MOON, DUKE, EQLS. The FTSE 100 was up less than +0.5% last week to 8,194. The Nasdaq100 and S&P500 were up +3% and 1.6% respectively. China remains in the doldrums with
A look at mortgage approvals data trends, and how the Election may impact the UK housing market. Companies covered WISE, YOU and IGP. The FTSE 100 rose +1.7% last week to 8,274. The Nasdaq100 and the S&P500 were both up +0.6%. The US 10Y Govt bond yield fell back to 4.25% and yield curves remain
A look at the decline of the London Stock Exchange, versus the remarkable performance of the LSEG share price. Companies covered: BGEO, RFX, AGFX The FTSE 100 fell -0.8% in the last 5 days to 8,203. The Nasdaq100 was up +2.5% and the S&P500 +1.3%. The Nasdaq is the second-best performing major index +13 YTD,
With the recent +67% spike in Natural Gas prices, Bruce wonders if Central Banks might have declared victory over inflation too soon. Companies covered: KLR, FUTR and AVAP. The FTSE 100 was down -1.2% to 8,317 in the last 5 days. The Prime Minister called an election and there will be lots of hot air