Many traders know exactly what they should be doing, but still find themselves repeating the same costly mistakes. Michael Taylor looks at the mental loops that can hold traders back, and how greater self-analysis, better discipline and AI-assisted review can help break through them. Having traded for a living for almost 10 years and worked […]
Central banks and inflation steer markets, while THG and XPS jump, Antofagasta falls, and Dunelm, Softcat and AudioBoom trend in ShareScope. The FTSE 100 recorded modest gains last week, supported by reassuring comments from Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey, who played down inflation concerns and highlighted the resilience of the UK economy. His remarks […]
Updated: 19 June 2026 Michael Taylor examines why investors should pay close attention to the upcoming SpaceX IPO, even if they have no intention of buying the shares themselves. He explains how shifting market sentiment, AI spending and liquidity pressures could have wider implications across portfolios, from US tech giants to UK small caps. We’re […]
Richard puts the last 10 shares to pass his minimum quality filter through 5 Strikes and finds two exotic companies. One is making less money in a roaring market. The other is making big profits in a declining one. Today, I am collecting up stragglers, the last companies to publish annual reports in 2025 that […]
Michael looks at the merits of keeping things simple and removing complexity. I was at a dinner party this week and was asked, “Well, if you’re doing so well, why don’t you go and raise money?” [for a fund]. The gentleman in question wasn’t having a go – he was genuinely curious. And I told […]
UK gilt yields remain high and there’s a risk that Government borrowing “crowds out” lending to individuals and SMEs. Companies covered DOCS, BKS, CRL. The FTSE 100 rose to just above 9,000, up +0.8% in the last 5 trading days. The Nasdaq 100 was up +1.4% while the S&P 500 was up +0.6% over the […]
Six shares achieve less than three strikes. Among the haul of heroes are card shop or “celebrations destination” Card Factory, a software provider to the construction industry, and cosmetics brand Warpaint. Meanwhile, Richard’s pursuit of Spirax continues, even though traders are losing confidence in it. First off 5 Strikes, and six companies with good track […]
Markets have reacted well to the trade truce between the US and China, yet there may still be problems ahead. Companies covered SPA, ELCO, and OCN. The FTSE 100 was flat at 8609 over the last 5 days. US markets responded much more positively to the trade truce, with the Nasdaq100 up +4.5% and S&P500 […]
Pinewood Technologies is one of only two major suppliers of management software to UK car dealers and has grand plans to expand abroad. Maynard Paton reviews the group’s ambitious profit guidance and prospects of becoming a ‘scalable SAAS platform’. Investment ideas can emerge from the unlikeliest of sources. I booked my car for a service […]
Michael looks at the idea of money management for traders and some key points for traders to review. A former hedge fund manager once told me: “You’re not a trader – you’re a money manager”. When people think of trading, their minds often gravitate toward stock picks, chart patterns, or the latest RNSs. […]
A look at how the Nasdaq’s 2021 vintage of IPOs has compared to the same vintage on AIM. Companies covered: FTC, IPX, GDWN. The FTSE 100 fell -2% to 8081 last week. The S&P500 and Nasdaq hit all-time highs, but then sold off -2% following a “hawkish rate cut” from the Fed. That is, the […]
In this article, Michael looks at the effects of loss and the damage it can do to a trader’s P&L. Trump getting shot on Saturday saw several stocks and sectors move quickly. Overall, the market saw it as a positive. Not that he was shot, but because of his now significantly increased chances of winning. […]
Deep pockets, low pricing and fancy IT can’t always guarantee ‘disruptive’ success. Maynard Paton studies the mixed progress of estate-agent challenger Purplebricks Investors love disruptors. Find a pioneering upstart that is stealing market share from industry dinosaurs, and your portfolio may enjoy a huge stock-market winner. Amazon of course is the textbook example. But not […]
Richard is thinking about joining computer games developer and publisher Team17 as a shareholder. It would be a bold decision, but he would rather invest in Team17 shares than the closest alternative, Frontier Developments. The first thing that attracted me to Team17 was the financials. The second thing was the chief executive. That is because […]
PZ Cussons is sharpening its focus on 8 “Must Win” hygiene, baby and beauty brands in the UK, Nigeria, Indonesia and Australia.
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 pay hefty fees and sometimes get nothing in return. Quite often us amateur investors are better off with simple index trackers rather than falling for the industry’s persuasive advisers and […]
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 build strategy”. Last month we worked out how to populate Google Maps with SharePad data to find local companies to invest in. Today, we will take the process a stage […]
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 effect a couple of weeks ago and I found it too enticing to not look into and wanted to at least share my hard earned findings. Back in 2008 Simon […]
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 is one of the last things I found out about the company while evaluating the share. I discovered Electrocomponents using the simplest of screens in SharePad, learned more about it […]
