All the latest articles & insight from our investment writers to inspire your own research and analysis.
There is very little 5 Strikes action, so Richard takes the opportunity to slide Inchcape onto the front burner. Over the last eight years, the company has sharpened its focus on motor vehicle distribution. Deciding what to focus on is the basis of good strategy. Since my last article only two shares have published annual
Many investors like to buy shares that are popular or those of companies that are doing well. Phil takes a look at why sometimes buying shares that professional investors are betting against can generate big gains. Finding unpopular shares Most investors make money by buying shares that eventually go up in price. However, it is
A liking for ‘value bargains’ prompts Maynard Paton to search again for asset-rich shares with depressed ratings. Screening for low price to books and net cash positions leads to engineer Castings. I always love a traditional ‘value bargain’. Hence this revisit to an old screen that pinpoints companies trading at less than book value. Importantly,
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
In this article, Michael assesses whether sellers present opportunities and a potential early stage two stock. I got asked this week about known sellers and if it is a good opportunity to buy a stock when there’s a seller. The reasoning behind this is that once the seller clears, sometimes there isn’t much of a
From a pool of more than 200 shares, Richard hones in on software company Kainos (again), fast food favourite Greggs, motor vehicle distributor Inchcape, integrated pet shop and vet group Pets at Home, and defence technology supplier Cohort. On the horizon: posh wallpaper and fabric designer Colefax and Gately, a law firm. Well, maybe not
The conventional wisdom that stocks deliver the best returns for investors is generally true, but only if you can ignore the wild ups and downs that come with them and stay invested. Phil looks at whether a popular and lower-risk approach to investing is worth considering at the moment. Shares deliver the best returns if
This week, investment professional, Jamie Ward discusses the ways in which private investors are at an advantage to professional investors. He then describes practical steps to exploiting these advantages and avoiding the pitfalls. From the outside, the life of a fund manager looks to be a charmed life. Indeed, if you are interested in markets
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
Gold prices are moving steadily higher, yet most investors shun the shiny precious stuff. This month’s funds article looks at gold as an asset class, why professionals dislike it, and why UK investors have done well out of the precious metal. It also examines an innovative new way to invest in gold AND generate an
Richard examines fault after fault in businesses until he can find no more. If the faults should not cause permanent damage, the share is an investment candidate. Currently, Kainos is in the spotlight and Iomart and IG enter the pipeline. I am compiling a list of all the companies with a few flaws in their
In this article, Michael covers the recent stock market fall and two trade ideas. Two weeks ago stocks were tanking. This week stocks are up. If you were on holiday the last fortnight and didn’t bother checking the markets, then you might not have noticed anything was up. As I wrote in my Slack group
