Bruce looks at the prospects for the UK Buy-to-Let market in the BoE’s Financial Stability Review, and wonders if rising interest rates are driving higher rents, which could be causing an inflationary feedback loop. Companies covered SHOE, MEGP and ZOO. The FTSE 100 enjoyed a positive week up +1.9% to 7,415, while the Nasdaq100 was
Devoted company bosses do not always create great returns for outside shareholders. Maynard Paton studies chocolate retailer Hotel Chocolat and the board’s decisions and composition. I love ‘owner managers’ — company bosses with significant shareholdings who live and breathe their business and want to build wealth for the long haul. Typically, entrepreneurs, and owner-managers who
Recent attempts to turn Hornby into a consistently profitable and growing business have failed. Phil looks to see if last week’s purchase of a minority stake in Warlord Games provides the catalyst for a profit revival and a higher share price. Hornby is in a mess Whatever way you look at Hornby the company is
While the dividend yield on the FTSE and AIM indices is not high relative to history, it does seem remarkable that >8% yields are available on companies in so many different sectors. Stocks covered KOO, SUP and SMV. The FTSE 100 fell -3.5% in the last 5 days, with the Nasdaq 100 up +0.7% and
In this article, Michael looks at the importance of checking RNSs when management thinks you’re not looking. Last Friday was a nice summer evening (at least it was for me, I can’t assume that it was for you), and a company decided to slip out an RNS at 17:56. The market has been shut for
This month our funds expert outlines an alternative strategy for those investors looking for growth in global emerging markets – why focus on the big names of the EM space such as China and India, when you can invest in the next 1 billion potential consumers from 10 developing countries around the world? Back in
Richard finds 11 franchisors listed in London and pits them against each other in a championship to find the best one. In round one, a wildcard goes out to the number two seed. One of the first things I noticed when I started scoring companies in SharePad this spring was that franchises were scoring well.
Bruce looks at the idea of tail risk hedging but thinks that the strategy might be too difficult for private investors to implement. Instead, companies significant cash could be an interesting theme for H2. Companies covered WISE, TBLD and DPP. The FTSE 100 rose +1.4% last week to 7556, while the Nasdaq10 and S&P 500
Phil looks at the issue of management in light of the turmoil and changes at JD Sports and asks whether the shares are too cheap despite a tough economic outlook. Business Overview JD Sports is one of the leading retailers of sports fashion wear. It has built on its UK roots to become a global
Bruce suggests that unemployment, rather than interest rates, will be the driver of banks’ bad debts. Companies covered MANO, and profit warnings from SOM and HOTC, plus Teddy Sagi’s bid for BOTB. After an entertaining weekend in Russia, one observation from a military friend who was in the Donbass, now in Libya, is that a
Since my last market update in February markets have been consolidating the move off the lows and more recently we have seen the Nasdaq and S&P take on the leadership of a potential new bull market by breaking out of those consolidation bases and onwards through 52 Week highs. The NASDAQ 100 led the charge
Michael talks shorting and specifically – using this weeks news story on Ocado as an example – when the shorters get squeezed. Let’s be honest. Everyone loves a short squeeze. Unless, of course, you’re the shorter being squeezed. Then it’s like being nailed to a chair that’s set on fire. But shorting is an active