ii view: Sales retreat at Sainsbury’s July 8, 2019 | City Talk By Keith Bowman from interactive investor. Tough comparatives have impacted results for this supermarket, but that is no surprise. First quarter trading for 16 weeks to 29 June 2019 Total sales down 1.2 per cent (excluding fuel) Like-for-like sales declined 1.6 per cent (excluding fuel) Grocery sales fell 0.5 per cent General merchandise sales down 3.1 per cent [...]
The 12 best-ranked major European markets July 5, 2019 | City Talk By Graeme Evans from interactive investor. Find out which country ranks top for best earnings momentum, attractive valuations and profitability. A ranking of major European markets by analysts at UBS has placed the UK at the top of the pile for cheapness, but among the worst for profitability and earnings momentum. Sweden is the top ranked overall thanks [...]
Prudential UK property fund delays withdrawals for up to six months July 4, 2019 Last week Bank of England governor Mark Carney said these types of funds were "built on a lie"
Is this market losing its marbles? July 4, 2019 | City Talk The chart that caught the eye of the Schroders Multi-Asset Investment team this month shows that the relationship between the ISM Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) and the S&P 500 index has broken down. The PMI is based on a survey of purchasing managers from more than 300 manufacturing firms. It is a widely followed [...]
High-yielding Greene King shrugs off weather warning July 4, 2019 | City Talk Bad weather is bad news, but the dividend is attractive and Greene King typically excels in winter. On balance, Greene King (LSE:GNK) full-year numbers edge into the “glass half-full” category, as the pub owner and brewer continues to extract value from its brand and estate. Apart from a healthy return on capital of 8.5 per cent, Greene King [...]
A long-term fund wouldn’t prevent another Woodford scandal – it completely misses the point July 4, 2019 Last week, Mark Carney said Woodford-style funds are “built on a lie”
RPS blames Aussies for share price collapse July 3, 2019 | City Talk By Graeme Evans from interactive investor. Profit forecasts slashed and rising debt threatening the dividend, will this crash attract bidders? A recovery for RPS Group (LSE:RPS) since an October profit warning has proved to be short-lived after Australia’s slowing economy derailed progress at the environmental consultancy. The latest warning sent shares in the Abingdon-based business crashing by as much as [...]
Woodford sells shrimp shares on the stock floor July 2, 2019 Neil Woodford has slashed his fund’s stake in Benchmark Holdings, a genetics firm that develops disease-resistant shrimp, offloading £23m of shares as his asset selling spree continues. The stockpicker’s company, Woodford Investment Management, cut its stake in Benchmark from 12.5 per cent to under 2 per cent in a transaction last Friday. Read more: Neil [...]
Bonmarche surrenders, while Creightons makes dramatic charge July 2, 2019 | City Talk By Graeme Evans from interactive investor. The UK consumer is the driving force behind very different outcomes for this pair of tiddlers. Over 50s fashion chain Bonmarche (LSE:BON) raised the white flag last week after seeing the British weather scupper its defence against a £5.7 million takeover by billionaire Philip Day. The retailer, which was valued at £100 million when [...]
Neil Woodford keeps flagship fund under lock and key July 1, 2019 Embattled stockpicker Neil Woodford remained defiant last night despite confirmation that his flagship Equity Income Fund will stay frozen for at least another 28 days. Read more: Woodford offloads stake in Raven’s property firm In a new video promoted on social media, Woodford defended his trademark strategy of focusing on “undervalued assets”, saying it “will [...]