High-yielding Aviva rewards investor patience August 7, 2019 | City Talk Aviva is rewarding investors who stayed the course while the insurer streamlined its operations. Having previously gone through a streamlining operation which left Aviva (LSE:AV.) fitter, the focus is now turning to a strategy review to ensure the company maintains its relevance. Perhaps not surprisingly, this has resulted in mixed fortunes as the business transforms. There has been [...]
Hargreaves Lansdown CEO and executives waive bonuses in wake of Woodford scandal August 7, 2019 Four executives including the chief executive of Hargreaves Lansdown will surrender their bonuses this year following pressure over the company’s support for Neil Woodford’s flagship fund. Hargreaves Lansdown continued to recommended Woodford’s equity income fund right up until it was suspended on 3 June after becoming overwhelmed by investor withdrawals. The gating of the fund [...]
Lessons in investing from England’s Cricket World Cup victory August 7, 2019 | City Talk It may not have felt like it at times during the final but England started the Cricket World Cup as clear favourites to win the tournament. Forget the weight of money that tends to distort domestic teams’ odds ahead of a major sporting event. Independent data had England ranked as the top one-day cricket side [...]
Standard Life Aberdeen profits down despite asset increase August 7, 2019 Standard Life Aberdeen has seen a modest increase in assets under management and a slow in outflows but this has failed to stop its profits from dropping in the first half. The figures The asset manager reported adjusted pre-tax profits of £280m for the first half of the year, down from £311m for the same [...]
When the fund stops: Why times are tough for UK asset managers August 6, 2019 It’s been a difficult year for the UK investment industry, and things could get worse before they get better. Fallout from the Woodford saga and increasing fears of a no-deal Brexit are continuing to pummel asset managers as they try to stem ongoing outflows. And with regulatory pressure ramping up, they are facing questions not [...]
No respite for BT investors as shares sink again August 6, 2019 | City Talk By Graeme Evans from interactive investor. BT shares continue to fall after first quarter results do little to dispel fears over its dividend. After a torrid year for followers of Britain’s best-known stocks, first quarter results from BT Group (LSE:BT.A) have done little to ease their fears that the telecom group’s dividend is next for the chop. While last week’s figures [...]
Debate: Are professional traders becoming obsolete? August 6, 2019 Debate: Are professional traders becoming obsolete? Yes – Mike Read is chief executive and co-founder of Pelican Trading. Trading as we know it is certainly becoming obsolete. Financial instruments will always be traded, but the traditional isolated trading model we know today will soon be consigned to the past. Platforms that connect individuals wanting to [...]
Calls for clearer warnings of Woodford-style fund suspension risks August 5, 2019 Investors should be given clearer warnings about the risks of investing in funds that could suspend withdrawals, industry professionals have said. Neil Woodford’s equity income fund suspended trading in June after becoming overwhelmed by withdrawals, but it has been suggested that investors may not have understood that the fund could be suspended, leaving them unable [...]
HSBC worries mount after CEO exit August 5, 2019 | City Talk By Graeme Evans from interactive investor. Ousting CEO John Flint after 18 months highlights the pressures on HSBC, despite robust H1 results today. As if the current geopolitical and monetary policy concerns were not bad enough, HSBC (LSE:HSBA) investors now have succession risk to worry about after the bank’s surprise decision to part company with John Flint only 18 months [...]
UK private equity investment sinks to five-year low August 5, 2019 Private equity investment in the UK has fallen to its lowest level in over five years, as continued economic and geopolitical uncertainty leaves vendors too nervous to put assets up for sale. A study of UK transactions involving private equity investors during the first half of the year showed that both deal volumes and deal [...]