How to cope with the confusion around social care costs May 22, 2019 Distracted by the ongoing Brexit crisis, the government appears to have shoved the not-so-small issue of social care to one side. With a growing elderly population (by 2046, a quarter of the UK population will be aged 65 or over), and proportionately fewer taxpayers able to prop them up, the rising cost of social care [...]
Is two-year low the nadir for IAG shares? May 21, 2019 | City Talk Investors have taken these results as a cue to pick up cheap stock, betting that the worst is over. In the context of its financial year, the first quarter will probably be one which International Consolidated Airlines Group (LSE:IAG) will want to forget. As can be seen from the demise of several smaller airlines over [...]
Analysts downgrade Neil Woodford flagship fund due to ‘underperformance’ May 20, 2019 Analysts at Morningstar have downgraded veteran investor Neil Woodford’s flagship fund due to underperformance. Woodford Equity Income fund’s rating was lowered from bronze to neutral, which is the research group’s second lowest ranking, following “persistent” redemption requests as investors exit. Read more: Fund manager Neil Woodford doubles stake in Card Factory The fund, which was [...]
Big cryptocurrencies bounce back, but smaller rivals lie in wait May 20, 2019 | City Talk For users and proponents of cryptocurrencies, the stamp of approval from online auction giant eBay set the seal on a powerful comeback during this year so far. Bitcoin and some other selected cryptocurrencies are to be accepted as a form of payment by eBay. This doesn’t only greatly expand the “network effect” by which a [...]
Familiarity bias: how to overcome the fear of the unfamiliar to reach your investing goals May 20, 2019 | City Talk For the vast majority of people, like you and me, trading is not a full-time job. Though you try to do your best and make impactful investment decisions, you tend to make things “easier” (at least, you think you do so) and gravitate towards the familiar. In this case you may end up investing in [...]
Morrisons fails to convince despite Ocado deal May 16, 2019 | City Talk By Graeme Evans from interactive investor. It talks the talk, and a 6 per cent dividend yield is attractive, but can this £50 billion grocer walk the walk? Morrisons (LSE:MRW) offered more evidence of its "ever-improving shape" after a robust trading update and intriguing deal to re-write its online partnership with Ocado. While the supermarket's shares [...]
Royal Returns – Interactive Investor on funds and trusts fit for children May 15, 2019 | City Talk By Jemma Jackson from interactive investor. Whilst the latest addition to the Royal family won’t want for much, it’s unlikely that any investments made on his behalf will be left to languish in cash. This contrasts with the majority of the nation’s Junior ISAs, where 70 per cent by number are in cash in the 2017/18 [...]
Can a 60/40 split portfolio deliver better outcomes? May 15, 2019 | City Talk Recent decades have been a tumultuous time for investors. In the last 20 years alone we have experienced two of the biggest stock market crashes in history – the bursting of the dotcom bubble at the turn of the millennium and the financial crisis in 2008. Smoothing returns and avoiding losses has been a crucial [...]
Why Domino’s Pizza sell-off was overcooked May 14, 2019 | City Talk By Graeme Evans from interactive investor. Hungry bargain hunters gobbled up shares in Domino's, correctly betting than an early slump was unfair. After selling 12 pizzas every second on New Year's Day, the rest of 2019 certainly hasn't panned out in the same emphatic fashion for Domino's Pizzaor its investors. Shares slumped as much as [...]
Four ways passive investing has altered the markets May 14, 2019 Ever since the first exchange-traded fund (ETF) listed in Europe 19 years ago, passive investing has proved hugely popular. ETFs are traded like stocks, and simply track the big indices like the FTSE 100 or the Dow Jones, as opposed to having a fund manager cherry-pick individual companies for you. And with the lowest annual [...]