UK foreign investment hits record high as investors shun Brexit fears December 4, 2018 Investment into the UK from foreign companies rose to the highest level ever recorded last year as investors shrug off Brexit worries. The value of the UK’s foreign direct investment (FDI) stocks in 2017 was £1,336.5bn, a rise of £149.2bn since 2016, according to figures published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The total, [...]
The “79 per cent chance” the Santa Rally is real December 3, 2018 | City Talk Stock markets have risen in 79 per cent of Decembers over the last three decades adding some substance to the myth of the “Santa Rally”, Schroders research has found. The “Santa Rally” is a supposed effect of the Christmas feel-good factor, helping stock markets rise at the end of the year, although many seasoned investors remain [...]
Junk corporate bond outflows of $2.9bn fuelled by falling oil prices November 30, 2018 The junk corporate bond market has seen outflows surge this week fuelled by a drop in oil prices. High-yield bonds saw outflows of $2.9bn (£2.27bn) in the week to Wednesday, bringing the three-week total outflows to $8.8bn. Outflows in investment grade corporate bonds hit $2.5bn, reaching $8.8bn over the last three weeks, according to research [...]
Investment Association launches consultation on including exchange traded funds in its sectors November 30, 2018 The Investment Association could include exchange traded funds (ETFs) in its fund sectors, the industry body announced today as it launched a consultation on the topic. ETFs are investment funds where shares are traded on a stock exchange and can be bought and sold at the current market price. The sector system, which is designed [...]
The activist investor revolution has begun November 30, 2018 A year ago, anyone attempting to name a FTSE 100 stock that was likely to chart a double-digit share price rise would have been unlikely to name Whitbread. With a big exposure to the British consumer, the owner of Costa Coffee and Premier Inns seemed to have too many chips stacked on the wrong part [...]
What happens when the ‘FAANG’ stocks lose their bite? November 29, 2018 | City Talk There can be little doubt about the stars of world markets in recent years. The US has led the way, with tech companies to the fore and, at the very front of the march, the so-called ‘FAANG’ stocks of Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix and Google. Still, remembering the old stock market adage ‘Tall trees do [...]
Expensive stocks & high debt: A concern for investors November 28, 2018 At no point in the lifetime of any investor operating today has the US not been the largest stock market on the planet and yet it recently notched up a new kind of record. According to numbers crunched by analyst Scott Irving of Jefferies International, at the end of September, the US accounted for 62.4 [...]
Inflows give profit boost to Brewin Dolphin November 28, 2018 Asset manager Brewin Dolphin today reported a profit jump as it was boosted by strong inflows. The company said adjusted profit before tax for the year to 30 September was £77.5m, a 10.7 per cent increase on the previous year. Its total funds stood at £42.8bn, an increase of 6.7 per cent. Brewin Dolphin increased [...]
Inescapable investment truths for the decade ahead November 27, 2018 | City Talk It seems clear to us that the world investors have got used to over the last few years is very different to the one we need to get accustomed to in the years to come. We have identified a number of economic forces and disruptive forces we think will shape the investment landscape ahead of [...]
Brexit: UK economic outlook hinges on May selling deal November 22, 2018 | City Talk The deal is largely as we expected – but this is only the end of the beginning. UK’s negotiating power has been overestimated by many; the EU has dictated the terms of Brexit from the beginning. We believe that the risk of a no-deal Brexit will focus minds and lead to cross-party support for May’s [...]