The Mitie short: Hedge funds including Marshall Wace and Old Mutual bet on more share price falls at outsourcing group March 19, 2017 | Sponsored Hedge funds are anticipating further falls in the share price of troubled outsourcing firm Mitie. Marshall Wace, Old Mutual and Henderson Global Investors are among the investors to have disclosed short positions on the company. Read more: Mitie flogs its healthcare business for just £2 Markit data, reported on by the Sunday Times, shows the [...]
This stock market index rose 289% but could still be good value March 17, 2017 | City Talk Over time, smaller company shares have outperformed larger ones, research shows. The FTSE Small Cap index has risen 289% since its nadir in February 2009, compared with a 158% rise for the FTSE 100. Because of their size, “small caps” have the potential to grow more quickly. The quicker a company can grow its earnings in a [...]
Miton shares leap 10 per cent as asset manager reports 70 per cent profit jump and management shake-up March 16, 2017 Fund manager Miton’s share price leapt 10 per cent today as the company announced a 70 per cent jump in profits and a senior management shake-up. The figures Miton’s assets under management (AUM) at 31 December were £2.91bn, up from £2.78bn a year before. Adjusted pre-tax profits for the year were up 70 per cent [...]
Investor relief at Dutch election: what next for stock markets? March 16, 2017 | City Talk European stock markets have expressed relief at the Dutch election result. Traders had been anxious and share prices put under pressure in the run up to polling day yesterday. But centre-right Prime Minister Mark Rutte saw off a challenge from the Party for Freedom (PVV), led by anti-immigration nationalist Geert Wilders. The election had been [...]
Oxford University on a high as Star Trek star backs medicinal cannabis research March 15, 2017 Star Trek actor Sir Patrick Stewart has publicly endorsed cannabis research at Oxford University, after admitting to using the drug for medicinal reasons in America. Stewart has backed the UK’s first ever research project launched by Oxford University today which aims to explore the benefits of cannabinoid-based medicines for sufferers of arthritis like himself. Stewart [...]
Wealth manager Brooks Macdonald reports growth despite “really terrible” period after Brexit vote March 15, 2017 Wealth manager Brooks Macdonald today reported growth in funds under management (FUM), revenues and profits, despite a “really terrible” period after the EU referendum. The figures Discretionary FUM were £9.3bn at the end of 2016, up 19 per cent on 2015. In the six months to 31 December, revenue came in at £45.3m, up 17 [...]
Why the FTSE 100 rises when sterling falls – explained in two charts March 15, 2017 | City Talk The FTSE 100's strong recovery after the Brexit verdict in last June's referendum caught some investors off guard. After an initial wobble, the index surged. Three months later, it was 10.4% higher. But why? There may have been some other factors at play in those months, but one of the strongest drivers in the fortunes [...]
The deadly risk of sugar: It’s time investors reassessed food and drinks companies March 15, 2017 In a year where major political earthquakes have moved markets and dominated the news agenda, it’s easy to overlook an investment risk posed from a more mundane source. Overconsumption of sugar, an everyday household item, has consequences both for businesses and their investors that could leave a bitter taste. In 2014, more than 1.9bn of [...]
Chris Hohn’s activist fund attacks Safran’s “enormously destructive” €8.5bn Zodiac takeover March 14, 2017 Chris Hohn’s activist hedge fund has had another bite at French aircraft-engine maker Safran over a planned €8.5bn (£7.4bn) takeover. The Children’s Investment (TCI) Fund, which owns a 4.1 per cent stake in Safran, publicised its opposition to the deal for plane-seat maker Zodiac last month, saying it had “no strategic rationale”. Safran hit back shortly [...]
How can investors navigate the choppy waters of European politics? March 14, 2017 Remember this time last year, when Brexit was an outside chance and not many Brits really believed Trump could convince half a country to vote for him? They’re saying much the same thing now about France’s Marine Le Pen and Geert Wilders of the Netherlands, but I think we’ve all learnt to take the polls [...]