The material consequences of choosing sustainable fashion April 29, 2019 The textile industry – primarily the business of cloth and clothing – produces close to 100 million tonnes of fibres every year. This number is only set to grow as purchasing power in emerging markets rises. The industry – and its growth – has huge consequences for the environment and climate change, producing some 1.2 [...]
Sainsbury’s: Buyers bet that shares have seen the low April 26, 2019 | City Talk By Graeme Evans from interactive investor. Trading within a whisker of a record low, a lot of bad news is already written into the share price. Yesterday’s humiliation of Sainsbury (J) (LSE:SBRY) and its boss Mike Coupe has not stopped investors from piling into the supermarket giant’s shares in the belief the chain can bounce [...]
Which stock markets look ‘cheap’ after strong performances in the first quarter of 2019? April 26, 2019 | City Talk Those who were brave enough to fight the emotional urge to sell during the carnage in markets which brought 2018 to a close have been richly rewarded in the first few months of 2019. Of the five markets in our regular analysis, even the worst of the bunch (Japan) returned almost 8 per cent so far [...]
Investment platform AJ Bell set to beat market expectations April 26, 2019 Investment platform AJ Bell reported boosted assets this morning as it revealed that it is set to beat analyst expectations in its financial results, which will be published next month. Assets under administration (AUA) increased by eight per cent to £47.7bn, due to growth in the platform business, the company announced this morning. Read more: UBS [...]
Unilever: Why there’s lots to like about this FTSE 100 star April 25, 2019 | City Talk By Graeme Evans from interactive investor. These first quarter numbers have been well received, and this market favourite still has lots to go for. Unilever (LSE:ULVR) shares surged to within a few pence of a record high last week as first-quarter trading figures heightened focus on whether this defensive and reliable dividend payer can offer [...]
European mutual funds hit 11th month of outflows April 24, 2019 Net outflows from European mutual funds hit €18.8bn (£16.26bn) in March, marking the 11th consecutive month of losses as investor confidence is knocked by political and economic uncertainty. Outflows have hit €58.3bn in the year-to-date, according to the latest data by Lipper, due to risks including Brexit and trade wards. Read more: Scandal-hit Gam funds to [...]
WH Smith: High-flyer divides City April 24, 2019 | City Talk By Graeme Evans from interactive investor. Latest results are fuel for another assault on a record high. Here’s why Smith splits the Square Mile. With £1 billion worth of dividends or buybacks since 2007, WH Smith (LSE:SMWH) shareholders can have few complaints about the retailer’s tried and tested strategy when it comes to selling stationery, [...]
The coming squeeze on US profits April 24, 2019 | City Talk Progress on US-China trade talks has seen investors’ concerns about a trade war fade, and be replaced instead by worries about economic growth and politic risks. The real concern for equity investors, ultimately, is how slower growth will be reflected in company profits. In 2018 markets were driven by stronger corporate earnings, but share prices [...]
A year of two halves? April 23, 2019 | Sponsored Alex Crooke, Fund Manager of the Bankers Investment Trust, explains how the team is preparing for a different investment landscape in the second half of 2019. It’s in our nature as fund managers to continually contemplate about the future, but the level and scope of uncertainty facing investors today is almost unprecedented. What’s disappointing is [...]
Why Vodafone is still backed to hit 250p April 23, 2019 | City Talk By Graeme Evans from interactive investor. Some sense a shift in the balance towards more favourable news at the start of the new financial year. Despite a fruitful start to 2019 for most FTSE 100 index stocks, the mood of many investors will have been tempered by further uncertainty over the prized dividend at Vodafone [...]