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 [...]
The fault in default funds: Why you might not be getting the most out of your workplace pension scheme April 17, 2019 There is no denying that auto-enrolment is paving the way for the British population to have a half-decent savings pot in retirement. According to recent figures from the Office for National Statistics, 76 per cent of UK employees were members of a workplace pension scheme in 2018, up slightly from the 73 per cent enrolled [...]
Countdown to Brexit: three market indicators to watch April 15, 2019 | City Talk With politicians still struggling to agree the terms of withdrawal, investors in assets linked to the UK economy could be in for an uncertain time. UK investments have already underperformed their global peers since Britain voted to leave the EU, in June 2016. For instance, sterling is down 8.4 per cent since the vote and despite [...]
Death of the High Street? Why we’re still backing UK retail April 9, 2019 | City Talk Following some dire headlines you might rightly wonder why the share prices of UK retailers have recorded double-digit gains this year (see graphic, below). Surely the relentlessly downbeat mood music from the mainstream media (and pessimism among analysts) is confirmation that the UK consumer is in full retreat, and consumer-exposed sectors are in deep trouble? [...]
Superdry board in mass resignation as Dunkerton takes the reins April 2, 2019 Superdry suffered a boardroom exodus tonight after the troubled retailer’s co-founder won an audacious bid to reinstall himself onto the firm’s board. In a shock move this evening, Superdry’s entire board – including its chief executive and chairman – revealed plans to step down after Julian Dunkerton won an investor vote which will see him [...]
Dunkerton lawyers warn Superdry about alleged remarks to shareholders in latest feud April 1, 2019 The bitter boardroom battle at Superdry escalated once again this evening amid reports that co-founder Julian Dunkerton has hired lawyers to warn the company against making allegedly defamatory statements about him to shareholders. According to Sky News Dunkerton, whose audacious attempts to return to the retailer's board will be voted on at a crunch investor meeting tomorrow, has [...]
Findel says it has backing of major shareholder in blow to Ashley bid April 1, 2019 Online shopping specialist Findel claimed today that it had the support of its second largest shareholder, as it looks to see off a takeover bid from Sports Direct. In the latest blow to retail tycoon Mike Ashley, the British home shopping company published a letter of support from Schroders, which controls an 18.85 per cent [...]
14 years of returns: history’s lesson for investors March 29, 2019 | City Talk The temptation among investors is to stick to what you know. That is no bad thing. It is a strategy championed by successful investment pioneers such as Warren Buffett, a famous devotee of stocks. It can work, when the market is rising and you have picked the right asset. However, it’s also important for investors [...]
Cutting the ‘Hemline Index’ down to size March 25, 2019 | City Talk Created by economist George Taylor just three years ahead of the 1929 Wall Street Crash, his theory of the on the so-called ‘Hemline Index’ holds that when share prices go up, so do hemlines. By the same token, during tougher economic periods, skirts and dresses get longer. The original thinking seems to have run that, [...]
Countdown to Brexit: three market indicators to watch March 22, 2019 | City Talk The UK is due to leave the European Union (EU) on 29 March 2019. With politicians still struggling to agree the terms of withdrawal, investors in assets linked to the UK economy could be in for an uncertain time. UK investments have already underperformed their global peers since Britain voted to leave the EU, in [...]