Investors ignore disruptive weather at their peril March 5, 2018 The "Beast from the East" closed schools, kept trains in their sidings and hit Britain's productivity. But can inclement weather move the stock market by affecting investors' minds? Findings of a research project published in the Journal of Accounting Research in 2015 concluded that financial analysts respond more slowly to the implications of earnings announcements [...]
RIT Capital’s ‘preservation mode’ lags strong market March 5, 2018 RIT Capital is an investment trust with a broad portfolio of assets. By owning a diverse range the overall aim is to beat inflation while limiting the ups and downs usually associated with investing in the stock market. Shares make up the core, represented by managed funds and some individual stocks, and this is supplemented [...]
Investors set to receive £34m in compensation from misleading “closet tracker” fund managers March 4, 2018 Investors who may have been misled into paying higher fees are set to get £34m in compensation from asset managers. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said that a number of firms were returning money to investors, though not in any official FCA-backed scheme, after the watchdog launched a crackdown on “closet tracker” funds. These are [...]
Last Week in the City: Trump threatens trade war March 2, 2018 This week US President Donald Trump threatened a trade war, a number of famous high street names, including Toys R Us and Maplin, got into serious trading trouble and upbeat assessments of the US economy from central bankers helped the US dollar to rally, reversing its recent trend. The FTSE 100 fell 0.2 per cent [...]
Retail job losses could number 15,000 as industry strains under cost pressures March 1, 2018 At least 15,000 retail sector jobs have either been slashed this year or are now at risk as household names sink into administration, according to calculations by City A.M. Toys R Us and Maplin went into administration yesterday, putting more than 5,500 jobs in doubt. The double-whammy for the industry comes after fashion chain East [...]
Property gloom is not really justified February 28, 2018 The amount of construction going on in the City of London makes the British capital look like a boomtown. Yet, following the UK’s vote to leave the European Union, the market has been distinctly downbeat on the value of London office space and the share prices of London-listed real estate investment trusts (REITs) has collapsed. [...]
Maplin has collapsed putting 2,500 jobs at risk February 28, 2018 Maplin has collapsed this morning, with PwC set to handle the administration, after sale talks broke down with a potential buyer. The retailer’s private equity owner Rutland Fund Management was in talks with Edinburgh Woollen Mill about a sale, but talks have collapsed, putting thousands of jobs at risk. Read more: The rescue buyer which [...]
Disruption is everywhere – but so are the investment opportunities February 27, 2018 I’m not usually a subscriber to “this time it’s different”, but when it comes to the emerging disruption in so many industries, “this time it’s more than average” doesn’t really seem to cut it. This time I have a feeling it really may be different, because today’s disruptions are everywhere, and that means that there [...]
Profit from Theresa May’s war on plastic February 27, 2018 Theresa May recently declared a “war on plastic” and businesses such as Costa Coffee, Wagamama, Pizza Express and Leon have said they will phase out the use of plastic straws. California is considering banning them completely. Frozen food retailer Iceland has also pledged to be free of plastic packaging in its own-brand products within five [...]
Aston Martin, the manufacturer of James Bond’s cars, could list in London after reporting record results February 26, 2018 Aston Martin, the iconic luxury car manufacturer which was made famous by fictional spy James Bond, has said it is considering a float on the public markets. Any final decision on a float would be down to Aston Martin’s Italian private equity owner Investindustrial, which could choose to sell the company to a private buyer [...]