Weekly outlook, 16-20 November: will FTSE rally continue? November 15, 2020 After the best week for the FTSE 100 since April, investors will be keen to see if markets can keep the rally going, with a slew of heavyweights set to report. Last Monday Pfizer’s announcement that its vaccine was 90 per cent effective in treating the coronavirus disease sent stocks soaring. Traders cheered the news, [...]
Peter Harrison: UK business needs a £30bn equity injection July 10, 2020 The winning companies of tomorrow need help to survive today. This is how we, and the government, could help. The full economic impact of the Covid-19 crisis is now beginning to be felt as each day brings fresh news of job losses. It will get worse. £30 billion fund needed There is a chance to [...]
Report to slam FTSE boards as ‘complacent’ on ethnic diversity goal February 2, 2020 Britain’s biggest public companies will this week be accused of complacency over a target to appoint a non-white director by the end of 2021. The Parker Review, led by City grandee Sir John Parker, outlined the target in 2016. In a progress report set to be published on Tuesday, Parker will slam FTSE firms for [...]
Not as easy as 1,2,3: Seven accounting errors that rocked FTSE firms January 22, 2020 Ted Baker today experienced the dubious honour of joining a list of FTSE firms that have been shaken by accounting errors in the past year. The fashion retailer revealed an accounting error was more than twice as bad as it previously thought, knocking shares down seven per cent. But it is by no means the [...]
FTSE 250 hits highest level in 15 months as Conservatives maintain poll lead November 26, 2019 The FTSE 250 nudged up 0.2 per cent this morning to 20,740, reaching its highest level since August 2018. The London index rose on the back of growing investor confidence that the Conservatives will win December’s General Election, after polls showed the party had maintained a healthy lead over Labour. Russ Mould, investment director at [...]
Campaigners hail milestone as FTSE boards hire most women in 450 years October 2, 2019 City grandee Dame Helena Morrissey has hailed an effort to bring more women onto the boards of London’s quoted companies as the FTSE 350 hit a major milestone. For the first time in its nearly 450-year history the exchange’s top companies have boards where 30 per cent of the members are women. Read more: Diversity [...]
How will global disruption affect small cap stocks? September 9, 2019 Small capitalisation stocks, or small caps, can offer the potential for higher returns compared with investing in larger companies, although they are not without risks. As with all equities, investors may not get back the amount they originally invested. As well as the potential for higher returns, investors are also being drawn to the sector [...]
Corporate reputation is too valuable to leave to chance July 4, 2019 Corporate reputation is a ubiquitous phrase today. Companies spend enormous sums trying to burnish their reputations. An army of corporate governance experts, politicians, regulators and, dare I say, journalists queue up to judge those efforts – and often find them wanting. Shakespeare, as you might expect, has the best lines on the subject. “I have [...]