Stocks with supposed ‘defensive’ qualities (e.g. Utilities, Telecoms, Health, Tobacco, Consumer staples) should be less sensitive – if at all – to the economic cycle, acting as portfolio buoyancy aids to limit damage when risk appetite sours and your more sensitive, higher beta stocks (e.g. Miners, Financials, Property, Oil) turn south. But that doesn’t mean…
Next week holds a big day for one man in America. Jay Powell, a current Fed Governor, will go through a gruelling job interview that could see him become the next Chair of the Federal Reserve. But why would this affect someone who trades the UK 100 ? It all comes down to the US…
Shares in Mitchells & Butler are down 10.2% this morning, dragging peer Greene King 4.8% underwater. This after it reported an 18% decline in full year pre-tax profits (adj. op profit -3.2%) as inflationary pressures hit margins to offset 1.8% growth in like-for-like sales (total revenues +4.5%). Even if Q4 was hurt by disappointing weather,…
Thomas Cook shares plunged up to 15% this morning, to their lowest since end-July, despite a healthy 15% jump in FY revenues. This is due to underlying profits unfortunately growing at a slower pace (Gross margin and underlying EBIT up just 9%), explained by a Spanish price war (major contributor to airline Monarch’s demise) resulting…
Macro observations As far as negotiations in Europe go, these were meant to be the easiest taking place over the next 18 months or so. And yet, late last night, the news broke that German coalition talks had broken down as the FDP walked away from talks with Angela Merkel’s CDU/CSU and the Green Party….
17 Nov Reuters (Link) “Shorts who stayed the course, even adding, will be grinning all the way to the bank, having expected already serious corporate and financial troubles to worsen,” said Mike van Dulken, head of research at Accendo Markets. 16 Nov Proactive Investors (Link) GKN its said guidance for the full year would remain unchanged. But Mike…