This week offered a timely insight into UK consumer confidence after Retailers and Housebuilders updated us on recent performance. Whilst inflation continues to outpace wages, consumers clearly remain focused on value. This resulted in mixed messages from management, UK Index winners and losers, and some very surprising share price moves. In Retail, the supermarkets started…
It’s been 10 years since the financial crisis. Since then, we’ve seen Brexit, and watched as across the Atlantic Donald Trump was elected to the White House. But who would have thought, just 12 months after coming into office, that UK Banks would be flying at multi-year highs, some their highest levels since the dark…
12 Jan Reuters (Link) “The company points to solid industry fundamentals with strong demand for new homes supported by accommodative financing, government initiatives as well as the well documented shortage of national supply. Long may this continue”, said Accendo Markets analyst Mike van Dulken. 11 Jan Armchair Trader (Link) The timing of these companies’ announcements couldn’t…
Bovis Homes is bucking a sector trend, +4.2% this morning and back close to November’s record high. Investors are embracing its Jan trading update, at odds with how they digested this week’s statements from bigger peers Persimmon (Tues; -1% a day all this week), Taylor Wimpey (Weds: -4%) and Barratt Developments (Thurs: -2.7%). This is…
On a grim day for UK grocers, shares in the UK’s #1 supermarket Tesco are down this morning, towards the bottom of the pile on a notable Christmas sales miss. CEO Dave Lewis’ strategy implementation is yielding results – 2017 saw strongest Christmas sales since former head Leahy’s departure in 2010 – however the negative…
Shares in Taylor Wimpey (TW.) find themselves towards the back of the UK 100 today, falling for the second consecutive day and as much as 5% after the Housebuilder released its Q4 trading statement this morning. The general sentiment of TW’s trading statement today echoed that of peer Persimmon’s (PSN) yesterday, reiterating the uncertain backdrop for the…