The strongest factors influencing the direction and momentum of Foreign Exchange (FX) rates are changes in the key interest rates, themselves highly sensitive to macroeconomic data such as inflation and economic growth. Higher interest rates tend to render the currency more attractive (and vice versa) which in turn can result in it strengthening versus other currencies….
Shares in low-cost carrier Ryanair are +2.5% in spite of an uncharacteristically downbeat surprise profits warning. Or was it? After a strong 2018, with profits +10%, the worse outlook is being pinned on rising staff costs, now that it is recognising unions, and falling air fares amid fierce price competition, both likely to eat into…
The UK Index has been rallying hard, flirting with fresh record highs, on the combined benefit of high oil prices and a weaker GBP, lifting the spirits (and investment accounts) of many bullishly-minded investors Have we gone too fast, too far? Does anyone out there honestly think that the current market rally is unstoppable and that we…
This week, one of our recent trade ideas, on BT, came within a whisker of our profit limit. As nice as that was for clients, what was even better were the three valuable lessons on offer about profiting from short-term moves within longer-term trends, and continually reviewing all open trades. Lesson #1 – Long-term trends, Short-term trades…
AstraZeneca may not be the UK Index ’s heaviest faller this morning (that prize goes to JMAT). However, by virtue of its heavyweight status (2.9% weighting) it is inflicting the most damage, taking almost 6pts off the index. This comes after Q1 results missed consensus expectations; revenues by a shade, profits by rather more, as…
Shares in Ocado, the online grocery delivery platform, soared +44% to fresh record highs on news of another licensing agreement, this time with Kroger, which would allow the US supermarket giant to use Ocado software to strengthen its own grocery-delivery network. Kroger will, of course, pay licensing fees to use Ocado platform. Interestingly, however, it…