Since BHP Billiton (LON:BLT) relies on its oil division for 29.6% of its EBITDA, the uncertain outlook for oil leaves me negative on its medium-term future. Hopes were raised regarding the oil price last month when OPEC declared that it had struck a deal to freeze output. Brent rallied in the aftermath and many investors…
Perhaps the biggest effect of Brexit thus far has been its impact on the pound. It has weakened by 18% versus the dollar since the EU referendum as confidence in the UK economy has deteriorated. More of the same could lie ahead and it would be unsurprising for the pound to weaken yet further, particularly…
Tesco (LON:TSCO) used to be a rather dull stock. It was seen as a defensive play with a generous yield and had the potential to expand abroad in Asia and the US. Today, its business is anything but dull. A new management team is in the process of changing the company so that it is…
The prospect of a new US President, a US interest rate rise and Brexit mean that defensive stocks could become increasingly popular. That’s why I’m optimistic about National Grid’s future prospects. There is no such thing as return without risk. In fact, risk is always present for equity investors. However, there are periods of time…
Despite the Brexit vote, house builders remain an attractive investment proposition. With its high, well-covered yield and low valuation, Berkeley is a star buy for the long term in my opinion. Brexit may cause underperformance in the short run as well as a volatile share price, but Berkeley’s overall risk/reward ratio has significant appeal. According…
Owning Centamin (LON:CEY) as part of a diversified portfolio of shares looks like a sound move given the uncertain outlook for the global economy. One of the big success stories of 2016 has been the rising price of gold. It started the year at $1,061 per ounce and now trades 18.3% higher at $1,255 per…
Since the credit crunch, income investing has become more popular. This has been caused by falling interest rates, low bond yields and an opportunity cost from holding cash. Now that interest rates have fallen yet further, I believe that income investing will become even more important to many more investors. One stock which I think…
One of my best performing investments in recent years has been Unilever (LON:ULVR). It has risen by 33% in the last year even though the outlook for emerging markets has at times appeared uncertain. However, it is those same emerging markets which provide Unilever with a stunning growth outlook. For me, Unilever’s exposure to developing…
The world’s population is forecast to increase from 7.3 billion today to 9.7 billion by 2050. That’s a rise of 33% in just 34 years and this brings a significant challenge. That is how to balance the increased energy needs of a larger population of people with a required reduction in carbon dioxide emissions. Shell…
It’s three months since the UK voted to leave the EU. In that time we have in place a new Prime Minister, a looser monetary policy and sterling is the weakest it has been versus the US dollar in over a decade. All in all, it’s been a dramatic quarter. While the FTSE 100 has…
