The UK high street has failed to bounce back strongly in April after poor weather kept consumers at home in March. According to the latest British Retail Consortium figures, like-for-like sales are down by 4.2% relative to April last year. Some of this can be linked to the timing of Easter and the volatile weather…
It’s late April in LA, it’s raining, and it’s time for the annual Milken Institute jamboree. Anthony Chow and I are here, having been relieved of a large sum in order to attend. As with most conferences, the true value is in the networking effect, not so much in what is said at the various…
UK house prices posted their largest monthly fall in eight years during April, according to Halifax’s House Price Index. While prices were up by 2.2% year-on-year, they fell by 3.1% relative to March and 0.1% against the previous quarter. To a degree, this drop could represent increased pricing volatility in the monthly measure as sales…
The board of FTSE 100 drug firm Shire (LON:SHP) has recommended that shareholders accept Takeda’s takeover bid. The offer of $33.03 in cash and 0.839 New Takeda shares values the company at approximately £46 billion. The Dublin-based outfit had received five prior offers since March from its Japanese rival. Shire management rejected the prior bids…
My colleague, Simon Cawkwell, writing in his Evil Diaries, recently described Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) as “surely…..the greatest short in the history of the world’s stock markets”, which is a pretty dramatic statement for someone so adept at spotting shorting opportunities. Investors – as distinct from spread betters – would not normally be able to benefit from these…
The Alternative Investment Market – also known as “AIM” – provokes controversy in the investment community. Some see it as little better than a casino, useful for short-term trading at best; others see it as an ideal forum for the industrious private investor to seek out opportunities for growth. What is for certain is that…
We always knew that Donald Trump was a badass. What we didn’t know (though the stock markets kind of knew) was whether his rag-bag of policies might just work… Hail to the Tweet! The 45th President of the United States is an outsider – a maverick who refuses to play by the book. His management style…
While the FTSE 100 may have gained 7% in the last month to trade within 250 points of its all-time high, not all stocks have enjoyed such a strong performance. In fact, in the last year a number of large-caps have experienced falling valuations for a variety of reasons. Therefore, there could be an opportunity…
One of the most influential things I have ever seen is a presentation on YouTube. Its formal title is Arithmetic, Population and Energybut it is described, for once, I think, without too much exaggeration, as The most important video you’ll ever see. You can judge for yourself and watch it here. The presenter is the…
Recent research by the broker Canaccord Genuity has highlighted which boards of directors and fund managers have the most significant personal stakes in their own investment trusts. Having ‘skin in the game’ doesn’t guarantee that the fund will deliver excellent performance, but it is the best indication there is that those involved are prepared to…
