Sainsbury’s (LON:SBRY) has a rather strange growth strategy, given the outlook for the UK economy. Its purchase of Home Retail Group mans that it is becoming less defensive and more cyclical at a time when real disposable incomes seem certain to come under pressure. A mix of higher inflation and uncertainty regarding the economic outlook…
The latest oil market deal may or may not hold, and may just be a sentiment booster on a temporary basis. However, it has helped the second line oilers no end today, Premier Oil (LON:PMO) amongst them. It may not be that 80p is Heaven’s Door, to paraphrase Nobel Laureate-to-be Bob Dylan, but a clearance…
– Apple has struggled to innovate over the last several years compared to the other technology companies such as Facebook, Google, Amazon, and Tesla. – If a portfolio comprises technology stocks, shorting Apple may provide downside protection to your portfolio if and when the market corrects. – Investors have to be careful when shorting stocks,…
Since the chairman had told me to go short the Euro (this is an emotional, if sound, twitch of his) I had sold at 1.07. It was therefore concerning to see 1.085 race into view but the price turned over with all the accommodating speedy athleticism of a supremely fit hooker (I here draw upon…
Finnaust Mining (LON:FAM) has been a bit of a head scratcher this year. The reason being that the company has clearly been helped by the massive rebound in the sector to which it belongs, but with siren voices suggesting it may be overvalued. I have to say that there is some entertainment value associated with…
December’s Halifax House Price Index showed that house prices rose by just 0.2% in the last month. This gives a quarterly change of 0.8%, with the report warning that “house price growth may slow over the coming months”. That’s not surprising. Uncertainty surrounding Brexit, affordability issues and the potential for high inflation are all likely…
Here we are, finally, at a time when both the ECB and the FED are required to take important policy steps and are expected to diverge the most in years. After much volatility in 2016 because of Brexit, Italy, and Trump, investors are now concentrating their attention on central banks and their magic crafts. Dodging…
It has been a rather frustrating autumn for fans of 88 Energy (LON:88E), but in the aftermath of the latest price action recovery here, it would appear the waiting game is over. One of the more tricky aspects of investing in small caps is that, on occasion, expectations and share prices can run away with…
One major difference between investors who focus primarily on dividends and investors who focus primarily on capital gains is their time horizon. Companies that pay dividends usually do so every six months, so a dividend investor who buys into a company will often have to wait several months before their first dividend appears. Capital gains,…
After the great spreadbettor sector slump I stayed short of Plus500 (LON:PLUS) since I decided long ago that they are absolute rotters. However, I bought IG (LON:IGG) at 495p since it is an astonishingly well run business to which no hint of scandal has been attached by anybody I have encountered. I see that Odey…
