HSBC Holdings (HSBA)

UK stocks started the week on the back foot as concerns over corporate earnings started to surface ahead of the third-quarter reporting season. The FTSE 100 index of leading stocks gave up 14 points or 0.2% to 7,139 with Aerospace, Banks, Insurers and Metals Producers lagging. Propping up the index were Healthcare stocks and Oil Producers, the latter thanks to a small bounce in Brent crude ...

Although there were few nuggets of corporate news as the third quarter drew to a close, the FTSE 100 index of leading stocks continued to climb towards a two-month high adding another 0.1% to 7,331. Support came mainly from the Banks, with HSBC (HSBA) gaining 0.5% to 627p, Barclays (BARC) gaining 0.3% to 151p and Lloyds (LLOY) also adding 0.3% to 55p. Weighing on the index were the ...

The FTSE 100 index of leading stocks edged higher in early trade, adding 0.2% or 10 points to 7,336 as investors awaited a crucial court ruling on prime minister Johnson’s prorogation of parliament. After dragging the market down yesterday, banks were making amends with HSBC (HSBA) up 0.6% to 617p, Lloyds (LLOY) up 0.5% to 54.5p and Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) up 1.2% to 211p. ALL-CLEAR ...

Investors holding shares in the banking sector have been dealt another blow after a last-minute rush of compensation claims for mis-sold payment protection insurance (PPI). This has pulled down shares in the sector and raised concerns that UK banks may not be able to afford such generous dividends in the near-term. A ‘significant spike’ in compensation claims for PPI ahead of the 29 August ...

We aren’t fans of the mainstream high street banks or many of the so-called challenger banks – Metro Bank (MTRO) being a prime example – but one stock which catches our eye due to its high profitability and low valuation is Secure Trust Bank (STB). Founded in the West Midlands in 1952, it has 1.4m customers and as of the end of June it had deposits of £2bn and loans of ...

UK shares opened firmer on Wednesday despite further political uncertainty after MPs voted against the Government last night, prompting fears that the prime minister would seek a snap general election under the Fixed-Term Parliaments Act. The FTSE 100 index gains 0.6% to 7,312 with banks, insurers, miners, oils and retailers contributing positively. Among the banks, index heavy-weight HSBC ...

Emerging concerns of a global recession drag on UK stock markets in early trade on Thursday as a political unrest in Hong Kong, inverse yield curves and ex-dividends take their toll in a largely quiet day for corporate news. The FTSE 100 sinks around 25 points, or about 0.35%, to 7,123.14, its lowest since February and echoing the dismal session overnight for major US markets. On Wall Street ...

If you are new to stock market investing you may still have heard of the FTSE 100. It frequently appears on TV news bulletins and in the papers, its relative direction up or down giving viewers/readers a steer as to how the UK economy is going and how optimistic, or not, investors feel about the nation’s prospects. By contrast, the FTSE 350 the has a very low profile and seldom gets a mention ...

On 5 August HSBC (HSBA) chief executive John Flint became the 14th of his number in the FTSE 100 so far in 2019 to announce a departure, either immediately or at some point in the future. In some cases these exits are being driven by the executive involved, perhaps for personal reasons or because they fancy something new, but in a good portion of these examples companies will be hoping a change ...

It may be ten years since the financial crisis came to end (or at least stock markets bottomed, to use them as crude proxy) but the after-effects continue to linger. This can be seen most clearly in the performance of the banking sector, in the UK but also worldwide. In 2019, the Banks sector is the ninth-worst performing sector within the FTSE All-Share, with a 4.7% capital gain that lags the ...

Negative news from Sirius Minerals (SXX) on 6 August was a source of particular disappointment for Shares as we had highlighted the stock as being undervalued in a recent article. By pulling a $500m bond issue due to ‘current market conditions’ Sirius has raised serious questions about the viability of its potash project in Yorkshire. Securing these funds by the end of September is a ...

Shares in global lender HSBC (HSBA) fall 2% to 633p as the surprise exit of chief executive John Flint and the admission that its US business won’t meet its return targets next year offset a generally strong set of first half results and a $1bn share buy-back programme. Flint, who has only been in the job for 18 months, is stepping down immediately. According to chairman Mark Tucker, ‘a ...

Heavy selling on Asian markets and escalating trade tensions lead to second day straight of large losses across UK stock markets in early trade on Monday. Just mining group Fresnillo (FRES) and British Airways-owner International Consolidated Airlines (IAG) make positive moves across the whole FTSE 100, which slumps more than 100 points, or 1.35%, to 7,307.00. Leading the sell-off is grocery ...

Dividends have always been important to investors. While there are many retail enthusiasts both willing and able to conduct the necessary research on individual income stocks, deciding for themselves what’s right for their own needs and portfolios, there are plenty of others with neither the time to spare or inclination to do so. That makes UK income funds a popular choice for mainstream ...

Despite the US S&P500 index hitting a new all-time high of 2,954 yesterday on hopes of a cut in interest rates, UK stocks are fairly muted on Friday with the FTSE 100 index up just 0.1% to 7,429. Lifting the main index are energy stocks, which were also the best performers on Wall Street overnight thanks to a 5% surge in US oil prices due to increased Middle East tensions. Brent crude ...

Investors’ capital flooded into environmental, social and governance (ESG) exchange-traded funds (ETFs) at the start of the year. Total assets globally reached a record $25bn at the end of January, a 10% increase in just a month, according to data from research provider ETFGI. There are 210 ESG ETFs listed globally, and the top 20 took nearly $900m in net new assets in January. Among the top ...

Last week we looked at which stocks in the FTSE 100 index had the fastest earnings growth over five and 10 years and what price investors were prepared to pay for them. This week we’ve delved into the murky waters of the stocks with the worst record of growing earnings. We have used the same metrics, looking at five and 10 years of data, supplied by SharePad. Again, the question boils down ...

Which blue-chip stocks have the fastest earnings growth? By using market screening tools and comparing growth with valuation we have come up with some useful insights which could provide the basis for further research. RELIABLE GROWTH OR DANGER AHEAD? Employing data from Stockopedia we measured earnings growth for FTSE 100 constituents over two periods, five years and 10 years. Using ...

There is an ever-growing list of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) providing investors with low-cost access to specific industry sectors. While the costs may be slightly higher than broad market-based ETFs such as those tracking the FTSE 100, these sector products can be cheaper than actively-managed funds pursuing exposure to the same industries. Investors need to decide whether they want to ...

Approximately one quarter of the FTSE 100 is yielding 6% or more, according to analyst forecasts collated by SharePad. This seems unusually high and begs the question: are UK stocks simply very cheap or are investors pricing in very bad news for many of the biggest companies?  In last week’s Editor’s View column we asked why income investors had fallen out of love with a large number of ...