HSBC Holdings (HSBA)

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 ...

Numbers from Lloyds Banking (LLOY) and troubled challenger Metro Bank (MTRO) on 2 May did little to lift the mood after a difficult first quarter reporting season for the banks. Lloyds reported flat first-quarter profits that fell short of market expectations amid exceptional costs including charges relating to payment protection insurance (PPI) and an estimated charge for pulling the ...

Global banking giant HSBC (HSBA) has delivered an impressive set of first quarter results, beating analysts’ forecasts by more than 10% thanks to higher revenues and lower costs. However all is not what it seems as the headline figures have been helped by a number of one-off improvements, so while the shares are up 2% to 682p, investors hoping for the stock to play catch-up with the rest of ...

The 10.2% year-to-date rise in the FTSE 100 is a great result but the UK stock market’s flagship index is still being comfortably outpaced by its international counterparts. And seen on a longer-term view the FTSE has definitely underperformed relative to other global benchmarks. In this article we explain why this has happened, which super sectors have contributed to the relative ...

One of the market’s smaller UK funds at £64m is the somewhat unheralded FP CRUX UK Fund (B5839S6). Managed by CRUX Asset Management’s Jamie Ward, mathematics whizz, former equity analyst and sole manager since March 2018, the fund aims to preserve and enhance the real value of investors’ money over time. While sentiment towards UK stocks is presently poor – and understandable given ...

The FTSE 100 is currently doing a good job of confounding the Cassandras, naysayers and pessimists with a capital gain of around 6% in 2019 to date, despite the ongoing uncertainty over global tariff and trade policies, Brexit and gathering concerns over the globe’s economic growth prospects. The index’s advance may be the result of its valuation, since a forward price-to-earnings ratio of ...

Investors of a certain vintage will recall the stock-market adage, ‘Sell in May and go away, don’t come back until St Leger Day’. The saying is based on the belief that returns during the summer months are negative so you should ‘time’ the market by selling out completely at the beginning of May and reinvesting in September in time for the horse racing meeting on St Leger Day. Once ...

Shares in infrastructure firm Kier Group (KIE) fall 6% to 454p in early trade after the company delivers a sub-optimal set of first half results and promises a better second half. Revenue for the six months to 31 December is up just 2% to £2.2bn as income from the Infrastructure Services and Building divisions offset a 19% slump in Development & Housing revenue. READ MORE ABOUT KIER GROUP ...

Director dealings can provide a useful pointer for investors as management have a deep pool of knowledge about their firm and insider buying and selling can sometimes be an indication of the health of the business. Saying that, investors shouldn't jump to conclusions when directors sell shares as this can sometimes be prompted by tax liabilities or it may be the first opportunity for management ...

While the pound is getting a lift this morning on press reports that a Brexit deal is being ‘hammered out’ with the European Union, corporate results are weighing on stocks with the FTSE 100 index slipping 0.6% to 7,182. Star pupil and topping the leader board up 3% to 164p is Barclays (BARC) which reported full year earnings in line with market estimates. Unlike HSBC (HSBA) there were ...

Banking giant HSBC (HSBA) may be maintaining its dividend despite sub-par 2018 results but does the admittedly generous yield make up for this lacklustre showing? Both revenue and profit were around $1bn short of expectations in 2018 thanks to a tough end to the year linked to global trade concerns, weak financial markets and rising impairments. A 6% yield based on consensus forecasts may ...

A really disappointing end to 2018 for HSBC (HSBA) adds up to full year numbers short of expectations and is putting the share price under real pressure, down 4.3% at 635.3p at the last count. That still leaves the banking giant worth around £128bn. You can read the results for yourself here but one of the key takeaways was that pre-tax profit at $19.9bn is more than $1bn short of the ...

Dividends take centre stage in early trade on Tuesday as banking giant HSBC (HSBA) and mining group BHP Billiton (BHP) maintain payouts to investors, while hotels operator Intercontinental Hotels (IHG) ups its own shareholder hand out by 10%. HSBC continues to demonstrate what a profitable core business it has as it increasingly concentrates on Asia, posting a near 16% rise in pre-tax profit ...

As investors we’re used to looking at the price of indices like the FTSE 100 fairly regularly but it probably never occurs to most of us how the index is constructed or how its value is calculated. Like most indices, its value is calculated by taking the free float London adjusted market value of all the companies within the index and dividing it by a number to get an index value. When it ...

Avoiding bad stocks is equally as important as picking good ones. Investing must always involve a detailed research process rather than random selection as prospects which may seem enticing at first glance aren’t always up to scratch when you dig deeper. In the case of HSBC (HSBA), many investors look at its generous dividend payments and think it is a good business generating millions of ...