AJ Bell Comments

American activist investor Elliott Management is booking its second win of the week today as Dutch chemicals giant Akzo Nobel outlines a radical restructuring plan just two days after Klaus Kleinfeld, the boss of American firm Arconic resigned, following a protracted battle with this particular investor.

"An improvement in the third and final economic sentiment survey of the week, the services purchasing managers’ index (PMI), will offer some comfort to Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond and those investors whose portfolio strategy is based on an improvement in the UK’s economic momentum in 2017 and beyond,” says Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell.

Shares in Imagination are down by two-thirds this morning after key client Apple’s decision not to use the FTSE Small Cap’s silicon chip designs in products due for release in 18 to 24 months’ time.

Twenty-six FTSE 100 firms have raised their dividend every year for the past decade but when it comes to consistent increases in the shareholder pay-out few can match AIM-quoted flooring expert James Halstead, whose interim dividend hike today adds to a streak of consecutive increases that stretches back to the late 1970s.

Today’s forecast beating non-farm payrolls number of 235,000 paves the way for a US Federal Reserve rate hike next Wednesday.

The Investment Association has announced the conclusion of its UK Equity Income sector review.

The FCA has today published its final rules and guidance on the Lifetime ISA.

The DWP has today published its long-awaited Green Paper on the future of defined benefit (DB) pensions in the UK.

Consumer price index (CPI) inflation increases to 1.8% in January, its highest level since June 2014

Gold mining shares are taking on a fresh lustre after larger-than-expected dividend increases from FTSE 100 firm Randgold Resources and FTSE 250 members Centamin and Acacia Mining, which is the best performer in the FTSE All-Share today with a near-7% gain.

On Tuesday 14 February we will see if the weak pound continues to stoke UK inflation, as well as annual results from Rolls-Royce and gold miner Acacia. Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell, looks at some of the key points to keep an eye out for in those announcements.

Woodford Investment Management is expected to launch a new income ‘focus’ fund in March.

Ryan Hughes, head of fund selection at AJ Bell comments on the Investment Association’s statistics on UK investor behaviour for 2016.

Central banks take centre stage this week with the Bank of Japan, US Federal Reserve and Bank of England all delivering their latest monetary policy decisions. Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell, looks at some of the key points to keep an eye out for in those announcements, as well as the trading updates from SSE and Royal Dutch Shell.

The Government has today announced that £9.2 billion has been withdrawn since the pension freedoms were introduced.

The Treasury and DWP have today launched the consultation about how to create a new financial guidance body.

Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell comments on the Fed’s decision to raise US interest rates.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) have today warned 328,000 savers are at risk of receiving poor value-for-money from their workplace scheme.

The Government has today launched its consultation on Pension scams.

House builder Berkeley’s shares are up 4% today.

The Government has today published the latest annual statistics on workplace pensions participation and savings trends, covering 2005 – 2015.

FTSE has just announced the latest changes to the FTSE 100 index.

Wednesday will see the latest reshuffle in the constituents of the FTSE 100 and on the basis of their market capitalisations gold miner Polymetal and Travis Perkins will drop out after three-month and three-year stays respectively, with market newcomer ConvaTec certain of promotion, given its £4.8 billion market valuation.

The FCA has today announced plans for annuity providers to be required to inform customers how much they could gain from shopping around and switching provider before they purchase an annuity.

The impact of charges on active fund management performance is brought into stark contrast by the FCA market study.

The DWP has today commissioned the Government Actuary’s Department (GAD) to look into life expectancy in future years as part of a review into the UK state pension age.

The FCA has today launched a consultation on the Lifetime ISA.

“Two factors make it perfectly understandable why Snapchat’s parent company, Snap Inc., is reportedly working on a flotation,” says AJ Bell investment director Russ Mould.

The DWP has today announced that more than 1.5 million people have requested personal state pension forecasts since the launch of the new state pension in April this year.

A 20% slide in the shares during Steve Rowe’s first six months in office is the worst start to a tenure in office of any of M&S’s last six bosses, in share price terms.

A 20% slide in the shares during Steve Rowe’s first six months in office is the worst start to a tenure in office of any of M&S’s last six bosses, in share price terms.

A flat interim dividend, the abandonment of both the share buyback scheme and special dividends and a restructuring programme at home and abroad shows that Marks & Spencer boss Steve Rowe is sensibly focusing on managing the underlying business rather than just the reported numbers.

“Today’s High Court ruling that Parliament should get to vote on whether Article 50 is triggered is already sparking a recovery in sterling,” says Russ Mould, AJ Bell’s investment director.

“Today’s results from the UK’s two oil majors are better than expected, both firms are continuing to cut costs and investors will be particularly pleased to see maintained dividend payments as Shell and BP report their third quarter-numbers,” says Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell.