THIS IS AN ADVERTISING FEATURERhys Davies, Fund ManagerBond markets have been anything but boring over the last couple of years ? what happened?They?ve been exciting ? and painful - for investors. We all know what happened in 2022. Inflation, which is the nemesis of bonds, was a lot higher than most people expected. Interest rates were hiked in reaction. Many people criticise the central banks for

For over a decade following the global financial crisis, bonds offered little in the way of return and carried significant price risk. But the return of inflation and higher interest rates have changed all that.You can now get a 4.5% annual yield on a UK government bond maturing in 10 years' time. That compares to under 0.2% in the depths of the pandemic in 2020.To spell out the gargantuan differe

THIS IS AN ADVERTISING FEATURENavigating the US stock market at a time of recessionAll signs are pointing to a recession in the US in the second half of 2023, with the impact of higher interest rates starting to be felt in the real economy. But, says Lisa Yang, manager on the BlackRock Sustainable American Income trust, there are always companies that can thrive. Capital at risk. The value of inve

The potential collapse of Thames Water and a mooted move into public ownership amid spiralling debts has put the spotlight on the contingent of water utility firms on the UK stock market.Saddled with their own significant borrowings and with investment required to fix the UK's ageing water infrastructure, questions are being asked about their ability to continue to pay generous dividends to shareh

With banks still very much the focus of the market's attention, should investors rethink not just their direct exposure to the sector through individual stocks but also their indirect exposure through funds and investment trusts with large weightings in the sector?Shares has examined some of the funds and trusts with the largest reported exposure to financial firms as a proportion of total assets

After making very strong gains the previous week on a lower-than-expected inflation reading, US stocks were on the back foot again.Initial excitement that the apparent easing of inflationary pressures would lead to a pivot on interest rates from the US Federal Reserve faded after hawkish comments from Fed officials.There were also mixed signs on the health of the consumer economy, with department

- Retail traders changing tack as cost of living bites- Once popular meme stock stars have plunged this year- GameStop has lost more than half of 2021 peaksSo-called 'meme' stocks, such as GameStop (GME:NYSE), AMC Entertainment (AMC:NYSE) and Bed Bath & Beyond (BBBY:NASDAQ), are becoming 'pump and dump' bets as retail traders react to record high inflation and a possible recession, claims one anal

When AMC Entertainment (AMC:NYSE) reported second quarter earnings a few weeks back (4 August) it's better-than-expected revenues and lower losses were not the only surprise for investors. Chief executive Adam Aron also unveiled plans to issue new preferred stock. This may have left many ordinary shareholders baffled.What is preferred stock, who gets them, and what the wider implications for the A

The summertime blues are nowhere to be seen. Share and bond prices are advancing, and oil and commodity prices are ebbing to help take the edge off inflationary concerns and permit markets to convince themselves that central banks are planning a policy pivot, in the form of interest rate cuts, sometime in 2023.This all seems at odds with a world where inflation still stands at 40-year highs, econo

Investors took to the sidelines this week after the S&P 500 index approached its 200-day moving average - a measure of long-term resistance - at around the 4,300-point level.US markets rallied earlier this month as most of the recent economic data from jobless claims to housing starts has come in softer than expected and investors start to hope the Federal Reserve may pause its interest rate hikes

Investors have started chasing up shares of former 'meme' stocks and companies whose shares have been heavily shorted by hedge funds.Since the start of August, shares in cinema operator AMC Entertainment (AMC:NYSE) have rallied more than 65% to almost $24 after languishing below $15 for most of the preceding three months.A study in the Wall Street Journal showing a shift in consumer spending back

The first half of 2022 will not be remembered fondly by investors after the S&P 500 index dropped 20.5%, its fifth worst performance on record and on par with 1970's 21% drop.It has been a year of breaking records for all the wrong reasons. Between January and April, the index fell by more than 13% and the last time that happened was 1939, when Warren Buffet was contemplating making his first inve

Budget airline Wizz Air (WIZZ) emphasised its optimism for a rapid recovery in the European flights industry by raising €500 million through a bond offering. The bonds come with a 1% coupon and expire in 2026, while Wizz Air's credit is rated BBB by ratings agencies Fitch and Baa3 by Moody's.That the company says the offer was 'oversubscribed' illustrates the rampant appetite among investors

UK stocks saw declines accelerate through the afternoon session to close sharply lower on Wednesday while investors also had to mull Deliveroo's (ROO) IPO car crash.The fast food delivery app saw its stock fall by more than 26% from its 390p IPO listing price, wiping nearly £2 billion off its valuation and burning thousands of retail investors along the way. The stock closed at 287.45p.That slump

The UK's leading shares continued to drift lower in early afternoon trading although recovering some of their earlier losses as investors mull Deliveroo's (ROO) IPO car crash.The fast food delivery app saw its stock collapse close on 30% at 278.15p after listing at 390p on Wednesday for a £7.6 billion valuation, burning thousands of retail investors along the way.That slump had no effect on Londo

London's FTSE 100 traded 0.4% lower at 6,747.46 early on Wednesday, despite the release of stronger-than-expected local economic data.Rising bond yields, and what they say about inflation and interest rate risks, had put US and Asian stocks under some modest pressure and the weak sentiment extended to Europe.UK gross domestic product grew by a relatively modest 1.3% in the fourth quarter of 2020,

Despite warning of a record full-year loss Ryanair (RYA) fell just 1.3% to €14.02 on Monday, with investors apparently focusing on its strong financial position and hopes of market share gains in a recovery.The low-cost carrier swung to a deep third-quarter loss as the pandemic continued to hammer global travel markets.Net losses for the three months through December amounted to €306 mil

Bonds are often considered an integral part of a portfolio by providing diversification and, in many cases, adding a lower risk element to someone's investments. Unfortunately, many bonds have become unattractive due to prices being bid up and yields falling. As such, investors need to be very careful where they put their money in the fixed income space in 2021.This article explains the basics of

Shares in budget airline Ryanair (RYA) gained 3.77% to €12.10 after it confirmed it has raised €400 million in a placing to help fund its growth.New shares in the company were issued to institutional investors at €11.35 each, with the funding helping to strengthen its balance sheet and take advantage of 'significant growth opportunities' as rivals 'shrink, fail or are acquired by go