Wealth managers least likedBank of Georgia gets full houseReal estate popular among analystsHumans generally feel more comfortable in groups which partly explains why stock prices often move in broad trends: knowing other investors and analysts have come to the same conclusion about a company breeds confidence in the investment case, whether or not it turns out to be correct.A rarer breed of...

Aviva chair buys shares post-AIG acquisitionColefax CEO and directors sell shares in tender offerSirius Real Estate CEO sells 500,000 sharesGeorge Culmer, chairman of Aviva (AV.), bought 110,675 shares at 396p for a total value of £437,799 on 25 September.The purchase comes as the UK insurer announced it was buying AIG's UK protection business for £450 million and almost a month after Aviva...

- Investors shrug-off raised dividend- Recession risks keep investors in caution mode- Analyst flags asset management 'success'German business park investor Sirius Real Estate (SRE) doesn't seem to be convincing the market despite solid full-year performance, a higher dividend and in-line guidance on current trading.Investors are clearly concerned about the economic backdrop and the shares...

In the end 2021 proved a rewarding year for stock markets as vaccines were rolled out and economies began to recover from the worst ravages of the pandemic. In the early part of the year, growth was shunned for value before bouncing back into fashion as the year progressed.On the whole, this was a volatile period, with investors contending with concerns over inflation and the rising interest...

London's FTSE 100 traded almost 1% lower at 7,007.53 early on Wednesday, even after supermarkets giant Tesco (TSCO) posted bumper profits, as rising US bond yields and soaring energy prices stoked inflation fears.Oil prices were camped above $80 per barrel after producers' cartel OPEC failed to increase output and natural gas continued to touch record highs, leaving investors fretting that...

UK stocks edged lower into the close on Wednesday as investors awaited clues to the speed of a possible US rate rise from the publication of the latest meeting notes from the Federal Reserve.At 4.45pm, the benchmark FTSE 100 index was down 12 points or less than 0.2% at 7,169, with losses for miners offsetting gains for house builders after more strong data on home prices.COMPANY NEWSPersimmon...

UK stocks edged higher in early trading on Wednesday as any optimism generated by another batch of positive earnings updates was offset by concerns about the spreading Delta coronavirus variant.At 08.15am, the benchmark FTSE 100 index was up 4.28 points, or less than 0.1%, at 7,185.39.The modest rise came after the release of inflation data, with the UK's consumer price index up 2.0% in July,...

UK stocks ended Monday's session in the red as the reopening of shops and pubs across the UK failed to generate much of a market reaction.Caution prevailed as many investors decided to hold off on any big decisions as first quarter earnings season picks up pace in the US.'UK markets have remained pretty subdued as they seemed to have priced in today's lockdown easing exuberance,' explained...

UK stocks were ever slightly lower by lunchtime on Monday, even as local restaurants, bars and other non-essential businesses began to reopen, with sentiment uncertain amid global jitters over rising bond yields and lofty stock valuations.By lunchtime, London's blue chip benchmark index was off 22 points or 0.31%, at 6,894.2, with high street names weakening on reopening day as investors...

The FTSE 100 fell 0.69% to 6,868 in early trade on Monday despite optimism as non-essential retailers and pubs open their doors for the first time in months.Momentum in UK shares had been building ahead of today, with the index getting back to pre-pandemic levels last week. The midcap FTSE 250 index, which last week hit a record high, also fell this morning with a 0.46% drop to 22,148.Most...

UK stocks reversed their morning gains as markets worldwide wobbled after US legislators warned that a bi-partisan deal over up to $1,900 billion of government stimulus may take longer than expected.At the close the FTSE 100 index of leading shares was down 56 points or 0.8% at 6,639 as weakness in travel and financial stocks offset gains in retailers and utilities.Gold prices slipped 0.2% to...

UK stocks gave up their early gains on Monday as a pick-up in merger and acquisition activity was offset by increasing worries over the new strain of the virus.By midday the FTSE 100 index of leading shares was down 20 points or 0.3% to 6,674 as weakness in travel and financial stocks offset gains in retailers and miners.Gold prices slipped 0.2% to $1,851 an ounce and Brent Crude gained 0.5%...

UK stocks opened ahead on Monday buoyed by mergers and acquisition activity but increasing worries over the new strain of the virus kept enthusiasm muted.Trading in Asia was positive with Japan's Nikkei 225 up 0.7% and China's SE Composite up 0.5%. Gold prices slipped 0.2% to $1,851 an ounce and Brent Crude gained 0.5% to $57.5 a barrel.The pound was 0.2% higher at $1.37. At 08:40 the FTSE 100...

London's FTSE 100 firmed 1.7% to 6,567.70 early on in the first trading session of the new year as the UK began vaccinating the population with the new Oxford University/AstraZeneca jab and a rise in oil prices lent the blue chip benchmark some support.AstraZeneca (AZN) advanced 1.7% to £74.45 as the drugs giant also completed the sale of commercial rights to its hypertension medications...

Boss of online pet care and veterinary services firm Pets at Home (PETS) cashed in over £5 million worth of shares last week, having already passed go and collected more than £34,000 of interim dividends at the start of this month.Over a period of three days last week chief executive Peter Pritchard sold around 1.27 million ordinary shares at an average price of 383.98p, raising a total of...

One cannot help feeling more optimistic about 2021 after the year we've just experienced. Everyone would agree that it's been a testing time and hopefully we're past the worst.Yes, there are still plenty of hurdles to clear. The pandemic continues to rage, unemployment levels are worrying, the true impact of Brexit is still unknown, and there are plenty of other factors to cause trouble.But a...

London's FTSE 100 struggled to make headway on Monday, creeping into the red by the close on news the coronavirus vaccine developed by Oxford University, and to be manufactured by pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca (AZN), has been shown to be 70% effective in protecting people against Covid-19.This effectiveness is less than the 95% protection shown by the Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines,...

UK stocks began the week strongly on news the coronavirus vaccine developed by Oxford University, and to be manufactured by pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca (AZN), has been shown to be 70% effective in protecting people against Covid-19 in phase-three trial data.The effectiveness is less than the 95% protection shown by the Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines, but this vaccine is a lot...

UK stocks began the week strongly after more positive news on a coronavirus vaccine emerged this morning.The vaccine developed by Oxford University, and to be manufactured by pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca (AZN), has been shown to be 70% effective in protecting people against Covid-19 in phase-three trial data.The effectiveness is less than the 95% protection shown by the Moderna and...

Who knew German business parks could be so exciting from an investor perspective? FTSE 250 constituent Sirius Real Estate (SRE) has generated a 12.3% annualised total return over the past 10 years from this apparently mundane asset class.In this article we look at how the company achieves these returns, why the portfolio should be resilient in a post-Covid world and why this makes a sound...