Last month we revealed which stocks hedge funds had been shorting in the second quarter after the remarkable post-Liberation Day rally which has seen UK and UK markets hit record highs. This month, with the help of Joachim Klement and Susana Cruz of Panmure Liberum's strategy, economics and ESG team, we take a look at which UK and European stocks are most popular with hedge funds and which...

Identifying companies which have an edge over their competitors which they are able to maintain is an important component of investing. After all, it is the companies which possess these qualities which can deliver above average returns for longer than might otherwise be expected. In this context, legendary investor Warren Buffett popularised the idea of an 'economic moat' which is the...

Freixe axed after 'undisclosed romantic relationship' Nespresso head named new CEO Fresh uncertainty over strategic direction Investors in Nestle (NESN:SWX) face further uncertainty following news the Swiss food and drink giant has parted ways with its chief executive for the second time in a year with Laurent Freixe dismissed following a code of conduct breach. The KitKat chocolate-to-Nescafe...

UK grocery sales continue to tick along nicely over the summer with the latest data from Worldpanel showing a 4.5% rise in take-home shopping in the 12 weeks to 10 August, with market leaders Sainsbury (SBRY) and Tesco (TSCO) outperforming the market. However, in the last four weeks at least, all of the increase in value was down to higher prices rather than higher volumes, as inflation...

UK-listed consumer goods giant Unilever (ULVR) is in the middle of a well-publicised restructuring which involves focusing on the product ranges in its portfolio which it feels resonate most strongly with shoppers. The decision to focus on these so called 'power brands' is just the latest illustration of how much brands matter, how there is a clear hierarchy for brands, how their fortunes can...

We have already recently looked at the potential impact of climate change and warmer weather on the financial system, but what could it mean for consumer behaviour and are we already seeing signs people are changing how and where they spend their money? In fact, from our weekly shop to our annual getaway, we are already starting to make subtle changes, and if hotter weather is here to stay it...

Chain outperform rivals Inflation has accelerated Revival in branded goods UK grocery sales continue to tick along nicely over the summer with the latest data from Worldpanel showing a 4.5% rise in take-home shopping in the 12 weeks to 10 August, with market leaders Sainsbury (SBRY) and Tesco (TSCO) outperforming the market. However, in the last four weeks at least, all of the increase in...

UK inflation is creeping back up again. As measured by the consumer price index, or CPI, the rise in the cost of living was 3.6% in June 2025, up from 3.4% in May, and rising at its fastest rate since January 2024. Prices are almost 28% higher than they were five years ago, according to ONS (Office of National Statistics) data. Over the past five years, CPI growth has averaged about 4% per...

This feature looks at the increasing trend for companies to present adjusted financial figures and/or APM (alternative performance measures) and asks whether it may say something about the companies themselves. For example, do companies which provide unadjusted numbers make better long-term investments? Fund manager David Beggs at Sanford DeLand believes that may be the case, telling Shares:...

Haleon (HLN) 390.9p Market cap: £35.6 billion Geopolitical turbulence and Donald Trump's tariffs mean uncertainties abound for investors, with the outlook for global markets and economies likely to remain unclear for some time to come. Given this backdrop, savvy portfolio builders should increase their exposure to high-quality, cash-generative large-caps whose earnings have a defensive bent....

Full-year return of 7.5% Equity exposure increased Gold exposure reduced Capital preservation trust Personal Assets (PNL) delivered a total return in NAV (net asset value) per share of 7.5% in the year to 30 April, in line with the FTSE All-Share, despite maintaining a low equity exposure and high liquidity. The shares nudged up 0.5% to 515p and are ahead by around 6% over the last year...

Guinness European Equity Income (BVYPP13) £28.38 Assets: £63 million (as of 6 June 2025) After the market volatility caused by president Donald Trump's Liberation Day trade tariffs, investors have been slowly but steadily 'de-dollarising' or moving money out of US assets, be that shares, bonds or the US dollar itself. Continental Europe has been a big beneficiary, with the German market ?...

The Nasdaq 100 index has been one of the best performing indices of the last 25 years, returning 8.8% since January 2000. To put that in pounds and pence, £10,000 invested in the index would now be worth £84,473, even throwing some shade on the broader US stock market in the form of the S&P 500, which is itself no slouch on the performance front. The Nasdaq 100 index is comprised of the...

Warm Easter holiday weather boosted seasonal sales of outdoor and gardening products and encouraged consumers to get out and spend on 'big-ticket' projects. Among the beneficiaries was DIY chain Wickes (WIX), where revenue grew 6.9% in the 17 weeks to 26 April 2025. The specialty retailer highlighted 'strong volume-led' retail sales, up 9.2% on a like-for-like basis. Wickes, which opened its...

Veteran stockpicker Nick Train has upped his stake (30 May) in Finsbury Growth & Income Trust (FGT) to 3.92% in a show of confidence in the well-followed fund's long-run prospects. The purchase followed results (29 May) for the half to 31 March 2025 which revealed another period of underperformance, the company's net asset value (NAV) total return of 2.1% lagging the 4.1% rise in the benchmark...

At the tender age of 94, Warren Buffett has handed over the reins of Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B:NYSE) to Greg Abel, who will take on the role of chief executive from next year. Buffett has run Berkshire for about as long as an average human lifespan and is as deeply welded into the company as a manager can get. Thanks to his annual missives to Berkshire shareholders, Buffet has provided a...

According to the latest Dividend Monitor report from Computershare, which looks after the share registers of 900 companies, total UK corporate dividend payments fell 4.6% or £700 million in the first quarter of this year to £14 billion. The decline was mainly due to lower one-off special dividends and a handful of large cuts from firms such as Burberry (BRBY) and Vodafone (VOD), which halved...

For years, consumer goods powerhouses Unilever (ULVR) and Reckitt Benckiser (RKT) were two of the UK stock market's more reliable performers, prized by investors for their global scale, predictable earnings, rising dividends and share buybacks generated off the back of their enviable brands. These brands conferred pricing power upon their businesses and underpinned their defensive earnings and...

Resilient Q1 performance brings relief Full-year outlook reconfirmed US trade tariffs deemed 'limited and manageable' Deodorants-to-dishwasher tablets maker Unilever (ULVR) delivered marginally better-than-expected sales in the first quarter thanks to price rises and robust demand for its beauty, personal care and ice cream products. There was relief as the FTSE 100 stalwart reiterated its...

The sweeping tariffs unveiled by president Donald Trump on 2 April 2025, dubbed 'Liberation Day' by the administration, have significantly impacted financial markets, seemingly disrupting decades of economic norms, at least in the short term. We discuss the details and initial market reaction elsewhere in this magazine and it's only natural as an investor to be somewhat shaken by these...