We begin with life insurer Just Group which raised its profit outlook after corporate pension deals boomed. Julian Hofmann unpacks the recent results and discusses whether the shares offer value and how the business might expand.

Another insurer's results, Aviva (AV), follows. Mark Robinson and Julian talk about what the business is doing right and how it’s benefitting from diversification.

Arthur Sants joins from New York to discuss his cover feature on Google’s parent company Alphabet (GOOGL). Arthur explains how Google became the world’s top search engine, its recent run-in with the Department of Justice, the threat of AI and more.

One Savings Bank (OSB) is last up and Jemma Slingo reveals what led to the 20 per cent share price drop after its latest update.

Timestamps

1:21 Just Group

10:19 Aviva 

19:42 Alphabet 

42:04 OSB

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Dave Baxter is joined by one of the managers of Migo Opportunities Investment Trust, an unusual fund which exploits valuation anomalies and discounts in other investment trusts.

Dave and Charlotte discuss where she looks for opportunities, interesting asset classes and the reason that share buybacks turn the trust’s head more than dividend increases. Listen to this and more.

Timestamps 

00:34 Sectors of interest

6:34 Geopolitical risk

8:14 Worthy investments in private equity 

10:38 M&A scale 

12:49 Smaller trusts

14:59 Areas of innovation

18:09 Interesting asset classes

25:20 Share buybacks and capital allocation

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We begin the episode with commodity trading and mining company Glencore (GLEN). Alex Hamer unpacks a busy week, including everything from the cancellation of the coal demerger to the company’s copper prospects in an environmentally conscious world.

Val Cipriani discusses our cover feature on the often much-desired topic: retiring early. It doesn’t always seem realistic but Val covers how investors can set themselves on the right track, with simple and effective strategies including how to properly use pensions and Isas.

Last up, Christopher Akers explains Deliveroo’s (ROO) latest results. The food delivery company’s shares were up 8 per cent on the morning of the recording on account of its first-ever statutory profit, a share buyback announcement and more, which cheered up a pretty dreary market.

1:13 Glencore

16:20 How to retire early

27:50 Deliveroo

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We’re in the thick of results season but that doesn't stop our hardworking journalists from providing a deep dive into the top stories of the week.

We begin with St James’s Place (STJ), which recently released results. The financial advice company announced an ambitious £500m cost-saving programme, a figure that turned many heads in the City. Julian Hofmann covers all.

Then Mark Robinson discusses the cover feature on making rapid returns with short-term trades. Mark explains the thinking behind the piece, the ways investors can get involved and the pitfalls to avoid.

New recruit Holly McKechnie makes her podcast debut to talk about how to spot rising star fund managers and then Julian returns to unpack London Stock Exchange Group’s (LSEG) results.

Timestamps 

1:11 St James’s Place (STJ)

9:36 Rapid returns

19:11 Rising star fund managers 

26:22 London Stock Exchange

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In this IC Interviews podcast, Val Cipriani is joined by James Cook, manager of JPMorgan Global Growth & Income. As the only global and global equity income investment trust trading at a premium, it is keeping investors happy with its approach.

Val and James discuss how this has happened, the future of semiconductor stocks, how AI will change the market, Microsoft’s recent outage and much more.

Timestamps

1:01 Strategy of growth

3:35 Payout policy

7:41 Paying dividend out of capital 

9:09 Outlook for the market 

13:33 Interesting areas of the market

17:05 Semiconductor stocks

19:31 Magnificent Seven

21:41 AI 

25:47 Microsoft 

27:53 AI’s risk 

29:06 Tech stocks capex 

30:56 Apple 

32:48 UK stocks

34:50 Japan

36:32 Portflio balance

39:30 Getting involved with M&A 

Claim your first 12 weeks of Investors' Chronicle Print + Digital for just £12. You will get instant access to our website and app, plus the magazine delivered to your door every week. To start your trial, visit www.investorschronicle.co.uk/podcasttrial 

*After your 12-week trial you will pay just £62 every 13 weeks by direct debit. If you’re not entirely satisfied, you can cancel up to 5 business days before your renewal date and only pay the £12 already debited. This offer is for UK subscribers only.

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We begin with Mark Robinson who covers pest control business Rentokil (RTO) which saw a double digit surge in its share price after rumours of private-equity takeovers began swirling.

It’s then on to this week’s cover story by James Norrington on the investing greats and how investors can apply their wisdom to their own portfolios. 

Jennifer Johnson then joins the conversation with an update on leader of the FTSE 100, AstraZeneca (AZN). Why are shares down despite its guidance being upgraded? And what does the company offer outside of oncology drugs?

Last up, we cover energy company Centrica’s (CNA) results which received a less than favourable market reaction.

1:27 Rentokil (RTO)

12:53 Investing greats 

23:50 AstraZeneca (AZN)

33:31 Centrica (CNA)

Claim your first 12 weeks of Investors' Chronicle Print + Digital for just £12. You will get instant access to our website and app, plus the magazine delivered to your door every week. To start your trial, visit www.investorschronicle.co.uk/podcasttrial 

*After your 12-week trial you will pay just £62 every 13 weeks by direct debit. If you’re not entirely satisfied, you can cancel up to 5 business days before your renewal date and only pay the £12 already debited. This offer is for UK subscribers only.

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This week, the IC team touch on everything from everything from water company share prices to the state of play in the sports brands industry, and Baillie Gifford’s investment trusts.

Alex Hamer unpacks Ofwat’s regulatory crackdown and what reforms mentioned in the King’s Speech will mean for companies such as Pennon (PNN), United Utilities (UU) and Severn Trent (SVT).

It’s been a busy few weeks for sporting events but there’s plenty more to come as this week’s cover feature analyses sports brands. Michael Fahy runs through the hot topics from Nike (NKE) versus Adidas (ADS), new challenger brands and marketing spending in the UK compared with the US.

Last up, Val Cipriani looks at how Baille Gifford’s Monks (MNKS), Edinburgh Worldwide (EWI) and Scottish Mortgage (SMT) are performing after 2022’s huge losses, Trump’s recent comments on trade relations, and more. 

Timestamps

1:22 Water companies 

12:38 Sports brands

27:52 Baille Gifford

Claim your first 12 weeks of Investors' Chronicle Print + Digital for just £12. You will get instant access to our website and app, plus the magazine delivered to your door every week. To start your trial, visit www.investorschronicle.co.uk/podcasttrial 

*After your 12-week trial you will pay just £62 every 13 weeks by direct debit. If you’re not entirely satisfied, you can cancel up to 5 business days before your renewal date and only pay the £12 already debited. This offer is for UK subscribers only.

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In the latest episode of IC Interviews, Dave Baxter sits down with Chris Tennant of Fidelity’s Emerging Markets Trust. The pair cover everything from stocks Taiwan Semiconductor (TSMC) and Nasper (JSE: NPN) to the opportunities for shorting in China and areas believed to be the home of future emerging markets.

Timestamps 

1:00 Stocks in portfolio & TSMC

6:04 Nasper 

8:23 Buybacks in EM

11:15 General take on China 

16:08 Shorting 

19:10 India

22:48 Concentrating elsewhere 

24:34 Other EM options 

27:11 Overlooked themes 

29:11 Risks that investors are overlooking

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The episode begins with Alex discussing the housebuilding sector. He and Dan unpack Barratt’s (BDEV) recent trading update, whether investors should expect more M&A, and planning proposals from the new government.

Julian follows up by analysing student accommodation provider Unite’s (UTG) seemingly positive trading update. He explores the investment case given the weakening relationship between international students and universities’ finances, and how planning changes could affect the sector.

Last on the agenda is our annual ETF best-buy list. Dave Baxter explains the thinking behind the collection of funds, changes made for 2024, why investors should be wary of thematic ETFs and more. 

1:30 Housebuilders 

16:17 Unite 

27:45 Top 50 ETFs

Claim your first 12 weeks of Investors' Chronicle Print + Digital for just £12. You will get instant access to our website and app, plus the magazine delivered to your door every week. To start your trial, visit www.investorschronicle.co.uk/podcasttrial 

*After your 12-week trial you will pay just £62 every 13 weeks by direct debit. If you’re not entirely satisfied, you can cancel up to 5 business days before your renewal date and only pay the £12 already debited. This offer is for UK subscribers only.

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We begin the show with Jemma Slingo who covers results at Baltic Classifieds (BCG), the largest internet services provider for the Baltics. The business has a dominant position in the housing and car listings market, making it a similar company to the UK’s Rightmove and Auto Trader. Dan and Jemma unpack its expansion plans, risks and valuation. 

Next, Mark Robinson joins to discuss the ‘decision intelligence’ company ActiveOps (AOM) which is gaining attention for high customer retention rates and positive earnings growth. Mark explores how large the scope is for its software services.

Last up, Julian Hofmann and Jemma discuss outsourcers Serco (SRP) and Mitie (MTO). The two explore current trading at the two companies and their prospects under a Labour government.

1:22 Baltic Classifieds

9:59 ActiveOps 

20:18 Serco

24:08 Mitie

Claim your first 12 weeks of Investors' Chronicle Print + Digital for just £12. You will get instant access to our website and app, plus the magazine delivered to your door every week. To start your trial, visit www.investorschronicle.co.uk/podcasttrial 

*After your 12-week trial you will pay just £62 every 13 weeks by direct debit. If you’re not entirely satisfied, you can cancel up to 5 business days before your renewal date and only pay the £12 already debited. This offer is for UK subscribers only.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.