The Upshot - August 2007

What kind of Investment animal are you? - There are many types of investors in the city but those who gain the greatest notoriety and newspaper headlines tend to be those that back the big winners or conversely, those who are involved in the most shocking losses.Read more...

The Scott Report - August 2007

Interest rate rises, continued concerns regarding inflation and high levels of indebtedness have finally proven collectively to be the catalyst for a nasty and swift drop in the equity markets. An 8% fall in the blue chip index across a two week period this month will have caught even a seasoned market professional by surprise. Many individual stocks have performed far worse than this and it has been a reminder to us all that there is no such thing as a low risk share! Just because a stock looks cheap, it can get cheaper if sentiment is against. The skill is timing one’s entry and exit levels well.Read more...

CFDs Within SIPPS - August 2007

The presence of CFDs, (Contract for Differences) on the London Stock Exchange has increased significantly over the past few years. These days, estimates put the daily volume represented by CFD trades to be somewhere close to 40% of the London Stock Exchange’s daily volume. This contrasts starkly to a figure of less than 7% representation back in 2000.Read more...

The Scott Report - September 2007

Summer months in the market are often uneventful periods comprising of reduced share dealing volumes and a lack of corporate newsflow. Dealmakers enjoy holidays to recharge their batteries and traders take a break to enjoy the profits they have generated in previous months. However for those at their desks watching their terminals, this was an August that will not be forgotton in a hurry.Read more...

The Upshot - September 2007

Investor Relation Tips - As much as we like to think that the stockmarket is all about intrinsic values, fundamentals, technical analysis and so forth it is quite often apparent that in some scenarios it is actually more to do with who can shout the loudest.Read more...

The Scott Report - October 2007

Markets are climbing a wall of worry with interest rate cuts now firmly on investors’ minds. How swiftly macro economic perceptions have changed : only a few months ago further rate rises were close to certain and banking stocks (having been heavily sold down) now look well placed for some outperformance in the last quarter of the year.Read more...

The Upshot - October 2007

So, you have a great business, great contracts and potentially a great future …all you need to make that leap to becoming the company you want to be is a cash injection.Read more...

The Scott Report - November 2007

Banks are currently in turmoil as the effects of subprime exposure continue to weigh. Often referred to now as ‘subprime slime’ or ‘toxic debt’, during this past month we have witnessed the departure of the CEOs of both Merrill Lynch and Citigroup. With both these institutions heavily exposed to an area of the debt markets with which we have all now become very acquainted, it was almost inevitable that these top dogs had to fall on their swords. The big question remains though: which other banks have exposure which we as market watchers do not know about yet ? This uncertainty is fuelling the incessant downside pressure on banking stocks. Looking at the charts, it is difficult to see where the bottom may be. UK Banks are keeping very quiet despite massive slides in their share prices.Read more...

The Scott Report - December 2007

December has arrived and I am presented with an opportune time to review the trading year. Active portfolio management during 2007, if one had been positioned well, would have yielded some very solid returns. The blue chip index itself however would have delivered largely a flat performance on capital but with approx 3% by way of dividend. This is the return an investor in a passive index tracker fund would have received across the year. An overweight position in the mining sector (as opposed to banks) would have significantly boosted returns.Read more...