Technology Investing Trends 2017 -Special Report

UK Investor Magazine
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Technology Investing Trends 2017 -Special Report

Key Topics:

Trends that are due to attract attention and capital in the upcoming year

How to spot a quality company worth investing

Possible Opportunities

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United Airlines shares continue to trade down after viral footage

Miranda Wadham
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United Airlines shares continue to trade down after viral footage
Shares in American air carrier United Airlines (NYSE:UAL) continued to trade down on Wednesday, after footage showing a man being forcibly removed from his seat went viral over the weekend. A video surfaced of United Airlines security dragging a man from his seat after the flight was overbooked, ending with him sustaining injuries. The incident provoked outrage from the public, and is likely to significantly damage the carrier’s brand. Their share price continued to drop at the start of the week despite statements from United’s CEO, Oscar Munoz. The incident is the second to cause controversy for the airline over the last couple of weeks, after it attracted strong criticism on social media for refusing to allow two teenage girls to board a flight because they were wearing leggings. Shares in United Continental Holdings are currently trading down 1.13 percent at 70.71 (1131GMT).

Profits up 81 percent at JD Sports, despite ‘prison-like’ warehouse allegations

Miranda Wadham
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Profits up 81 percent at JD Sports, despite ‘prison-like’ warehouse allegations
Sports store JD Sports (LON:JD) reported record profits on Tuesday, with a boost to fashion fitness wear sending shares up nearly 10 percent. Operating profit at the group rose 55 percent in the year to January 28th, with revenue hitting £2,378,694. Profit before tax saw an impressive 81 percent increase, marking record annual figures for the company. The group’s other chains, outdoor stores Millets and Blacks, both made money for the first time since their acquisition by JD. Like-for-like sales, which strip out the impact of new stores opening, grew 10 percent over the year. Peter Cowgill, Executive Chairman, called the year a “period of very significant progress for the group”, adding that it was an “outstanding performance and provides the group with a robust platform for further development”. However, he warned on the effects of an uncertain economy going forward, adding that “we must recognise that there are external influences which may impact the latter part of the year, notably inflationary pressures arising from Brexit”. Arguably such strong results were slightly unexpected, with the group having been subject to significant controversy over the course of the year. A Channel 4 undercover investigation in December showed workers saying conditions at its Kingsway distribution centre in Rochdale were “worse than a prison”, sparking an independent investigation undertaken Deloitte in order to review the allegations.

Women investing in stocks and shares up 53 percent, says Selftrade CEO

Miranda Wadham
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Women investing in stocks and shares up 53 percent, says Selftrade CEO

Investment platform Selftrade saw a significant increase in the number of women opening a stocks and shares ISA over the past few months, with numbers up 53 percent compared to the same period in 2016.

Men still opened more ISA accounts over the period, but the gap closed significantly. In 2016, 76 percent more men opened ISA accounts than women, but in 2017 this figure fell to 34 percent.

Mark Taylor, CEO of the Selftrade platform, commented: “It’s promising to see concrete evidence that more women are engaging with the world of investing. For so long we have seen women shy away from the stock market and stick to cash savings.

“While there is some way to go before we reach parity, this is a positive step forward. We meet a lot of women who feel investing is “not for them” – they often think it’s “male-dominated”, “complicated” and “unaffordable”.

“The message we are keen to get across is that investing is for everyone. Having a monthly direct debit into a stocks and shares ISA for as little as £50 a month is a great way to dip your toe in the water without throwing yourself in. We can only hope industry figures echo our own and that more women are engaging with investing”.

Across the board the platform saw a significant increase in ISA activity over the season, ahead of the new tax year. According to the company, the top traded stock this ISA season was Lloyds Banking Group, followed by BP and Vodafone, with the iShares Core FTSE 100 UCITS ETF GBP also making the top 10.

Article 50 triggered, FTSE resilient but pound sinks

Miranda Wadham
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Article 50 triggered, FTSE resilient but pound sinks
Britain has now triggered Article 50, setting both the FTSE 100 and the British pound off on a volatile course. The FTSE sunk during Prime Minister’s Question Time as Theresa May confirmed that her letter triggering Article 50 had been delivered to Brussels. However, it has since moved upwards, currently trading up 0.31 percent at 7366.83. The British pound remained largely flat on the news, but has since sunk 0.125 percent against the dollar. Andrew Sentance, a senior member of the Bank of England’s monetary policy committee, warned of uncertainty over the next two years as negotiations kick off: “Most likely, we face another two years of uncertainty before a new relationship between the UK and the EU is properly agreed. During this period we will probably see some bouts of financial volatility affecting the value of the pound and reduced business and financial confidence.”

Tesco shares fall after supermarket agrees to pay £129m fine

Miranda Wadham
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Tesco shares fall after supermarket agrees to pay £129m fine

Supermarket giant Tesco has agreed to pay a fine of £129 million to avoid prosecution for its false accounting scandal, causing shares to plunge at market open.

The company overstated its profits between February and September 2014, sparking a two year probe by the Serious Fraud Office. It has now reached a deferred prosecution agreement, as well as an agreement already in place with the FCA to pay around £85 million in compensation to investors.

Alongside these two figures, Tesco will also pay legal costs associated with the agreements. The total exceptional charge is expected to be £235 million.

Dave Lewis, the chief executive of Tesco, said: “I want to apologise to all those affected. What happened is a huge source of regret to us all at Tesco, but we are a different business now.”

He added that the company was “committed to doing everything we can to continue to restore trust in our business and brand”.

The agreement to pay several fines is not admittance of guilt, and the FCA stated in a ruling that it is not suggesting the Tesco board of directors knew, or could reasonably be expected to have known, that the information in the company’s trading statement in August 2014 was false or misleading.

Tesco (LON:TSCO) shares are currently trading down 0.08 percent at 189.80 (1135GMT).

 

Dow Chemical and DuPont merger given the go-ahead by EU

Miranda Wadham
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Dow Chemical and DuPont merger given the go-ahead by EU

US chemical giants Dow Chemical and DuPont are set to merge, after the deal was given the go-ahead by the European Commission on Monday.

The merged company will be worth around $130 billion and is expected to lead to cost savings of $3 billion. The European Commission had raised concerns that the merger of the two largest US companies would stifle competition in the sector, and the deal remains dependent on the sales of several substantial assets. “We need effective competition in this sector so companies are pushed to develop products that are ever safer for people and better for the environment,” European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said in a statement. “Our decision today ensures that the merger between Dow and DuPont does not reduce price competition for existing pesticides or innovation for safer and better products in the future.” The merged company, DowDuPont, will eventually be split into three companies focusing on agriculture, materials and speciality products. Dow said in a statement: “Longer term, the intended three-way split is expected to unlock even greater value for shareholders and customers and more opportunity for employees as each company will be a leader in attractive segments where global challenges are driving demand for their distinctive offerings.” The is the first of three big deals in the sector, with ChemChina’s bid for Syngenta on its way to approval and a deal looking set to be approved between Bayer and Monsanto within the new few months.

Five tips to give your investment portfolio a spring clean

Miranda Wadham
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Five tips to give your investment portfolio a spring clean

With the end of the tax year upon us and attention turned to money matters, it’s the perfect opportunity to ensure portfolios are in good shape before topping up with more money.

Mark Taylor, CEO of investment platform Selftrade, encourages investors to commit to an investment MOT once a year.

“It’s all too easy to skip the MOT and dive straight into topping up funds or making new investments. But giving your portfolio an annual health check to make sure it’s still doing what you want is a fundamental part of investing,” Taylor said.

So, what is the best way to review your investments?

1. Analyse your underperforming funds

“While it’s important to stay invested, and take a long term view, it’s also important to know when to call it a day”, says Taylor.

“Identify whether your portfolio holds any serial underperforming funds and consider cutting them loose. These are not funds that have had a rough few months, but ones that are consistent bad performers against their benchmark year-on-year, and more tellingly, against their peers. It’s not uncommon to want to hold on to investments that we’ve had for a long period; to wait for the rally. However, sometimes in a drought, it’s best to seek water elsewhere.”

2. Check for overlaps

“Most commonly, ISA portfolios are made of up of a whole host of funds and trusts, many of which may invest in the same stocks. Check whether you have any notable overlaps – you could be building an uncomfortably large position in a single stock simply from owning a handful of funds, which could be impacting your diversification”, Taylor continues. “More annoyingly, you may also be paying twice the amount you need to in fees to invest in one stock.”

3. Closet trackers

“If you’re paying active management fees, make sure you’re getting an active management performance”, says Mark.

It’s important to check that your active funds aren’t just tracking the index, but are actually making intelligent decisions and earning their worth. If not, you may as well be invested in a similar ETF instead.

4. Balance it out

The recent rally in equities may have caused a shift in a number of portfolios, causing them to be too stock heavy. The balance of weighting between what you have invested in bonds, and what you have invested in equities, may now be out of kilter. Think about rebalancing your portfolio to keep your risk level on track.

5. Can you increase your contributions?

The best way to invest is regularly, and direct debits into your ISA are a brilliant way to do this. However, when was the last time that you checked if you could be putting away more?

“If you’ve recently had a pay rise, or perhaps set up the payment as a novice investor, with a cautionary amount, you may be able to boost your savings and your earnings by increasing your contributions by a manageable amount. Take the time to think about how much more you could be setting aside”, Taylor concludes.

Robots likely to take jobs from over 10 million workers within 15 years

Miranda Wadham
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Robots likely to take jobs from over 10 million workers within 15 years
Around 30 percent of British jobs are at risk from advancements in Artificial Intelligence, according to new reports, affecting over 10 million UK workers. Robots and artificial intelligence machines are likely to replace a third of UK jobs within 15 years, consultancy firm PwC said in a report released on Friday. These figures are higher in both the US, at 38 percent, and Germany, at 35 percent. In Japan the risk is marginally lower, with around 21 percent of jobs likely to be affected. John Hawksworth, chief economist at PwC, told the BBC that “more manual, routine jobs” were the most at risk, with jobs needing a “more human touch” safer. Jon Andrews, the head of technology and investments at PwC, commented: “There’s no doubt that AI and robotics will rebalance what jobs look like in the future, and that some are more susceptible than others. “What’s important is making sure that the potential gains from automation are shared more widely across society and no one gets left behind. Responsible employers need to ensure they encourage flexibility and adaptability in their people so we are all ready for the change.”  

Venture Life shares fall, despite 57pc profit boost

Miranda Wadham
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Venture Life shares fall, despite 57pc profit boost
Shares in international consumer self-care group Venture Life group (LON:VLG) sunk on Thursday, despite reporting an increase in both revenue and gross profit. Revenues for the group were up 57 percent to £14.3 million for the year ended 31st December, up from £9.1 million in 2015. Gross profit increased 83 percent to £5.5 million, giving a gross margin of 38 percent. Adjusted EBITDA profit stood at £0.8 million, an improvement on 2015’s loss of £0.6 million. Sales growth continued to be strong in China for the second half of 2016, with the trend looking set to continue into 2017 with two long term distribution agreements, including one on UltraDEX, signed this year. Commenting on the results, Jerry Randall, Chief Executive Officer of Venture Life, said: “Venture Life has had a significant year along its path to becoming sustainably profitable. Revenue growth of 57% and our first EBITDA profit demonstrates the focused strategy of the Group is working. “Increasing revenues through our business are enhancing margins, and this year the Group has demonstrated its ability to grow successfully through both organic and acquisitive means. “First international partner deals on both UltraDex and Benecol ‘once-a-day’ liquid sachets confirm the appetite for these excellent products, and we continue to expand and strengthen our distribution networks for these and our other brand products. “We have strengthened our commercial team and developed three new and innovative products through our on-going R&D efforts, and we look forward to the continued growth and momentum throughout 2017.” Venture Life focus on developing, manufacturing and commercializing products for the ageing population, including the sales of branded healthcare and cosmetics products direct to retailers as well as manufacturing services under contract development. Shares in Venture Life are currently down 2.94 percent at 66.00 (1241GMT).
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