This is a very late review, coming two-thirds into the third quarter and all, but better late than never. UK equities posted a decent quarter in Q2, albeit not as good as the S&P 500. I’m using Vanguard’s FTSE U.K. All Share Index Unit Trust as a proxy, with the…

My view of HSBC (HSBA) to date has largely been along the lines of “it’s not a great business, but it’s not as bad as the market implies either”. Admittedly, initiating coverage during the COVID sell-off made that a fairly easy call to make, with the stock slumping to very…

BP (BP) shares have done nicely since my last update in October 2020, gaining over 60% from what was then a 25-year low point. Though a welcome rebound, a couple of things still appear to weigh on the stock, the first of which is the lingering impact of last year’s…

I’m sure that Terry Smith and the Fundsmith Equity Fund are well known amongst readers. Ironically I haven’t covered that fund here yet, but it’s not hard to see why it is so popular because Smith takes a very simple approach to investing: buy firms that post stable, high quality…

In a way, Standard Chartered (STAN) sums up the problem with bank stocks. I say that because on paper it looks like a very good long-term proposition. The bank is largely an Asian and emerging market player for one, while it also generates the lion’s share of its income from…