In MoneyWeek magazine this week: the “Magnificent Seven” tech stocks; the second-cheapest stockmarket in the world; and why Brexit could hurt UK clearing.
Plus, what stocks splits are and how they affect investors; the joys and risks of social trading; and the best ways to donate to charity.
All that, and our usual roundup of politics, markets and economics news, the best share tips from the rest of the UK press and all our regular features, can be yours.Sign up here and you’ll get the magazine delivered direct to your door, full access to the MoneyWeek website, and the smartphone and tablet app too. What are you waiting for?
Profit from the internet’s Magnificent Seven
Think of ecommerce and online media companies and you’ll probably come up straight away with Amazon, Google (or Alphabet, as its parent company is known) and Facebook. But those aren’t the only online behemoths bidding to take over the world. The internet is a global phenomenon and its not just Western companies that are building up huge online presence – and big profits. Rupert Foster looks into the sector in some depth in this week’s cover story, and picks seven good companies that have carved out strong market positions – companies he dubs “the magnificent seven”. Find out what they are – Sign up here. It’ll cost you just £12.
An emerging European gem
There’s country at the heart of Europe at the crossing of many historical trade routes, says Frederic Guirinec. It’s prosperous, creative and entrepreneurial; its economy is growing at a “steady and robust pace”; and it has the lowest rate of unemployment in the EU. It has a “comfortable” trade surplus and has attracted €100bn of foreign direct investment since 1993. It has a healthy industrial and manufacturing sector, plus a strong services sector. This country is not so much emerging, says Frederic, as “roaring”. And while its stockmarket is tiny it trades on a cyclically-adjusted price/earnings ratio of just nine – the second cheapest in the world after Russia. Find out what it is and how to invest in this week’s magazine. Sign up here.
How Brexit could damage UK clearing
The City of London is one of the world’s biggest clearing houses – a central counterparty to ensure trades between various parties goes through smoothly and efficiently. It’s “a way of mitigating the risks involved in trading foreign-exchange derivatives, interest-rate swaps and other financial products”. The City clears 75% of the world’s euro-denominated derivatives, worth €850bn a day. Just 13% are cleared in France and 2% in Germany. So, as we lurch out of Europe, the EU wants to grab a much bigger slice of that action for itself, leaving the City much worse off. Simon Wilson explains what the worst-case scenario would be and the chances of it actually happening. Sign up here.
Stock splits, “social trading” and making the most of your charity donations
Not so long ago companies regularly conducted “stock splits” to prevent their share prices from rising too far, says John Stepek. One share is swapped for two or more, and the price drops accordingly. Now, it doesn’t happen so often. John looks at why companies do it, why they aren’t doing it so much any more, and whether the practice has any practical benefits.
David Prosser delves in to the world of “social trading”, where investors can harness the “power of the crowd” to make decisions about what to buy. You sign up to an online service and “follow” other investors, mirroring their trades. “It’s a beguiling idea”, says David, but it does have some big drawbacks.
And Ruth Jackson examines the rise of charity fundraising websites, particularly at the amount they take from your donation as an administration fee. It’s surprisingly high. Ruth looks at which sites charge what, and how to make sure your donations are having the most impact. Sign up here.
Of course, there’s much, much more in the magazine than can be covered in a short email such as this. Pensions, Property, funds, share tips, news, comment and six pages of travel, houses for sale and gifts for father’s day.
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