iBall

Morrisons (MRW)

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:43:16 +0000

Like honey bees to a hive, shoppers have been flocking to Morrisons for its cheap prices throughout the credit crunch. 10.8 million of them in fact in just the last quarter. It seems even Richard Hammond’s naff hair hasn’t deterred those price conscious hunters. So, with news of the defection of chief exec Marc Bolland to M&S, and a strong third quarter result, iBall thought it was time to tackle the behemoth…hamster hair and all.

Banco Santander (BNC)

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:47:41 +0000

Banco Santander has featured heavily in the UK banking scene and promises to do again. A great survivor from the crunch there are more acquisions to come.

Having picked up more banch networks like Alliance & Leicester it looks like it may grab RBS too if the sell off continues.

So, it might have escaped the crunch but it's not going to escape a good iBalling for long...

Capital & Regional (CAL)

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:27:24 +0000

What on earth is it you lot have been trading.

A funny little property company that no so long ago wasn't little at all.

iBall interivews Peter Cruddas

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:32:18 +0000

Peter Cruddas is classic old City. A foreign exchange trader from his teens he moved away from the dealing floor and into the big chair in the boardroom. As chief executive of CMC markets he was among the first to embrace the power of the internet and deploy it for private investors.

So for that reason alone he and we have a lot in common. We therefore thought we had better go and talk to him.

Rentokil (RTO)

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:02:49 +0000

Rentokil is a filthy business. All that time spent down in sewers and dirty old cellars and... eeeek, Rats!

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK)

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 22:33:21 +0000

You've all seen them - tearing down the A23 every bank holiday like swarms of mechanical wasps with too many wing mirrors.

We're talking about Mods, of course, who seem to have had more comebacks than a Frank Sinatra impersonator.

Well, they may not be popping pills for recreation anymore, which is good news for GSK...

Ascent (AST)

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 11:14:30 +0000

Well now, what you lot been up to?

Taylor Wimpey (TW-)

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 12:22:30 +0000

Now then, listen carefully, because we are talking here about a very important thing which you really should take very seriously. A housebuilder. And not just any ordinary housebuilder but one which has built homes for some very important people. It's called Taylor Wimpey, and though it might sound peculiar saying we like a housebuilder in times like these, we do. So there.

Steve McDowell talks to PLUS Markets CEO, Simon Brickles

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 11:02:52 +0000

PLUS Markets Plc is a favourite of you out beloved investors. So much so that a number of you implored us to ask your questions of it's CEO. It is therefore out pleasure to present to you Simon Brickles.

ASOS (ASC)

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:31:13 +0000

Happy birthday to us.

RBS Plc 4 (RBS)

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:47:34 +0000

Like a dog with a manky old bone we just can’t leave this one alone. Then again, dear investors, neither can you.

Antofagasta Plc (ANTO)

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 09:52:49 +0000

Antofagasta might sound like a bottle of foul liquor you once brought back from a Mediterranean holiday, but it most certainly is not.

It is a huge copper miner named after a town in Chile where it all began back in the days when mining was just a hole in the ground.

And copper, at more than $6000 a tonne means it is a real commodity, so, investors, as they say, 'There's copper in them thar hills!'

Halloween Special - Brainjuicer

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 13:39:21 +0000

New media is famous for the names of companies and processes which sound impressive are in fact just a load of cobblers. But all of a sudden out of the ether came a 'numedja' marketing company called Brainjuicer which filed some impressive results. So we thought we'd have a look at it, and of course we couldn't resist making the odd gag or two...

Northgate (NTG)

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:06:44 +0000

Anyone who has driven the streets of any British city will know there is a scourge of white vans. In fact, not all white vans contain an little, angry man you know. Some of them are driven by girls. Anyway, if you wondered what the source of the plague of white vans was, well, now you know.

Verona Pharma Plc (VRP)

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:53:01 +0000

Life scienes companies are always a punt, but there is a lot to be said for Verona Pharma here.

This is not least because the diseases and disorders it wants to tackle are increasingly common.

So let's have a game involving a volative share price, a box of tissues and a few red boxes.

Steve McDowell interviews Peter Temple

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 11:12:46 +0000

The reason why Peter temple has been a professional investor for has long as he has is because that is what he does. So, it’s about time we caught up with him to discuss what his strategy and his thoughts are….

Lloyds Banking Group - update

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 08:52:10 +0000

It’s a while since we looked at Lloyds, but much seems to have been happening. It’s still hanging in there and investors should really be paying attention while others take the headline. Offloading a moribund estate agency chain is only the beginning…

Bohemian bankruptcy - A tragedy by Drag Queen

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 14:40:18 +0000

So much has gone on in the fiscal universe in 2009; the crunch, quantitative easing, economies flushed with debt on both sides of the Atlantic... and in the middle, as always, is us.
As election fever begins to tighten its grip on Britain’s collective psyche – we can resist no longer. It is time to get political.
And there is no better way to do that, than in song. Ladies and Gentlemen, we bring you a heart-wrenching tale of greed, power and loss...

Cryosave (CRYO)

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 08:33:58 +0000

Investors are never afraid to look into the future which is why we at iBall like to get our crystal ball out from time to time.

Stem cell research has been controversial in some conservative quarters but the benefits to medicine are beyond doubt.

Not surprisingly then, it takes a Dutch company to embrace both camps and look to the future....

Vodafone Group Plc (VOD)

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 07:39:38 +0000

Vodafone has been a favourite of private investors since Alexander Graham Bell first sprouted bum fluff.

But there is more to it than that because Vodafone's business is going to have to change as fast as it conceivably can.

Because if it doesn't then there's a convoy of stocks that will be right behind it...

MPs’ expenses – more to come, says whistleblower. EXCLUSIVE

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 09:04:04 +0000

Henry Gewanter, the MD of Positive Profile, was more used to the relatively mundane world of the City PR when he agreed to broker the disks of data of MPs expenses on behalf of the whistleblowers, instantly becoming one himself. Even he did not imagine the scale of the storm it created. Six months on, Steve McDowell asked him what else is to come and what is the legacy of his action...

Gulf Keystone Petroleum Ltd (GKP)

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 16:42:39 +0000

Like many an oil exploration share these days Gulf Keystone came out of nowhere to be traded like dead grouse on August 13th.
So it appears on the investment radar like an invading bogey and so we thought at iBall TV we would have a look at it.

After all, with a name like Gulf Keystone, how could we resist?...

Tullow Oil Plc (TLW)

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 11:29:36 +0000

Tullow Oil has always been an enigmatic company. It is an oil company and it is from Ireland – not exactly what the country is famous for. But it seems it goes from strength to strength, it has grown in little more than 20 years from a family-owned engineering firm to FTSE100 giant. So, I suggest you pour a Guinness, sit back and examine your portfolio.

Yell Group Plc

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 08:24:07 +0000

Yellow Pages once ruled its own domain like a dinosaur in a fern forest. Well , it was the domain really.

But times have changed and so has the big yellow book that used to contain every number we could think of and some we couldn't.

So the question is: Do you have a copy of Fly fishing by JR Hartley?

Tesco Plc (TSCO)

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 15:58:31 +0000

It was only in April we last looked at Tesco, and then we said the shares were chicken feed at just over £3. Well they were certainly cheap, if nothing else, because with more good results they are now nearly £4.
So we thought it is about time we blew the cobwebs off that show and had another look.

Activision Blizzard (ATVI)

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 16:21:30 +0000

Activision Blizzard is an interesting merger and definitely one for the fans of, er , electronic game-based devices.There's a thousand ways to get involved in their virtual world - or one could go out for a nice walk in the country instead.

Meantime, grab some shares, sit back and the more the population of the Nerd Centre plays, the more you gain...

Melrose Plc (MRO)

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 12:54:52 +0000

Hi! You look sooo lovely, full of body and rich in colour! Faabulous!

Well, it is time for another makeover.

Melrose is a company full of lovely consultants who go into shabby, grey, forgotten old monoliths of engineering and spread a little magic around.

So iBall summoned its very own makeover marvel and we cast our eyes over what could be a super-duper bargain. Woooo!

HMV Plc (HMV)

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 09:23:57 +0000

OK pub quiz time.

The name of the faithful terrier with his head cocked to the sound of His Master's Voice?

Yep, correct. Nipper.

Well HMV is far from a nipper these days and with Christmas right around the corner and most of its competitors in the can, the company could be looking good.

Failing that, may we be the first to wish you a happy Christmas.

Forth Ports (FPT)

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 12:16:41 +0000

The docks of Tilbury are not normally a place associated with great glamour, film stars and so on. But is it?

Slightly bizarrely, it's owned by some nice Scottish people called Forth Ports. They also make some money out it.

So perhaps it is a place you can park some investment cash - kind of go Forth and multiply, ahem.

WPP Plc (WPP)

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 15:52:24 +0000

Advertising is not something you would expect us to be tipping in a time of economic global meltdown. But then again you are not Martin Sorrell are you and neither are we. He is not just an advertising guru - he is also a 'suit'.

Mwana Africa (MWA)

Mon, 28 Sep 2009 08:19:38 +0000

Deep in the darkest corners of Africa there lurks a miner.

Many miners in fact but this one, at 6.5p a share, is cheap.

This is a share, even among miners, which is beloved of investors right now.

iBall interviews Mark Mobius

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 17:56:40 +0000

Dr Mark Mobius, the Indiana Jones of the emerging markets,
tells iBall TV how investors can cash in on the 
opportunities arising in this sector.

Johnson Matthey (JMAT)

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 11:12:23 +0000

Precious metals, well any metals actually, seem to be having a very bullish year. It therefore makes sense that there is a company out there somewhere benefiting from all this.

Well here's one, we think.

Platinum is a girl's best friend apparently...

BP Plc (BP-)

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 12:34:03 +0000

We've done BP quite a lot but after some recent news on the subject we are getting real stuck in.

Pinewood Shepperton (PWS)

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 07:49:49 +0000

Pinewood Shepperton used to be a quite British bit of the world. Now it isn't. It's a global giant of the even more giant film industry.

Films do quite well when times are tough because it is quite a good night out, or in if you just want to buy the DVD. And if you don't want to do that I suggest you just go ahead and make them yourself.

iBall interivews Andrew Smithers

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 13:06:49 +0000

In 2000, economist Andrew Smithers warned investors to sell just before share prices crashed. Next time the market overheated, central bankers should raise interests, he said, or risk severe recession. They didn't, and the rest is the history of the credit crunch.

Shaftesbury Plc (SHB)

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 12:56:06 +0000

Recession, downturn, economic misery. Perfect for an episode of EastEnders, television's most dour programme. Shaftesbury, a commercial property company that we think is worth a little optimistic outlook.

Cineworld (CINE)

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 15:44:14 +0000

The death of cinema has been predicted many times in the last 30 years, but from video to Blu-ray it seems to thrive. In fact, as it does so it seems to be making new hay from the trends which were at their height in the 1950s.

HSBC (HSBA)

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 05:20:47 +0000

Cor, what a whopper! The bank I mean. The company that likes to brand itself as the world's local bank.

It's huge and, just like the oceans, it seems to cover about two-thirds of the globe. But, I hear you say, it's a bank.

Absolutely, but it is a bank which has not received a bung from public coffers and appears to have recovered fast.

But is it value?

iBall interviews Richard Beddard

Sat, 12 Sep 2009 10:42:28 +0000

Richard Beddard, our most esteemed and beloved companies and markets editor, is a bit of a square when comes to investing.

ICAP (IAP)

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 08:20:13 +0000

ICAP is a giant. It even sounds like a giant. It is one of the UK's largest, most sucessful and wealthiest companies. Revenues in the billions come pouring into its coffers like few other companies before them. Or ever, really.

But one big question hovers over this powerhouse of the City of London.

What does it do exactly?

Alkane Energy (ALK)

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 15:16:48 +0000

Well this share is more than just a campfire tale.

All right you might not want to take it anywhere near a campfire.

But for a nine-year-old exploration company it is cash positive, which is rare and in these clean green times it looks like a decent bet.

Methane is bad, because it rots the atmosphere, clean electricity is good, so why not put them together?

PZ Cussons Plc (PZL)

Mon, 07 Sep 2009 08:05:06 +0000

iBall interviews Andrew Smithers

Mon, 07 Sep 2009 05:37:37 +0000

London Stock Exchange (LSE)

Thu, 03 Sep 2009 08:13:53 +0000

The London Stock Exchange. The mention of the very name brings out the faint sound of a trumpet fanfare somehow.

But the reality is, it is business just like any other and one which fights to attract our investment cash along with the others.

For them, and therefore, us to make any money, it is all about volume....

Nighthawk Energy Plc (HAWK)

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 07:55:59 +0000

It is a tiny little energy company and it is named after an Edward Hopper painting of 1942. This was an auspicious year.

Costain (COST)

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 14:48:15 +0000

Jackson Five - up by 180 per cent!

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 13:42:55 +0000

Our in-house share-watcher Edmond Jackson made five picks for 2009 at the end of last year – many of us did. But unlike most of ours

Kazakhmys (KAZ)

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 08:02:35 +0000

The Russians are coming! Da, tovaritsch. You cannot talk about oil or mining these days without thinking about the Great Bear.

So there we were, taking about oil and mining shares and such a funny thing shouold happen we began to talk about Russia.

And so it went, a couple of vodkas, you know, and nostalgia for the Mother Country just overwhelmed us.

Falkland Islands (FKL)

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 06:52:23 +0000

They are a very long way away and famous mostly for being the site of a nasty little conflict back in 1982. Well, that, and penguins. But that was a long time ago and the presence in the Falkland Islands of a British garrison has helped the local economy to boom. Well, that is one reason, the other is oil...

Next (NXT)

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 08:05:36 +0000

Next has been tipped for the chop so many times us investors have almost forgotten all about it as a great survivor.

Well now, following on from a little bit of 'rattling tills' research we thought we might find something new in Next.

So in a retail desert maybe there is a little bit by way of an oasis in this electronic shopping mall...

Savills (SVS)

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 07:00:52 +0000

iBall interviews Lee Coates

Fri, 14 Aug 2009 07:40:39 +0000

Ethical investing has progressed from its roots 25 years ago to having a solid foundation in the UK’s investment market today.

But is this investment space flourishing through smart marketing and trendy buzz words or is it a sector that is here to stay?

Here, in her debut for i2i, Alwynne Gwilt interviews Lee Coates, founder of Cheltenham-based IFA firm Ethical Investors.

ITV Plc (ITV)

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 08:08:36 +0000

Oh for the glory days of ITV.

World of Sport... Blind date... hmm.

All those programmes we used to stay in for and break out the Jaffa Cakes.

How did it get into so much trouble.

How did ITV end up practically a penny share and why, oh why, oh why should we want to buy the shares now.

Well, there's lots of reasons, and a couple of them maybe called Ant & Dec.

No, seriously.

William Hill Plc (WMH)

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 10:17:58 +0000

Horse racing is bad, said Jeffrey Bernard, because there is a line of windows that says 'Bet' and only one that says 'Pay'.

Answer: Buy the shares. But there has not been so much green grass for bookmakers to graze on in recent years.

Their world has changed, and so has William Hill's. Has the company adapted to the changing times? You bet...

iBall interivews Alex Davidson

Fri, 07 Aug 2009 15:41:48 +0000

Alexander Davidson sold shares for a living till he blew the whistle on some wicked goings on. He has been doing pretty much the same ever since in book after book.

This time the senior editor of Complinet has turned his acid pen on the regulators.

Dignity Plc (DTY)

Wed, 05 Aug 2009 10:13:02 +0000

Dignity is a great idea.

What could possibly better than the wholesale management of death. There is nothing more predictable – except perhaps the result of a Eurovision Song Contest – than death.

And in an environment like this, it is really important to find a bit of predictability.

British Airways (BAY)

Mon, 03 Aug 2009 07:22:04 +0000

BA is beloved of investors but, excepting the crunch, it has had a turbulent ride in the last couple of years.

CEO Willie Walsh is a favourite of the City of London because he is highly effective at, er, streamlining and reducing drag.

So let us take you back to time, a time where the streets were dark and mysterious places....

iBall interviews Richard Jeffery

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 15:54:40 +0000

We think we have probably heard too much from economists over the last few months. Are we in recession or not, are there green shoots or what?

If there is one thing that economists are not short of, it’s opinions. So let us defer no more and toddle off into the City and ask him all about it for ourselves.

He has been in the game for quite a while and he is, therefore, worth listening to.

Google

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 16:43:01 +0000

Technology, whether you like it or not, has changed the entire shape of the world in which we live. So much so that it never seems to elicit indifference from people - mostly puppy-like devotion or red-faced fury.

And those mastodons that rule the world from across the Pond - well, what can we say about them?

Love em? or hate em?

Moss Bros (MOSB)

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 07:19:52 +0000

British Land (BLND)

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 07:42:41 +0000

Commercial property! Ha! There we said it. We know what you're thinking. Why on earth would you want to go around talking about that.

So, it has taken a major dive in the last couple of years - but remember that it put on enormous piles of cash in the four years before that.

In any case, if the sector is to make a recovery with inflation looming and the retailers booming, British Land is the big one...

iBall interviews Harry Hyman

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 16:32:04 +0000

We haven't done any health care before which is a little remiss of us.
So today Steve McDowell interviews Harry Hyman, MD of Primary Health Properties.

Majestic (MJW)

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 07:51:41 +0000

When we did Majestic more than a year ago it was a rosy place which left a deep, rich chocolatey taste on the palate.

It's had an interesting journey since then, what with half its corporate customers hitting the skids.

But we still reckon there is plenty of life left in the share yet. Well if there isn't, let's just get smashed.

TUI (TT)

Wed, 22 Jul 2009 07:57:00 +0000

OK. We promise, no lazy jokes about fighting them on the beaches, but there is a certain amusing irony in TUI.

Given the notorious rivalry between German and British holidaymakers over the sunbeds around the world, and all.

To find an Anglo-German holiday company listed in the FTSE100, how could we resist?

British Telecom (BT-)

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 06:54:58 +0000

BT is a giant.

It has been beloved of investors since it was the first share to be privatised.

Remember Busby?

No? Good.

Because he is long gone, as has any recollection of BT as a tree of respectability.

Rampant cost-cutting may have helped prune the tree but what is needed to get the divi back may be a bit more drastic.

Andrew Pitts interviews Campbell Fleming

Fri, 17 Jul 2009 17:13:06 +0000

You probably wouldn’t associate making a charitable donation with making an investment decision. However a new fund on the block, Invest & Give, challenges that orthodoxy.
Money Observer editor Andrew Pitts asks Campbell Fleming of JP Morgan Asset Management, one of the fund’s promoters, how the fund raises money for the Prince’s Trust with no impact on the underlying investment performance

Sports Direct (SPD)

Fri, 17 Jul 2009 08:07:06 +0000

Sports Direct International has featured heavily in the world of shareholders in the last year or two.

A horrid flotation saw the share price dump to about 40p from 280p when everyone else was making a fortune.

But, in a delightful bit of contrariness, when everyone else is going down, SPD shares are flying...

Sports Direct (SPD)

Fri, 17 Jul 2009 07:28:28 +0000

Sports Direct International has featured heavily in the world of shareholders in the last year or two.

A horrid flotation saw the share price dump to about 40p from 280p when everyone else was making a fortune.

But, in a delightful bit of contrariness, when everyone else is going down, SPD shares are flying...

Stagecoach Plc (SGC)

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 15:47:27 +0000

If you should find yourself wondering the streets of some Scottish town and all you can smell is chips, you might well be standing at a bus stop.

Or a Stagecoach stop at very least because it might be running on bio-diesel, or recycled vegetable oil to you and me.

Still, in a climate like this there may well be few companies more fitted out for a decent ride than Stagecoach.

Centrica (CNA)

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 10:54:07 +0000

Centrica is one of those made up names for a company which charges a fortune to build you an image out of nothing.

As a giant in the energy supply business, however, there is absolutely nothing made up about it.

And it makes a fortune, so it could be a good one to turn up the heat on your portfolio.

Cable & Wireless (CW-)

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 07:06:17 +0000

Cable & Wireless is a company that has more faces than a master of disguise and works in more countries than James Bond.

And the telecoms industry takes alot of unravelling sometimes, like picking at the Gordian knot with a toothpick.

But at the end of the investing day, this monster is well worth pressing some buttons on.

AMEC (AMEC)

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 16:00:26 +0000

It is the spring and the vast herds of Buffalo migrate westwards across the endless sweeping plains of the American savannah.

As has been the tradition the plump, juicy flesh of the noble beast is much desired by investors who have wintered on nothing more than berries and grass.

And that beast is AMEC - an Amercian giant which grazes in the middle of the FTSE 100. Go get 'em investor - meat and skins for all.

Home Retail Group (HOME)

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 08:28:26 +0000

We all know that in times like these some retailers go to the wall while others are a part of the process of building new ones.

As it happens Home Retail Group has answers for both. Argos, one of the nation's favourite stores, and Homebase - a DIY mecca.

As it happens there appear to be some really good little signs - green shoots if you like.

Barclays Plc (BARC) - updated

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 11:00:53 +0000

Remember Jackanory? Remember the tale of the three little pigs? So do we which is why we felt there was a nice little parable there.

Obviously with the banking crisis going on, there has to be a few winners, when the dust settles and all. Yep. Barclays.

The share price is flying so as I used to say to Mother... Are you sitting comfortably?

iBall interviews Mark Artus on Branding

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 11:58:54 +0000

Mark Artis is CEO of 1HQ – a brand agency. He has strong views on how businesses function and how, alternatively, they cease to function.

So it seemed and excellent time to ask the former architect what he would do to put the crumbling world of UK financial services right.

And you may well ask yourself what a brand agency actually does. Well, we asked him that too.

Reed Elsevier

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 07:31:52 +0000

In the world of business publishing - or b2b as it is known in this snappy yet low-budget world - no job is too small or dirty.

Where there's a job there is a title, so the motto should be, and in this case we certainly have some oddball sounding names. So let's investigate the wacky, but potentially profitable world of Reed Elsevier...

OLD MUTUAL (OML)

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 17:33:50 +0000

Who says insurance is dull? No siree. Insurance is brilliant stuff. No matter what the amrjet conditions we all need insurance, and assets to manage obviously.

So when it comes to putting a little insurance among your portfoilio's assets, there could be worse bets than actually putting insurance shares in it, and asset management ones obviously.

Besides, Old Mutual has been around so long and has seen so much action it is bound to be all right, don't you think?

United Utilities (UU)

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 16:30:10 +0000

Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink. Well not according to United Utilities, the modern water company with the 1950s name.

They do a lot of business all over the world which is good because as we know water is a very, very big issue in the big wide world right now.

And given United Utilities has more than 25,000 miles of pipes and about the same in sewers, it is a very big business indeed. Drink, anyone?

Angela Knight, CBE on Banks

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 15:49:45 +0000

It is impossible to conceive of anything which is more in the forefront of the financial consumers’ mind than banks. Trust, branches, financial stability, pensions and shareholdings – all of these issues are continuously on the front page.

Here, Moneywise’s Rebecca Atkinson catches up with Angela Knight, the chief executive of the British Bankers’ Association.

Richard Penny

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 16:11:46 +0000

Most UK equity funds have not exactly covered themselves in glory over the past three years.

But Richard Penny, manager of Money Observer’s award-winning Legal & General UK Alpha fund, is one of the few to have posted positive returns with low volatility to boot. He tells Andrew Pitts how he runs the fund and where he is finding exciting opportunities today

Royal Dutch Shell (RDSB)

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 06:27:24 +0000

Shell. Oil prices. What can you say? Is it Dutch, is it British? Who cares. It is massive.
You simply cannot run an investment show without paying great attention to the edifice that is Shell.

So here we are, paying attention to Shell. Go on, please....

Smiths News (NWS)

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 14:26:39 +0000

REEEEAAAAD alll abaahhht it! The more you read the more you will make money if you have got shares in Smiff’s News shocker!

See, in a classic case of City natural selection, where one company has fallen away - in this case Dawson Holdings – another steps up to the plate.

So when the time comes to set your sights and seek the best value you can, Smith’s News could be the one.

Taylor Wimpey (TW-)

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 09:02:17 +0000

It's called Taylor Wimpey, and though it might sound peculiar saying we like a housebuilder in times like these, we do. So there.

Paul Leyland

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 16:38:39 +0000

Paul Leyland of Collins Stewart is what is known in the City of London as a Leisure analyst. That means in practice he is into gambling.

Well, in times like this you have to bear in mind that people gamble more and then, in theory, gaming companies should do well and so their shares are worth buying.

So, heads you lose and tails they win...

World Spreads

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 17:28:02 +0000

Those mean streets breed mean people and mean markets, and when that happens there's a time for a new avenger.

A character so vivid that words are inadequate to describe the uncompromising nature of this streak of mean.

Troubled times need tough solutions and so, ladies and gentlemen, we introduce you to... Dirty Ali

Capita (CPI)

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 07:35:44 +0000

Capita has suffered from PR problems in the past and indeed the indignity of being dubbed with the nomenclature Crapita.

It does some dull and unpopular jobs which may not make it the taxpayers' best friend but these jobs do tend to make it a friend to investors.

So there we have it - big, dull and lacking in anything spectacular. Perfect for making it a friend to your portfolio.

Lloyds Banking Group

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 07:41:50 +0000

Remember that fabulous advert of a black horse running wildly and freely, mane flowing in the wind - bit like a banker on an expenses-fuelled lunch.

Well Lloyds might have escaped the very worst of the credit crunch but there's still been a lot of very bad news from the group with the black horse.

If it's put some of that trail behind it the shares themselves could be a bit of a steal. Hah-harrr!

iBall interviews Allister Heath

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 16:54:11 +0000

This is no time for jokes. It is time to get serious and there is no-one more serious than a newspaper editor.

So when one wants a serious talk about what is going on in the world in general, and the City of London in particular – go and talk to the editor of a financial newspaper.

Et voila, dear viewer, allow us to introduce you to Allister Heath, editor of the enfant terrible of the square mile – City AM.

Standard Life (SL)

Wed, 10 Jun 2009 16:41:27 +0000

For many years Standard Life stood quietly as a huge grey edifice on Edinburgh's long, windy Lothian Road.

Austere and mutual it quietly went about its business until it joined the market and became one of retail investors' favourite shares.

And good news for those investors. Even in these troubled times those quaint old Scottish disciplines have seen the old girl do very well.

Rio Tinto (RIO)

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 14:04:41 +0000

Just because Rio Tinto has nothing whatever to do with Rio de Janeiro there is no reason why we can't do some cheesy Samba gags.

Besides, after the last two years or so as the planet's fourth biggest miner, we think Rio Tinto could be a right little raver.

So throw back your head, put fruit in your hair and let's cha-cha-cha...

Experian (EXPN)

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 07:36:35 +0000

Experian is sort of a bit big brothery really. It measures and monitors your credityworthiness and so on then tells the banks who is a good bet to lend to.

A dangerous game you might have thought. Last year this was almost everyone, this year it is almost no one.

Not a bit of it. Diversifying the data it gathers in, we are looking at a company which might well be one to ride out the credit storm, er, there has got to be a joke in there somewhere.

iBall interviews Rebecca O'Keeffe

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 11:09:50 +0000

The amount of money you can invest tax-efficiently in an ISA is set to increase from 6 October for people aged over 50, and April 2010 for everyone else.

Moneywise acting editor Johanna Gornitzki interviews Rebecca O'Keeffe, head of investments at Interactive Investor, to find
out how you can make the most of the higher ISA allowance.

Marks & Spencers Group Plc (MKS)

Wed, 03 Jun 2009 11:24:28 +0000

M&S has been an investors' favourite for many a good, and a bad year, but after the recent travails all seems rosy in Sir Stuart's garden.

You've heard of Star Wars and last week we did Bar Wars but this time we simply could not resist it - iBall brings you Bra Wars!

Xstrata (XTA)

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 06:49:08 +0000

Xstrata is a very, very serious mining company with a very, very silly name. It makes holes all over the place and digs out hard commodities like there was no tomorrow.

So, forgive us - because we think this is a good share, but we just had to have some fun with it.

Friends Provident (FP)

Fri, 29 May 2009 15:30:26 +0000

Anything with the word Friends in it, there is a fair bet that somewhere in its origins is a Quaker, and that is exactly the case with Friends Provident.

It is an old fashioned firm with a whiff of the comfortable about it. In times like these we need safe, reliable, and just like a
favourite old sofa we like comfortable.

Bar Wars

Wed, 27 May 2009 16:24:05 +0000

Mighty empires have fallen on hard times as the big Pub chains battle it out in the high street for supremacy.

Mitchells and Butler, Greene King and Punch have taken the fight to the supermarket darkside with ever increasing culinary innovation.

...will the empire strike back...?

Pennon (PNN)

Tue, 26 May 2009 11:01:21 +0000

It is said that you cannot polish a turd, but Pennon might seem to want to disagree with that.

Indeed Pennon's business is all about effluent, all about turning your waste into heat, light and power.

And this we reckon could be one answer to a future.

A dividend in waste you might say.

iBall interviews Dr Ros Altmann

Fri, 22 May 2009 15:25:56 +0000

Not very long ago news about pensions was buried in the back pages because it was dull and failed to grab the attention of anyone.

That is until those who had been saving for their retirement started to lose those savings while seeing public sector workers retiring at 50 on fat pensions.

What is needed now to sort this mess out is radical thinking. Behold, then, a radical thinker. iBall is delighted to welcome back former Government pensions adviser Dr Ros Altmann.

Inmarsat (ISAT)

Thu, 21 May 2009 09:14:18 +0000

Star Date 2191.7.

Investors are struggling to hold out against the swarming hordes of the credit crunchers on Fredivan 21. USS Inmarsat is the company circling the home planet trying to make a few space credits for its shareholders.

Top-tech stuff, Inmarsat, but can it bring low tech good news to the poor investor?