THE TIPSTER BELLWAY HOPING TO CHIME IN PROFITS
INVESTORS in housing firm Bellway will be hoping that the company won’t be dropping any clangers tomorrow when it releases its latest trading update, but instead will be looking for signs that the future is still relatively appealing. The last update back in December 2011 was positively ringing with optimism, with the company noting that visitor levels and reservations were still resilient. If tomorrow’s update is a similar clarion call for an improving market then we could see Bellway make yet more gains, building on the 10 per rise seen in 2012 so far. IG Index offers a spread on Bellway of 779p-785p.
Xstrata shares had the X-Factor last week as it soared on news of the merger with Glencore. Its shares climbed nearly 15 per cent following the news, but topped out at the top trendline of a down channel it had been in for just over 12 months around 1,275p. Eagle-eyed chartists who spotted this and shorted Xstrata on Friday were rewarded with a 2 per cent fall on profit-taking this morning. Spread Co offers a spread on Xstrata of 1,258.55p–1,260.93p.
Vodafone is a very popular stock among clients and is due to give a trading update on Thursday. Those dividend hunters will keenly listen to hear whether there’ll be a dividend increase to the already high yielding stock. Capital Spreads quotes a price of 175.8p-176.2p.
HMV has taken a terrible battering over the past few years. The shares have fallen steadily since hitting a high of over 280p back in 2005, and continued to slide even as the broader equity market rallied off its March 2009 lows. HMV got a boost last month after reaching a deal with its suppliers. But prices are drifting lower once again as investors question the company’s strategy and the general outlook for high street retailers. GFT offers a spread on HMV of 5.10p-5.25p.
Diageo posts half year numbers on Thursday. The results will likely highlight the strength of demand in North America for spirits. With volumes growing at their highest levels in nearly 3 years, Diageo generates 40 per cent of its profits here. Despite the global downturn, the producer of the iconic Guinness brand has got a “head” in the beverage sector and is aiming to generate around half its revenue from the emerging markets by 2015. CMC Markets’ price for Diageo is 1,468.68p-1,471.23p.