Investors Chronicle

China is a market that investors simply cannot ignore. Despite being the epicentre of the pandemic and at the helm of geopolitical tensions, it had the best performance of any major stock market last year and innovation is proceeding in some Chinese companies at a rate second to none. But there are concerns about bubbles forming in some sectors. In this interview, Dale Nicholls, manager of Fidelity China Special Situations, says there are still plenty of companies with great growth potential at reasonable prices - albeit not as attractive as they were a year ago, since when the fund’s share price has doubled.Mr Nicholls describes how he offers broad access to the Chinese economy by focussing on companies that serve the enormous power of China's growing middle classes. He talks about why he is not concerned about frenetic private investor trading in China driving a bubble, and how the Chinese stock market has matured since the 2015 market crash. He also divulges how he navigates social and governance

On this week's Alpha Podcast John and Phil reminisce about their dotcom boom days and the bubble-like behaviour of today's markets, and why it could be worth drowning your sorrows with a snifter of Diageo shares.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It’s been a mixed year for the health and fitness industry. On the one hand, gyms, clubs, and pools have all had prolonged periods of closure, but on the other, you only need to go down to your local park at the weekend to witness the crowds of walkers, runners and cyclists.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On this week's Alpha podcast John and Phil go on the hunt for more shares with the feelgood factor, despite some worrying words in Terry Smith's latest Fundsmith letter  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Donald Trump’s ban from Twitter, Facebook and Snapchat has put private media groups under the spotlight. Were they right to do it? Should social media be self-regulated or does it need an external body?And are the regulators of the mainstream media even getting it right? We answer all those thorny questions in our first episode of 2021.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On this week's Alpha Podcast John Hughman and Phil Oakley talk about the prospects for three companies that have seen business boom as a result of Covid-restrictions: Games Workshop, Frontier Developments and Just Eat Takeaway.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The destruction of risk free returns thanks to low interest rates means investors have to understand the risks inherent in chasing gains from assets like shares. James Norrington talks to Graham Harrison, Managing Director of Asset Risk Consultants (ARC) about the challenges facing portfolio managers.ARC runs the Private Client Index series, a selection of dynamic risk-weighted benchmarks for the asset management industry, based on over 250,000 contributing portfolios from 108 asset management firms worldwide.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Baillie Gifford’s flagship fund, Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust (SMT), has delivered eye watering returns in recent years. In 2020 alone, the fund’s net assets doubled to over £18.5bn. In this interview, the trust’s co-managers James Anderson and Tom Slater tell Mary McDougall where the next leg of growth is and how they approach finding the next stock market stars. Mr Anderson says we are entering a period of change unrivalled since the industrial revolution, and they both defend their continued support of Tesla, the fund’s largest holding.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Jeremy Gratham, co-founder of GMO Asset Management speaks to Nilushi Karunaratne about whether companies, governments and investors are taking enough action on climate change, what he hopes to see from the incoming Biden administration and how investors should see climate change as an opportunity for their portfolios.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Wheaton Precious Metals chief executive Randy Smallwood on the steaming business model, gold's prospects and how to operate in a world where ESG is getting more and more important. Plus why Wheaton has added a London listing.Looking for more? We dive into Wheaton's business model.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On this week's Alpha Podcast John Hughman and Phil Oakley discuss the crazy world of unicorn IPOs, the bidding war for Codemasters, and why Avon Rubber's share price has been stopped in its tracks.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

With Christmas only a week and a half away, we thought we’d attempt to bring the festive cheer with a look at Christmas shopping.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

This week our guest is the American investor, former fund manager and financial commentator Jim Rogers. A noted China and commodities bull, he moved to Singapore in 2007 so he and his family could be in Asia and closer to what he and many others argue is the economic heart of the world.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Phil Oakley chats with former analyst and hedge fund investor Steve Clapham about his new book and how to research companies well.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Maggie, 90, has become the first Brit to receive a vaccine for coronavirus outside of clinical trials. She received the jab in Coventry Hospital in front of the world’s media and declared “if I can have it at 90, you can have it too.”  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Investing in the UK market has largely been a recipe for underperformance in recent years - but some have clearly bucked this trend and now expect better news. Keith Ashworth-Lord, who runs the hugely successful CFP SDL UK Buffettology fund, has generated strong returns despite the difficulties of the market. He remains an evangelist for UK stocks, describes the current pessimism on the market, especially small caps, as “an absolute load of trash”  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On this week's IC Alpha podcast James Norrington and Phil Oakley discuss whether three highly-rated UK shares - the London Stock Exchange, AJ Bell and Avon Rubber - can live up to their quality ratings.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

About ten years ago, Dr Bronwyn King was a doctor working on a lung cancer ward in Melbourne, Australia. Today, she fronts a campaign that, according to its website, has persuaded financial institutions with as much as $11tn in assets under management to join its global movement calling for a tobacco-free world.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The £120bn gaming industry is another one of those rare markets seemingly unaffected by the coronavirus pandemic. It’s come a long way in its half a century lifespan.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On this week's Alpha Podcast James Norrington talks to Phil Oakley about how the example of Sage shows why investing in the UK is becoming ever more difficult, whether Future's bid for GoCo makes sense, and why AO World might keep delivering.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.