picks Archives - orienteeringtoday

business

UK stock picks to buy, avoid with fourth quarter catalysts: Barclays

The FTSE 100 was one of the worst-performing major indexes in Europe in September. However, UK investment bank, Barclays, in a research note, said stocks in the UK region were cheap and under owned.
The UK market is “foreign exchange sensitive” and with the GBP likely to be choppier due to Brexit uncertainty, Barclays predicts the FTSE 100 will improve, which could create opportunities for investors.
Barclays outlines seven UK stock picks with catalysts in the fourth quarter and two stocks to sell.
“Our seven OW-rated stocks have an average upside to our PT of 26%; whilst our two UW-rated stocks have an average downside to our PT of -27%,” said Barclays’ equity analyst, Richard Taylor, in the note.
Click here to sign up for our weekly newsletter Investing Insider
Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.

The FTSE 100, the UK stock index that tracks the biggest 100 companies on the London Stock Exchange, was one of the worst-performing major indexes in Europe in September.

UK assets were hit hard due to a surge in COVID-19 cases in Britain, along with tighter restrictions on movement and renewed concerns over Brexit.

However Barclays, the British investment bank, still sees opportunities within the UK.

Until last month, the bank had an underweight rating on the UK but this has now switched to medium-weight.

In an October 8 research note, the bank acknowledged that the uncertainty of Brexit combined with “waning” fiscal support could leave the UK with slower recovery. However, with the UK being a foreign exchange sensitive market, the pound is likely to be choppier due to uncertainty around Brexit, which could help with the FTSE 100’s poor performance and create opportunities for investors.

“The [UK] region is under owned, cheap

…

business

India Picks Central Bank Rate Panel After Unexplained Delay

(Bloomberg) — India’s government appointed three new external members to the central bank’s committee that decides interest rates, allowing policy meetings to resume after last week’s delay.

Load Error

The Finance Ministry on Monday announced the following names to the six-member Monetary Policy Committee of the Reserve Bank of India:

Ashima Goyal, a professor at the Mumbai-based Indira Gandhi Institute of Developmental ResearchJayanth R Varma, a professor of finance at the Indian Institute of Management in AhmedabadShashanka Bhide, an agricultural economist and a senior adviser with the National Council of Applied Economic Research in New Delhi

The new appointees will replace the three previous external MPC candidates whose terms expired with the last policy meeting in August. They’ll join three RBI officials on the committee, led by Governor Shaktikanta Das.

The government’s delay in selecting the new members meant the RBI didn’t have enough policy makers for its scheduled three-day interest-rate meeting that was due to begin Sept. 29, forcing the central bank to defer it, without explanation. The RBI hasn’t yet said when it will resume its policy meeting.

The delay fueled uncertainty for investors and bankers at a time when the central bank has been providing the bulk of the stimulus for an economy heading for its worst contraction in years. The RBI has cut borrowing costs by 115 basis points this year and pumped in billions of dollars of liquidity into the financial system.

Read More: Modi’s Key Reforms Stall as Pandemic Upends India’s Economy

The three new MPC members have indicated in past comments their preference for monetary and fiscal stimulus and the need to support economic growth.

“We believe the new MPC members are likely more neutral-to-dovish in terms of their policy stance,” said Sonal Varma, chief economist for India and Asia, ex-Japan, at Nomura

…

finance

Thailand Picks Ex-Transport Head Arkhom as New Finance Chief

(Bloomberg) — Thailand picked Arkhom Termpittayapaisith as finance minister to steer an economy facing its worst performance ever this year, following the abrupt resignation of his predecessor.

© Bloomberg
Arkhom Termpittayapaisith, Thailand’s transport minister, listens during an interview in Bangkok, Thailand, on Thursday, June 21, 2018. Thailand will seek bids in the fourth-quarter for a 180 billion baht ($5.5 billion) high-speed rail project that’s part of a wider plan for a train network to China. The bidder will build the first half of the network in Thailand, Termpittayapaisith said.

The appointment, effective immediately, was announced in the Royal Gazette on Monday. Arkhom’s appointment comes after former banker Predee Daochai resigned less than a month into the job, citing ill health.

Load Error

Arkhom, a former transport minister under Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha’s military government from 2015-2019, will need to shape Thailand’s response to tackling the coronavirus outbreak that’s delivered an unprecedented blow to the nation’s trade- and tourism-reliant economy. He will also need to assure investors who have been dumping local stocks and bonds, while accelerating stimulus spending to revive growth and save millions of jobs at risk from the fallout of the pandemic.

Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy is on track this year for its worst contraction on record, with the Finance Ministry predicting gross domestic product will shrink 8.5%. Arkhom will need to work with Bank of Thailand Governor Sethaput Suthiwart-Narueput, who assumed the post only last week.

While the country has been comparatively successful in containing the pandemic and most business activities have resumed, the Prayuth administration also has had to contend with anti-government protests by student groups demanding greater democracy and curbs on the monarchy’s power.

The government has announced an economic stimulus program worth $60 billion and the central bank has cut interest rates to a

…

business

Week 41 MDA Breakout Forecast: Short-Term Picks To Give You An Edge

Introduction

The Weekly Breakout Forecast continues my doctoral research analysis on MDA breakout selections over more than 5 years. This subset of the different portfolios I regularly analyze has now reached 177 weeks of public selections as part of this ongoing live forward-testing research.

In 2017, the sample size began with 12 stocks, then 8 stocks in 2018, and at members’ request into 2020, I now generate 4 selections each week, 2 Dow 30 picks, and a separate article for monthly Growth & Dividend MDA breakout stocks. I now provide more than 6 different ways to beat the S&P 500 since my trading studies were made public.

Remarkably, the frequency streak of 10% gainers within a 4- or 5-day trading week remains at highly statistically significant levels above 80% not counting frequent multiple 10% gainers in a single week. More than 200 stocks have gained over 10% in a 5-day trading week since this MDA testing began in 2017. A frequency comparison chart is at the end of this article.

2020 YTD Breakout Portfolio Returns

The Breakout Picks are high volatility selections for short-term gains, but with no selections below $2/share, under 100k average daily volume, or less than $100 million market cap. The returns were at +41.50% in the first 9 weeks of 2020, consistent with exiting the portfolio following the negative Momentum Gauge signal of Feb. 24th (red weeks below).

The cumulative average returns YTD are at +220.42% compared to the S&P 500 +3.64% over the same period. The very best case perfectly timed returns at +440.5%, and in the worst case, fixed buy/hold, do nothing, equal-weighted average returns year to date, the returns are +0.33%.

So far YTD, 62 stock selections in the past 39 weeks have gained over 10% in less than 5 days with 32

…

insurance

‘COVID-19 insurance’ to reassure travellers as tourism picks up

On any normal year as Dasara and Deepavali come calling, people tick off items from their shopping lists and start making travel times. But 2020 is unlike any year in recent memory, with a pandemic bringing normal life to a halt. That said, as restrictions ease and families acclimatise themselves to a life where social distancing and face masks are the norm, many have started making travel plans for the holidays.

As the tourism sector is seeing signs of recovery, some companies – travel and insurance – have started offering COVID-19 insurance to encourage travellers to venture out despite the pandemic.

MakeMyTrip, for instance, has started offering a COVID-19 specific insurance for travellers. “People are putting their trust back in travel, one step at a time. The pandemic has changed consumer behaviour in many ways and when it comes to travel, safety naturally tops the priority chart. The uncertainty of these times has pushed travellers to opt for the insurance options more than before. Mapping this trend, MakeMyTrip rolled out an option for COVID-19 insurance, which benefits travellers with coverage of ₹2 lakh per customer, while air insurances typically have lower cover for health issues,” a spokesperson of MakeMyTrip told The Hindu.

The insurance covers hospitalisation for 16 days post-travel in case of COVID-19 infection as it usually takes around 14 days for the virus to surface, unlike air insurances which cover illness for the day of travel or up to 72 hours, the spokesperson explained. Other benefits covered under the COVID-19 insurance include zero restrictions on room rent, consumables, post-hospitalisation diagnostics, etc.

“A health crisis like COVID-19 demanded special attention and benefits that extend support beyond the normal. To address this need, the company has introduced special insurance of this nature for the first time. We are seeing a

…

Tag: picks