Investors' Chronicle

We start with copper miner Antofagasta (ANTO), whose shares have soared over the past year on the back of big gains for the red metal. It released full-year figures earlier this week, and Alex Hamer discusses its prospects, as well as Rio Tinto and Glencore now the mega-merger is off. Alex also explains some of the equity raises that have taken place lower down the cap scale in recent weeks.

Erin Withey then joins us to discuss caterer Compass (CPG), which has been struggling of late. That’s led to calls for a slight rethink of its strategic priorities.

Lastly, we look at one of the UK’s newest listings, albeit in the form of a business that sits outside the FTSE 350. The Magnum Ice Cream Company (MICC) spun off from Unilever in December and has just reported its 2025 results. Mark Robinson examines the outlook for frozen sweet treats.

Read more:
Antofagasta doubles dividend as profits hit new record
Cheaper Compass shares put buybacks on the menu
Magnum Ice Cream fails to impress in maiden results

Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
01:24 Copper mining
15:09 Compass Group
23:25 Magnum ice cream

Investors' Chronicle has supported private investors in the UK for over 160 years by highlighting rewarding investment opportunities.

Investors' Chronicle is a service by the Financial Times.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Christie Group has a lot going for it. Growing in several countries and an employer to around 650 people, the brokerage business is a well-respected name in multiple niche sectors. Last year sales exceeded £70mn, and management reckons operating profits of £10mn are possible. The kicker, following the disposal of several subsidiaries, is that its balance sheet is full of cash.

Lord Lee of Trafford clearly agrees. In more than 80 transactions since 2002, he has amassed a 6 per cent holding across both his personal investment account and the charitable trusts he oversees.

So why is the business valued at just £35mn? We put this question and many more to chief executive Dan Prickett, who has been at the company for 17 years - including the last two and a half in the top role.

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Timestamps
00:00 Intro
00:30 Recap of last episode
01:44 Introducing Dan Prickett
02:21 What is Christie's
05:10 John's history with the business
09:37 Institutional shareholders
12:10 Dan's stake in the business
15:08 Trading statement
23:40 Why is the stock price low?
30:18 Expansion in Europe
35:49 Setting targets
37:08 John's portfolio round up
39:25 PZ Cussons

Investors' Chronicle has supported private investors in the UK for over 160 years by highlighting rewarding investment opportunities.

Investors' Chronicle is a service by the Financial Times.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After a week in which we in London were blessed with a rare day in which the sun dared to poke its head out, today we will try to shed some light of our own on the big goings on in companies and markets at the moment.

We kick off with a look at the breaking news of the day, the £10bn takeover of Schroders by US asset manager Nuveen. Chris Akers is here to discuss the deal, and the possible implications for the rest of the asset and wealth management sector, where there’s been another big deal in recent days: unlisted wealth manager Evelyn Partners bought by NatWest. We’ll also take a brief look at emerging market specialist Ashmore, which had interims out today and has rallied particularly hard of late.

After that, we turn to our big read of the week, looking at the strain on public services and the consequences thereof. Mark Robinson will discuss why the private sector is playing a growing role in the provision of said services – in certain areas – and where they might be expected to take more of the slack in future.

Finally, Mark will also look at US economic bellwether McDonalds, which reported some pretty good figures overnight. Is the economy firing on all cylinders, or are more people trading down when they eat out, or a bit of both? Mark will consider these factors as well as the figures themselves later on.

Listen to more podcasts from Investors’ Chronicle on Apple, Spotify and YouTube

Read more:
Schroders bought out in £10bn deal
NatWest buys wealth manager in £2.7bn deal
The private stocks taking advantage of government failure
McDonald’s beats expectations as sales hold up

Timestamps:
00:00: Intro
01:24: Schroders takeover
11:17: Privatisation
22:14: McDonald’s

Investors' Chronicle has supported private investors in the UK for over 160 years by highlighting rewarding investment opportunities.

Investors' Chronicle is a service by the Financial Times.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, after a software sell-off that has rattled some of the UK’s most popular ‘quality’ stocks, we look at the fallout for the likes of Relx, Sage, Experian and others. Valeria Martinez is here to discuss whether the launch of Anthropic’s new AI tools represents an existential threat to these businesses.

After that, we turn to the hopefully calmer world of corporate bonds and the reforms that have the potential to open up the market more widely to DIY investors. Erin Withey talks through the changes, their likely impact on the market, and what corporate debt in general can offer investors.

To wrap up, we look at one of the many companies to have updated the market this week, in the form of pharma giant GSK. After many years out of favour, the business has started to win investors over of late. Julian Hofmann will look at how it’s done it, whether its progress can continue, and what a new chief executive might bring to the business.

Read more:
AI-hit software stocks bounce back
GSK starts to show real profit improvement

Timestamps
00:00 Intro
01:00: Software sell-off
12:37 Corporate bonds
21:43 GSK

Investors' Chronicle has supported private investors in the UK for over 160 years by highlighting rewarding investment opportunities.

Investors' Chronicle is a service by the Financial Times.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The UK’s largest investment platform, Hargreaves Lansdown, has announced its first fee overhaul in over a decade. But as ever the devil is in the detail, and despite its headline price cut there has been a bit of an outcry in some quarters. Val Cipriani is here to discuss which users will benefit, and which will lose out.

After that we discuss our big read of the week, looking at – dare we say it – happier, more relaxed methods of building wealth. Alex Newman will explore how the more risk averse – of whom there are many nowadays given the general state of, well, everything – can have a better chance of meeting their savings goals.

Lastly we return to our regular company reporting beat with a look at the latest well-received trading update from pig and poultry producer Cranswick (CWK). Does the company’s valuation still warrant interest? Mark Robinson will tell us more.

Read more here
Winners and losers of Hargreaves’ fee overhaul
Three easy steps to becoming a stress-free investor
Cranswick boosts sales as consumers ditch beef for pork

Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
00:55 Hagreaves Lansdown
11:27: Building wealth: cash v assets
25:28 Cranswick

Investors' Chronicle has supported private investors in the UK for over 160 years by highlighting rewarding investment opportunities.

Investors' Chronicle is a service by the Financial Times.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.