Ben Hobson

Four weeks of sliding markets have proved to be a test of wits for momentum investors. With the FTSE All-Share down by 5.5% over the past month, some stocks that once looked promising candidates for future gains have had the brakes firmly applied to their prices. But while a number of shares have fallen in line with the market correction, a handful of others have…

Back in late 2011 some of Britain’s biggest housebuilders were displaying signs of being bargain bucket shares with only the glimmer of potential to turnaround their fortunes in the near term. Since then, many of those value plays have seen their prices soar, justifying the bargain hunting credentials behind screening tools such as Benjamin Graham’s NCAV strategy. Eighteen months ago, this strategy was flagging the…

Growth and momentum strategies proved to be the big winners among Stockopedia’s GuruModel Screens during the second quarter of 2013, with the majority outpacing the FTSE 100 in a period that delivered a long anticipated correction in equity prices. With our quarterly rebalancing due this weekend, we’ve reviewed what worked and what didn’t during the rollercoaster that was Q2.  After a slow start to the…

Investors who were basking in the early summer glow of a stockmarket heat wave would be forgiven for feeling mixed emotions about the recent cooling in equity prices. The FTSE All-Share completed an impressive 1-year gain of 30% when it tipped over 3,600 points in May but it’s now more than 7% off that high, leaving many wondering whether a deeper correction is unfolding. While…

I have been banging the drum recently for using broker upgrades as a source of investing inspiration because tracking smart money in this way is a formula backed by pedigree academic research and real world success. Because it can take many months for the market to absorb upgraded earnings forecasts, there’s an opportunity to ride a wave of price momentum as more and more investors…

Hi! I'm by no way an expert on the detail of Thomas Cook but considering that a year ago (indeed as recently as March this year) the industry, and the company, was raising the serious prospect of it going bust, something's gone right. Harriet Green arrived as CEO in the summer and there seems to be some belief that she's getting a grip of the…

Hi Elias. I'd go along with that. Although at two ends of the spectrum, Argos and John Lewis have the same model for online sales - they'll either deliver or you can click & collect. But there are differences - John Lewis deliver free on orders over £50 (not always the case with Argos). Likewise, click & collect gives John Lewis another chance to sell…

Decent interim results from BTG - highest riser in the FTSE 250 today, up 7.57%

Bellway did better than expected - keeping that momentum going. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ad37bd5c-175b-11e2-8cbe-00144feabdc0.html#axzz29NJTaayd (£ subscription)

Hi Mark! Oh dear, talk about falling at the final hurdle. I'd love to blame the Telegraph but really it's me not even thinking about it. Duh. Borrowing anecdotes like that = bad idea. The moment at which resource companies begin paying dividends is an interesting subject (read: minefield). Dragon Oil is a colourful case (although I'm no expert on what is going on there).…