Join our community of smart investors

Big reliable shares, tobacco, Glenstrata, press tips and property talk

Today's IC daily email update
June 6, 2012

Hopefully you all enjoyed two days off work, wall-to-wall pageantry, flag-waving patriotism and the odd celebratory drink! The festive mood has continued on the markets this morning, with the FTSE opening higher. That's despite the fact that while we were busy watching the flotilla, the concert and the Red Arrows, Spain practically admitted it will soon be seeking a bail-out for its troubled banks - and Germany all but said it won't allow one!

No change there, then. So we've re-run our 'shares for troubled times' stock screen - last year's collection beat the market and would have done better still but for the inclusion of Tesco. But we wonder whether the tobacco sector, a traditional safe haven in times of adversity, can maintain this status given the height to which valuations have crept. And The Trader assesses the dangers facing the FTSE in a new video presentation.

One group of people who are unlikely to be concerned about market volatility are executives at Xstrata. The formal documentation for the company's merger with major shareholder Glencore was published last week and - guess what? - proposes showering senior managers with money just to persuade them to remain in their jobs. We think the whole business is rotten and investors should vote against it.

Somewhat belatedly, we've our round-up of weekend tips from the quality press and finally, Stephen Wilmot collects reader feedback on his property column; it seems you've strong views on taxation, yields and the poor quality of modern housing!