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This week's articles: 23 November 2012

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November 23, 2012

FEATURES:

Shocking, destructive, profitable

Prepare for the biggest boom in M&A in modern times. Philip Ryland explains where and why the action will take place, while our companies writers select likely takeover candidates.

Profit from stock market seasonality

A guide to making money from stock market seasonal anomalies.

Coin it in

Demand for historic gold coins has never been higher.

SEVEN DAYS:

All you need to know about investing in the past seven days: what's rising, what's falling and what's making the headlines.

 

NEWS:

Xstrata moves on Lonmin.

Glenstrata merger wins shareholder approval.

Sirius sweats on resource re-classification.

Gemfields seals Fabergé deal.

Unite launches retail bond.

Ocado still doesn't convince.

Osborne plans raid on pensions relief.

 

ECONOMIC OUTLOOK:

Treading the fiscal high wire: Chancellor George Osborne has to tread the fine line between choking the economy and losing credibility in the credit markets.

Next week's economics: This week's economic releases will illustrate how blunt GDP is as a measurement of economic activity.

 

COMMENT:

Our columnists offer in-depth analysis and investment ideas:

The Editor: HP wants a Lynching - Is HP really a victim of financial skullduggery, or simply creating a scapegoat for a deal that was never likely to work in the first place?

No free lunch: Whose fault was that? Adoboli's bosses are unlikely to be jailed.

Mr Bearbull: The best investment - NatWest's 9 per cent prefs have something that every investor should be looking for.

Simon Thompson: A problem to solve - Our companies editor needs your help to find a way of giving more of you a fair chance of being able to invest near the recommended prices in his columns. Plus, Simon sees a medium-term buying opportunity in the shares of an eastern European fund manager that's also doing rather well at home.

 

YOUR MONEY:

Financial planning, tax and investment wisdom:

Reader portfolio: Bonds are worth considering.

Financial planning: Protect your Sipp from nightmare investments.

 

SHARE TIPS OF THE WEEK:

This highly efficient testing specialist should benefit from its smart acquisitions and increased customer spending.

■ A new retail bond means this property company won't need to tap shareholders again, and there's still plenty of recovery potential.

■ Record third-quarter production and the likelihood of raised resources estimates make us think these shares should be rated far higher.

■ A profit warning and hints of a difficult market ahead have persuaded us that it's time to sell this share despite the strong start to the year.

 

FUND TIP OF THE WEEK:

This fund is packed full of robust performers, picked because they have three key qualities. It's an ideal holding for anyone looking for long-term growth.

 

BROKERS' TIPS:

Paddy Power

Resolution

 

SHARE TIP UPDATES:

Hill & Smith

Hogg Robinson

Melrose

Ricardo

Ultra Electronics

 

FUNDS:

Fund news: One in three investment trusts trumps FTSE 100 yield

Shares I love: Retail banks are currently unpopular with investors, but Lloyds stands out from the riff raff, says Simon Callow.

Top 100 funds update: Edinburgh Investment Trust trades at a premium to NAV but has an attractive dividend and good growth prospects.

ETFs: Obtaining a high yield at low cost.

Interview: Mark Slater has had success with a top-performing growth fund, but he can also do income. He talks about how he gets his yield.

 

SHARES:

The lowdown on the latest company results:

3i Group

Bezant Resources

Big Yellow

British Land

Carclo

CML Microsystems

Compass

Diploma

easyJet

Enterprise Inns

Euromoney

Ffastfill

Halma

Homeserve

Hyder Consulting

 

Intermediate Capital

Invensys

Investec

Johnson Matthey

London Stock Exchange

National Grid

Majestic Wine

McKay Securities

Mitie

Optos

Paragon

Parkmead

Qinetiq

Renold

Speedy Hire

Telecom Plus

Vectura

 

Stock screen: The high-growth nature of small caps can power strong dividend growth. Algy Hall names five big yielders.

 

Sector focus: Bundling growth and yield - 'Triple-play' offers high-yielding telecoms companies the opportunity to assert real growth credentials.

 

Directors' dealings: Notable transactions at Fidessa, plus a table of all boardroom share trades.

  

Week ahead: A summary of key company announcements expected in the coming week.

 

TAKEOVERS:

Download this week's takeover tables as a PDF.

 

TRADING:

Trading ideas: Chart-driven calls on Dow Jones, FTSE 250, sterling/dollar and MSCI World Index.

The Trader: Cautiously optimistic - The Trader thinks the uptrend may be resuming, although it's still early days.