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Articles by Mark Simpson
The Week Ahead (26 – 30 Oct): Interest Rates, UK Budget, US Hyperscalers, UK Oil Majors
10:58 am by·246 Reads Another poor week for the major global indices. Most of this week's damage came on Thursday. The S&P 500 fell 1.2%, and the Nasdaq dropped 2.6% as chip stocks slid. AI spending worries hit chip names in Asia and the US. Oil rose to a five-month high on Thursday: Traders were adding a geopolitical risk premium after Houthi attacks, on top of the ongoing Strait of Hormuz disruption.
Essentra: like-for-like revenue up 10.8%, but 16x earnings keeps us neutral
0 11:56 am by·29 Reads I think there is an argument to be made that earnings here are on a recovery trajectory, driven by cost-cutting and delays in passing on inflationary cost rises to customers. However, I struggle to get behind a 16x forward earnings multiple, even if earnings are forecast to grow in future years, when these are heavily adjusted, and there is reasonable net debt to factor into any valuation. The middling Stock Rank confirms that we should probably stick with a neutral view.
Record: £2.2m of performance fees and strong inflows lift our view after two profit warnings
0 11:22 am by·29 Reads Given two recent profit warnings, I am still wary that they aren't completely out of the woods. However, strong flows into their new Absolute Return Strategy this quarter, combined with a recent high in performance fees, suggest things are getting easier rather than harder. At an 11x forward multiple and with a decent yield (even if it is forecast to be a bit lower this year), I think we can afford to be a bit more generous.
Camellia: weaker trading points to a £3m–£5m loss for the year, and we turn more cautious
0 10:30 am by·36 Reads The company is now trading at net cash (including cash-like investments), which seems like incredible value. Until you realise the stated strategy is to invest that cash into further agricultural assets. These tend to be relatively low-return assets with high variability and unpredictability in trading outcomes, as today's shift to an overall trading loss for the year shows.
Bloomsbury Publishing: first-half profit falls 30%, so it needs a big second half
0 9:03 am by·61 Reads With H1 revenue down 5% and PBT down 30% vs the previous year, they will need a big H2 to meet market expectations. There is a strong pipeline of books for H2 in their consumer division that provides some confidence that they can deliver the sales. However, they will also need near-record operating margins in both divisions to hit the PBT forecast, something that may be challenging if A&P revenues continue to decline, as expected.
The Week Ahead (12 – 16 Oct): US & Euro Inflation, UK GDP, US Banking Sector, UK Recruiters
6 11:51 am by·211 Reads There has been divergence this week, as US stocks head back close to all-time highs, whereas UK and Euro indices have been weak: Big tech led the gains in the US, with Nvidia, Microsoft and AMD rising on strong earnings, and Constellation Energy jumping 15% on a nuclear power deal to supply Google's AI data centres.
The Week Ahead (5 – 9 Oct): FOMC Minutes, UK House Prices, Pepsi, Tesco, Next15
3 52 minutes ago by·266 Reads It's been a bad week for UK large caps, with the FTSE 100 down by a couple of per cent: [All charts in this section: Trading Economics] Much of the focus this week has been on the rise in long-dated gilts, with the UK 30-Year rising above 6% this week: However, the UK long-dated gilt yield has since retreated, whereas the US has retained its recent rise. The UK 30-year yield remains above the US.
Daily Stock Market Report (Fri 25th Sep 2026) - News Summary
5:53 am by·1,852 Reads Good Morning! The Xi/Trump summit appears to be going well, with both leaders suggesting a new chapter in their friendship at last night’s state dinner. Trump said: "We've never gotten along better". Xi urged both sides to explore a "new approach for major countries to get along". Most importantly, the key tariff truce has been extended until 10 January. Brent fell as traders watch for signs the Strait of Hormuz will reopen.
Daily Stock Market Report (Fri 25th Sep 2026) - RBN, TND, FNX
5:53 am by·4,752 Reads Good Morning! The Xi/Trump summit appears to be going well, with both leaders suggesting a new chapter in their friendship at last night’s state dinner. Trump said: "We've never gotten along better". Xi urged both sides to explore a "new approach for major countries to get along". Most importantly, the key tariff truce has been extended until 10 January. Brent fell as traders watch for signs the Strait of Hormuz will reopen.
Quartix Technologies: a high-quality business with a share price stuck in traffic
16 9:00 am by·373 Reads Over the past month or so, we have been looking at quality stocks on Stockopedia. I recently wrote an article on why I think this strategy may be due for a comeback. One quality stock that continues to interest me is Quartix Technologies (LON:QTX). The share price has dropped 27% over the last year, which would normally indicate weak financial performance from a business.
The Week Ahead (21 – 25 Sep): Xi/Trump Summit, PMIs, Costco, Luceco, JD Sports, Warpaint
11:02 am by Mark Simpson·372 reads Last week's economic news centred on central bank moves. In the US, the FOMC increased interest rates for the first time since 2023, much to the ire of President Trump, who clearly has one eye on the big losses coming for Republicans in the November midterms. On the plus side, Warsh was Trump's pick for the role, and his willingness to go against the president's wishes reinforces central bank independence, which reassures markets.
Time to buy great businesses at fair prices
9:00 am by Mark Simpson·954 reads Quality investing has been on a roller coaster ride over the last couple of decades. Coming out of the financial crisis in 2008/2009, value stocks performed well as investors realised that a strong recovery was underway and many stocks were cheap.
The Week Ahead (17 – 21 Aug): Japan Carry, UK Inflation, FOMC Minutes, US Retail, BHP, Hays
11:00 am by Mark Simpson·292 reads It's been a fairly buoyant week in the US. The S&P 500 rose above 7800 for the first time, as tame producer price inflation data supported expectations that the Federal Reserve will not raise interest rates at its September meeting. Strong forecasts in recent weeks from companies including Microsoft and Amazon have also reduced investors' concerns about massive spending on AI data centres.
Severfield: steeling itself for a turnaround jump
Aug 5, 2026 by Mark Simpson·1,282 reads The StockRank jumpers articles have been a hit with subscribers, and Ed discussed these findings recently in a webinar. However, the analysis he presented isn't just a historical look at past returns, but an ongoing opportunity to find companies whose prospects may be improving. The team have added the ability to screen for recent Stock Rank jumpers, and Ed wrote an article including some recent hits.
The Week Ahead (27 – 31 Jul): Iran War, Interest Rates, US Tech, Rolls-Royce
11:00 am by Mark Simpson·335 reads The five-month-old war between the US/Israel and Iran escalated sharply this week following the complete collapse of the temporary April ceasefire. As the US military intensified its campaign, it launched its 13th consecutive night of heavy strikes across Iran. This is despite concern in Congress about the cost of the war, which has already run to $37.5 billion.
Tribal Group: a Super Stock jumping beyond legacy contract drag
9:00 am by Mark Simpson·441 reads Ed recently wrote an article examining the performance of companies whose Stock Rank jumped to become Super Stocks. The results were impressive. The average share that jumped 10 to 20 points to a StockRank of 90 or above went on to return about +15.9% over the following twelve months, against +10.7% for the shares that were already in the cohort. This means that we should take these kinds of jumps seriously.
Companies & Markets Analysis 31/12/2025: Eco Buildings, Ferrexpo, Provexis, GSTechnologies, Kr1
Good morning! I’ll be with you for the last day of 2025. A reminder that the UK Stock Market will close at 12:30 today, for New Year’s Eve. 07:30 - Summary Complete As expected, very few piece of news. I will be keeping my eyes open for late RNS today as some companies will still need to report audited financials to avoid suspension on Friday. Spreadsheet accompanying this report: link (updated to 16/12).
Three Trademark Cases That Mattered in 2025 and What to Watch for Next Year
“‘Dupes’ and ‘Dupe Culture’ and their interaction with trademark and trade dress law will be front and center in 2026.” What do affiliated corporate entities, non-fungible token (NFTs) and cinnamon-flavored whiskey have in common? They each were the subject of significant trademark rulings in 2025. Below, we review three cases with big implications for trademark law and what’s on the horizon for 2026. Dewberry Group, Inc. v. Dewberry Engineers Inc.
Making better investment decisions by thinking probabilistically
In my last article, I screened for turnaround stocks, those that had high Value and Momentum Ranks. Several of the screen results were subject to takeover offers. This may mean that cheap stocks where trading momentum has turned positive are attractive to acquirers. However, we need a much larger sample size than three to say that for definite since it is also possible that the takeover is the source of the positive change in price momentum. It may be an outcome rather than a cause.
An Ecomorphological Description of Amblyraja radiata (Rajiformes: Rajidae) in Waters of Eastern Canada
All articles published by MDPI are made immediately available worldwide under an open access license. No special permission is required to reuse all or part of the article published by MDPI, including figures and tables. For articles published under an open access Creative Common CC BY license, any part of the article may be reused without permission provided that the original article is clearly cited. For more information, please refer to https://www.mdpi.com/openaccess.
Sibling Species Amblyraja hyperborea and A. jenseni in Slope Waters of Eastern Canada: An Ecomorphological Description
All articles published by MDPI are made immediately available worldwide under an open access license. No special permission is required to reuse all or part of the article published by MDPI, including figures and tables. For articles published under an open access Creative Common CC BY license, any part of the article may be reused without permission provided that the original article is clearly cited. For more information, please refer to https://www.mdpi.com/openaccess.
Understanding the impact of AI in education
By Professor Mark Simpson Deputy Vice-Chancellor This month Teesside University hosts its inaugural National Future Facing Learning Conference bringing together industry leaders, researchers, and educators to share best practice and explore the future of Higher Education. Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Mark Simpson looks at how Artificial Intelligence (AI) is impacting the sector, and wider society, and argues that figuratively, if not quite literally, it is alive and well and here to stay.
US Homeland Security head talks terrorism, border security
The head of the federal agency that tries to secure America from dangers ranging from terrorism to natural disasters said threats to aircrafts remain constant, even a decade after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Plots to get weapons on-board planes or stash bombs in cargo or more creative places continue to be dealt with, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said while speaking at Duke University's Sanford School of Public Policy on Thursday.
NAACP, allies rally at NC legislature
Long-time critics of Republican policies at the North Carolina General Assembly returned to the Legislative Building on Tuesday to press their agenda for expanded health care, the protection of voting and LGBT rights and a higher minimum wage. Members of the state NAACP and many allied groups associated with the "Forward Together" movement held their annual "People's Legislative Advocacy Day," which included participant training and advocacy by knocking on doors of House and Senate members.
What makes a higher education curriculum fit for the future?
Over the last couple of months we’ve been having structured conversations with university leaders to try to tell what we see as an emerging story about why and how universities are changing their curricula. Explore the full report of our findings here. Universities, contrary to the popular imagination, are no strangers to change.
Learning how to be more human will prepare universities for an AI-mediated future
The integration of AI in education is no longer a matter of choice, but a reality that we must embrace. Rather than shying away, we should focus on leveraging the opportunities it presents. There has been much debate about the future of AI including calls for its development to be paused in the hope that regulatory architecture can catch up with developments in the technology.
Legal protection against destitution in the UK: the case for a right to a subsistence minimum
Abstract In a 2003 Supreme Court judgment, Lord Hoffmann argued that in the absence of a guaranteed minimum standard of living, many other rights are reduced to ‘a mockery’. Given research findings that 2.4 million UK residents experienced destitution in 2019, this article considers whether a social floor exists in law and the implications of its absence or weakness for the standard of human rights protection in the UK.
In Need of More Than Help
Genesis 1 starts out with a bright and hopeful tone. At the conclusion of each day God declares the creation good, and crescendos with ‘very good’ at the creation of humanity. However the overall tone of the creation account running through the of Genesis 4 shifts to dim and despairing. We are confronted with the downward progression of sin, deception, distrust, and hatred running their course in the lives of the first created family. Clearly humanity needed more than help.
Cain's Fury and God's Mercy
One of the striking features of the narrative of Cain and Abel in Genesis 4 is the way in which God shows up and how much. This seems often go to overlooked because our attention is drawn immediately to the conflict between siblings. We are captivated and horrified by how things unfold between brothers.Yet, at the center of the story is God who is pursuing and protecting Cain. God’s mercy.
The Motivating Power of Grace
ShareTweetPinPocketFlipboard It is hard to imagine what it would be like to be singled out as the only person on earth for something. That is exactly what happened to Noah in his generation. After reading that God regretted and grieved creating humanity, deciding to blot out His creation, we also read that there was one man, Noah, who, instead of being subjected to the judgment of God, found favor in God’s sight.
Pastoring: The Gloriously Grueling Gift
Through the years I have had many conversations with seasoned and retired pastors who, at some point in the conversation, share that pastoring today is harder than it’s ever been. Many who are retired go so far as to ponder whether they would even be able to pastor successfully in this current situation. I am confident that they could, but I appreciate their thoughtful humility. Pastoring Is Hard Recently, I was thinking about the fact that I started pastoring in 1991.
How the Judgment of God Actually Brings Grace
It is hard to imagine what it would be like to be singled out as the only person on earth for something. That is exactly what happened to Noah in his generation. After reading that God regretted and grieved creating humanity, deciding to blot out His creation, we also read that there was one man, Noah, who, instead of being subjected to the judgment of God, found favor in God’s sight. Here is one man, among the whole of humanity at this time, whom God looks upon and lavishes grace.
Unity, Purity, and Civility
Pastoring Between Two Extremes? Pastoring a church today is challenging on many fronts. One of those fronts is navigating the biblical call for maintaining both unity and purity in the local and global church. In this pursuit, a pastor may often feel like a pinball getting knocked around. Battles over purity and brawls for unity swap blows like two prizefighters using the pastor as the training bag. The pastor becomes a tightrope walker seeking to balance these realities.
The World Cannot Afford to Look Away From Xinjiang
Revelations of the persecution of Uighurs on a massive scale are merely the tip of the iceberg when it comes to repression by Chinese authorities. Governments in the West have long turned a blind eye to human rights abuses, both in China and around the world, for the sake of political and economic expediency. This failure has come at great cost, both to human lives and to the moral standing and integrity of these countries on the global stage. European states must urgently change course.
Biological pretreatment: An innovative approach to addressing taste and odor
1 INTRODUCTION The occurrence of objectionable taste-and-odor (T&O) compounds in drinking water represents significant concerns for water utilities. An AWWA survey found that 43% of 800 utilities surveyed in the United States and Canada reported T&O complaints lasting more than 1 week, and treatment strategies for episodic T&O events amounted to an average of 4.5% of the annual utility budget (Suffet, Corado, Chou, McGuire, & Butterworth, 1996).
Ten Iconic Car Ads
Ten unforgettable car ads that transcended both cars and advertising and came to symbolise an age by Mark Simpson Fiat Strada – ‘Hand Built by Robots’ (1979) Fiat Strada – Hand built by Robots – CDP 1979 A factory full of robots assembles cars to the strain of Rossini’s Figaro – with nary a soul to be seen.
The Queen is Dead
A chance letter sparks off a transatlantic literary romance between two writers, one British, one American, in which they share their unfashionable passion for military men, cruising and cats. Gay serial killer and Gianni Versace assassin Andrew Cunanan gatecrashes the party – as an unlikely love-rival for Zeeland’s ‘psycho Marine’ boyfriend. Funny, insightful, and honestly scandalous, The Queen is Dead will outrage some but make others laugh out loud. “Something of a masterpiece….
2003: The Brief Reign of the Metrosexual
For 25 years, OUT has celebrated queer culture. To mark our silver jubilee, we look back at some of the biggest, brightest moments of the past 9,131 days. In the early aughts, America had a national nervous breakdown over the metrosexual. It seems ridiculous now, and actually it was pretty ridiculous at the time, but it’s simply an objective fact that the United States went completely berserk over my insufferably pretty offspring with the really great, hydrated skin.
Was ’80s New Wave a Casualty of AIDS?
The 1984 Grammys were a queerly British affair in a way that, more than 30 years on, is difficult to believe actually happened. You have to keep rubbing your eyes when watching the archive. Pretty Brit New Wave fops Duran Duran won Best Video with “Girls on Film/Hungry Like the Wolf.” Eurythmics performed the S&M-themed pop song “Sweet Dreams,” with Annie Lennox handsomely styled as Elvis, complete with ravishing sideburns.
WATCH: Axe's Ad "Kiss the hottest girl-or boy."
Cultural critic Mark Simpson had berated Axe (known as Lynx in other countries) for its hysterical heterosexuality and old-school approach to masculinity. Their new ad makes amends. I like this spunky new hair gel "Now can be amazing" ad from Lynx, currently airing in Australia. Especially since it’s the perfect antidote to the ball-shrivelling dreary paranoia of ads like this.
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