Latest news with #marketperformance
Zawya
a day ago
- Business
- Zawya
Qatar's QSE index posts best weekly performance since October 2023
Doha: The Qatar Stock Exchange (QSE) index made its best weekly performance since the end of October 2023, rising by approximately 3.93 percent and offsetting recent declines caused by regional developments. The index closed the last session of the week at 10,684 points, gaining 41 points, or 0.39 percent, marking gains for the fifth consecutive day. Ramzi Qasmieh, Investment Director at Qatar Securities Company, told Qatar News Agency (QNA) that with the gains achieved by the general index, the market capitalization of the stock exchange increased on a weekly basis by approximately QR25.87bn, reaching QR631.27bn. He pointed to the influx of new liquidity into the market with the cessation of the war between Iran and Israel and the announcement by the Qatar Investment Authority of the launch of an active investment portfolio worth $200m. This contributed to raising the morale of traders, especially with the approaching announcement of the results for the first half of this year and the approval of semi-annual dividends by some companies. Qasmieh expected positive performance for the stock exchange towards the end of the month and portfolio evaluations, which will impact corporate profits. Analyzing the performance of the shares of companies listed on the Qatar Stock Exchange, Qasmieh a pointed to the gains made by Mannai Corporation, which led the way with a 19.4 percent gain, followed by Widam Company, which rose by 15.4 percent. No stock saw any declines in trading volume this week, reflecting the positive mood that characterized the performance and trading on the Qatar Stock Exchange. He also noted the increases recorded by all sectors, with the transportation sector achieving the highest gains at 7.7 percent, followed by the telecommunications sector at 7.5 percent. © Dar Al Sharq Press, Printing and Distribution. All Rights Reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Can Coca-Cola Stock Continue to Beat the Market?
Coca-Cola has a well-established brand and reliable, strong sales even in difficult conditions. It's well equipped to handle tariffs or trade wars because most of its production is local. After sinking for several years, revenue and profits are at all-time highs. 10 stocks we like better than Coca-Cola › Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO) has been having a banner year. After trailing the market for most of the past three decades, it's beating the market in 2025, up 15% at the time of this writing, while the S&P 500 is up 3%. It might be able to keep that streak going if certain conditions are met. Let's see how that could happen and what it means for investors. Coca-Cola is the largest beverage company in the world, with $48 billion in trailing-12-month sales. It owns about 200 brands, 30 of which each generate at least $1 billion in sales. Its beloved brands have pricing power, but because they're beverages, they're not the kind of luxury items people can't afford when there's economic pressure. Even in harsh conditions like the current economy, where shoppers are cutting back on spending, Coca-Cola is demonstrating resilience. For all of its trailing the market, it tends to outperform when investors are worried and they flee to safe stocks. In the current climate, though, it has an extra advantage: It has low exposure to tariffs, and the market is picking up on that. Management has a localized approach to production, and most of its U.S. products are made domestically. That includes its concentrate, which is made in the U.S. for U.S.-sold beverages, unlike PepsiCo, whose syrup is produced in Ireland. Since Coca-Cola relies on local production for most of its products globally, it's also well positioned to get through any trade wars that may develop. In the first quarter, unit case volume was up 2% year over year, and the company grew market share in all of its beverage categories, which include sparkling drinks, milk, juice, and tea and coffee. Organic revenue was up 6%, and adjusted operating income was up 10%. Comparable operating margin was 33.8%, up from 32.4% last year, and comparable earnings per share (EPS) inched up to $0.73. These are strong results from an industry leader facing pressured conditions, which is why Coca-Cola is so reliable. Is it the ultimate hedge stock? Will it go back to being a market laggard when the economy improves, like it has for most of the past 30 years? Not necessarily, because it is a different company today. When current CEO James Quincey came on board in 2018, revenue was still sinking, and the company was just starting to make strides in the right direction before the pandemic hit and sales plummeted again. But management took the opportunity to become leaner and more agile, slashing its brand portfolio in half and restructuring its segments. It emerged much stronger, and that's helping it weather the current storm. Just last year, revenue finally eclipsed record highs from 10 years ago. Profitability is following from the better sales performance, and EPS is also at a 10-year high. Coca-Cola is now in a much better position to spring forward. It has so many levers to boost growth, such as changing packaging in regions where it needs to be more affordable, and launching larger marketing campaigns where it's looking to build trust and launch new products and flavors. It has organic opportunities in overall beverage industry growth, which it expects to increase in the mid single digits over the next few years. As the leader in the space, that's no-brainer growth. And even though Coca-Cola seems like it's everywhere, that's not the case all over the world. It says that 80% of the world's population is in emerging markets, where it has only 7% market share. In developed markets, it has 14%, giving in plenty of room to capture more, which it's doing by releasing new drinks and attracting more customers. Lastly, even though it has streamlined its product portfolio, it's still acquiring new global brands that are easily integrated into its distribution system, adding high-margin revenue. If the company can maintain robust growth and keep reaching highs, it might enter a new era of market-beating growth. However, as a mature, established business, it may not be able to generate high-enough growth to achieve that. In any case, Coca-Cola stock can add value to an individual portfolio through its safety and protection, as well as its storied, rock-solid dividend. Before you buy stock in Coca-Cola, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Coca-Cola wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $659,171!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $891,722!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 995% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 172% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join . See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of June 9, 2025 Jennifer Saibil has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Can Coca-Cola Stock Continue to Beat the Market? was originally published by The Motley Fool Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Europe's stock markets are finally having their moment in the sun
When we reach the half-way point of 2025 it will be surprising if the regional equity market leader board is not topped by Europe. With a few days to go to the end of June, the Euro Stoxx index is up 20pc in the year to date, twice as much as its closest rivals – emerging markets and the UK. The US – both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq – are marginally under water, despite a spectacular V-shaped recovery from the 'liberation day' slump. It is Europe's strongest relative start since 2000. This was not what investors expected. Six months ago, US exceptionalism was alive and kicking and the European glass was half empty. Capital had flowed west for years as America accelerated out of the pandemic, buoyed by Biden-era fiscal spending. Europe, meanwhile, had flirted with recession in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the energy-fuelled inflation that it triggered. Even after half a year of steady outperformance, in up markets and down, many investors are still struggling with the new reality. We have had a few months of inflows to European equity markets, but this has barely made a dent in an extended period of outflows. When the market pendulum swings, it tends to be a multi-year reversal. No one should fear that they have missed the boat. The first three months of 2025 was the first quarter of positive flows into European equity funds after 12 consecutive quarters of net outflows. The €26bn (£22.2bn) taken in has almost been matched by €22bn in April and May and the second quarter is, therefore, shaping up to exceed the previous record of €31bn, achieved in 2015 as the region emerged from the eurozone sovereign debt crisis. This embedded content is not available in your region. So, what has got investors so excited? The first point to make is that investment is a kind of zero-sum game. For money to flow into one market, it must flow out of another. And Europe's biggest advantage today is that it is not America. As I pointed out a couple of weeks back, there are good reasons to maintain an exposure to the world's biggest stock market – demographics, energy security, easier regulation and a huge domestic economy among them. But in the short run, policy uncertainty, recession risk, an inflationary trade war and punchy valuations make a rotation out of US assets an uncontroversial trade. There is plenty not to like about European politics. It is cumbersome, bureaucratic, over-keen on regulation and fragmented. It does not encourage innovation. It is more stakeholder than shareholder friendly. But it is predictable. It does not change its mind every five minutes. And that gets a tick from investors who, as a rule, dislike surprises. One of the advantages of Europe's political stability has been that the ECB has been able to anticipate continuing disinflation and cut interest rates accordingly, unlike the Fed which has been forced to sit on its hands to see whether on-off tariffs will be inflationary or recessionary. President Donald Trump may call Jerome Powell 'too late', but there is a reason why the Fed chairman is not rushing to claim victory over inflation. The ECB has halved its interest rate to 2pc, and monetary policy will contribute to the region's growth outlook this year and next. So, too, will fiscal policy, with the International Monetary Fund estimating that a looser tax framework will deliver a 1.6 percentage point stimulus in Germany and 0.8pc in France. At the heart of this is a blueprint to improve Europe's military readiness through higher defence spending. Member states will be able to deviate from the EU's fiscal rules to buy tanks, guns and military tech. Germany alone is planning to spend an additional €500bn. After years in which the engine of European growth sputtered along in second gear, there is the prospect of a multi-year period of turbocharged military-industrial investment. America's reluctance to backstop European defence has been a gift. There is a question mark over the speed and extent to which this feeds through into growth. There is further doubt as to which companies will ultimately benefit from the increased spending. There is many a slip 'twixt cup and mouth, and the soaraway share prices of businesses such as Rheinmetall may well come back to bite investors who have tried to get ahead of the curve. But earnings follow economic growth and, at the margin, analysts' forecasts for European companies are nudging higher at the same time as those for their US counterparts are in decline. Earnings expectations are important because, for years, the US's valuation premium has been justified by the greater profitability of US companies. If US and European valuations are to move closer, it will only be on the back of a narrowing earnings gap. Another important advantage that Europe has over the US is the greater income it offers investors. An average dividend yield of more than 3pc is twice that paid by US companies, and more European companies pay a dividend at all (93pc versus 75pc). Goldman Sachs expects European companies to return 5pc of their value to shareholders through dividends and share buybacks this year versus 4pc for US companies. Of course, there are risks with a shift away from the US towards Europe. A weakening dollar will reduce the value on translation of the quarter or so of European company profits that is earned in America. Trade uncertainty remains significant as we approach the end of the 90-day tariff pause. But after years in which investment portfolios have become over reliant on the US, there is scope for at least some of that money to find its way back home. Tom Stevenson is an investment director at Fidelity International. The views are his own. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
17-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Investing Playbook for H2 2025: Quality, AI, and Gold
(1:00) - Breaking Down The Current Market Performance: Should Investors Stay Optimistic? (4:15) - Is Now A Good Time To Take On More Risk In Your Portfolio? (6:35) - Market Themes Investors Should Keep Their Eyes On (9:50) - How Should You Look To Invest Into AI As The Industry Broaden? (14:45) - Diversifying Your Portfolio In The Current Market Environment (18:30) - Key Takeaways From The Most Recent ETF Inflows (21:25) - Episode Roundup: QUS, QUAL, XNTK, QQQE, XAR, ITA, GLD, IAUM Podcast@ In this episode of ETF Spotlight, I speak with Matthew Bartolini, Head of SPDR Americas Research at State Street Global Advisors. We discuss the market outlook and the best investment strategies for the second half of 2025. We're now approaching the midpoint of a year that began with great optimism for U.S. stocks. Economic fundamentals looked strong, the AI trade was booming, and the incoming U.S. administration was viewed as pro-growth and investor-friendly. According to State Street's mid-year outlook, there's still reason for optimism despite ongoing policy-related uncertainty. Progress on the Trump administration's pro-growth agenda, looser monetary policy, continued strong earnings growth, more attractive valuations, and a lower likelihood of recession all contribute to a favorable environment for risk assets in the second half of the year. However, risks remain elevated. Matt recommends building equity portfolios that can withstand macroeconomic uncertainty by focusing on high-quality companies, increasing global diversification, and positioning for long-term structural trends such as expanding AI adoption and rising defense spending. The SPDR MSCI USA StrategicFactors ETF QUS follows a multi-factor strategy that blends quality, value, and low volatility. The iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF QUAL targets profitable U.S. companies with low leverage and consistent earnings growth over time. Apple AAPL, Microsoft MSFT, and NVIDIA NVDA are among the top holdings in both ETFs. As the economic benefits of AI spread beyond the 'Magnificent 7,' ETFs such as the SPDR NYSE Technology ETF XNTK and the Direxion NASDAQ-100 Equal Weighted Index Shares QQQE are worth considering. With bonds no longer providing the same diversification benefits they once did, adding alternatives like gold can be a prudent move. The SPDR Gold Trust GLD remains the most popular gold ETF, while lower-cost options such as the SPDR Gold MiniShares Trust GLDM and the iShares Gold Trust Micro IAUM may be more appealing for long-term investors. Tune in to the podcast to learn more. Make sure to be on the lookout for the next edition of the ETF Spotlight and remember to subscribe! If you have any comments or questions, please email podcast@ Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Apple Inc. (AAPL) : Free Stock Analysis Report Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) : Free Stock Analysis Report NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA) : Free Stock Analysis Report SPDR Gold Shares (GLD): ETF Research Reports iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF (QUAL): ETF Research Reports SPDR MSCI USA StrategicFactors ETF (QUS): ETF Research Reports SPDR NYSE Technology ETF (XNTK): ETF Research Reports Direxion NASDAQ-100 Equal Weighted Index Shares (QQQE): ETF Research Reports SPDR Gold MiniShares Trust (GLDM): ETF Research Reports This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research ( Zacks Investment Research Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Investing in StarHub (SGX:CC3) five years ago would have delivered you a 9.3% gain
For many, the main point of investing is to generate higher returns than the overall market. But every investor is virtually certain to have both over-performing and under-performing stocks. So we wouldn't blame long term StarHub Ltd (SGX:CC3) shareholders for doubting their decision to hold, with the stock down 14% over a half decade. So let's have a look and see if the longer term performance of the company has been in line with the underlying business' progress. AI is about to change healthcare. These 20 stocks are working on everything from early diagnostics to drug discovery. The best part - they are all under $10bn in marketcap - there is still time to get in early. There is no denying that markets are sometimes efficient, but prices do not always reflect underlying business performance. One imperfect but simple way to consider how the market perception of a company has shifted is to compare the change in the earnings per share (EPS) with the share price movement. Looking back five years, both StarHub's share price and EPS declined; the latter at a rate of 3.0% per year. This change in EPS is remarkably close to the 3% average annual decrease in the share price. That suggests that the market sentiment around the company hasn't changed much over that time. So it's fair to say the share price has been responding to changes in EPS. You can see how EPS has changed over time in the image below (click on the chart to see the exact values). Dive deeper into StarHub's key metrics by checking this interactive graph of StarHub's earnings, revenue and cash flow. When looking at investment returns, it is important to consider the difference between total shareholder return (TSR) and share price return. The TSR incorporates the value of any spin-offs or discounted capital raisings, along with any dividends, based on the assumption that the dividends are reinvested. It's fair to say that the TSR gives a more complete picture for stocks that pay a dividend. As it happens, StarHub's TSR for the last 5 years was 9.3%, which exceeds the share price return mentioned earlier. This is largely a result of its dividend payments! While the broader market gained around 22% in the last year, StarHub shareholders lost 4.0% (even including dividends). Even the share prices of good stocks drop sometimes, but we want to see improvements in the fundamental metrics of a business, before getting too interested. Longer term investors wouldn't be so upset, since they would have made 1.8%, each year, over five years. If the fundamental data continues to indicate long term sustainable growth, the current sell-off could be an opportunity worth considering. While it is well worth considering the different impacts that market conditions can have on the share price, there are other factors that are even more important. Even so, be aware that StarHub is showing 2 warning signs in our investment analysis , you should know about... But note: StarHub may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies with past earnings growth (and further growth forecast). Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on Singaporean exchanges. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
