Julian Harris: No Publicity is Good Publicity for the BOE
The Bank of England did everything it could to avoid ruffling feathers this afternoon — and succeeded. At the time of writing, markets are pricing UK assets at eerily similar levels to where they were sitting prior to the Old Lady's midday decision to keep interest rates at 4.25%.
That may seem unsurprising, given the widely-expected hold, but bear in mind that the boat could easily have been rocked by any of the following: the 6-3 vote split, the minutes of the Monetary Policy Committee's meeting, Governor Andrew Bailey's written statement, Bailey's social media clip, Bailey's obligatory letter to the chancellor, or even a brief TV appearance by Deputy Governor Clare Lombardelli. All of which were closely watched by traders hunting for any hint of a dovish or hawkish shift in sentiment.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
44 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Welltower Stock Gains 24.1% in Six Months: Will it Continue to Rise?
Shares of Welltower WELL have gained 24.1% in the past six months, outperforming the industry's upside of 5.7%. Welltower boasts a well-diversified portfolio of healthcare real estate assets in the key markets of the United States, Canada and the U.K. Given an aging population and an expected rise in senior citizens' healthcare expenditure, the company's senior housing operating (SHO) segment is well-poised to benefit from this positive trend. The outpatient medical (OM) portfolio is expected to benefit from favorable outpatient visit trends in the near term. Analysts seem positive on this healthcare REIT, currently carrying a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its 2025 funds from operations (FFO) per share has been revised three cents northward to $5.02 over the past month. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Let us decipher the possible factors behind the surge in the stock price. The senior citizens' population is expected to rise in the years ahead. As a result, the national healthcare expenditure by senior citizens, who constitute a major customer base of healthcare services and incur higher healthcare expenditures than the average population, is likely to increase in the upcoming period. Muted new supply has also been a tailwind for this industry. Capitalizing on these positive aspects, WELL's SHO portfolio is well-prepared for compelling multiyear revenue growth. For 2025, management anticipates the same-store SHO net operating income to grow within 16.5-21.5%. Historically, there has been a favorable outpatient visit trend compared with inpatient admissions. Banking on this, the company is optimizing its OM portfolio, growing relationships with health system partners and deploying capital in strategic acquisitions. Given the favorable secular trends and growing need for value-based care, the company's efforts to strengthen its OM footprint will boost long-term growth. Welltower has been actively banking on its growth opportunities through acquisitions. In March 2025, Welltower announced that it is under contract to acquire the Amica Senior Lifestyles portfolio from Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan for C$4.6 billion. The deal, subject to customary regulatory approvals, is expected to close in late 2025 or early 2026. The company has also been disposing of assets simultaneously. In the first quarter of 2025, Welltower completed pro rata property dispositions of $381 million and loan repayments of $123 million. Welltower has a healthy balance sheet position and ample liquidity to meet near-term obligations and fund its development pipeline. As of March 31, 2025, it had $8.6 billion of available liquidity, including $3.6 billion of cash & restricted cash and full capacity under its $5 billion line of credit. As of March 31, 2025, the net debt to adjusted EBITDA was 3.33X, improving from 4.03X year over year. Moreover, Welltower's debt maturities are well-laddered, with a weighted average maturity of 5.8 years, thereby enhancing its financial flexibility. With the above-mentioned factors, we believe the rising trend in the stock is expected to continue in the near term. A competitive landscape in the senior housing market and tenant concentration in its triple-net portfolio are likely to weigh on Welltower. Some better-ranked stocks from the broader REIT sector are VICI Properties VICI and Medical Properties Trust MPW, each carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) at present. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for VICI's 2025 FFO per share has moved one cent northward to $2.34 over the past two months. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for MPW's 2025 FFO per share has moved one cent northward to 57 cents over the past month. Note: Anything related to earnings presented in this write-up represents funds from operations (FFO), a widely used metric to gauge the performance of REITs. 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 Medical Properties Trust, Inc. (MPW) : Free Stock Analysis Report Welltower Inc. (WELL) : Free Stock Analysis Report VICI Properties Inc. (VICI) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research ( Zacks Investment Research
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Is Increased Focus on Hypersonic Tech Opening New Doors for Rocket Lab?
In recent years, the rapid development and adoption of hypersonic technology across industries, from aerospace and defense to space exploration, have opened new growth avenues for Rocket Lab USA RKLB, a key player in hypersonic testing with its HASTE launch system. With commercial firms and government agencies ramping up investments in advanced hypersonic systems to bolster space access and national security, RKLB remains well-positioned to capitalize on this accelerating technological shift. Notably, Rocket Lab's HAEST (Hypersonic accelerator suborbital test electron) is a suborbital testbed launch vehicle that provides reliable, high-cadence flight test opportunities needed to boost hypersonic and suborbital system technology development. In April 2025, Rocket Lab secured a contract from Kratos Defense to conduct a full-scale hypersonic test flight for the U.S. Department of Defense. Additionally, RKLB's HASTE platform has been included in two major defense frameworks — the $46 billion Enterprise-Wide Agile Acquisition Contract with the U.S. Air Force and the UK Ministry of Defence's £1 billion ($1.3 billion) Hypersonic Technologies & Capability Development Framework. These programs allow Rocket Lab to compete for launch and engineering services in advancing hypersonic technologies. The inclusion across both U.S. and UK initiatives underscores the growing demand for HASTE in defense testing and is likely to significantly boost Rocket Lab's future revenue stream. While HASTE has not yet won any purely commercial contract, its demonstrated reliability and cadence in the defense sector may soon open doors to non-defense payload opportunities. As increased investment in hypersonic technology has become a global trend lately, with nations like the United States, the United Kingdom, and China significantly boosting funding for research and development in this tech, other stocks like Lockheed Martin LMT and RTX Corp. RTX are also indulging in advanced hypersonic technology developments. Notably, Lockheed Martin has been developing highly advanced hypersonic technology for the past 60 years. To this end, the company is currently working in partnership with DARPA, the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Army, and the U.S. Navy to transition hypersonic concepts to operational reality. LMT's Conventional Prompt Strike is a hypersonic boost-glide missile currently under development, which boasts the capability to provide longer range, shorter flight times, and high survivability against enemy defenses. On the other hand, RTX is working across its business and domains to move advanced hypersonic capabilities from creation to testing and into the hands of warfighters at top speed. RTX is currently involved in the design of the Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile, which leverages Northrop Grumman's scramjet propulsion to travel at more than five times the speed of sound and cover vast distances in minutes. The U.S. Air Force currently expects this missile to be operational by fiscal 2027. Shares of RKLB have surged 467.2% in the past year compared with the industry's 40.9% growth. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research The company's shares are trading at a premium on a relative basis, with its forward 12-month Price/Sales being 17.85X compared with its industry's average of 9.65X. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research The Zacks Consensus Estimate for RKLB's 2025 and 2026 earnings has improved over the past 60 days. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research RKLB currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. 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 Lockheed Martin Corporation (LMT) : Free Stock Analysis Report RTX Corporation (RTX) : Free Stock Analysis Report Rocket Lab Corporation (RKLB) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research ( Zacks Investment Research Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
BBC Breakfast boss takes extended leave after bullying allegations
The editor of BBC Breakfast, Richard Frediani, is taking an extended period of leave after allegations about his behaviour were reported in the media. An HR adviser from consultancy firm PwC is also supporting the corporation as it looks into the culture of the BBC One morning programme. It comes after the Sun and Deadline reported that an internal investigation is being carried out into allegations of bullying. The BBC said it did not comment on individual cases but takes "all complaints about conduct at work extremely seriously and will not tolerate behaviour that is not in line with our values". A BBC statement added: "We have robust processes in place and would encourage any staff with concerns to raise them directly with us so they can be addressed." BBC News has asked Mr Frediani for comment. He has been in charge of the programme, which is broadcast daily from Salford, since 2019, and is also editor of the News at One. Last month, he accepted a Bafta Award when Breakfast won best TV news coverage for a special episode about the Post Office scandal.
