SVS SECURITIES - SHARE DEALING

Based in the City of London, SVS Securities PLC offers clients access to a broad range of investment opportunities in a friendly, simple and cost-effective manner.

SVS Securities offers trading in all UK markets via one of two dealing accounts. These accounts were created so that investors could pick the one which best suits their investment goals, giving everyone the opportunity to make the most of their investments.

ADVISORY ACCOUNTS

SVS Securities’ Advisory account is designed for investors who take an active interest in the market but who also want to be able to call on the advice of a professional when they feel the need. SVS Securities’ advisors are dedicated to providing not only great customer service and prompt and professional trading, but also relevant advice and analysis based on their experience, skills and expertise.

EXECUTION ONLY ACCOUNTS

SVS Securities’ Execution Only account is designed for investors who simply want to deal quickly and efficiently without the need for investment advice. This service is for investors who know what they want to trade and when. Our role is simply to provide factual information and execute trades at the investors’ instruction.

RESEARCH

SVS Securities serves sophisticated investors by providing practical strategies and technical and fundamental equity research. Written by market professionals, SVS Securities’ research provides timely updates to complement investor’s trading strategies, whether your aim is to achieve steady income, capital appreciation, or both.

SVS Securities - PORTFOLIO THEORY

Investing in stocks and shares is all about research and analysis. The more you do, the better you’ll become at recognizing good investment opportunities and (hopefully) the more profit you will realize. Analyzing and researching investment opportunities is a long and arduous task. It is for this reason that advisory accounts are so popular amongst investors. Advisory accounts offer investors access to the analysis and research carried out by experienced analysts and brokers. Clients are still required to manage their own risk and make their own investment choices but having a professional to turn to is often a great help. Even if you do hold an advisory account, it is useful to have some knowledge and understanding of portfolio theory so as to better understand your investments and how to make the most of them. Portfolio theory has changed a lot over the years and will no doubt change even more in the future. It is worth, every so often, reading over news pieces or text books about portfolio theory to make sure that you are up-to-date and that you are doing everything you can to make the most of your investments.

COMPANY PERFORMANCE

Before you invest in a company, it is good to know exactly how the company is performing. The problem is that there are a variety of different ways that you can try and measure a company’s future prospects. None of these methods are guaranteed to give you a genuine insight into the company’s performance. Analyzing the results of a number of these indicators may give you a good indication of how the company is performing in a very general sense. The more research you do and the more indicators you compare, the more reliable your findings will be.

ROE

ROE or Return on Equity is the most common measure of a company’s performance used by analysts and investors. ROE measures the rate of return on the shareholder’s equity. It shows how well a company uses invested funds to generate earnings growth. ROE is judged against the rest of the sector and the cost of capital in that sector. Therefore a Return on Equity less than the cost of capital is considered destructive. Despite its popularity, measuring a company’s performance using ROE is not without its draw backs. Companies can artificially create a healthy ROE (for a time at least) by leveraging debt and buying back shares using accumulated funds. This can leave a healthy ROE calculation whilst company performance is actually in a slump. Companies are keen to maintain a healthy ROE due to its popularity as an indication of performance. A dip in ROE could result in a dip in share prices and a loss of investor confidence in the company. It is for these reasons that we suggest considering a number of different indicators when considering an investment.

SVS Securities - AGIRICULTURE AND THE WORLD FOOD CRISIS

The world food crisis is a growing problem in the world today. A growing population and dwindling resources are pushing up the prices of soft commodities and exacerbating the whole situation. In 2010, 925 million people went hungry. Poverty is the principle cause of hunger. The rise in soft commodity prices, although it may offer a good opportunity for investors to realise a profit, is making it even more difficult for the worlds poor to find the money to eat. For this reason, speculating on the price of soft commodities is an ethical “grey area”. We’re not suggesting that you be completely altruistic and donate all of your money to charity, but the world is getting smaller and it is about time we began to think of the ethical implications of our investments.

SOFT COMMODITIES AND FARMING:

Soft commodities refer to commodities such as coffee, cocoa, sugar, corn, wheat and fruit which are generally grown rather than mined. There are a number of people suggesting that soft commodities and farming might be a better long-term investment in the current market conditions than other “hard” commodities. In most cases an excess of a commodity or a lack of demand will cause commodity prices to drop. Similarly, if there is a drop in supply or a rise in demand, prices will rise. There are four main factors currently affecting the supply and demand of soft commodities and farmed goods.

1. The global population is rising exponentially. A growing population increases demand for food, soft commodities and farmed goods.

2. Arable land is being lost to urban sprawl. This decreases the quantity of food, soft commodities and farmed goods it is possible to produce and therefore limits supply.

3. Recent movements towards renewable energy have led to an increased demand for biofuel and the crops that are used to produce it.

4. Investors speculating on commodity prices cause sudden peaks and troughs in demand, increasing volatility in the market.

Meera Patel of Hargreaves Lansdown commented “The global population is growing faster than the amount of new farmland available, and, at the same time farmers are under pressure to use less water and fewer chemicals, which is likely to constrain supply even further. The resulting excess of demand over supply is likely to lead to rising prices over the long term.”

This is because, with the exception of speculation from investors, factors affecting the price of farmed commodities are relatively stable. The global population is increasing steadily with estimates from the United Nations suggesting we will require a 70% increase in food production by 2050. This growth in population size is a contributing factor to the loss of arable land. Though there is currently a real push for renewable fuels, the demand on soft commodities for biofuel purposes are more likely to increase steadily than shoot up suddenly.

SVS Securities - GETTING DEFENSIVE

Constantly thinking that your glass is half empty can often lead to missed opportunities. However, constantly thinking that your glass is nearly full when all you have is a drop of water left is even more damaging. When making financial decisions, realism is the name of the game. Recently, news services across the globe have been giving a lot of air time to the financial markets being in turmoil. A global slowdown, the risk of another recession and the possibility of a European default are making everyone nervous, especially investors. To quote the immortal words of Douglas Adams “Don’t Panic”. It may have become harder to realise huge trading profits, but you can still make a profit in the markets. If you are having problems, perhaps now is the time to consider defensive stocks and the part they play in your portfolio.

WHAT ARE DEFENSIVE STOCKS?

Defensive stocks are believed to provide consistent dividends and stable earnings regardless of macroeconomic fluctuations. Shares in these companies are seen as attractive during times of volatility and economic slumps, but less so during a bull market as they are often seen as performing below the markets during these periods. Defensive stocks rarely shoot up and provide investors with huge, short term returns. They are long term investments to hold in your portfolio to reduce risk and provide stability. Utility stocks are considered defensive because whatever the state of the economy, there will be a constant demand for the services these companies provide. 

ARE DEFENSIVE STOCKS THE ANSWER?

There is no knowing what the markets will do next, no knowing whether any one share price will rise or fall. The advantage of investing in defensive stocks is that they offer a high dividend yields and are less susceptible to market slumps than other companies. They are not ideal for realising huge gains over short periods, they are a long term investment in which you could maintain your wealth whilst making a little extra in way of dividends. The question you need to ask yourself is: do you think the market is going to recover any time soon? There are a myriad of problems confronting the economic world, many of them are going to take months, if not years to put right. This doesn’t mean that you should start running for the hills, you just need to reconsider your portfolio choices and decide whether or not you are sufficiently exposed to companies that tend to weather economic storms rather well and offer high yield dividends.

SVS Securities - TAKE AIM

In the current economic climate, investors have found themselves in a dilemma: Should they risk losing their money if the market slumps again or stay out of the markets and risk missing an opportunity? The AIM, like most other markets around the world has recently seen a dip in its share prices. For many this has reinforced the belief that AIM companies are too small and volatile and therefore too great a risk. Is the mass exodus of investors really warranted, or should investors with a greater appetite see it as an opportunity to invest? To encourage growth in smaller businesses, the government has gone to great lengths to make investing in these companies an attractive option. There are currently a number of tax benefits available for investments in unquoted companies (for the purposes of these tax reliefs, companies quoted on the AIM and PLUS markets count as unquoted). With tax relief on inheritance tax, income tax and capital gains tax available and the existence of Enterprise investment schemes, entrepreneurs’ relief and Venture capital trusts, perhaps now is the time to consider investing in AIM listed companies.

WHAT IS AIM?

The Alternative Investment Market or AIM is a sub-market of the London Stock Exchange. AIM is home to over 1,200 companies which operate in over 40 different sectors. There are relatively few restrictions on which companies can become listed on the AIM. According to the London Stock Exchange’s website; “AIM is the most successful growth market in the world. Since its launch in 1995, over 3,000 companies from across the globe have chosen to join AIM. Powering the companies of tomorrow, AIM continues to help smaller and growing companies raise the capital they need for expansion.” There are a number of reasons for the AIM markets success, such as:

• The AIM has a more balanced approach to regulation which facilitates a smooth transition into becoming a public company which allows companies to remain focused on growth.

• The AIM employs a large number of Advisors who are experienced in supporting companies from the moment they consider joining and throughout their time in the market.

• An international customer base willing to provide capital to less established companies as they grow.

AIMs regulatory environment has been designed with smaller and growing companies in mind, to help these companies make the most of their floatation. The entry criteria for AIM are more relaxed than on the main markets and more in tune with the needs of smaller growth companies. There is no trading record required, no minimum size criteria and no prescribed level of shares that must be in public hands. To be admitted to the AIM companies are required to have a Nominated Advisor at all times. AIM employs a “comply or explain” model of regulation. This means that companies can either comply with their rules or explain why they will not or cannot comply. There are a number of reasons that companies decide to float on a public market:

• To provide access to capital growth

• To create a market for company shares

• To broaden its shareholder base

• To place an objective market value on the company’s business

• To encourage employees by making share schemes more attractive

• To increase the company’s ability to make acquisitions by using quoted shares as currency

• To increase the public profile of the company

• To enhance the company’s status with customers and suppliers

TAX BENEFITS

There are a variety of ways of investing in AIM listed companies and a collection of tax benefits for doing so. These tax reliefs have a variety of qualification criteria and many are very complex. Depending on your circumstances, you could receive income tax relief of up to £150,000, 100% inheritance tax relief and a number of opportunities for Capital Gains Tax relief. If you are interested in receiving these benefits we strongly advise that you consult a financial advisor to ensure that any investment you are planning on making would be eligible. These tax reliefs are set by HMRC and are subject to change. Talk to a financial advisor for a complete and up-to-date list of tax benefits.