Barron's: British American, Philip Morris International Stocks Ready to Light Up

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Two European tobacco stocks, British American Tobacco, makers of Lucky Strike, Kool, and Newport cigarettes, and Philip Morris International, best known for its Marlboro brand, offer some stability for whipsawed investors.

After being beaten up for most of this year, the shares of both British American (ticker: BTI) and Philip Morris (PM) are substantially undervalued, generally less volatile than the overall market, and yield huge dividends. Read more here.

Photo by Pawel Czerwinski on Unsplash

Barron's: Cheap European Stocks to Buy for 2019

By SIMON CONSTABLE

It could be worth your while to shop for stocks in London, Paris, and Frankfurt during 2019.

While Europe’s top three economies didn’t prove much of a bargain for investors in 2018, their problems—ranging from Brexit to restive local populations—are likely to dissipate. The stocks are inexpensive, and central bank monetary policies will remain supportive. Read more here.

Korn Ferry: No Confidence. No Clarity.

By SIMON CONSTABLE

And we thought all the Brexit drama for the week happened Monday. That’s when UK Prime Minister Theresa May postponed a parliamentary vote on the details of finally leaving the European Union. She then jetted off to meet other European leaders to negotiate a better deal than the one she had just made.

Then Wednesday came along. May’s own party members in the House of Commons, angry at the deal May originally made, forced a vote of no confidence—an up-or-down vote on May’s leadership. May won, which means she will remain prime minister. But all that intraparty warfare did nothing to define the future of Brexit and give business leaders the one thing they need: clarity. Read more here.

Korn Ferry: Brexit Roulette

By SIMON CONSTABLE

So much for a clarifying vote on Brexit.

In yet another jolt to the historic divorce, UK Prime Minister Theresa postponed the first Parliamentary vote this week on a proposed detailing the UK’s departure from the European Union. May wants more time to convince skeptical members of Parliament to sign on to her deal. Read more here.

Forbes: Brexit And The Frankfurt Yeti

By SIMON CONSTABLE

A Brexit-related conundrum is vexing some London-based banking chiefs, or at least it should be.

If Britain leaves the European Union without a trade deal with the bloc, then banks will have to send part of their workforce to mainland Europe. That's what these top dogs of finance tell me.

Therein lies the crux of the issue. That's because it presents the bosses with an inherent contradiction that in some ways looks beyond-hard-to-solve. Read more here.

WSJ: What Is Hyperinflation?

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Triple-digit inflation has blighted some countries lately. However, the vast majority of those nations aren’t experiencing hyperinflation and most likely never will.

The difference is akin to the distinction between a bad cold and killer influenza. Read more here.

WSJ: The Reasons an ETF Succeeds or Fails

By SIMON CONSTABLE

The world is awash with exchange-traded funds, but not all succeed in appealing to investors. Some attract billions of dollars, and some barely anything.

So, what determines a fund’s success? Read more here.

Photo by Jamie Street on Unsplash