🥰 Fund managers have gone all fuzzy for these investments

Hi Reader, here's what you need to know for December 22nd in 3:12 minutes.

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Today's big stories

Nike's third-quarter results were a slam dunk, and they might just fire up the competition
Here’s a look at where fund managers are investing now – Read Now
The UK government’s debt jumped to a record high in November

Game On

What’s Going On Here?

Nike slam-dunked competition-shaking results on Tuesday, and the crowd (or, uh, markets) went wild.

What Does This Mean?

Supercharged interest rates have been, like, totally killing Nike’s vibe this year: it’s a growth stock, after all, so higher rates tamper down the value of the firm’s future earnings. But it looks like Nike’s got its swag back: the footwear giant’s out-of-sight results revealed that sales were 17% higher than the same time last year (tweet this), and extra-profitable online sales were up an immense 25%. Even Nike’s Chinese sales rebounded, despite the country reeling from the effects of lingering lockdowns. Markets said “nice one, Nike”, and met the results with a gaggle of high fives.

Why Should I Care?

For markets: Trends change, but quality lasts.
“Quality investing” is basically what it says on the tin: investors buy good-looking businesses that are strong enough to ward off competitors in their growing industries. Sounds solid, but that’s the problem: businesses like that are honey to investors, and all that buzz can mean their share prices end up overhyped from time to time. Remember too, that even so-called quality businesses lose their sneaked-up footing sometimes – and when they do, investors can lose their overpriced shirts as well. The best ones, though, can ride out the speedbumps with style, and Nike’s results could well land the firm in that limited-edition batch.

The bigger picture: No discounts here.
Nike’s results will be a beacon of hope for struggling retailers right now. See, budget-squeezed shoppers have been cutting down on nice-to-haves, so stores have been relying on holiday discounts to shift their stock – a recipe for worse-for-wear profit margins. Nike, though, has managed to bring its (albeit growing) inventory down to below peak levels, and – most importantly – full-priced kit is flying out the doors. Layer on record-breaking Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales, and Nike’s feeling pretty rad about what’s to come.

You might also like: Why it might be time to buy quality stocks.

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Analyst Take

Fund Managers Say They’re Feeling Festive. Here’s What’s Under The Tree.

By Luke Suddards, Analyst

Bank of America sends out a monthly survey to ask a few hundred big-time global fund managers what they think about markets and the economy.

And this month, they said they’re feeling a lot more cheerful.

They see global economic growth getting higher, and inflation moving lower.

What’s more, they talked about which assets they like now – and for 2023.

So that’s today’s Insight: where fund managers are investing now.

Read or listen to the Insight here

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The Motley Fool’s “buy” signal is flashing

The Motley Fool’s “all-in buy signal” has done pretty well in the past.

And right now, it’s flashing for one tiny internet company that focuses on advertising – a market that’s ten times bigger than the lucrative streaming industry.

Thing is, going all-in on anything is a risky move.

But The Motley Fool knows that, which is why it’s come up with a novel solution designed to give you the best of both worlds.

Discover the signal-flashing company and Motley’s new strategy for free today.

Find Out More

*Motley Fool Stock Advisor returns are 339% as compared to the S&P 500 returns of 109% as of November 2, 2022. “All In” average returns as of November 2, 2022. The 102 stock occurrences refer to all re-recommendations inside of Motley Fool Stock Advisor. All other returns are updated during market hours. Past performance is not a predictor of future results. Individual investment results may vary. All investing involves risk of loss.

Confessions Of A Spendaholic

What’s Going On Here?

The UK government’s debt hole hit an all-time high in November.

What Does This Mean?

If you think your overdraft is bad, check this out: the British government just racked up another £22 billion ($27 billion) in net debt – that’s the difference between what it spent and what it made from taxes. The government’s debt pile will be about 10% bigger in a year’s time if the big spenders keep that up, so they’re not exactly nailing the whole “shrink our debt” thing.

Let’s break that down. For starters, there’s the £7 billion ($8.5 billion) the government coughed up on interest payments. That’s £2 billion ($2.5 billion) more than last year, and still-rising interest rates will likely puff those bills up for a while. And for mains, there are budget-draining energy price cap schemes, which cost £5 billion more than last year. Those caps are sticking around till 2024, so if the government wants to appease the millions of public sector workers campaigning for pay increases, it’ll have to look elsewhere for spare change.

Why Should I Care?

Zooming out: Governments love spending.
The British government’s only been in surplus – meaning it made more from taxes than it spent – a handful of times over the last 50 years. Naturally, that expensive habit could come back to bite, but the UK’s in the green (metaphorically only, mind you) for now: the country’s debt is worth about 100% of its economy, which puts it in a better spot than the US, France, Spain, Italy, and Canada. That’s… reassuring.

The bigger picture: Perspective matters.
That 100% stat might sound like tons, but the UK makes the equivalent of 30% of the country’s total economy from taxes. Now get this: that income-to-debt ratio sits comfortably within the range that mortgage lenders would accept for everyday folks – roughly four to five times your gross salary. And despite the mounting IOUs, the UK government’s still a way safer bet for lenders than your average Joe.

You might also like: Here’s where industry experts are investing now that 2022’s coming to an end.

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💬 Quote of the day

“I always wanted to be somebody, but now I realize I should have been more specific.”

– Lily Tomlin (an American actress, comedian, and producer)

Tweet this

Keep calm and… focus on the future

That’s The Motley Fool’s investing strategy, kind of.

See, Motley knows that short-term dips in the market can make you want to run for the hills, and that flurries of excitement make it tempting to throw in your life savings.

But instead, investors will want to take a calm, long-term approach to investing, says Motley, and keep your strategy steady even when everyone else panics.

Motley combines that approach with its famous “buy” signal – and as luck would have it, that signal’s flashing right now.

Find out which investment opportunity Motley’s backing today.

Check It Out

*Motley Fool Stock Advisor returns are 339% as compared to the S&P 500 returns of 109% as of November 2, 2022. “All In” average returns as of November 2, 2022. The 102 stock occurrences refer to all re-recommendations inside of Motley Fool Stock Advisor. All other returns are updated during market hours. Past performance is not a predictor of future results. Individual investment results may vary. All investing involves risk of loss.

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🥰 Fund managers have gone all fuzzy for these investments

Today's big stories

Game On

What’s Going On Here?

What Does This Mean?

Why Should I Care?

Fund Managers Say They’re Feeling Festive. Here’s What’s Under The Tree.

The Motley Fool’s “buy” signal is flashing

Confessions Of A Spendaholic

What’s Going On Here?

What Does This Mean?

Why Should I Care?

Keep calm and… focus on the future

🥳 Coming Up **– Gasp – Next Year..**.

Older messages

🏡 Good news for homeowners, bad news for homebuyers

🐦 Twitter told Elon Musk to step down

😔 Coal’s setting a worrying record

💲 Inditex went upmarket

✏️ Central banks are swapping notes

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In times of transition, investors search for reliable investments, like this…

🥰 Fund managers have gone all fuzzy for these investments

Today's big stories

Game On

What’s Going On Here?

What Does This Mean?

Why Should I Care?

Fund Managers Say They’re Feeling Festive. Here’s What’s Under The Tree.

The Motley Fool’s “buy” signal is flashing

Confessions Of A Spendaholic

What’s Going On Here?

What Does This Mean?

Why Should I Care?

Keep calm and… focus on the future

🥳 Coming Up – *Gasp* – Next Year...

Older messages

You Might Also Like

🥳 Coming Up **– Gasp – Next Year..**.