Playing FTSE

Credit Wobbles, False Starts & A Tax On Semiconductors

Playing FTSE

Show Notes

Who’s spent £130 on Vistry shares? Find out on this week’s PlayingFTSE Show!

Steve D’s managed the show’s standard performance – between the FTSE 100 and the S&P 500 this week. Steve W, on the other hand…

Earnings season for the S&P 500 is underway with the big banks reporting. And their share prices didn’t react particularly well, but the stocks still look unusually expensive.

By contrast, Visa and Mastercard have fallen back into more familiar P/E territory. So is there a better opportunity there with a short-term distraction on the table?

The Diageo share price has been a disaster for the last couple of years. But as the details of the new CEO’s plan to turn the firm around become clear, Steve W is getting interested.

Selling off some of the company’s non-core holdings could release more cash than you might think. There are, however, still some big challenges still to deal with.

Vistry is a stock both Steves have had a close eye on for 2026. But the stock market’s reaction to its most recent update was not positive at all.

With a big government project on the way, is the dip an opportunity? Or are there still major concerns ahead for investors in the housebuilding sector?

Steve D’s VAT Group has had a great week. A 16% jump puts the stock level with Applied Materials and Lam Research – two of its major customers – since the start of the year.

The AI drive has been fuelling strong demand across the semiconductor equipment industry. And there’s a lot to like about a company that sells components…

Only on this week’s PlayingFTSE Podcast!

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► Timestamps:

0:00 INTRO & OUR WEEKS 5:29 US BANKS 21:48 VAT GROUP 38:32 DIAGEO 54:20 VISTRY

► Show Notes:

What’s been going on in the financial world and why should anyone care? Find out as we dive into the latest news and try to figure out what any of it means. We talk about stocks, markets, politics, and loads of other things in a way that’s accessible, light-hearted and (we hope) entertaining. For the people who know nothing, by the people who know even less. Enjoy

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