Buy Hold Sell: Scandals, downgrades, and distress

When a stock makes headlines, it’s rarely for good reasons; as the adage goes “good news doesn’t sell newspapers.” The violent share price reactions that accompany major headlines can sometimes cause an overshoot, as any investor who favours unloved stocks could tell you. It’s not all happy hunting, though, as many of the headlines of today can become the failures of tomorrow. In this week’s episode of Buy Hold Sell, Romano Sala-Tenna from Katana Asset Management and Steve Johnson from Forager Funds give their view on three stocks that have made headlines recently. Stocks discussed include Commonwealth Bank following the insurance scandal, Qantas with its recent profit downgrade and cuts to expansion plans, and McGrath Real Estate after it plunged more than 30% in a day on the back of a profit downgrade. Also includes two stocks they find interesting that have made headlines.