Cathay Pacific sits in a fast-growing part of Asia and has a strong reputation, but its heavy reliance on air freight leaves it exposed if a worsening US–China trade fight slows the region’s economy. The big question is whether its China-linked growth story can arrive in time, or whether the near-term shock keeps the stock grounded.Read more

Delta keeps its edge over other big US airlines by running a tighter operation, even as signs of softer travel demand force the company to temper expectations. The catch is that airlines have little room for error, and a weakening economy or an unexpected shock could hit profits fast.Read more

There's a single reason why American is the least attractive of US legacy carriers (in terms of investing, anyway): its balance sheet. If most airlines and certainly those in the US are loaded up to the hilt with debt, American goes so far as to boast negative equity - any startup would go belly-up with a balance sheet such as this one.Read more

Renault may be in a rare sweet spot as trade tensions heat up, because it relies less on the big overseas markets that could get hit hardest by new import rules. At the same time, a wave of new electric models could help it keep profits steadier than many rivals—though its debt load is the key thing to watch.Read more

ING could be a rare bank that does well even as interest rates drift down, because it leans less on loan profits and more on service fees. Big public spending plans across Europe may keep lending demand healthy, but politics could still be the wild card.Read more

Update as of 13 May: Amidst the tariff chaos and thus increased uncertainty about underlying growth trends, and after Balfour's recent quarterly report, I lowered exp. revenue growth to 12 per cent p.a., increased profit margins just a notch to 3.5 per cent and reduced the discount rate slightly to 9 per cent, still resulting in a fair value close to 600p.Read more

Update as of 9 April: Just like any other basic resources stock, SSAB got hammered ever since the advent of Trump's reciprocal tariffs and their ongoing escalation down to recession fears; thus, as always with markets tumbling on a broad basis, it's no use to catch a falling knife. Once the current, all-out sell-off is over, however, I stick to SSAB's relatively positive prospects due to the catalysts as given below, since nothing has changed with the EU's investment agenda.Read more

EasyJet looks oddly overlooked even as European holiday flying holds up and the airline builds a growing package-holiday business on top of its core routes. If that newer business starts to prove itself, investor sentiment could shift quickly—but the industry’s fierce competition still hangs over the story.Read more

Volkswagen’s past missteps are catching up fast: profits slide, growth looks muted, and a sudden delay to its improvement plans raises fresh doubts about management’s grip. New lower-cost electric models could help, but the turnaround may take time—and trade tensions add another wrinkle.Read more