Insider: Betting big on this pair's continued rally

Buying big at troubled NEX Group

He's been in the news for all the wrong reasons this week, but NEX Group chief executive Michael Spencer continues to bet big on the fortunes of his firm.

NEX, a provider of electronic trading platforms, revealed in an AGM circular on Tuesday that it had funded the campaigns of five Conservative MPs in the recent UK general election to the tune of £5,000 each.

After the revelation sparked a shareholder revolt, the company, headed up by former Tory party treasurer Spencer, said its chairman Charles Gregson would refund the money out of his own pocket.

Shares in the company have been riding up at nine-year highs in recent months but weakened last week. Spencer, though, used that weakness to top up his position. Last Thursday and Friday, through his majority-owned company IPGL Limited, he snapped up over 150,000 shares at just under £6.20 each. Since a peak of 677p back in late May, they had fallen 8.4%.

Monday, he added further, purchasing over 750,000 more at similar prices. Total spend: almost £5.7 million. Spencer's interest in the company includes shares he owns directly, plus those owned through IPGL and its subsidiaries. They account for 17.41% of NEX's issued share capital.

Spencer founded the firm, formerly known as ICAP, back in 1986 and has already benefited from recent stock purchases. Back in January, ICAP and Sarah Spencer, his wife, bought 405,000 shares at 468p. Now trading at 629p, they've made gains of a cool £650,000 since.

Backing St Modwen's rally to continue

Housebuilders continue to build on momentum gained year-to-date, despite what should be a tricky environment to navigate. Persimmon and MJ Gleesonhelped the sector to arrest a slight pull back seen over recent months, with upbeat trading updates Wednesday sending shares throughout the sector higher.

The previous day, developer St Modwen Properties had also presented a picture of resilience. It has undergone a strategy and portfolio review, said chief exec Mark Allan, and concluded there's "significant potential present" in the business. Now it needs to "realise these opportunities" in the future.

Pre-tax profit took a dive compared to the previous six month period, but the firm said it reflects "a more stable valuation environment".

That failed to move the share price, with the stock ending Tuesday just 0.4p higher than it had close Monday. One director, though, did take the hint. Finance director Rob Hudson splashed out on almost £70,000 worth of shares in the company at around 362p. The company did not disclose their FD's current shareholding.

Hudson, a former big hitter at credit ratings agency Experian, joined St Modwen late in 2015 from real estate investment trust British Land. He wasted no time in building a position in the firm, picking up just over 30 grands worth at 385p last February.

That's not quite worked out as hoped so far, with shares down almost 5% since. Still, the firm is currently on an upward curve, up a fifth year-to-date. His new tranche is now worth over a grand more than when he bought Tuesday after shares ticked up again Wednesday.

Hudson, along with fellow investors, will be hoping that the current direction of travel takes shares back up to nearer the £3 mark.

This article is for information and discussion purposes only and does not form a recommendation to invest or otherwise. The value of an investment may fall. The investments referred to in this article may not be suitable for all investors, and if in doubt, an investor should seek advice from a qualified investment adviser.