Investors have turned to value stocks as the US Federal Reserve stepped up its battle to curtail inflation. Getty
Investors have turned to value stocks as the US Federal Reserve stepped up its battle to curtail inflation. Getty
Investors have turned to value stocks as the US Federal Reserve stepped up its battle to curtail inflation. Getty
Investors have turned to value stocks as the US Federal Reserve stepped up its battle to curtail inflation. Getty

Stock rout hits employers who offer equity compensation to workers


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The promise of rapid profit growth that entices some companies to pay staff with stock grants or options has turned into a predictor of share-price underperformance during the 2022 rout.

Companies that have outsize stock-based compensation programmes have trailed the broader market by 9.2 per cent so far this year, Patrick Palfrey, a senior equity strategist at Credit Suisse, found.

The profile of such companies — primarily tech and other newly public entities expected to deliver above-average earnings gains — has left them out of favour with investors who turned to value stocks as the US Federal Reserve stepped up its battle to curtail inflation.

“While the benefits of equity compensation are clear, they do increase a company’s risk profile, adding stress in a down market,” Mr Palfrey wrote in a research note.

Companies use stock-based pay to lure and keep talent by offering the potential for massive price gains once fledgling companies hit their earnings stride.

Those types of companies — such as DocuSign, ServiceNow and Etsy — were market darlings in the surge that followed the Covid-19 pandemic, as investors piled into up-and-coming names that benefitted from lockdowns.

With inflation running at the highest in four decades, lofty valuations and bets on future growth no longer look justified as the Fed raises interest rates.

“Stock-based compensation is a popular tool for long-duration technology companies that are pre-earnings, but are public, to attract talent. So amid a rising interest-rate environment, we are clearly going to see the end of high performance of the big stock-based compensation users,” Art Hogan, chief market strategist at B. Riley, said.

Notably, the dip in stock-based employee compensation company performance spans across most S&P 500 sectors, ranging from discretionary companies such as eBay to financial companies such as BlackRock and biotechnology firms such as Vertex Pharmaceuticals.

Mr Palfrey said this downward trend was likely to persist if the current market slump turned into a recession, but in the event of a soft landing — his base case — the trend should reverse.

Historically, these companies have outperformed by 1.8 per cent over the past 17 years.

Meanwhile, the current underperformance of stock-based compensation companies is likely to weigh on companies as they try to attract and retain workers.

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Scoreline

Liverpool 3
Mane (7'), Salah (69'), Firmino (90')

Bournemouth 0

Profile

Company: Libra Project

Based: Masdar City, ADGM, London and Delaware

Launch year: 2017

Size: A team of 12 with six employed full-time

Sector: Renewable energy

Funding: $500,000 in Series A funding from family and friends in 2018. A Series B round looking to raise $1.5m is now live.

RESULTS

2pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (Dirt) 1,200m
Winner: Najem Al Rwasi, Fabrice Veron (jockey), Ahmed Al Shemaili (trainer)

2.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Fandim, Fernando Jara, Majed Al Jahouri

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3.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,700m
Winner: Wakeel W’Rsan, Richard Mullen, Jaci Wickham

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Winner: Jawaal, Fernando Jara, Majed Al Jahouri

4.30pm: Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Cup (TB) Dh200,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Tailor’s Row, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer

if you go
THE%20SPECS
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Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989

Director: Goran Hugo Olsson

Rating: 5/5

MATCH INFO

Europa League final

Who: Marseille v Atletico Madrid
Where: Parc OL, Lyon, France
When: Wednesday, 10.45pm kick off (UAE)
TV: BeIN Sports

How has net migration to UK changed?

The figure was broadly flat immediately before the Covid-19 pandemic, standing at 216,000 in the year to June 2018 and 224,000 in the year to June 2019.

It then dropped to an estimated 111,000 in the year to June 2020 when restrictions introduced during the pandemic limited travel and movement.

The total rose to 254,000 in the year to June 2021, followed by steep jumps to 634,000 in the year to June 2022 and 906,000 in the year to June 2023.

The latest available figure of 728,000 for the 12 months to June 2024 suggests levels are starting to decrease.

MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League final:

Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports

Global state-owned investor ranking by size

1.

United States

2.

China

3.

UAE

4.

Japan

5

Norway

6.

Canada

7.

Singapore

8.

Australia

9.

Saudi Arabia

10.

South Korea

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo

The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
​​​​​​​Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km

Founders: Ines Mena, Claudia Ribas, Simona Agolini, Nourhan Hassan and Therese Hundt

Date started: January 2017, app launched November 2017

Based: Dubai, UAE

Sector: Private/Retail/Leisure

Number of Employees: 18 employees, including full-time and flexible workers

Funding stage and size: Seed round completed Q4 2019 - $1m raised

Funders: Oman Technology Fund, 500 Startups, Vision Ventures, Seedstars, Mindshift Capital, Delta Partners Ventures, with support from the OQAL Angel Investor Network and UAE Business Angels

Profile

Name: Carzaty

Founders: Marwan Chaar and Hassan Jaffar

Launched: 2017

Employees: 22

Based: Dubai and Muscat

Sector: Automobile retail

Funding to date: $5.5 million

THE SPECS

Engine: 4.4-litre V8

Transmission: eight-speed automatic

Power: 523hp

Torque: 750Nm

Price: Dh469,000

Ferrari 12Cilindri specs

Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12

Power: 819hp

Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm

Price: From Dh1,700,000

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Sand storm

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Dust storm

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  • Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
  • Duration: Can linger for days
  • Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
  • Source: Can be carried from distant regions
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Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills

Bookshops: A Reader's History by Jorge Carrión (translated from the Spanish by Peter Bush),
Biblioasis

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

Sting & Shaggy

44/876

(Interscope)

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Updated: May 30, 2023, 12:08 PM`