If you'd invested in: Swallowfield and CMC Markets

Personal care and beauty product maker Swallowfield enjoyed a “very successful” six months, while spread betting provider CMC Markets is down in the dumps.

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If only...

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Swallowfield (Aim: SWL) supplies personal care and beauty products to brands around the world. Founded in 1876 in Wellington, Somerset, where it still has its headquarters, the firm operates factories in Devon, China and the Czech Republic. It enjoyed a "very successful" first half: the 28 weeks ending 7 January saw a profit of £2.2m on revenue of £39.7m, up from £1.19m and £27.55m for the same period the previous year. The shares are up by more than 100% in the last 12 months.

Be glad you didn't

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CMC Markets (LSE: CMCX) is a provider of spread betting and contracts for difference (CFD). Results for the six months to September 2016 showed a 29% fall in profit compared with the same period the previous year, with the number of trades down by 9%. An announcement by the Financial Conduct Authority in December that it would impose stricter rules on the CFD market sent shares in the whole sector down, and CMC was no exception. The shares have fallen by 45% over the course of the last 12 months.

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Ben Judge
Ben Judge

Ben studied modern languages at London University's Queen Mary College. After dabbling unhappily in local government finance for a while, he went to work for The Scotsman newspaper in Edinburgh. The launch of the paper's website, scotsman.com, in the early years of the dotcom craze, saw Ben move online to manage the Business and Motors channels before becoming deputy editor with responsibility for all aspects of online production for The Scotsman, Scotland on Sunday and the Edinburgh Evening News websites, along with the papers' Edinburgh Festivals website.

Ben joined MoneyWeek as website editor in 2008, just as the Great Financial Crisis was brewing. He has written extensively for the website and magazine, with a particular emphasis on alternative finance and fintech, including blockchain and bitcoin. 

As an early adopter of bitcoin, Ben bought when the price was under $200, but went on to spend it all on foolish fripperies.

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