If you'd invested in: G4S and Laura Ashley

published 30 June 2017

If only...

Security firm G4S (LSE: GFS) came in for a lot of criticism during the 2012 Olympics, when its operational failures meant British troops had to step in to perform security duties. But a restructuring programme has turned the firm around since then. In 2016 G4S won £2.5bn of new contracts, with revenue rising by 10.6% and profits up by 17.9%. The share price has risen by more than 80% in the last 12 months.

Laura Ashley (LSE: ALY) designs and manufactures home and fashion accessories, which it sells throughits 190 stores and to commercial clients, and licenses to other businesses. Difficult trading conditions, a softening market and increasing costs have taken their toll, and led to a profit warning earlier this year. Like-for-like sales fell by 3.5% in the six months to the end of 2016, and pre-tax profits fell by 29%. Shareholders have not fared well: the shares fell by 57% in the last year.

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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.