Imperial Brands’ sales go up in steam

Concern that vaping could cause lung-related illnesses and is promoting smoking among children is causing consumers to have second thoughts and has sparked a profit warning at Imperial Brands.

SAFRICA-LIFESTYLE-LEISURE-SMOKING-VAPE

Vaping: not big and not clever
(Image credit: AFP/Getty Images)

"Investors' hopes for a new lease of life for nicotine have vanished in a cloud of steam," says Karen Kwok for Breakingviews. Growing concern in America that vaping could cause lung-related illnesses and is promoting a smoking "epidemic" among children is causing consumers to have second thoughts. Hence this week's profit warning at Imperial Brands, which wiped 13% off the stock.

Subscribe to MoneyWeek

Subscribe to MoneyWeek today and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE

Get 6 issues free
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/mw70aro6gl1676370748.jpg

Sign up to Money Morning

Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter

Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter

Sign up
Markets editor

Alex is an investment writer who has been contributing to MoneyWeek since 2015. He has been the magazine’s markets editor since 2019. 

Alex has a passion for demystifying the often arcane world of finance for a general readership. While financial media tends to focus compulsively on the latest trend, the best opportunities can lie forgotten elsewhere. 

He is especially interested in European equities – where his fluent French helps him to cover the continent’s largest bourse – and emerging markets, where his experience living in Beijing, and conversational Chinese, prove useful. 

Hailing from Leeds, he studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics at the University of Oxford. He also holds a Master of Public Health from the University of Manchester.