Here are five shares with a distinct Halloween feel about them.
If you think Halloween is just for kids then think again. According to Asda Wal-Mart, Halloween is no longer the preserve of children but it has crept into the grown-up market, too. The supermarket reckons about 80% of its Halloween products are now aimed at the adult market. Meanwhile, Sainsbury
(LSE: SBRY)
said it has doubled its selling space for Halloween items to capture some of the £120m that will be spent by Brits on the creepy event.
So, in keeping with the spirit of the occasion, here are some shares with a Halloween feel for your portfolio.
Let's kick off with zombies, and who better to represent the band of the living-dead than insurance company Resolution
(LSE: RSL)
, which specialises in buying up "zombie funds". The funds are so-called because they are closed to new businesses, but at the same time have liabilities that extend for many years into the future.
Spiders are another Halloween favourite. But Spiders are also the affectionate name given to S&P Depositary Receipts
(AMEX: SPY)
. These Exchange Traded Funds allow investors to track all of the shares in the S&P500 Index, a key measure of the US stock market.
Turing to devils, Demon is the Internet brand that belongs to telecom outfit THUS
(LSE: THUS)
. It began life in 1992, and was one of the UK's earliest Internet service providers. In 1998, Demon was acquired by Scottish Telecom, which was then part of utility company Scottish Power
(LSE: SPW)
. One year later, the telecom arm was re-branded as THUS and floated on the London Stock Exchange.
Trick-or-treat, otherwise known as doorstep canvassing for sweets, is a popular activity on Halloween. But cold calling for rewards is also keenly pursued by Kleeneze. The company is owned by Findel
(LSE: FDL)
, which aquired the network marketer when parent company European Home Retail
(LSE: EHR)
was put into administration. Kleeneze sells over 1,500 home and personal care products through a network of over 14,000 self-employed agents.
Finally, Halloween just wouldn't be the same without Harry Potter and his cronies. The eponymous schoolboy wizard, created by JK Rowling, has been a boon for publisher Bloomsbury Publishing
(LSE: BMY)
. Six of the seven planned novels have already been published and the seventh is due soon. What will Bloomsbury do when Hogwarts Express comes to a grinding halt? Now there's a thought more scary than Halloween!
