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INSIDE THE CITY

Ibstock is building itself up for a rally

The Sunday Times

If you’ve tried getting any building work done lately, you’ll know why I’m tipping a brickmaker.

Prices of building materials have gone through the roof — if you’ll pardon the pun — thanks to supply chain disruption in Chinese ports and Brexit-related hold-ups at ports closer to home.

Meanwhile, the building market is enjoying a healthy patch after its various pauses during last year’s lockdowns.

Amid all this, the makers of building materials and equipment have enjoyed a pretty strong run this year. That means undervalued shares are unfortunately somewhat hard to find.

Take Volution, a maker of ventilation systems used in homes and offices. I’m a huge fan — again, pun not intended. It’s in a sweet spot as company chiefs fret about clean