What Investment articles from April 2006

What Investment archives from April 2006

The only game in town.(Comment--the bigger picture)
April 1, 2006... 'When it comes to the general public's lack of understanding about money in general--and investment in particular--I'm always shocked by how shocked some commentators claim to be about the ignorance of the Great Unwashed to all things fiscal....

From the bottom to the top.(News Round-up)
April 1, 2006... Over the last decade, the difference in the average performance of the top five and bottom five funds in the UK Equity Income sector has been a staggering 192 percentage points, according to analysis by Fidelity International. Over the 10...

Sound advice?(News Round-up)
April 1, 2006... A quarter of Britons have never been given any financial advice, new research reveals. The figure rises to almost a third of Londoners--the highest proportion regionally in Britain. The survey of over 2,000 adults also shows that of those...

Get your divvies.(News Round-up)
April 1, 2006... Dividend growth in 2005 was the best since 1989, according to a study by M&G. According to M&G, overall dividend growth has increased to 13 per cent so far this year (2006), substantially ahead of inflation and more than double last year's...

Rates redoux.(News Round-up)
April 1, 2006... Norwich Union has reduced the average market value reduction (MVR) on unitised with-profits policies. The changes apply to investors in the CGNU, CULAC and NULAP funds and came into effect last month. An MVR is a reduction in the value of...

Going down fast.(News Round-up)
April 1, 2006... The annual income that a pension saver receives has been cut by nearly 80 per cent in the last 10 years, according to consultants Watson Wyatt using the annual survey of with-profits pensions by Money Management magazine and annuity rates from...

Top ten funds.(April news)
April 1, 2006... UNIT TRUSTS One Year 1 CF Neptune Rus. & Gtr Rus. A Acc 181.52 2 Baring Lat Am USD 176.58 3 Schroder ISF Lat Am A Acc 172.47 4 Invesco Perpetual Lat Am Acc ...

New offers: we examine what the latest savings and investment plans have to offer investors. Each product has been given a star rating, representing its overall value for money, based on cost, terms and conditions and investment opportunity.(April news)
April 1, 2006... * Allianz Global Investors Allianz Global Investors has launched the Allianz RCM BRIC Stars Fund, with the remit to invest in the rapidly growing 'Super Economies' of Brazil, Russia, India and China. Allianz claims that the fund will be...

Barclays.(Product of the month)
April 1, 2006... Barclays Protected Stocks & Shares ISA is a guaranteed ISA product in response to customer demand for capital protection, guaranteed returns and exposure to the stock market. Barclays says its Stocks & Shares ISA provides 100 per cent capital...

Always darkest before the dawn: Keiron Root argues that the origins of the unit trust business show the importance of keeping faith with the stock market.(Lessons from history)
April 1, 2006... Pop the champagne, get out the bunting and gorge yourselves on cocktail sausages and vol-au-vents. For we have an important birthday to celebrate--on 23 April 2006 the unit trust business will be 75 years old. The first unit trust appeared...

Beyond the numbers: although a lot of private investors are loath to admit it, many can't 'read' a company report like a professional broker or analyst. So what do these professionals look for in a company before committing their money to that company's shares? What can the ordinary investor learn from a company report that may influence the decision whether or not to invest? Robert Leach reads between the lines.(Company reports)
April 1, 2006... Twice a year you receive a glossy booklet from every company in which you own shares. It's packed with reports, accounts, notes to the accounts, photographs and charts. So what are you supposed to do with it? For the investor, much of the...

Dog day afternoon: woof woof--dog funds. The funds that have delivered ruff performance. Will they improve? Should you cut your losses? Or should they be put down? How can you tell if your fund belongs in a kennel?(Dog funds)(Cover story)
April 1, 2006... In the heady days of the technology boom, between 1996 and the first months of 2000, brokers (mainly in the USA) issued thousands of 'buy' ratings for shares against fewer than 100 'sell' ratings. The same can be said of investment funds in...

Of flotations and windfalls: for many people, their first taste of share ownership came when they bought shares in BT and the utilities in the early 1980s. In the mid-1990s came building societies demutualising. If you picked the shares rather than the cash, how have they done, and should you still hold on to them?(Privatisation and windfall shares)
April 1, 2006... February's float of Qinetiq was the latest in a long line of privatisations by the British government. Over the last 20 years both Labour and Conservative governments have sold off previously state-owned entities mainly in the utilities,...

Online banking: online banking has changed from a minority sport into a mainstream pursuit with astonishing speed. Almost every institution, from the mightiest banking monolith to the smallest local building society, now feels duty-bound to deliver its own online offering. Harvey Jones searches the web.(Technology)
April 1, 2006... More than ever before, now one in five Britons managed the majority of their banking online in 2005, according to new research from Lloyds TSB. And the numbers are continuing to rise. Inevitably, younger customers are more likely to bank...

A SIPP is just a SIPP? To many, a self-invested personal pension (SIPP) from one provider is just like a SIPP from another. But a comparison of the SIPP providers on the market shows marked differences between providers, which include having to use a chosen solicitor or estate agent for property transactions and not being allowed to place certain investments with some SIPP providers. Simon Hildrey checks out the anomalies.(SIPP providers)
April 1, 2006... The government's U-turn on not allowing residential property to be held within self-invested personal pensions (SIPPs) after A-Day on 6 April 2006 should not detract from the attractiveness of these pensions. As well as the tax benefits...

Global equities: looking East for the hangover cure: each month, What Investment speaks to fund managers and analysts focusing on four different asset classes, and asks them to reveal the key issues currently driving their stock-selection decisions.(ASSET ALLOCATION)
April 1, 2006... Stephen Docherty, head of global equities at Aberdeen Asset Management, argues that investors should adopt a genuinely global approach to their equity portfolios, even if they are looking for income. "The UK market no longer has a monopoly on...

Bonds: looking for alternative options.(ASSET ALLOCATION)
April 1, 2006... Whilst the Bank of Japan's change in interest policy may reassure the equity market, the effect on the bond market will be less benign. Quentin Fitzsimmons, manager of Threadneedle's Absolute Return Bond Fund, feels that the BoJ's announcement...

Commodities: still benefiting from Chinese support.(ASSET ALLOCATION)
April 1, 2006... John Payne, manager of the Baring Global Resources Fund anticipates continued strong demand for commodities, supported by the sustained growth of the Chinese economy. He says: "We expect to see continued inflows of capital into commodity...

Property: more of the same, please.(ASSET ALLOCATION)
April 1, 2006... The annual returns for the IPD All Property Index, which measures the performance of funds investing in commercial property, have revealed that over 2005, the sector posted its best returns since 1993. The All Property Total Return in 2005 was...

Market insider: Scandinavia: continuing our series, providing a fundamental analysis of a region from an economic and political perspective. This month, Michael Wilson considers the outlook for Scandinavia.(WORLD MARKETS)
April 1, 2006... What's the most important thing you associate with the five Nordic countries, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway, and Iceland? That they're quiet, conservative and a bit aloof from the European Union? That their fantastically generous social...

Market view: Tom Winnifrith considers the outlook for UK shares.(UK SHARES)
April 1, 2006... The equity market pattern for February was very similar to that for January. M&A activity continued at a frantic pace and, in terms of corporate earnings, the newsflow was generally positive, although there was the odd letdown: Cable & Wireless...

Share yields by market cap.(UK SHARES)
April 1, 2006... SHARE YIELDS BY MARKET CAP Name Yield Market Cap BP PLC 3.6 129000.00 HSBC Holdings PLC 4.5 110000.00 GlaxoSmithKline ...

Sector view: banking.(UK SHARES)
April 1, 2006... Quoted banks fall into two categories--the FTSE index classifiers seek to distinguish between the largely British-based banks and the two companies that derive much of their business in Asia--HSBC and Standard Chartered. What is left is largely...

Share view: RBS.(UK SHARES)
April 1, 2006... LloydsTSB has long been viewed as the sick man of the sector. Its purchase of Scottish Widows was spectacularly ill-timed in that it bought in when sector valuations were at a peak, shortly before sector profits were hit for six by the pension...

European sector review: Hilary Cook, director of investment strategy at Barclays Private Clients, looks at the European Software & Computer Services sector.(STOCK MARKET REVIEW)
April 1, 2006... We anticipate a better time for the pan-European Software & Computer Services sector in 2006, following a fairly average year in 2005, The UK sector was flat while, in Europe, the sector only edged marginally ahead of the index, Last year was...

On the margins: in the first of a regular monthly column about investments on the fringes of the investment universe, David Jones explains what spread betting is, how it works and how you can profit from it.(Investments: on the margins)
April 1, 2006... Spread Betting has been around for more than 30 years, but it is probably in the last five years or so that it has really grabbed the attention of the private investor and become a viable alternative way of trading a variety of financial...

Gizza second job.(News Round-up)
April 1, 2006... A quarter of the UK working population, nearly 4.9 million people, have a second job or have held one in the past, according to new research published by Liverpool Victoria, the UK's largest friendly society. The main reason given for...

A duty to be stamped.(News Round-up)
April 1, 2006... In the nine months following the rise in the exemption threshold in April 2005, from 60,000 [pounds sterling] to 120,000 [pounds sterling], British homeowners have collectively paid more stamp duty than in the nine months preceding the change,...

Free to fleece by fee.(News Round-up)
April 1, 2006... By October 2007 there could be more fee-charging cash machines in the UK than free-to-use ones, according to new findings from Sainsbury's Bank. This is based on the fact that the number of surcharging cash machines is growing more rapidly...

Drastic plastic.(Personal Finance news)
April 1, 2006... As many as two in five Brits (39 per cent) overspend on their debit cards on day-to-day purchases, and the most common reason is that psychologically they feel they are not spending any money, according to the latest National Savings &...

Digiti-doo da, digiti-day.(Personal Finance news)
April 1, 2006... Seventy-four per cent of Britons admit to forgetting essential numbers such as PIN codes, mobile phone numbers, door codes and even important dates such as birthdays and anniversaries, according to new research from cardextras.com. The...

The critical list.(Personal Finance news)
April 1, 2006... The critical illness insurance industry needs to work harder to improve consumer trust and understanding, says financial research company Defaqto. The industry's image has taken a battering from negative publicity over claims being turned...

Doubtful of the benefit: if you' re entitled to 'em, why not claim 'em? We look at a raft of overlooked benefits and show readers how to claim them--and more importantly, which bit of government pays them out. Sam Barrett tangos with quangos.(Benefits)
April 1, 2006... Billions of pounds of benefits and tax credits are left unclaimed each year --the cash simply going straight into the government's coffers. "Around 3 billion [pounds sterling] of benefits aren't claimed by the over-60s alone," says Mervyn...

Why no tips?(Money clinic: A panel of independent experts answer readers' financial planning and investment queries)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2006... Why do you not include in your magazine, or on your website, 'buy' recommendations (tips) for individual companies on the stockmarket, like they do in the Investors Chronicle? I am sure What Investment would become more popular if you did...

Mitigating taxes.(Money clinic: A panel of independent experts answer readers' financial planning and investment queries)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2006... When my wife died two years ago, we were able to fully utilise her nil-rate tax band allowance (to include her half share of the house, which passed to our children). I now find that my own estate exceeds the nilrate band and I am looking to...

CGT PDQ.(Money clinic: A panel of independent experts answer readers' financial planning and investment queries)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2006... I will be extremely grateful if I can be given assistance in calculating capital gains tax liability in the following instances: * Where an investment trust has been held for a number of years, and the dividends re-invested * Where an...

Pension planning.(Money clinic: A panel of independent experts answer readers' financial planning and investment queries)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2006... Could you please inform me if there is any limit you can invest into a pension. My wife is 64 and draws a small pension of 200 [pounds sterling] per month from the government. I am looking to invest 42,120 [pounds sterling] (i.e. 2,808 [pounds...

The money doctor.(Money doctor)
April 1, 2006... It never fails to amaze me how lethargic the UK public is towards their pension funds. A piece of research from Barclays Financial Planning has identified that almost 48 per cent of workers are not personally paying anything into a pension each...

Greater house price growth expected over 2006.(UK HOUSE PRICES)
April 1, 2006... The picture is still hazy on the direction house prices are likely to take this year. After the surprise 1.5 per cent UK house price leap in December, prices fell back 0.2 per cent in January, producing an annual average growth figure of 4.4...

Mortgages.
April 1, 2006... Mortgages Lender Contact Rate Period 2-year fixed rates with no extended redemption tie-in (rate cannot go up or down during stated period) Northern Rock 0845 605 0500 3.99% to...

Unsecured personal loan selection.(Best buys performance tables)
April 1, 2006... Best buys performance tables Figures correct as at 03.03.06 Unsecured Personal Loan Selection Monthly payment Lender Contact APR ...

Credit card selection.(Best buys performance tables)
April 1, 2006... Credit Card Selection Contact APR Introductory Rates--Purchases Sainsbury's Bank 0800 032 1365 0.0% Nationwide BS 0800 302010 ...

Buy-to-let mortgages.(Best buys performance tables)
April 1, 2006... Buy-to-let Mortgages Lender Phone Rate Period Coventry BS 0845 766 5522 5.10% Ipswich BS 0845 230 9696 4.90% 1.50% disc to...

Tax rates for 2005/06.(Best buys performance tables)
April 1, 2006... Tax Rates for 2005/06 INCOME TAX Rates Starting rate 10% 1-2,090 [pounds sterling] Basic rate 22% 2,091-32,400 [pounds sterling] Higher rate 40% 32,400.01 [pounds sterling] +...

Mortgage calculator.(Best buys performance tables)
April 1, 2006... Mortgage Calculator Cost per 1,000 [pounds sterling] of mortgage--remember to add the monthly cost of any repayment vehicle (endowment, ISA etc) to the total on an interest-only loan. Repayment figures assume a mortgage term of 25...

Inflation indicator.(Best buys performance tables)
April 1, 2006... Inflation indicator The rate at which prices rise and money loses its purchasing power Current rate 2.2% 1 year ago 3.2% 3 years ago 3.1% 5 years ago 2.3% 10 years ago 2.7% Source: ONS

Income/capital growth calculator.(Best buys performance tables)
April 1, 2006... Income/Capital Growth Calculator Annual withdrawal % 1% 2% 3% 4% 5% 6% 7% 8% 15% 7 8 8 8 8 8 9 9 14% 7 8 8 8 9 9 10 11 13% ...

Unit trust best buys: What Investment asks three independent financial advisers to recommend their favourite unit trusts for a cautious, a balanced and an aggressive investment.(UNIT TRUSTS: MONITOR)
April 1, 2006... CAUTIOUS OPTION Anna Bowes, savings & investments manager at Chase de Vere Investments, highlights a newly launched fund of funds that gives cautious investors access to a wide range of investments. Standard Life Dynamic Distribution was...

Unit trust performance tables.(UNIT TRUSTS OEICs)
April 1, 2006... What the tables show The figures show the value of 100 [pounds sterling] over six months, one, three, five and ten years to 28 February 2006, on an offer-to-bid basis with net income reinvested. Funds are listed by sector so that you can...

On the rise: Keiron Root meets a fund manager who has experienced the ups and downs of the Japanese stock market.(FUND MANAGER: PROFILE)(Industry overview)
April 1, 2006... Sarah Whitley is a member of an increasingly rare breed--a fund manager who has spent the whole of her career with a single fund management house. What is even more unusual is that the fund management company concerned, Baillie Gifford, has...

Investment trust best buys: What Investment asks three investment trust specialists to recommend their favourite investment trust shares for a cautious, a balanced and an aggressive investment.(INVESTMENT TRUSTS MONITOR)
April 1, 2006... CAUTIOUS OPTION Paul Craig, fund manager at New Star Asset Management, offers a variation on a familiar theme for investors who want to keep risk to a minimum. The shares of Second Alliance Trust are ranked 26 out of 31 in the Global...

Investment trust performance tables.(INVESTMENT TRUST)
April 1, 2006... What the tables show The figures show the value of 100 [pounds sterling] over six months, one, three, five and 10 years to 28 February 2006, on an offer-to-bid basis with net income reinvested. funds are listed by sector so that you can...

Best ways to save.(REFERENCE)
April 1, 2006... Best ways to save Telephone Number INSTANT ACCESS BRANCH ACCOUNTS Universal BS 0845 070 1314 Manchester BS 0870 990 0810 Leeds BS 0845...

Cash ISAs.(REFERENCE)
April 1, 2006... CASH ISAs Company Notice Minimum or term deposit MINI CASH ISAs 1,000 [pounds sterling] Alliance & Leicester None(H) l [pounds sterling] Halifax ...

Tessa-only ISAs.(REFERENCE)
April 1, 2006... TESSA-ONLY ISAs Company Notice Minimum or term deposit TESSA ONLY ISAs 3,000 [pounds sterling] Halifax None(H) 1 [pounds sterling] Harpenden...

National savings & investments.(REFERENCE)
April 1, 2006... NATIONAL SAVINGS & INVESTMENTS Product Notice/ Minimum Term Deposit ACCOUNTS AND BONDS Easy Access Savings Instant 100 [pounds sterling]...

Personal pension annuity rates.(REFERENCE)
April 1, 2006... An annuity is a financial product that converts capital into income. You can buy one with any lump sum of money or you can buy one with accrued pension funds. Currently, for money purchase pension funds, you must buy an annuity by the time you...