What Investment articles from August 2006

What Investment archives from August 2006

Babe I'm gonna leave you ...(Comment--the bigger picture)
August 1, 2006... If you want to see the internet working as a form of Darwinism mixed with a funny kind of technological apartheid, then I suggest you log on to www.friendsreunited.co.uk, a site on which to look up people you knew at school and see what they're...

Good times, bad times.
August 1, 2006... When a mutual life insurer becomes a plc, holders of with-profits policies receive an average payout of 14,000 [pounds sterling] less than if the organisation had remained mutual, according to new figures from The Association of Mutual Insurers...

Bring it on home.(News Round-up)
August 1, 2006... A new advisory service that claims to offer unbiased advice, a quality-fund selection process that recommends the best-performing funds in the market, and an investment portfolio modelled to their personal and financial needs has been launched...

For your life.(News Round-up)
August 1, 2006... At a time when the government is trying to encourage people to save more, those already saving for retirement are being heavily penalised for their efforts, as pensioners could retire six years earlier, with the same pension pot, if the burden...

Stairway to heaven.(News Round-up)
August 1, 2006... A new service to help clients value UK and international securities for estate administration purposes has been launched by FT Interactive Data, a leading supplier of financial information to global markets. The eProbate service is designed to...

Heartbreaker.(News Round-up)
August 1, 2006... Many investors with SIPPs are receiving derisory returns on the cash they hold held in these wrappers, according to new research from Investec Private Bank. Analysis of 37 SIPPs reveals that the average return on cash balances of 1,000 [pounds...

Top ten funds.(August news)
August 1, 2006... UNIT TRUSTS One Year 1 Neptune Russ and Gtr Russ A Acc 168.52 2 CF Ruffer Baker Steel Gold 0 Acc 163.08 3 MLIIF World Mining Fund A2 USD 161.62 4 Merrill Lynch Gold & General ...

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.(August news)
August 1, 2006... # Scottish Widows Investment Partnership (SWIP) The SWIP Multi-Manager Global Real Estate Securities Fund, part of the SWIP Multi-Manager ICVC, aims to provide a total return by investing predominantly in a globally diversified portfolio of...

Zopa.(Product of the month)
August 1, 2006... Zopa is the first lending and borrowing exchange. What Zopa does is very simple: it puts people who want to lend in touch with creditworthy people who want to borrow, so both parties can get a great deal. People can lend from as little as 10...

Your time is gonna come: Keiron Root reflects on the changing nature of the UK stock market.(Lessons from history)(Industry overview)
August 1, 2006... I'm sure that most, if not all, readers of this magazine have taken on board the notion that, over the past 40 years or so, Britain has become a 'service economy'. This is usually taken as evidence of the terminal economic and political decline...

Trampled underfoot: Andrew Teufel, research director of Fisher Investments, examines how merger and acquisition activity will drive a bull market over the next 12 months.(M&A activities)
August 1, 2006... Acquisition and repurchase activity has increased dramatically in recent years. In the aftermath of the global downturn many companies are taking advantage of low borrowing costs and relatively cheap equity valuations to buy their own...

The song remains the same: despite three years of strong stock market gains, absolute-return funds have been a growing trend within the investment company sector. With the FTSE All-Share rising and then falling, is now a good time to consider absolute-return-type vehicles to be a 'poor man's hedge fund'? Nick Sudbury looks at absolute-return investment trusts and asks how investors can profit from them.(Absolute-return funds)
August 1, 2006... After three years of strong stock market returns the recent correction provided something of a reality check for investors. At one stage the FTSE 100 index of leading shares fell almost 10 per cent in a matter of days. This sharp collapse had...

What Investment Awards.
August 1, 2006... On a sunny Friday lunchtime in mid-July at the historic Stationers' Hall, on Ave Maria Lane in the City of London, the winners of the What Investment Awards congregated to eat, slurp the odd glass of wine and pick up their trophies. Chris...

Black mountain side.(Money clinic: A panel of independent experts answer readers' financial planning and investment queries)
August 1, 2006... I would like to invest in a child trust fund for my son as part of a long-term savings plan. The primary purpose of the investment is to achieve growth. With the initial 250 [pounds sterling] from the government, I intend to contribute...

Tea for one.(Money clinic: A panel of independent experts answer readers' financial planning and investment queries)
August 1, 2006... My mother, aged 72, had a massive stroke in February rendering her permanently paralysed on the right hand side and needing 24-hour hospital care. It has now been decided she needs to be discharged to a nursing home. She is assessed as being...

A reader writes.(Money clinic: A panel of independent experts answer readers' financial planning and investment queries)
August 1, 2006... I read with interest your article on the subject of nursing homes for elderly people. Without wishing to interfere, may I presume that the gentleman concerned--87 years of age--in all probability served at some time in the Armed Forces or the...

Dazed and confused.(Money clinic: A panel of independent experts answer readers' financial planning and investment queries)
August 1, 2006... Thank you for your excellent editorial article (June 2006) on the situation concerning Standard Life and its endowment policyholders. It was a far clearer explanation of the demise of these polices than anything supplied by Standard Life. ...

Global equities: wearing and tearing: 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)
August 1, 2006... In the main, investors have reacted with considerable resilience to the falls of the past couple of months. The most common reaction is that this sort of short-term correction is inevitable, following a period of sustained growth. Neil...

Bonds: how many more times?(ASSET ALLOCATION)
August 1, 2006... "The Federal Reserve has easily been the most active of the central banks in recent months," observes Quentin Fitzsimmons, head of government bonds, at Threadneedle. Seventeen consecutive rate hikes have seen the Fed Funds rate rise to 5.25 per...

Commodities: when the levee breaks.(ASSET ALLOCATION)
August 1, 2006... Some investment houses are predicting the end of the commodity price boom. Julien Garran, head of asset allocation at Legal & General Investment Management, notes: "Over the last two years it seems commodity prices have been on an inexorable...

Property: ten years gone.(ASSET ALLOCATION)
August 1, 2006... One specialist area of property investment where profitability has been steadily improving is commercial forestry. Returns on UK forestry investments are currently at their highest levels for 10 years, posting a total return of 14.4 per cent...

Market Insider Carouselambra: continuing our series providing a fundamental analysis of a region from an economic and political perspective. This month, Michael Wilson considers the outlook for Spain.
August 1, 2006... If you're headed for the Costa Brava this month, or perhaps the urban elegance of Madrid or Barcelona, it's a fair bet that your investments will be pretty near the bottom of your holiday agenda. But before you pack your phrasebook, your iPod...

Market view: Tom Winnifrith considers the outlook for UK shares.
August 1, 2006... A tale of Two Cities? Or Apocalypse (not) Now? At the end of May the bien pensants advised you that the bull market was at an end and that it was, officially, time to panic. This column, as you will remember, took a contrary view. It goes...

European sector review: this month, Henk Potts looks at the European drinks sector.
August 1, 2006... The World Cup and the recent hot weather have been good for UK brewers. But what are the longer-term prospects for beer and spirit companies? Certainly, the European alcoholic beverages sector is benefiting from a cocktail of favourable...

Sector view: IT.
August 1, 2006... Forgive my returning to the subject of IT and technology stocks, but this is a sector utterly unloved by the market--and one that offers extreme value. Gone are the days of dotcom madness, when anything computer-related was rated as if...

Share view: InterQuest and CSG.
August 1, 2006... A cute way to benefit from the huge overhaul of corporate systems is via InterQuest--a specialist IT recruitment agency floated a year ago--after all, this huge demand for IT work is reflected in a very tight labour market for qualified geeks....

Houses of the holy.(Equity release)
August 1, 2006... Property prices are going up at the same time as annuity rates are going down. Also, we're living in a two-tier economy with consumer goods falling in price, but with council tax, utilities and petrol prices rising much faster than inflation....

Price growth is moderate but activity remains strong.(UK HOUSE PRICES)
August 1, 2006... Yearly house price growth reached a moderate 5 per cent in June, according to the Nationwide and the picture for the housing market is still mixed. RICS data suggests that the numbers of people buying and selling is nearly 25 per cent...

Mortgages.
August 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) Alliance Leicester 0800 092 2889 4.54%...

Unsecured personal loan selection.(Best buys performance tables)
August 1, 2006... Best buys performance tables Figures correct as at 04.07.06 Unsecured Personal Loan Selection Monthly payment Lender Contact APR ...

Credit card selection.(Best buys performance tables)
August 1, 2006... Credit Card Selection Contact APR Introductory Rates--Purchases GE Money 0808 208 1140 0.0% E Sainsbury's Bank 0800 032 1365 0.0% E...

Buy-to-let mortgages.(Best buys performance tables)
August 1, 2006... Buy-to-let Mortgages Lender Phone Rate Period Abbey 0870 608 0091 5.19% F to 2.10.11 Coventry BS 0845 766 5522 5.10% -- Norwich & Pboro' BS...

Tax rates for 2006/07.(Best buys performance tables)
August 1, 2006... Tax Rates for 2006/07 INCOME TAX Rates Starting rate 10% 1-2, 150 [pounds sterling] Basic rate 22% 2, 151-33,300 [pounds sterling] Higher rate 40% 33,301+ [pounds sterling] Allowances Personal...

Mortgage calculator.(Best buys performance tables)
August 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...

Inflation indicator.(Best buys performance tables)
August 1, 2006... The rate at which prices rise and money loses its purchasing power Inflation indicator The rate at which prices rise and money loses its purchasing power Current rate 2.6% 1 year ago 2.9%...

Income/capital growth calculator.(Best buys performance tables)
August 1, 2006... Income/Capital Growth Calculator Annual growth % 1% 2% 3% 4% 5% 6% 7% 8% 9% 10% 11% 12% 13% 14% 15% 15% 7 8 8 8 8 8 9 9 10 11 12 14 16 20 14% 7 8 8...

The money doctor: Andrew Merricks peers at the tonsils of the property market in light of the imminent introduction of Home Information Packs.(Money doctor)
August 1, 2006... The other day, my taxi driver was telling me all about how he was going to retire in about five years, by which time he'd have become a property millionaire. This got me extremely worried about the state of the property market. The last...

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)
August 1, 2006... CAUTIOUS OPTION Fiona Sharp, partner at financial advisers M2Finance4Women, suggests cautious investors opt for a multi-manager fund. The Cazenove MultiManager Diversity Fund does not yet have a one-year track record, as it was...

Unit trust performance tables.(UNIT TRUSTS OEICs)
August 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 30 June 2006, on an offer-to-bid basis with net income reinvested. Funds are listed by sector so that you can...

What is and what should never be: Keiron Root meets a fund manager with some very clear ideas about what should and what should not be in his portfolios.(FUND MANAGER: PROFILE)
August 1, 2006... Julian Chillingworth is a man with wide-ranging responsibilities. As chief investment officer of Rathbone Unit Trust Management, he oversees a range of top-performing funds and has direct responsibility for three of them--Rathbone's Capital...

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.(INVESTMENTS TRUSTS: MONITOR)
August 1, 2006... CAUTIOUS OPTION David Hambidge, investment director, pooled funds, at Premier Asset Management, argues that cautious investors should not ignore the attractions of a well-managed smaller companies trust. The shares of Aberforth Smaller...

Investment trust performance tables.(UNIT TRUSTS OEICs)
August 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 30 June 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)
August 1, 2006... Best ways to save Telephone Account Number INSTANT ACCESS BRANCH ACCOUNTS Post Office 0800 169 7500 Instant Saver Manchester BS 0161...

Cash ISAs.(REFERENCE)
August 1, 2006... CASH ISAs Company Notice Minimum or term deposit MINI CASHIS As 1,000 [pounds sterling] Portman BS 15 Day 1,000 [pounds sterling]...

TESSA-only ISAs.(REFERENCE)
August 1, 2006... TESSA-ONLY ISAs Company Notice Minimum or term deposit TESSA ONLY ISAs 3,000 [pounds sterling] Halifax 4Year 3,000 [pounds...

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

Personal pension annuity rates.
August 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...