What Investment articles from February 2004

What Investment archives from February 2004

Know your limitations.(Comment)
February 1, 2004... 'The year 2003 didn't start with enormous promise. January was a pretty dire month and, with the prospect of war in Iraq looming large, it didn't seem likely that the year would finish with much of a flourish either. By 12 March the UK stock...

Farewell, old friend.(Strap)
February 1, 2004... National Savings & Investments is to scrap its core savings account, the Ordinary Account (launched in 1861) because it has not kept pace with other savings accounts and changing customer needs. The NS&I says the account, sometimes called the...

Multi-currency option.(Strap)
February 1, 2004... Cater Allen Private Bank has introduced a new multi-currency account, which gives regular international travellers more control over their finances. Called the Private Bank Account, it allows funds to be held in sterling, US dollars, euros, or...

Past performance is no guarantee ...(News Round-up)
February 1, 2004... Standardised data must be included in advertisements referring to past performance according to new rules published by the Financial Services Authority. The rules, which will come into force on 1 June 2004, will stop companies 'cherry-picking'...

Keep it simple.(News Round-up)
February 1, 2004... The Pensions Simplification paper, released alongside Gordon Brown's pre-Budget report, spells good news for income-drawdown investors, according to David Marlow, head of marketing at The Annuity Bureau. The new rules, which are proposed...

Out of this world.(February news)
February 1, 2004... New Star Investment Funds has launched the Galaxy Portfolio Service, a discretionary-style, global portfolio management service with a minimum entry level of 25,000 [pounds sterling] and an investment protection facility. The service offers...

Optimising safe returns.(February news)
February 1, 2004... Friends Provident has launched the UK Safeguard Optimiser fund to provide cautious investors with a smoothed return from the UK equity market while providing some protection against stock market falls. Available through the Investment Portfolio...

Give it structure.(February news)
February 1, 2004... Structured product provider Nvesta has launched the latest issue of its Secure Tracker Plan. The six-year plan offers 101 per cent of any rise in the FTSE 100, with no maximum limit, plus 100 per cent original capital protection. The closing...

Fixed it now.(February news)
February 1, 2004... Chelsea Building Society has launched three branch-based fixed-rate savings options. The products on offer include a one-year fixed-rate option paying 4.65 per cent gross per annum, a two-year fixed-rate option paying 4.75 per cent and a...

Buy-to-let boost.(February news)
February 1, 2004... Buy-to-let properties appreciated by an average of nearly 10 per cent during the fourth quarter of 2003 and rental returns also rose, according to the latest figures from the Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA). The rates of return...

Taking issue.(February news)
February 1, 2004... I find myself in a bit of a quandary this month. Here we are, in the middle of the so-called 'ISA season', and I find myself asking : is Gordon Brown gently but surely ditching the concept of individual savings accounts? And if he is, what...

Unit trusts.(top ten funds)
February 1, 2004... Unit trusts One year 1 Dresdner RCM ASF Thai USD 202.86 2 Fidelity Funds Thai Fund 195.57 3 HSBC GIF Indian Equity AD 182.89 4 Framlington Japan 181.24 5 Aberdeen Intl India Opps 178.05 6 HSBC GIF...

Investment trusts.(top ten funds)
February 1, 2004... One year 1 St David's Zero 2003 1164.08 2 Murray Emer Growth & Inc 521.29 3 Gartmore Securities Zero 443.24 4 Escif Securities Zero 440.91 5 American Inv Trust Zero 440.91 6 Morley Absolute Growth...

Liverpool Victoria.(New offers)
February 1, 2004... Liverpool Victoria has launched the With-Profits Income Bond, which invests in a balanced portfolio of equities, corporate bonds and property and is designed to deliver a high level of income. The bond will have an initial regular bonus rate of...

Close Finsbury.(New offers)
February 1, 2004... Close Finsbury Asset Management has launched the Close Finsbury UK Gilt fund, a concentrated, low-risk, high-yielding gilt-edged portfolio. The new fund is a sub-fund of Close Finsbury Global Investment Funds, an Ireland-domiciled OEIC, and...

DWS.(Product of the month)
February 1, 2004... DWS has launched the Managed Distribution fund. Managed as a fund-of-funds, the fund will invest across a range of DWS' equity and bond funds. Fund manager Jonathan Arthur has the flexibility to vary his investment approach as market conditions...

Ipswich Building Society.(Also launching this month ...)
February 1, 2004... Ipswich Building Society has launched a three-year fixed-rate ISA, a two-year fixed-rate Heritage Bond, and a one-year Heritage Tracker Bond. Ipswich's mini-cash limited edition ISA is fixed at 4.75 per cent (gross/AER) 'tax free' until 5 April...

Portman Building Society.(Also launching this month ...)
February 1, 2004... Portman Building Society has launched a new TESSA-only ISA offering an attractive home for matured TESSA capital on balances of 3,000 [pounds sterling] and above. The ISA will pay 4.35 per cent including a bonus rate of 0.55 per cent for six...

Legal & General.(New offers)
February 1, 2004... Legal & General has launched the Legal & General Distribution Trust offering low equity exposure (30 per cent at launch) combined with significant corporate bond exposure (60 per cent at launch). The trust is designed to appeal to cautious...

Panel of experts.(February news)
February 1, 2004... * Patrick Connolly is investment manager at John Scott & Partners * Philip Johnson is a director at Kenwood Associates * Ben Willis is a financial adviser at Chartwell Investment Management * Ben Yearsley is an investment manager...

Managers on the move: should you stay or should you go? What Investment looks into the reasons behind recent fund manager moves.(Fund managers)
February 1, 2004... Following on from our report last month on the acquisition of Govett by Gartmore--and that the only Govett fund manager to be staying with the merged operation was US-based Gil Knight--Gartmore has confirmed that Knight will be joining its...

Essential guide to equity investing; to get the best value from your stockbroker you need to know which of their services are best suited to you.(Focus: equity investing)
February 1, 2004... How do you find a stockbroker? The answer to that question really depends on what you want a stockbroker for. Traditionally, there were simply two types of stockbroking service: advisory, where the broker suggests investment ideas to...

Dedicated follower of fashion; the one certainty this ISA season is that the most fashionable investment Options are unlikely to be the smartest.(ISA season preview)
February 1, 2004... Just as the New Year sales melee is finishing for another year, the financial world's equivalent--the scramble for Individual Savings Accounts--is getting underway. Investors, like bargain-hunters, know a good thing when they see it, which is...

Outrageous fortune? What does 'global' really mean when it comes to global growth investment funds? Harvey Jones investigates.(Global growth funds)
February 1, 2004... The formal definition of the global growth sector is so vague that it s almost meaningless. Funds must invest at least 80 per cent of their assets in equities (but not more than 80 per cent in the UK), according to the Investment Management...

Polishing pensions; Simon Hildrey reviews the proposed changes to the UK pension regime.(Pensions)
February 1, 2004... The words 'simplification' and 'pensions' do not often sit comfortably in a sentence together, but the government, it seems, is determined to try and make them. By attempting to produce a transparent, consistent and flexible pension system...

Venturing forth; Ben Yearsley of Hargreaves Lansdown reviews the prospects for the venture capital trust sector.(Q & A)
February 1, 2004... The venture capital trust (VCT) market has been through considerable upheaval in recent times. Three years ago, a record 450 million [pounds sterling] was raised from private investors. However, last tax year only a tenth of that--45 million...

Netting IHT; what investment looks at how the internet can help you to mitigate your IHT liability.(Technology)
February 1, 2004... The avoidance of taxes is the only intellectual pursuit that carries any reward, according to British economist John Maynard Keynes. So, why is it that we are all so bad at inheritance tax planning? Rising house prices across the UK have...

United Kingdom onwards and upwards ... probably; each month, what investment speaks to the top-performing fund managers in six global markets and asks them to reveal the key issues currently driving their stock-selection decisions.(World Markets)
February 1, 2004... Investors cannot rule out spells of sluggish growth since so much depends on corporate expenditure "When plashed, it is conventional for equity managers to suggest that the UK stock market will be ten per cent higher in a year's time,"...

United States: risks and rewards.(World Markets)
February 1, 2004... The extreme caution that dogged many firms is dispersing, businesses are hiring and manufacturing production is picking up. "Talk of a second recession in the US has now stopped," says Andrew Clare, financial economist at Legal & General....

Europe: pulling through.(World Markets)
February 1, 2004... Economic and profits recovery has lagged behind the rest of the world, but recent data shows better news is on the way "Switzerland, Germany and the Netherlands may have at last pulled out of recession, but the European recovery remains...

Far east: engine of growth.(World Markets)
February 1, 2004... Asia stands poised to benefit from a continuation of the strengthening US economy "We are still relatively optimistic about the outlook for global markets generally. Low interest rates and expansionary policies seem to have pushed the US...

Japan: turnaround time.(World Markets)
February 1, 2004... Corporate restructuring and cost-cutting have helped improve profits in an otherwise sluggish economy "At the beginning of 2003, economists were not expecting much from Japan, with the economy predicted to grow just 0.4 per cent over the...

Emerging markets: bargains galore.(World Markets)
February 1, 2004... Despite the strong performance of emerging economies, companies continue to trade at substantial discounts to their western counterparts "Although emerging market equities performed well in 2003, there is a strong argument that they will...

Market insider: Russia: continuing our series providing a fundamental analysis of a region from an economic and political perspective. This month, Michael Wilson considers the outlook for Russia.(World Markets)
February 1, 2004... Over the last few years we have tried our best to interest you in the world's more exciting and unusual financial markets--more in the belief that it won't hurt you to see the alternatives than in may attempt to persuade you actually to invest...

Market view.(UK Shares)
February 1, 2004... There had been suggestions that 2003 would end with a bang--a big pre-Christmas rally. But as it turned out investors were as reluctant to buy shares as they were to spend on the high street. Thus despite the fact that Wall Street was soaring...

UK stock performance.(UK Shares)
February 1, 2004... UK STOCK PERFORMANCE Rank Company Weight in 1 Month Name Index Return TOP 20 FTSE All-Share 1 ScS Upholstery 0.00% 36.47%...

FTSE 100 index.(UK Shares)
February 1, 2004... FTSE 100 INDEX Stock 1 month Rank 1 year Rank 3i Group Inv Tr 102.25 50 113.74 56 Abbey National 99.48 75 106.18 77 Alliance &...

Index constituent rankings FTSE 100.(UK Shares)
February 1, 2004... INDEX CONSTITUENT RANKINGS FTSE 100 Rank Stock Price Dividend Yield (%) 1 BP ...

Food retailers sector view.(UK Shares)
February 1, 2004... The Safeway bid battle seems like it has lasted for years but the company is now more or less firmly in the hands of the aggressive northern supermarket chain William Morrison. That leaves the combined entity as the UK's third-largest food...

Food retailers share view.(UK Shares)
February 1, 2004... The big loser from the Safeway battle was probably J Sainsbury. It tried to bid but was blocked by the regulators from doing so and it now finds itself as the fourth and weakest player in the market. Despite the glossy Jamie Oliver adverts,...

Month-end performance: all sectors.(UK Shares)
February 1, 2004... [GRAPHIC OMITTED]

European sector review; Hilary Cook, director of investment strategy at Barclays Private Clients, examines the prospects for the European automobile sector.(Stock Market Review)
February 1, 2004... It's been a tough year for the automobile manufacturers. Both the western European and the US auto markets endured a slowdown in demand--the former experienced a decline of 1.5 per cent during the first nine months of 2003, while those in the...

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 Trust Monitor)
February 1, 2004... CAUTIOUS OPTION Stephen Marriott, fund analyst at Bestinvest Brokers, suggests the ISIS Strategic Bond fund as a possible option for investors looking for something from the lower end of the risk scale. The fund is ranked third out of 31...

Unit trust performance tables.(Units Trusts OEICs)
February 1, 2004... What the tables show The figures show the value of 100 [pounds sterling] over six months, one, three, five and ten years to 31 December 2003, on an offer-to-bid basis with net income reinvested. Funds are listed by sector so that you can...

Have you met Ms Jones? Keiron Root meets a rising star of the cash fund sector.(Fund Manager Profile)
February 1, 2004... The typical picture of a fund manager is of a mature man in a pin-striped suit. Yet anecdotal evidence suggests that this image will soon be consigned to history, with an increasing proportion of women training as fund managers. And one who has...

Investment trust best buys: What Investment asks three independent financial advisers to recommend their favourite investment trusts for a cautious, a balanced and an aggressive investment.(Investment Trusts Monitor)
February 1, 2004... CAUTIOUS OPTION Tony Lanning, investment director at Advisory & Brokerage Services selects file zeros issued by M&G High Income Trust. These shares are ranked eighth out of 59 in the Split Capital: Zero Dividend Preference Shares sector...

Investment trust performance tables.(Investment Trusts)
February 1, 2004... What the tables show The figures show the value of 100 [pounds sterling] over six months, one, three, five and ten years to 31 December 2002, on an offer-to-bid basis with net income reinvested. Funds are listed by sector so that you can...

Starting in shares.(Money clinic: a panel of independent experts answer readers' financial planning and investment queries)
February 1, 2004... I am a novice investor and recent subscriber to your excellent magazine. I would like to trade in shares but am ignorant on a few basic points. I would be most grateful if you could clarify the term 'nominee'. I would also appreciate it if you...

Legislation impact.(Money clinic: a panel of independent experts answer readers' financial planning and investment queries)
February 1, 2004... I have just read an article in a newspaper, reporting the imminent demise of the execution-only stockbroker as a result of EC legislation. Can you spell out what that will mean to people who use these brokers. Does the above also apply when...

ISA worth it?(Money clinic: a panel of independent experts answer readers' financial planning and investment queries)
February 1, 2004... A recent annual statement informs that, "form April 2004 it is the government's intention to no longer allow fund management companies to reclaim the 10 per cent tax credit on dividends that are paid within ISA and PEP investments". How...

Wrap it up.(Money clinic: a panel of independent experts answer readers' financial planning and investment queries)
February 1, 2004... I've seen mention of wrap accounts in the literature sent to me by my independent financial adviser but have no idea what these are--are they a new form of PEP or ISA? What sort of benefits do they offer investors, should I be using one and, if...

Best ways to save.(Money facts)
February 1, 2004... Best ways to save Telephone Account Number/Website INSTANT-ACCESS BRANCH ACCOUNTS Scarborough BS 0845 458 4458 Easy Saver Alliance &...

Personal pension annuity rates.(Reference)
February 1, 2004... 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 au annuity by the time you...

Top-performing unit-linked pensions.(Reference)
February 1, 2004... Top-performing unit-linked pensions Five years to 31 December 2003. Results of 100 [pounds sterling] invested on an offer-to-bid basis with gross income reinvested. Name Value Rank ...