What Investment articles from January 2007

What Investment archives from January 2007

Still building sandcastles.(Comment--the bigger picture)
January 1, 2007... 'Inevitably, the start of a new year is an opportunity the for investors to take stock of their portfolios. This is why our January issue traditionally carries the views of fund managers and financial advisers on where they think we should be...

Falling closed-end fund charges.(January news)
January 1, 2007... Charges have dropped in the investment companies sector for a second year running, according to the Association of Investment Companies (AIC). Recent research from the AIC revealed 28 per cent of investment companies have Total Expense Ratios...

Ashburton combines China and India.(News Round-up)
January 1, 2007... Ashburton has launched a Chindia Equity Fund, to capitalise on current growth in China and India, spurred by changing demographics. A growth rate of 8-10 per cent per annum is predicted for China for the foreseeable future, with 8 per cent...

Investment trust provider targets private equity sector.(News Round-up)
January 1, 2007... Alliance Trust has expanded into the private equity sector with the purchase of Albany Ventures, a six-year-old venture capital investment firm. Alliance Trust has bought 100 per cent of the shareholding of Albany Venture Managers (Holdings)...

Property analyst launches new type of fund.(News Round-up)
January 1, 2007... Seven Dials has launched a European property fund, which it believes is the first of its kind in the UK. The Seven Dials European Property Fund is a fund-of-funds product offering diversified exposure to pan-European commercial property...

Savers benefit from rate rise.(News Round-up)
January 1, 2007... Interest rates on National Savings & Investments (NS&I) products have increased by up to 0.25 per cent following November's hike in the Bank of England base rate from 4.75 to 5 per cent. NS&I's variable-rate products will all be affected,...

Citibank boost for new accounts.(News Round-up)
January 1, 2007... Citibank has launched a savings account for new customers offering 5.45 per cent fixed for the first six months from the account opening date. The Flexible Saver Issue 2 offering translates to 5.29 per cent AER for the first year and a...

Investor confidence on the up.(News Round-up)
January 1, 2007... Confidence in the UK stock market is soaring, with six out of 10 regular investors feeling more confident now than 12 months ago, research from TD Waterhouse has shown. The online broker polled more than 1,000 UK investors who had traded...

Institutional advantages for private investors.(January news)
January 1, 2007... Barclays Stockbrokers claims that its double launch of investment notes will continue to narrow the gap between private investors and institutions. It has introduced two investment notes that track the FTSE/Xinhua China 25 index and the Euro...

Recent moves.(January news)
January 1, 2007... Recent moves These are the latest fund manager moves announced to the beginning of November 2006. To keep track of your fund manager, and for further commentary on manager moves, visit www.bestinvest.co.uk Date left Fund...

Top ten funds.(January news)
January 1, 2007... UNIT TRUSTS One Year 1 Baring Hong Kong China USD 150.65 2 JF China A (dist) USD 146.13 3 dit-CHINA--A--USD 144.42 4 Neptune Russ &...

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 potential.(January news)
January 1, 2007... * CF Bespoke The CF Bespoke IPD UK Monthly Index Tracker Fund is a new fund that aims to achieve a combination of growth and income for investors by tracking the IPD UK Monthly Index. The IPD Index reflects the change in value and rental...

Nomura International.(Product of the month)
January 1, 2007... Nomura International has launched an open-ended Global Property 80 per cent Protected Fund. It combines a globally diversified property investment with a quarterly regional rebalancing and capital protection. It invests 100 per cent in property...

Proceeding with caution: after a period of strong growth, stock markets started to look more uncertain in the second half of 2006, as worries about slowing growth and rising interest rates took hold. But are things as bad as they seem? Keiron Root asks the professionals where we should be investing in 2007.(Where to invest in 2007)
January 1, 2007... After three years of steady gains, markets corrected in the middle of the year, and there have been distinct signs of nervousness ever since. The chief culprit is, as usual, the US. More particularly, worries that both the US government and the...

Taxing times: seeing a big chunk of your income swallowed up by tax is disheartening to say the least, but there are ways to trim that tax bill. Pauline McCallion finds out more.(Tax-efficient investments)
January 1, 2007... Benjamin Franklin may not have been the first, but he was probably the most famous person to observe that nothing in this world is certain, except death and taxes. Unfortunately, the phrase still rings true today. According to the Taxpayers'...

Investing for growth: each month, What Investment focuses on a potential growth stock highlighted by our sister publication Investing for Growth.(Growth stocks)
January 1, 2007... Investing for Growth is a monthly publication dedicated to uncovering growth stocks that might otherwise be missed by its readers. It bases its analysis on Company REFS--Really Essential Financial Statistics--an approach to financial analysis...

White Young Green--on the acquisition trail.(CORE PORTFOLIO RECOMMENDATION)
January 1, 2007... White Young Green is an international consulting business that supplies a range of engineering, environmental, planning and management services to clients in the public and private sectors. The group is highly acquisitive, and was born out...

Market view: Tom Winnifrith sees the UK stock market pausing for breath.(UK SHARES)(Industry overview)
January 1, 2007... How things can change in just a month. After October demonstrated all the early signs that a seasonal rally might be on the cards, November proved to be a month of reflective pause. The robust US consumer sentiment figures and upbeat underlying...

Sector view: tobacco.(UK SHARES)
January 1, 2007... For as long as it has been cancerous, tobacco has been a big business. Despite the constant, looming liability resulting from the chief product poisoning its customers, this has remained an industry where the big players have been cash...

Share view: Imperial Tobacco and Gallaher.(UK SHARES)
January 1, 2007... London-listed Imperial Tobacco is probably more of an acquisitor than a target. Indeed, rumours currently abound that Imperial will make an offer for Spanish group Altadis. In the meantime, on investment grounds, Imperial, which makes Lambert &...

European sector review: Henk Ports looks at the outlook for European financial stocks.
January 1, 2007... Financial stocks have performed well over the past few months for a number of reasons--and we expect many of these factors to remain influential in the months to come. Even so, the sector is trading at a slightly lower PE ratio than the market...

Market insider they've got an awful lot of taxes in Brazil: Michael Wilson discovers that the growth potential of the Brazilian economy is being held back by government policy and high interest rates.(WORLD MARKETS)
January 1, 2007... In theory this really ought to be Brazil's year--and about time too, a lot of people would say. For the last couple of years, this giant of the Latin world has been shunned by the investment markets and seemingly passed over by just about...

Expanding horizons: win 3,000 [pounds sterling] to boost your investment trust portfolio from the Association of Investment Companies.(AIC competition)
January 1, 2007... In October 2006, the Association of Investment Trust Companies changed its name to the Association of Investment Companies (AIC). The new name reflects the changes that are occurring in the investment company sector, as in recent years growth...

Global equities boom or bubble? 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)
January 1, 2007... So is the global economy heading for a bubble that is likely to burst with painful consequences? Keith Skeoch, chief executive of Standard Life Investments, argues: "This past year has been another good year for returns in financial markets and...

Bonds: slow reactions to rate rises.(ASSET ALLOCATION)
January 1, 2007... The recent upward trend in interest rates in the US, UK and Europe might have been expected to have an impact on the bond markets. Ian Spreadbury, fixed income portfolio manager at Fidelity Investments, says: "In the US, the Federal Reserve's...

Commodities: industrial metals shining through.(ASSET ALLOCATION)
January 1, 2007... Although oil prices have dominated the headlines over recent months, investors in other commodities have been experiencing a very profitable period. Marc Gordon, managing director of Close Fund Management, which runs the Close Enhanced...

Property: high rates fail to dim enthusiasm.(ASSET ALLOCATION)
January 1, 2007... Looking at the outlook for the commercial property market, Alan Mooney, head of UK research and strategy at AXA Investment Managers, reports: "2006 is shaping up to be another good year for property. After strong returns of 19.1 per cent in...

DIY pensions.(Money clinic: A panel of independent experts answers readers' financial planning and investment queries)
January 1, 2007... Having always had the comfort of a company final salary pension scheme I am somewhat lost as to how to guide my son, a sole trader, on starting his own pension scheme. Can you possibly give some facts on how and where to buy the right...

Alternatives to endowments.(Money clinic: A panel of independent experts answers readers' financial planning and investment queries)
January 1, 2007... I have a small number of endowment policies which I no longer need to support a mortgage. These policies were set up on a cautious basis to make sure they met the specific need of paying off a mortgage. Since I no longer need to be as...

No more reclaims.(Money clinic: A panel of independent experts answers readers' financial planning and investment queries)
January 1, 2007... My wife and I have invested in both unit trusts and investment trusts for our grandchildren, now aged between 11 and 18. Myson used to claim back the tax paid for his children until a few years ago but because of the hassle he gave up. ...

The money doctor: Andrew Merricks takes a scientific approach to the problem of where to invest.(Money doctor)
January 1, 2007... Behavioural finance is the study of why investors get things wrong on a regular basis. Can we use it to make 2007 a more profitable one for ourselves? Behavioural finance is a field of study that examines how emotions and cognitive errors...

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)
January 1, 2007... CAUTIOUS OPTION Dan Kemp, head of fund research at Williams de Broe, suggests that cautious investors look at a relative newcomer to the ranks of the fixed-interest funds. Cazenove Strategic Bond was launched in April 2006, so does not yet...

Unit trust performance tables.(UNIT TRUSTS OEICs)
January 1, 2007... What the tables show The figures show the value of 100 [pounds sterling] over six months, one, three, five and ten years to 30 November 2006, on an offer-to-bid basis with net income reinvested. Funds are listed by sector so that you can...

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)
January 1, 2007... CAUTIOUS OPTION Paul Craig, fund manager at New Star Asset Management, highlights the attractions of a generalist trust with a novel approach to risk management. The shares of Cayenne Trust are ranked 4th out of 28 in the Global Growth...

Investment trust performance tables.(INVESTMENTS TRUSTS)
January 1, 2007... The figures show the value of 100 [pounds sterling] over six months, one, three, five and 10 years to 30 November 2006, on an offer-o-bid basis with net income reinvested. Funds are listed by sector so that you can compare them against trusts...

Out of the Pits.(What Investment: Book club: New titles to improve your investing)
January 1, 2007... * Out of the Pits by Caitin Zaloom From New York to Singapore, from Chicago to London, the trading floors of the world's financial markets are icons of global capitalism. But these marketplaces, and the cultural life that sustains them,...

The eBay Book (second edition).(What Investment: Book club: New titles to improve your investing)
January 1, 2007... * The eBay Book (second edition) by David Belbin eBay is the world's largest marketplace and a worldwide phenomenon. Since the first edition of The eBay Book in June 2004, both the number of people using eBay, and the number of incredible...

Just One Thing.(What Investment: Book club: New titles to improve your investing)
January 1, 2007... * Just One Thing by John Mauldin Today's best investment minds offer their proven investment advice. With all the 'noise' in today's financial markets, it is hard to know what things are truly critical to successful investing. That's why...

How to label a goat.(Book of the month)
January 1, 2007... Have you ever thrown your arms up in despair while trying to complete an official form and asked yourself" Just what is the point of this?" You're not alone. Red tape in Britain has reached epidemic proportions. In just 12 months, the...

Best buys performance tables.
January 1, 2007... Figures correct as at 05.12.06 Unsecured Personal Loan Selection Monthly payment Lender Contact APR ...

Thoroughly modern mutuals: after a spate of demutualisations and takeovers the UK has 62 building societies remaining. But who are they for and what do they offer? Jo Tura finds out.(Building societies)
January 1, 2007... Building societies come in a large variety of shapes and sizes and offer between them a wide range of savings products, mortgages, accounts and credit cards. According to the Building Societies Association (BSA), the smallest building society,...

Rate of growth highest since August 2004.(UK HOUSE PRICES)
January 1, 2007... Unseasonally strong growth in housing sales over November and falling levels of supply have resulted in an acceleration in the rate of house price growth according to the latest monthly housing market survey by Hometrack. House prices...

Personal pension annuity rates.(REFERENCE)
January 1, 2007... 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...

Best ways to save.(REFERENCE)
January 1, 2007... Best ways to save Telephone Number INSTANT ACCESS BRANCH ACCOUNTS Post Office 0800 169 7500 Cheshire BS 0800 243278...

Financial contacts ISA directory.(Directory)
January 1, 2007... FINANCIAL CONTACTS ISA DIRECTORY Abbey Investments ISA Stocks & Tel: 0845 7654321 Safety Plus Shares Growth Option * Cash ...

Expanding horizons: Keiron Root reviews the current state of the investment trust sector.(The Essential Guide to Investment Trusts--introduction)
January 1, 2007... Welcome to The Essential Guide to Investment Trusts, a special publication within this issue of What Investment highlighting the exciting growth and impressive returns currently being generated by the investment trust sector. This guide is...

The great comeback: five years ago, investment trusts were facing oblivion, as the problems surrounding split capital trusts threatened to overwhelm the entire sector. But, as Keiron Root explains, investors who have kept faith have been richly rewarded.(IT performance)
January 1, 2007... Mention the words 'investment trust' to anyone unfamiliar with the sector and they will usually qualify them with words like 'crisis', 'debacle' and 'disaster'. They are referring, of course, to the problems that hit the split capital trusts a...

Spoilt for choice: choosing the right savings scheme can be a headache, thanks to the bewildering array of choice on offer. Pauline McCallion looks at what's available from investment trust savings schemes.(IT savings schemes)
January 1, 2007... Anyone currently looking for a safe--and profitable--place for their savings is probably already well aware of the multitude of accounts and savings schemes available to consumers. Increasingly, the hard part isn't making a return on your...

Looking for hidden value: Keiron Root meets an investment trust manager who focuses on the virtues of cash generation.(FUND MANAGER PROFILE)
January 1, 2007... When the announcement was made a couple of months ago that the management of the Merrill Lynch Asset Allocator investment trust was moving to Invesco Perpetual, there was much attention drawn to the fact that Mark Barnett would now be running...

Investment trust ISAs: the chancellor has now confirmed that ISAs have a long-term future, so investment trust investors should consider using a tax-efficient ISA wrapper to enhance their returns.(IT ISAs)
January 1, 2007... Chancellor Brown confirmed in his pre-Budget statement at the beginning of December that Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) were to continue beyond their original cut-off date of 2010. This is good news for private investors. ISAs allow them to...