What Investment articles from July 2002

What Investment archives from July 2002

Corporate security. (Comment).(Brief Article)(Editorial)
July 1, 2002... Diversity, diversity, diversity: the investment adviser's mantra since time began. Hold a sensible spread of assets in your portfolio and consistent performance will always be possible. Or so the argument goes. The past twenty eight months...

The rating game. (News Round-up).(Standard & Poor's Fund Management Ratings reports service)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Standard & Poor's has rolled out a web-based service to provide easier access to its Fund Management Ratings reports. Each report will be available immediately upon release via the website and will include all the information previously found...

TEP boom? (News Round-up).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Neville James Portfolio Management has launched a management service for traded endowment policies allowing investors to access specialist TEP investment advice, reduce ongoing administration and gear their portfolios. The launch comes hot on...

Bond options. (News Round-up).(Skipton Building Society)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Skipton Building Society is offering two fixed-rate bonds. The 1-Year Fixed Rate Bond offers an interest rate of 4.75 per cent gross p.a. fixed until 31 July 2003, whilst the 2-Year Fixed Rate Bond provides investors with a fixed rate of...

Top ten funds. (July News).(list)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... top ten funds Unit trusts One year Performance 1 Merrill Lynch Gold & General 200.02 2 JPMF Korea 148.75 3 Schroder Seoul 143.88 4...

Norwich Union. (New offers).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Norwich Union has launched two new investment funds: Managed High Income and World Leaders. The managed income fund will invest mainly in corporate bonds and is designed to provide a high level of income. The fund will have exposure to both the...

Clerical Medical. (New offers).(Clerical Medical and General Life Assurance Society)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Clerical Medical has launched `Bond for Life', an offshore bond aimed at high net-worth individuals, but also available to trustees and expatriates. It offers a choice of 33 Clerical Medical funds, including three with-profits options, with the...

Motion Picture Partners. (New offers).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Motion Picture Partners--a limited liability partnership fund--offers the opportunity to invest in the British film industry whilst benefiting from the scheme's tax incentives. Minimum investment: 10,000 [pounds sterling] lump sum (5,000...

Product of the month: Fidelity Investments. (New offers).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Fidelity Investments has added a new fund package to its product range. Called `American Beauties' the package combines the Fidelity American and Fidelity American Special Situations funds. The product intends to give instant US diversification...

Leeds & Holbeck Building Society has launched a three-year flexible bond paying 4 per cent in year one, 5 per cent in year two and 6 per cent in year three. (July News).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... * Leeds & Holbeck Building Society has launched a three-year flexible bond paying 4 per cent in year one, 5 per cent in year two and 6 per cent in year three. The minimum investment is 100 [pounds sterling]. Call 0500 225 777

Britannia Building Society is offering a two-year fixed-rate bond paying 5.4 per cent gross AER. (July News).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... * Britannia Building Society is offering a two-year fixed-rate bond paying 5.4 per cent gross AER. The minimum investment is 1,000 [pounds sterling]. Those looking for monthly interest can get 5.15 per cent gross on 2,000 [pounds sterling] or...

Britannia has also launched a five-year guaranteed capital equity bond paying 6.65 per cent. (July News).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... * Britannia has also launched a five-year guaranteed capital equity bond paying 6.65 per cent. Minimum investment 500 [pounds sterling]. Call 0800 132 304

Cheltenham & Gloucester has a new two-year fixed-rate bond paying. (July News).(Cheltenham and Gloucester Building Society)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... * Cheltenham & Gloucester has a new two-year fixed-rate bond paying 5 per cent pa gross AER on investments over 500 [pounds sterling]. Call 0800 717 505

Coventry Building Society is offering a one-year fixed-rate bond paying 5 per cent and a two-year fixed-rate bond paying 5.1 per cent. (July News).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... * Coventry Building Society is offering a one-year fixed-rate bond paying 5 per cent and a two-year fixed-rate bond paying 5.1 per cent. Each product has a minimum investment of 1,000 [pounds sterling]. Call 0845 766 5522

Premier Fund Managers' new Premier UK Income & Growth Plan offers a choice. (July News).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... * Premier Fund Managers' new Premier UK Income & Growth Plan offers a choice of 7.5 per cent per annum income (a monthly income of 0.6. per cent) or 32 per cent growth over a four-year term. Call 0800 21 25 77

Collins Stewart & Ecofin. (New offers).(Ecofin Water and Power Opportunities)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Collins Stewart and Ecofin have established a split capital investment trust, Ecofin Water & Power Opportunities. The trust is to take advantage of opportunities in the water, electric power and gas distribution industries, principally in the...

Managers on the move: should you stay or should you go? What Investment looks into the reasons behind recent fund manager moves. (Managers On The Move).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Turn your back for five minutes and, whoomph, New Star has lured another batch of star fund managers to its fold. This time it's Stephen Whittaker, former manager of Invesco Perpetual UK Growth and Smaller Companies Core funds, Theodora Zemek,...

Picking a winner; What Investment provides a back-to-basics guide to stockpicking. (Focus: be a better stockpicker)(Cover Story).
July 1, 2002... A drift in a choppy market? Investment strategy in pieces? Wondering how you can make a sensible decision about your next investment? You're not alone. If the year 2001 didn't shake your resolve, the year 2002 is certainly trying hard to...

Christmas turkeys: short seller Evil Knievil picks out five FTSE stocks he feels will plummet by the time the Xmas turkey's on the table. (Focus: be a better stockpicker).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Some might say that it is unfair to stick the boot into a man when he's down. I would argue that there is never a better time to have a go. And though the FTSE 100 index is, at 4,989, more than 1600 points down from its all-time high, the good...

Bonds vs equities: with equities struggling to make headway in an uncertain global economy, Harvey Jones looks at the arguments in favour of corporate bonds. (Corporate Bonds).
July 1, 2002... Conventional wisdom says bonds may be safer than equities, but equities should outperform in the longer run. Now that wisdom is being challenged. Sterling corporate bonds proved the best-performing asset class in 2001, beating returns on...

A risky venture? David Harris discovers if warrants deserve their reputation as a risky and volatile class of share. (Warrants).
July 1, 2002... For investors interested in having a proportion of their investment capital in an area that offers potential for spectacular capital gains with an accompanying high level of investment risk, a sector of the market that is frequently overlooked...

Escaping CGT; Susan Whiting takes a peek at the complex world of capital gains tax. (Capital Gains Tax).(capital gains tax)
July 1, 2002... It's an undeniable fact that when you realise that capital gains tax may be an issue, it's probably too late to make the best arrangements in order to minimise your liability. By it's nature--a tax on capital, often on one-off transactions--the...

Q&A: investment trusts. (Q+A).
July 1, 2002... Investment trusts have been in the news recently, mainly for the wrong reasons. Poor performance has lead to worries that one particular group of trusts--split capital trusts--which have become popular with private investors, may not live up to...

The property.net: Keiron Root reports on property investment opportunities and ways to use the internet to your advantage. (Technology).(Statistical Data Included)
July 1, 2002... With stock markets going nowhere for the best part of two years and interest rates at historic lows, growing numbers of investors have been looking for an alternative form of investment that will offer them both a reasonable level of income and...

United Kingdom; small is best: 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).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Corporate profits are expected to be fairly healthy in the second half of 2002 and interest rates are likely to remain on hold The most confident UK fund managers at the moment are those who are avoiding the big blue chip stocks. "Being at...

United States: edge of stagnation. (World Markets).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... The US grinds to a halt as capital expenditure declines and consumers begin to stay at home "We believe that growth will slow, although we believe the slowdown will be greater than the market is currently anticipating," says Sam...

Europe: cautiously optimistic. (World Markets).
July 1, 2002... Economic fundamentals are picking up but there is little evidence of this being reflected in corporate profitability Following a period of relative stagnation, there has been a pick up in the eurozone 12 economies recently according to...

Far East: fairly valued. (World Markets).(investment outlook)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Asia is reflecting the improvement in the global economy, domestic consumption is picking up and there has been a greater investment of foreign capital "Asia is still under a cloud as far as foreign investors are concerned, as they have...

Japan: turning a corner. (World Markets).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Inflation has been a big drag on the Japanese economy, but there are signs that this is easing "There is a cyclical recovery in the Japanese economy," says Natasha Chetwynd, head of Japanese equities at Britannic Asset Management. "We are...

Emerging markets: long-term potential. (World Markets).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... The cyclical pick-up in the global economy is feeding through into emerging markets in a significant way, but all eyes remain on the US "Over the last four or five years, emerging market equity has been a very disappointing asset class,"...

Market insider: Japan: continuing our series providing a fundamental analysis of a region from an economic and political perspective. This month, Michael Wilson considers the outlook for Japan. (World Markets).(Brief Article)(Column)(Statistical Data Included)
July 1, 2002... We have some good news and some bad news for you this month. The good news is that the Japanese economy is turning a corner at last. The bad news is that nobody is quite sure what sort of a corner it is, or which way it goes. But, for better or...

Tom Winnifrith looks at the forces driving the London stock market. (Market View).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 1, 2002... It was another bad month for equities. The FTSE 100 saw switching into defensive sectors such as tobacco and into those sectors such as steel that are benefiting from the sterling's recent weakness against the euro. But that was more than...

The FTSE disappoints. (Market View).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... We all hoped for a breakout on the upside. But the Footsie has let us down. Incidentally, the Dow led the Footsie by the nose on this occasion and while the chartists now predict that the FTSE could retreat rapidly back to the lows of mid...

Bulls still optimistic. (Market View).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
July 1, 2002... Even at 4989.15, the FTSE 100 trades on an historic price earnings ratio of 21.7 and yields just 2.79 per cent, while in the US the S&P trades on an even more generous rating. Clearly some investors are clinging to the start of year belief that...

UK stock performance. (UK Shares Update).(Brief Article)(Illustration)(Statistical Data Included)
July 1, 2002... UK STOCK PERFORMANCE Rank Company Weight in 1 Month Name Index Return FTSE All-shared 1 BPP Holdings 0.01% 94.23%...

Month end performance: FTSE all-share industry sectors. (UK Shares Update).
July 1, 2002... [GRAPHICS OMITTED]

FTSE 100 index. (UK Shares Update).(Statistical Data Included)
July 1, 2002... Stock 1 month Rank 1 year Rank FTSE 100 INDEX 3i Group 109.16 8 63.07 76 Abbey National 94.91 73 89.34 57 Alliance & Leicester ...

Index constituent rankings FTSE 100. (UK Shares Update).
July 1, 2002... Rank Security Price Dividend Dividend Yield Cover INDEX CONSTITUENT RANKINGS FTSE 100 1 BP 585 ...

Small caps: sector view. (UK Shares Update).
July 1, 2002... Superficially, it appears odd that smaller companies had a good May given that, at 2,568.24, the FT Small Cap sector trades on an historic price earnings ratio of 67.56. One would have thought that such a high rating was a clear bubble waiting...

Small caps: share view. (UK Shares Update).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... A smaller companies specialist has to be able to look at companies across dozens of industries. Nigel Wray, arguably Britain's most successful investor, is a major backer of Domino's Pizzas. This company has the UK and Irish franchise to roll...

Private investor indices. (UK Shares Update).(Statistical Data Included)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... PRIVATE INVESTOR INDICES Index Name Index Total Return % Change % Change Value Index Value 1 day 1 month 30/5/02 (C) FTSE International 2002 All Rights Reserved ...

European sector review: Hilary Cook, director of investment strategy at Barclays Private Clients, examines the prospects for the oil sector. (Stock Market Review).
July 1, 2002... Since the announcement on 16 May that easyJet would be acquiring Go-Fly, there has been renewed interest in the airline sector as a whole, led by speculation that further consolidation within the industry is on the way. One of the most...

Questions to ... Toby Thompson: Keiron Root talks to New Star's Toby Thompson to find out the secret of his success. (Fund Manager Profile).(Interview)
July 1, 2002... Given the general malaise in world stock markets, 1 June 2001 might not have seemed a sensible time to launch a new fund management group, but that was the date on which New Star Asset Management opened for business. Formed by John Duffield,...

Unit trust best buys. (Unit Trust Monitor).(investment fund picks)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... Summer is a traditionally a slow time in the investment world and this year is not likely to be the exception. Stock markets around the globe are united in their lack of direction and investors are rightly erring on the side of caution. ...

Performance tables. (Unit Trusts/OEICs).(Statistical Data Included)
July 1, 2002... WHAT THE TABLES SHOW The figures show the value of 100 [pounds sterling] over six months, one, three, five and 10 years to 31 May 2002, on an offer-to-bid basis with net income reinvested. Funds are listed by sector so that you can compare...

Investment trust best buys. (Investment Trust Monitor).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... If you're one of thousands of investors choosing to sit out on the sidelines during the current market volatility, use your time wisely to do a little bit of research. For a wealth of information on investment trusts, check out the redesigned...

Performance tables. (Investment Trusts).(Statistical Data Included)
July 1, 2002... WHAT THE TABLES SHOW The figures show the value of 100 [pounds sterling] invested over six months, one, three, five and ten years to 31 May 2002, on a mid-market basis with net income reinvested. Funds are listed by sector so that you can...

Put flare into the spare. (Money clinic).
July 1, 2002... My husband and I have 25,000 [pounds sterling] to invest. We have both retired and have a pension, but would like to boost our income annually. I have cash in an Egg savings account and I also have a PEP with Barclays that has now...

Independence day. (Money clinic).
July 1, 2002... I have inherited 250,000 [pounds sterling] and would like some advice on where to invest it, but don't know where to go. How do I choose a good independent adviser and how much will I have to pay? Will the adviser automatically monitor my...

Loss adjustment. (Money clinic).(annuities and estate planning)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... A friend retired at aged 65, converting a pension fund of nearly 100,000 [pounds sterling] into an annuity producing circa 4,000 [pounds sterling] per annum. Unfortunately, he died suddenly after the first monthly payment. With a five-year...

Best ways to save. (Reference).(list)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... NO-NOTICE ACCOUNTS Company Account Gross Interest Name Rate Freq. Balance of 500 [pounds sterling] Egg (www.egg.com) Egg...

In love and war: Mike Morrison examines the ways in which pension rights are treated on divorce. (Pension Commentary).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... It was the American Lewis Grizzard who said: "I don't think that I'll get married again. I'll just find a woman I don't like and give her a house". In a similarly acrimonious vein, actress Zsa Zsa Gabor once claimed: "I am a marvellous...

Personal pension annuity rates. (Annuities).(mostly tabular)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2002... An annuity is a financial product that converts capital into income. You can buy one with your own money and you can buy one with accrued pension funds. Currently, for money purchase pension funds, you must buy an annuity by the time you reach...

Top-performing unit-linked pensions. (Reference).
July 1, 2002... TOP-PERFORMING UNIT-LINKED PENSIONS Five years to 31 May 2002. Results of 100 [pounds sterling] invested on an offer-to-bid basis with gross income reinvested. Australasia FP Australian (ex NM) ** 112.12 1...