What Investment articles from July 2004

What Investment archives from July 2004

Simply the best.(Comment)
July 1, 2004... 'Four years ago investors were bemoaning the fact that it was particularly hard to identify fund managers who had been personally responsible for adding value to their portfolios. In a period of prolonged and phenomenal growth even rookie fund...

Luck of the Irish.(news)
July 1, 2004... ADVFN is now providing free Irish Stock Exchange prices on its website. Private investors are able to obtain quotes and view streaming 'intraday' and historical charts for Irish stocks on the site for free. Users can now add familiar names such...

Cheap European stocks.(news)
July 1, 2004... Barclays Stockbrokers has cut online dealing commissions on the shares of hundreds of European blue-chip companies. Online commission rates are now just 12 [pounds sterling] per deal, dropping to 7.50 [pounds sterling] per deal if you place...

250 [pounds sterling] cheque back.(News Round-up)
July 1, 2004... For a limited time only, investors who make new investments or transfer funds into the Hargreaves Lansdown Vantage ISA, PEP or fund account could get a cheque back for up to 250 [pounds sterling]. Fund supermarkets and Wrap accounts can...

Bond range expansion.(News Round-up)
July 1, 2004... Legal & General is expanding its Investment Bond fund range with the launch of a new Managed Bond fund. The fund will invest in Legal & General's Fixed Interest Trust and the High Income Trust. The Fixed Interest Trust, managed by Stuart...

No more cherry-picking.(News Round-up)
July 1, 2004... Financial firms can no longer 'cherry-pick' data about historic fund performance in their advertisements under new rules introduced by the Financial Services Authority (FSA), which came into force on 1 June. Under the new rules: *...

Advice expose.(News Round-up)
July 1, 2004... Bestinvest Brokers has published an expose of the investment advice industry, providing investors with a valuable reference on how to avoid being mis-sold to. The Financial Ombudsman Service expects to take on 103,000 cases of mis-selling in...

Guide to small companies.(news)
July 1, 2004... F&C Management has published the Guide to Investing in Smaller Companies. The guide looks at the case for investing in smaller companies and why they can be a good option for portfolio diversification. Call 0800 136420 for a free copy.

Business opportunities.(news)
July 1, 2004... FiSMA, a not-for profit organisation designed to bring investors, entrepreneurs, companies and/or their advisers together, has been launched. The service is free to investors. Visit www.fisma.org for further information.

Covered warrants just 1 [pounds sterling].(news)
July 1, 2004... Stockbroker TD Waterhouse is offering investors the opportunity to trade covered warrants for just 1 [pounds sterling] until 31 July 2004. The offer celebrates the launch of a new online trading service and applies to any covered warrant trade...

Clarification.(news)(Correction Notice)
July 1, 2004... In the Property Funds feature from page 104 in the May issue of What Investment we made reference to the yield on the New Star Property unit trust. New Star would like us to point out that the yield figure of between 6 and 7 per cent refers to...

Taking issue: Nic Cicutti reports on the latest issues rocking the world of finance.(news)
July 1, 2004... Are we beginning to see the end of the bull run? After 12 months in which global equity markets rebounded from the lows of March 2003, we appear to have stalled again. Moreover, looking forward, confidence also appears to be low: at...

Top ten funds.(news)
July 1, 2004... top ten funds Unit trusts One year 1 Legg Mason Jap Equity 201.24 2 Framlington Japan 200.95 3 Invesco Perp'l Jap Sm Cos 175.13 4 Marlborough Special Sits 164.72 5 M&G Jap...

New offers: we examine what the latest savings and investmen 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.(news)
July 1, 2004... Keydata Keydata has launched the ninth issue of its Extra Income Plan. This five-year plan offers two levels of annual income over five years--7 or 6 per cent--with return of capital linked to the performance of either the Dow Jones Euro...

SG Asset Management.(Product of the month)
July 1, 2004... SG Asset Management is to make the UK Specialist 350 fund available to the retail market. Managed by Hari Sandhu, who has been managing the institutional version of this fund for 18 months, the portfolio will be made up of between 45 and 70 of...

Nvesta.(Also launching this month ...)
July 1, 2004... Structured product provider Nvesta has launched a five-year income plan based on the performance of the FTSE 100. The plan is split into two parts, one providing annual income payments of 5 per cent, the other securing the capital return at...

Cheltenham & Gloucester.(Also launching this month ...)
July 1, 2004... Cheltenham & Gloucester has launched a one-year fixed-rate cash mini-ISA offering a tax-free return of 5 percent. The minimum investment is 1,000 [pounds sterling] and the ISA will be available for a limited period only. Call 0800 717 505.

Managers on the move: should you stay or should you go? What Investment looks into the reasons behind recent fund manager moves.(Fund managers)
July 1, 2004... Following David Mitchinson's high-profile move from Framlington to JP Morgan Fleming last month, another prominent Japanese equity manager has announced her imminent departure to pastures new. Anne-Marie Main, head of research for Japanese...

The income map: Simon Hildrey reviews the options for income seekers.(Focus: fixed interest)
July 1, 2004... The rise in interest rates from 3.50 to 4.25 per cent since November 2003 has been welcome news for savers, if not for indebted households. But rising interest rates could choke off returns from one valuable source of income--corporate bonds....

What Investment Awards 2004: welcome to the What Investment Fund Management Awards 2004, where we reveal the high achievers within the world of fund management.(Fund awards)(Cover Story)
July 1, 2004... Now in their 20th year, the What Investment Fund Management Awards aim to reward those fund managers who have delivered outperformance to investors through the good times and the bad. And over the past five years, we have certainly seen a fair...

Unit Trust Management Group of the Year: and the winner of the Unit Trust Management Group of the Year Award is ... Artemis.(Fund awards)
July 1, 2004... Our main award this year goes to Artemis Investment Management, who displayed consistently strong performance across its range of unit trusts. Artemis was set up in 1997 by Mark Tyndall, John Dodd, Derek Stuart and Lindsay Whitelaw as an active...

Specialist Unit Trust group of the year: First State walks off with the prize this year in the Specialist Unit Trust category.(Fund awards)
July 1, 2004... The Specialist Unit Trust Award focuses on fund management companies with unit trusts invested in overseas markets and specific sectors of the stock market. And the winner of the award this year is First State Investments. First State...

Unit Trust Manager of the Year: Ed Burke takes top spot on the podium in the Unit Trust Manager of the Year award with the Invesco Perpetual UK Aggressive fund.(Fund awards)
July 1, 2004... As with the group award, this category measures a fund's returns relative to others with similar objectives. This ensures that the results are not influenced by the success of the sectors in which they happen to be invested. And the...

Most Consistent Unit Trust of the Year: Fidelity Special Situations takes the prize this year for the most consistent unit trust performance.(Fund awards)
July 1, 2004... The Most Consistent Unit Trust of the Year Award focuses on the performance of funds over a five-year period. One-year performance figures were run on a three-month rolling basis over five years with the intention being to find the funds that...

Investment Trust Management Group of the Year: in our main investment trust award category, Close Finsbury walks away with the honours.(Fund awards)
July 1, 2004... The winner of our premier unit trust performance award is Close Finsbury, a group that adopts a distinctive approach to managing investment trust portfolios, in that it fulfils the role of 'manager selection'--in other words, it outsources the...

Generalist Investment Trust of the Year: this year, first prize in the Generalist Investment Trust category goes to The Independent Investment Trust.(Fund awards)
July 1, 2004... The runaway winner of the 2004 Generalist Investment Trust of the Year award is The Independent Investment Trust. This independently managed trust, a global growth fund capitalised at around 100 million [pounds sterling], was set up in October...

Specialist Investment Trust of the Year: the top Specialist Investment Trust of the Year award goes to Gartmore Irish Growth.(Fund awards)
July 1, 2004... The specialist investment trust category is far and away the most difficult of the categories to judge, as it involves trying to compare specialist funds whose portfolios have little, if anything, in common. That said, Gartmore Irish Growth...

Most Consistent Investment Trust of the Year: TR Property shows that consistency is the name of its game.(Fund awards)
July 1, 2004... TR Property takes the prize for the Most Consistent Investment Trust of the Year for 2004. The award comes at an interesting time, as its manager, Chris Turner, recently resigned from current management house Henderson Global Investors. ...

Best Unit Trust Provider: and the winner of the Best Unit Trust Provider Readership Award is ... Fidelity Investment services.(Fund awards)
July 1, 2004... We now turn to the first of our Readership Awards 2004, the Best Unit Trust Provider. This award looks to recognise those providers that stand out from the crowd in the competitive world of unit trust management. And the winner of the 2004...

Best Investment Trust Provider: congratulations to F&C Management, which was voted the Best Investment Trust Provider by What Investment readers.(Fund awards)
July 1, 2004... The prize for the Best Investment Trust Provider 2004 goes to F&C Management, our third-placed finalist in this category in 2003. "We are absolutely delighted to have won the What Investment Best Investment Trust Provider Award," says...

Best Stockbroker: the winner's medal once again this year goes to Halifax Share Dealing.(Fund awards)
July 1, 2004... The market may be awash with a variety of different stockbroking services, but it seems that What Investment readers are resolute in their belief that simplicity is the key to the best services within this sector. Once again, flat-rate fees...

Best Independent Financial Adviser: top of the IFA pops this year is Chartwell Investment Management.(Fund awards)
July 1, 2004... The Best Independent Financial Adviser award aims to reward those firms of financial advisers that have been efficient and helpful in their dealings with their clients, and who have managed to secure and increase their clients' wealth through...

Best Pension Provider: Prudential takes the award, for the Best Pension Provider 2004.(Fund awards)
July 1, 2004... The pensions industry has had a tough ride over the past few years, with declining stock markets denting the pension funds of even the largest players in the sector. But amidst the bad headlines, there is cause to celebrate some of the...

Best Customer Service: the award for the provision of the Best Customer Service goes to Marks & Spencer Money.(Fund awards)
July 1, 2004... A new award for the 2004 Readership Awards, the Best Customer Service category, aims to highlight the financial company that you feel has done the most in terms of overall product range, dealing with complaints, and processing savings and...

Looking for assistance? Harvey Jones looks at your advisory and discretionary stockbuilding options.(Advisory stockbroking)
July 1, 2004... At the height the technology boom, execution-only sharedealing services swept all before them, as private investors discovered the joys of real-time online trading from 10 [pounds sterling] a shot. Better still, the tech bubble meant that the...

Shared benefits: Carol Dempsey of PricewaterhouseCoopers looks at the benefits of employee share schemes.(Q & A)
July 1, 2004... Many employees in the private sector receive share options or similar awards as part of their pay. Not so long ago employees walked away with what seemed like a lottery win (or, if you were an investment banker, at least the price of dinner at...

Hands-on pensions: self-invested personal pensions allow investors to take full control of their retirement planning.(Technology)
July 1, 2004... For those who of you who prefer to make your own investment decisions, self-invested personal pensions, or SIPPs, make a tempting alternative to the typical insurance company pension plan. In essence a SIPP is the pension equivalent of a...

United Kingdom: some concerns.(World Markets)
July 1, 2004... The strength of sterling has protected manufacturers from imported inflation but this will end if sterling weakens against the US dollar "We have seen recent data confirm the strength of the UK economy but we continue to be concerned about...

United States: making progress.(World Markets)
July 1, 2004... The latest employment figures demonstrate that companies are increasingly convinced that economic recovery is sustainable "Just a couple of months ago, money market futures were discounting little, if any, rise in US interest rates before...

Europe: mixed messages.(World Markets)
July 1, 2004... Fund managers are cautiously optimistic about European stock market prospects "European economic data has been disappointing and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development now expects Germany, France, Italy and Portugal to...

Far East: political upheaval.(World Markets)
July 1, 2004... Fears of rising interest rates in the US and political upheaval in India have dampened sentiment towards the region. India has dominated the headlines emerging from the region over recent weeks, following the dramatic outcome of" its...

Japan: mixed pace of change.(World Markets)
July 1, 2004... The economy is in better shape than it has been for over a decade, but the pace of change is mixed "We would encourage investors to realise that the recent adjustment in Japanese equity prices reflects a more realistic pricing of risk,"...

Emerging markets: pockets of interest.(World Markets)
July 1, 2004... One possible risk to returns from emerging markets is the effect US interest rate rises might have on currencies "Over the last six months, the portfolio has moved from overweight to broadly neutral in Mexico," says Nick Timberlake,...

Market insider: India: continuing our series providing a fundamental analysis of a region from an economic and political perspective. This month, Michael Wilson considers the outlook for India.(World Markets)
July 1, 2004... As an election result, it was pure Bollywood. As an exercise in humility, it was unsurpassed. As soon as Sonia Gandhi, the Italian-born widow of the murdered ex-premier Rajiv Gandhi, had got over the shock of actually winning an election which...

Market view.(UK Shares)
July 1, 2004... May was not a good month for equities. In the Middle East the political situation deteriorated once more. And this was at least partially responsible for pushing oil up to a 21-year high--Brent crude topping $39 a barrel. Corporate news was...

UK stock performance.(UK Shares)
July 1, 2004... UK STOCK PERFORMANCE Rank Company Name Weight in 1 Month Index Return TOP 20 FTSE All-Share 1 Bell Group 0.01% 52.65% 2 Marks &...

FTSE 100 index.(UK Shares)
July 1, 2004... FTSE 100 INDEX Stock 1 month Rank 1 year Rank 3i Group Inv Tr 101.66 27 106.58 69 Abbey National 99.17 54 93.50 88 Alliance & Leicester ...

Index constituent rankings FTSE 100.
July 1, 2004... INDEX CONSTITUENT RANKINGS FTSE 100 Rank Stock Price Dividend Yield (%) 1 BP 477.75 3.22% 2 HSBC...

Airline sector view.(UK Shares)
July 1, 2004... Historically, airlines have been a rotten investment. It is a capital-intensive industry (aeroplanes are an expensive purchase) and fixed costs (the fuel needed to run a plane) are high. That tends to mean that the companies involved have a...

Airline share view.(UK Shares)
July 1, 2004... EasyJet warned in early June that its current year profits would be unlikely to be much more than the 55 million [pounds sterling] it racked up last year. For a stock on a growth rating--and which had been forecast to make 84 million...

European sector review: Hilary Cook, director of investment strategy at Barclays Private Clients, examines the prospects for the European General Retailers sector.(Stock Market Review)
July 1, 2004... While other sectors increasingly adopt a pan-European attitude, the UK's General Retail sector has, by and large, remained pretty much domestically focused. And with good reason. Shopping habits have remained remarkably nationally focused, and...

European stock performance.(Stock Market Review)
July 1, 2004... European stock performance Rank Company Weight in 1 Month Name Index Return Top 20 FFSE World Europe 1 Marks & Spencer Group ...

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)
July 1, 2004... CAUTIOUS OPTION Stephen Marriott, fund analyst at Bestinvest, points cautious investors in the direction of a fixed-interest portfolio. The New Star Sterling Bond fund is ranked 17th out of 64 funds in the UK Corporate Bond sector over...

Unit trust performance tables.(Unit Trusts OEICs)
July 1, 2004... What the table shows The figures show the value of 100 [pounds sterling] over six months, one, three, five and 10 years to 31 May 2004, on an offer-to-bid basis with net income reinvested. Funds are listed by sector so that you can compare...

New Europe, traditional values: Keiron Root meets Davina Curling, whose experience of investing in Europe gives her a head start in picking attractive stocks.(Fund Manager Profile)
July 1, 2004... Despite recent economic weakness, Europe still has much to offer long-term investors, particularly with the prospect of ten new member states of the European Union providing a potential economic boost. Although the stated goal of the EU is...

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)
July 1, 2004... CAUTIOUS OPTION Polly Crawford of Collins Stewart suggests that cautious investors opt for a generalist trust with a distinctive investment approach. The shares of Personal Assets are ranked seventh out of 37 in the Global Growth sector...

Investment trust performance tables.(Investment Trusts)
July 1, 2004... The figures show the value of 100 [pounds sterlings] over six months, one, three, five and ten years to 31 May 2004, on a mid-market basis with net income reinvested. Funds are listed by sector so that you can compare them against trusts with...

IFA lowdown.(Money Clinic)(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2004... Several years ago I made investments in PEPs and ISAs with the help of a financial adviser and was generally satisfied with his advice. Since that time, through reading newspapers and magazines, such as What Investment, my knowledge and...

Taking issue.(Money Clinic)(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2004... As a first-time reader of What Investment I found your April issue most useful. In particular I found the article by Nic Cicutti very perceptive. If Mr Cicutti is correct and interest rates are on the increase, thus reducing the attraction of...

The crest of a wave.(Money Clinic)(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2004... For 20 years I have run a business sponsoring canal boats. This has been acceptable to both the taxman and the VAT man. I have recently changed my accountants and been informed by the new ones that the boats would not qualify for business...

Best ways to save.(Money Facts)
July 1, 2004... Best ways to save Telephone Number/Website INSTANT ACCESS BRANCE ACCOUNTS Lambeth BS 0500 200020 Manchester BS 0870 990 0810 Scarborough BS ...

Personal pension annuity rates.(Reference)
July 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 an annuity by the time you...

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

ISA directory.(Financial Contacts)
July 1, 2004... ISA Directory NAME & ADDRESS NAME OF SCHEME TYPE MAXI/ CAT MINI STANDARD Abbey Investments Stocks & Both No National[R] ISA ...