What Investment articles from May 2003

What Investment archives from May 2003

Equities, bonds or cash? (Comment).(Column)
May 1, 2003... Blink and you might have missed it, but, yes indeed, another ISA season has come and gone. Sales were, predictably, down on last year with investors unwilling to risk their hard-earned cash in equity markets struggling to adjust to economic and...

Take a stake. (May News).(Hargreaves Lansdown produces stakeholder pension fact-sheet)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... IFA Hargreaves Lansdown has produced a stakeholder pension fact-sheet to help guide investors through the process of buying a pension. The guide includes details of different stakeholder schemes and information on how to choose a pension....

Heirs and graces. (May News).(new website for inheritance tax liability planning)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... A website designed to simplify the whole business of calculating and planning for potential inheritance tax liability has been launched. It allows you to do a simple inheritance tax calculation by keying in details of your main residence,...

Really, really useful. (May News).(Artemis Fund Managers offers guide to asset classes)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... The Really Useful Investment Guide has been produced by Artemis Fund Managers. It lays out the relative benefits of different asset classes, from cash to bonds and gilts, stocks and shares, and explores the way economic cycles might affect your...

Charge! (News Round-up).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Investors should look behind the headline yields of corporate bond funds, says James Foster, manager of the ISIS Extra Income Bond fund. With corporate bond funds leading the ISA sales this year, it's crucial for investors to understand exactly...

Rates on the slide. (News Round-up).(individual savings account rates continue to fall)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Millions of UK savers are suffering as mini-cash ISA rates continue to slide, according to online bank Intelligent Finance. Not a single one of the top ten paying instant mini-cash ISAs launched in 1999 when ISAs first came on to the market...

Profits with principles. (News Round-up).(Ethical Money ISA and Fund Store offers ethical portfolios, access to ethical funds)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... The Ethical Money ISA and Fund Store has been launched to offer investors a choice of four ethical portfolios and access to 26 ethical funds from a selection of 16 fund management groups. Investors can select funds for themselves using...

Stick or twist. (News Round-up).(bondholder tips)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... More than 70 per cent of with-profits bondholders should surrender their plans, according to IFA Bestinvest. Research carried out by the group suggests that despite market value adjusters (MVAs), the majority of with-profits bond surrender...

Big isn't beautiful. (News Round-up).(Dennehy Weller Top Funds Guide )(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Many of the UK's most popular investment funds are characterised by poor performance, according to the Dennehy Weller Top Funds Guide. The objective of the guide is to identify the large funds that are letting investors down: this is based on...

Learn about money. (News Round-up).(Pre-Retirement Association launched website providing information on money, financial management)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... The Pre-Retirement Association, a national education charity, has launched the website www. learnaboutmoney.org developed with the aim of educating the public about money and financial I management. The site includes nine modules on issues such...

The online elite. (May News).(Self Trade unveils Self Trade Elite)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Online stockbroker Self Trade has launched Self Trade Elite, a service designed to benefit those who trade more than 25 times per quarter. Elite account holders will be entitled to a special commission rate-rebate of between 1 [pound sterling]...

Stock analysis. (May News).(E*TRADE Securities Ltd. launches stock analysis tools)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... E*Trade Securities has launched Signal Seeker and Market Profiler, two stock analysis tools designed to help CFD investors make more informed investment decisions. Signal Seeker is an automated technical analysis tool that generates trade...

Monthly option. (May News).(New Star High Yield Bond fund )(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... New Star is now paying income on the High Yield Bond fund monthly rather than quarterly in direct response to the increasing appetite for funds that pay income monthly. The New Star High Yield Bond fund was launched in October 2002 and is...

Taking issue: Nic Cicutti reports on the latest issues rocking the world of finance. (May News).
May 1, 2003... Investor behaviour is always intriguing. We buy when we should be selling, sell when we should be buying, pile into shares when we should be looking at bonds, and so on. And among the many glaring omissions from most of our portfolios, in...

Top ten funds. (May News).(top ten unit trusts, investment trusts)(Illustration)
May 1, 2003... Top ten funds Unit trusts One year 1 Deutsche GblSpPassEurGovBd B 119.19 2 Five Arrows GI E Bond A GBP Acc 118.40 3 Threadneedle E Bond C1 Inc 117.40 4 AEGON E Bond Acc A ...

Slater Investments. (May News).(launches new fund )
May 1, 2003... Slater Investments has launched the MFM Slater Recovery fund. The fund will be managed by Mark Slater of Slater Investments and administered by Marlborough Fund Management. It will focus on UK shares with significant recovery potential. There...

Allianz Dresdner. (Product of the month).(Allianz Dresdner Asset Management launched Allianz Dresdner High Income Bond fund)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Allianz Dresdner Asset Management has unveiled the Allianz Dresdner High Income Bond fund. The fund will be managed by bond fund manager PIMCO and will include investments in high-grade and high-yield bonds, predominantly in the UK and Europe,...

Teather & Greenwood. (May News).(launches Take 6 Film Limited Liability Partnership to invest in British films)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Teather & Greenwood has introduced the Take 6 Film Limited Liability Partnership, a film partnership investing in a range of quality British qualifying films. Take 6 alms to raise 20 million [pounds sterling] and it is intended that the...

Leeds & Holbeck Building Society. (Also launching this month ...).(offers Five-Year Access Bond )(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Leeds & Holbeck Building Society has unveiled a Five-Year Access Bond guaranteeing investors a compounded return of 22 per cent over the term. Investors can gain access to their funds after year one. The minimum investment is 1,000 [pounds...

Smile. (Also launching this month ...).(Smile launched range of individual savings account portfolios)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Smile has launched a range of ISA portfolios offering investors seven ready-made portfolios. The range includes Cautious UK, High Roller Global Diversification and Caring Companies, an ethical portfolio. Visit www.smile.co.uk for details.

Teather & Greenwood. (Also launching this month ...).(launched new residential property investment company called Property Investment for Pensions)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Teather & Greenwood has launched an AIM-listed residential property investment company, Property Investment for Pensions, for SIPP, SSAS and FURB investors looking for capital growth from the London residential property market. The minimum...

Leeds & Holbeck. (Also launching this month ...).(offers five-year bond)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Leeds & Holbeck is also offering the Albion Bond, a five-year bond paying a fixed rate of 4.5 per cent. The bond allows savers to make partial penalty-free withdrawals. The minimum investment is 1,000 [pounds sterling] and the bond closes to...

Tipton & Coseley. (Also launching this month ...).(Tipton & Coseley Building Society launches Premier Access Postal Account)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Tipton & Coseley Building Society has launched the Premier Access Postal Account. Gross annual interest rates vary from 3.8 to 4.1 per cent including a 0.25 per cent introductory bonus payable for six months from the date the account is opened....

Zurich Financial Services. (Also launching this month ...).(launched Zurich Guaranteed Account)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Zurich Financial Services has unveiled the Zurich Guaranteed Account. It offers 100 per cent capital guarantee on a five-and-a-half-year FTSE 100 investment. The account will close on the third anniversary if the FTSE 100 has grown by at least...

Nvesta. (Also launching this month ...).(launches Quad Tracker Plan investment plan)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Nvesta has launched the Quad Tracker Plan, a six-year plan offering four times the growth in the FTSE 100 with a maximum return of the original capital plus 80 per cent, and the Super Tracker 30 Plan, a six-year product paying 100 per cent of...

The West Bromwich Building Society. (Also launching this month ...).(offers guaranteed growth bonds)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... The West Bromwich Building Society is offering two guaranteed growth bonds--one with a one-year term and one with a three-year term. The one-year bond has a fixed rate of 3.65 per cent gross while the three-year bond has a fixed rate of 3.8 per...

Panel of experts. (May News).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... * Graeme Cumming is a financial adviser at Save & Invest * Patrick Connolly is an associate director at Chartwell Investment Management * Philip Johnson is a director at Kenwood Associates * Milena Atanassova is a financial adviser...

Managers on the move: should you stay or should you go? What Investment looks into the reasons behind recent fund manager moves. (Fund managers).
May 1, 2003... Last month we reported on the continuing cull of fund managers at Edinburgh Fund Managers. With around 40 staff leaving the company between November 2002 and February 2003, you would have thought the time was right for a period of...

Pots more choice: do you want a choice without the hassle of choosing? If so, multi-manager funds could be a perfect investment for you. (Focus: multi-manager services)(Cover Story).(Cover Story)
May 1, 2003... It's the fastest growing asset class in the UK--more financial intermediaries than ever before are delegating their investment business to this sector. In fact, everybody's talking about it. Multi-manager is, officially, this year's black. ...

Make kids count: beyond the packaging and the cuddly toys, are you getting a good deal from children's investments? (Investing for children).
May 1, 2003... Saving for your little ones isn't child's play, but many investment managers would happily persuade you that it is. Those looking to safeguard their children's future are wooed by a host of cannily marketed products boasting child-friendly...

The gold rush: commodity funds are all the rage as equity markets continue to struggle, but have investors missed the boat? (Commodity investments).
May 1, 2003... Buying and selling commodities probably entered the public's consciousness for the first time in 1983 when the put-upon heroes in the film Trading Places gained their revenge by trading pork bellies. From 1983 onwards, however, most investors...

Back to the basics: Clement Chambers looks at the tactics investors should be following for a long-term investment. (Equity strategy).
May 1, 2003... There is only one thing you need to know when investing in stocks: whether they are going up or down. This irritating truism does actually have more going for it than it appears. In fact, when talking 'strategy' it is not a bad place to start....

Money, money money: looking for an alternative to equity investment funds? Kate Jones explains the benefits of money market funds. (Q & A).
May 1, 2003... Lurking in the depths of the big, bad investment jungle, in the shadow of its more glamorous counterparts, the lesser-spotted money market fund thrives. While equities continue to go precisely nowhere and interest rates on high-street deposits...

Back to tech: Keiron Root asks the technology fund managers if the time is right to get back into their sector. (Technology).
May 1, 2003... No doubt many investors who bought into tech funds during the boom years of the late 1990s are asking what they got themselves into. For technology stocks--and the media and telecoms companies that became inextricably linked with them during...

Signs of life. (United Kingdom).(guide to stock-selection decisions)
May 1, 2003... 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. Stocks look cheap, but investors remain fearful of...

Rock and a hard place. (United States).(investment outlook)
May 1, 2003... To sustain the recent upswing in profits, companies will need to cut labour and debt costs significantly. "Ten years ago, post Gulf War, the US economy was emerging from recession with low labour costs, low corporate debt and plenty of...

Downturn gathers pace. (Europe).(investment outlook)
May 1, 2003... Manufacturing is weak, employment conditions are deteriorating and consumer confidence has nose-dived. "Obviously, much depends on the outcome of the situation with Iraq, the oil price and any US recovery," says Adriaan de Mol van...

Trading up. (Far East).(investment outlook)
May 1, 2003... Intra-regional and international trade remain key drivers to Asian growth. "Regional economic activity in Asia is healthy and expected to expand at an annualised rate of over 5 per cent in the first quarter," says Nigel Richardson, senior...

Waiting for the upturn. (Japan).(investment outlook )
May 1, 2003... The Japanese economy is highly exposed to global economic activity and positioned to benefit from any good news. "The Japanese economy is well positioned to benefit from any upturn in the global economy," says Denis Clough, manager of the...

Background noise. (Emerging markets).
May 1, 2003... External factors continue to affect investor sentiment, but fund managers look to focus on positive themes. "There are numerous opportunities in emerging Europe as earnings continue to rise and valuations represent excellent value relative...

Market insider: Australia: continuing our series providing a fundamental analysis of a region from an economic and political perspective. This month, Michael Wilson considers the outlook for Australia. (World Markets).
May 1, 2003... Australia's always called itself the 'Lucky Country', and these days it isn't difficult to see why. How many other major countries can you think of where the economy's been growing by 3 to 4 per cent a year? Where business investment has...

Market view. (UK Shares).
May 1, 2003... The experts were agreed: once the war in Iraq had started, equities would rally. Until then they would drop like a stone. As it happened the markets second-guessed the experts, by starting the 'war rally' a few days before the conflict actually...

UK stock performance. (UK Shares).(Illustration)
May 1, 2003... UK STOCK PERFORMANCE Company Weight in 1 Month Rank Name Index Return TOP 20 FTSE All-Share 1 Morgan Crucible Co 0.011% 33.78% 2 Holmes...

FTSE 100 index. (UK Shares).(Illustration)
May 1, 2003... FTSE 100 INDEX Stock 1 month Rank 1 year Rank 3i Group Inv Tr 87.50 92 53.53 78 Abbey National 86.07 95 34.46 94 Alliance & Leicester ...

Index constituent rankings FTSE 100. (UK Shares).(Illustration)
May 1, 2003... INDEX CONSTITUENT RANKINGS FTSE 100 Dividend Dividend Rank Stock Price Yield (%) Cover 1 BP 401.25 3.90 ...

Airlines sector view. (UK Shares).
May 1, 2003... The key point to grasp about airline stocks is that they are hugely operationally geared. That is to say that airline-fixed costs (i.e. the cost of buying aircraft, jet fuel and staff) are a very high percentage of total costs. The cost of...

Airlines share view. (UK Shares).
May 1, 2003... British Airways might have described itself as 'the world's favourite airline' but in financial terms the company is a dog's breakfast. It has spent the past few years battling not only against the existing--unfavourable--industry dynamics but...

European sector review: Hilary Cook, director of investment strategy at Barclays Private Clients, examines the prospects for the European beverage sector. (Stock Market Review).
May 1, 2003... In line with forecasts, geopolitical uncertainty and volatility drove the global equity markets during the first quarter of 2003. Although spring economic data suggests that the overall outlook appears to be slowly taking a turn for the better,...

European stock performance. (Stock Market Review).(Illustration)
May 1, 2003... EUROPEAN STOCK PERFORMANCE Company Weight in 1 Month Rank Name Index Return Top 20 FTSE World Europe 1 Vestas Wind Systems 0.021% ...

Unit trust best buys. (Unit Trusts Monitor).
May 1, 2003... What Investment asks three independent financial advisers to recommend their favourite unit trusts for a cautious, a balanced and an aggressive investment CAUTIOUS OPTION Anna Bowes, savings and investments manager at Chase de Vere...

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

Avoiding the cockroaches: Keiron Root meets Gil Knight, a US-based fund manager bringing US opportunities to UK investors. (Fund manager: profile).
May 1, 2003... Although UK investors are naturally drawn to what is going on in their home market, it is worth remembering that the US accounts for more than half of global stock market capitalisation. Therefore, if you believe that world stock markets are...

Investment trust best buys. (Investment Trusts Monitor).
May 1, 2003... What Investment asks three independent financial advisers to recommend their favourite investment trusts for a cautious, a balanced and an aggressive investment CAUTIOUS OPTION Paul Craig, a fund manager at Exeter Fund Managers,...

Performance tables. (Investment Trusts).(Illustration)
May 1, 2003... 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 March 2003, on a mid-market basis with net income reinvested. Funds are listed by sector so that you...

Sell or surrender? (Money clinic: a panel of independent experts answer readers' financial planning and investment queries).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Please could you advise me of any companies who deal in traded endowment policies (TEPs). I am not online and I understand that there is a possibility of getting greater return on my investment from such a company than I could simply by...

Share save confusion. (Money clinic: a panel of independent experts answer readers' financial planning and investment queries).
May 1, 2003... I'm a bit confused. At work I joined the Lloyds TSB Share Save scheme where I saved 30 [pounds sterling] a month (the share price at this time was around 4.82 [pounds sterling]--March 2000). The scheme finished early because the company I was...

IFA panel. (Money Clinic).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... * Milena Atanassova, financial adviser of Rickman Tooze * Charles Ansdell, corporate relations manager ar Inter-Alliance * Anthony Clement, financial adviser ar The Millfield Partnership

Keep IHT to a minimum. (Money clinic: a panel of independent experts answer readers' financial planning and investment queries).
May 1, 2003... My husband and I are both in our mid 50s. My husband works for a small company, which contributes to his personal pension plan and he pays 7 per cent of his salary as an additional contribution. The pension is currently worth about 450,000...

Best ways to save. (Reference).(Illustration)
May 1, 2003... Best ways to save NO-NOTICE ACCOUNTS Company Account Gross Interest Name Rate Freq. Balance of 500 [pounds sterling] Northern Rock...

Personal pension annuity rates. (Reference).
May 1, 2003... 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).(Illustration)
May 1, 2003... Top-performing unit-linked pensions Five years to 31 March 2003. Results of 100 [pounds sterling] invested on an offer-to-bid basis with gross income reinvested. Name Value Rank ...

Financial contacts: ISA directory.(Directory)
May 1, 2003... Financial Contacts ISA Directory NAME & ADDRESS NAME OF TYPE SCHEME Abbey National [R] Investments/Tracker Stocks & Shares Tel: 0800 30 20 30 ISA ...

Win 100 [pounds sterling] cash in our prize crossword. (Crossword).
May 1, 2003... ACROSS 1 Fraud in which Pole gets to twist the French (7) 5 Scarper, having tampered with C&A bonds (7) 10 Value company's time (4) 11 See 16 Down 12 Mark correct credit (4) 13 About to pay bill and get established in...