What Investment articles from May 2005

What Investment archives from May 2005

Electing to save?(Comment)
May 1, 2005... Pensioners were one of the biggest beneficiaries of this year's Budget--many receiving a cash payout of 200 [pounds sterling] from Chancellor Gordon Brown--and they are a key group in the major parties' election campaigning. Politicians have...

Guide offers retirement aid.(News Round-up)
May 1, 2005... Investors who are approaching retirement and want to research their options can get a free guide from IFA Chartwell. The company has updated its Guide to Options in Retirement, which explains the ins and outs of annuities and income drawdown...

IT news online.(News Round-up)
May 1, 2005... Foreign & Colonial investment trust has launched a new website. The site, www.foreign andcolonial.com, incorporates a number of tools including a charting facility and savings calculator. As well as featuring the latest factsheets and prices...

Confidence traits.(News Round-up)
May 1, 2005... Investor confidence is affected by age and gender, according to research by stockbroker TD Waterhouse. While almost equal numbers of men and women said they were more confident about investing than they were 12 months ago--61 per cent and 63...

CSAM rebrands Artemis funds.(News Round-up)
May 1, 2005... Credit Suisse Asset Management has announced changes to its multi-manager range following the purchase of Artemis' fund-of-funds business. As of 29 April the former Artemis Premier fund range will be renamed Credit Suisse Premier funds--so, for...

Poor performers under the spotlight.(News Round-up)
May 1, 2005... At least 100 billion [pounds sterling] of investors' money is sitting in funds with consistently poor performance, according to a report by Investor Connections. It looked into the returns produced by a range of different funds, from unit and...

Equity investment masterclass.(News Round-up)
May 1, 2005... Jim Slater, investment guru and author of the best-selling investment books The Zulu Principle and Beyond the Zulu Principle will be talking about his investment strategy for 2005 and beyond at the Company REFS Investor Show 2005. Slater will...

Raising the stakes.(News Round-up)
May 1, 2005... The government's new suite of stakeholder savings products has gone live. Since the beginning of the new tax year product providers have been able to offer a stakeholder deposit account, a medium-term savings product, a pension and the child...

Manager moves: a round-up of the comings and goings in the fund management world.(May news)
May 1, 2005... Fixed-income managers have been on a merry-go-round this month, with the bulk of manager moves taking place in that sector. At F&C Asset Management, Helene Williamson's decision to give up the role of head of fixed income to become head of...

Small budget boost for ISAs.(BUDGET DAY '05)
May 1, 2005... The Budget's headline news on individual savings accounts (ISAs) was the Chancellor's decision to maintain the current investment limit--and to extend the limit until April 2010. This gives investors a further five years to enjoy a tax-free...

Top ten funds.(May news)
May 1, 2005... Top ten funds UNIT TRUSTS One year 1 Aviva Europe Conv Eqy P1 140.59 2 Investec GSF Glob Energy A 137.76 3 MLIIF World Energy A2 USD 137.39 4 Old Mt'l UK SelSmCos Inc Dub 137.13 5 UBS (Lux) Eqy--Cl...

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 opportunity.(May news)
May 1, 2005... * PSolve Alternative Investments PSolve Alternative Investments (PAI) has launched a vehicle for investors seeking exposure to hedge funds. The Select Opportunities fund is a fund of hedge funds focusing on niche managers. It will aim to...

Portman Building Society.(Also launching this month ...)
May 1, 2005... Portman Building Society has launched a fixed-rate ISA for investors looking for a mini-cash ISA for the new tax year. The Regular Saver ISA will pay a rate of 7.5 per cent for the first 12 months, before maturing into the society's Easy Access...

Woolwich.(Also launching this month ...)
May 1, 2005... Woolwich is offering a sixth issue of its Capital Plus Plan. The structured product is a six-year investment offering returns linked to the performance of the FTSE 100 index. When the plan matures in May 2011 investors will get back their...

Norwich Union.(Also launching this month ...)
May 1, 2005... Norwich Union has launched the Stakeholder Savings fund, an equity-based investment aimed at producing returns over the medium term. This is a 'Sandler-style' investment that will adhere to new rules on stakeholder products. The minimum...

Taking an interest: Keiron Root reflects on the ups and downs of previous interest-rate cycles.(Lessons from history)
May 1, 2005... Whatever the outcome of this month's General Election, one thing seems certain: interest rates are going to have to rise. Of course, setting the UK base rate is no longer a political decision--in theory at least--since one of Gordon Brown's...

Stash your cash: looking for a home for the cash element of your portfolio? Hilary Osborne reviews the savings market.(Savings accounts)
May 1, 2005... It's not very exciting; it's never going to offer stellar returns; and there is almost no thrill in picking the right account, but cash is something every investor needs to consider. Even the least cautious among us needs to hold some of their...

As easy as CFD: like covered warrants and spread betting, CFDs allow you to benefit from the ups and downs of the market, without actually buying shares. Richard J Hunter, head of UK equities at Hargreaves Lansdown Stockbrokers, has the details.(Q&A)
May 1, 2005... Contracts for difference (CFDs) allow investors to speculate on the performance of equities without having to buy a single share. These contracts are an agreement between two parties--the investor and the CFD provider (usually a broker)--that...

Positives and negatives: the different selection strategies used by fund managers mean the term 'ethical investment' covers a multitude of virtues. Jo Tura digs deeper.(Ethical investment)(Cover Story)
May 1, 2005... It is not always easy to define what is meant by the terms 'ethical', 'green' or 'socially responsible' when they are put in front of the word 'investment'. Funds in this arena have a wide range of different objectives determining what sort of...

A good start.(Money clinic: A panel of independent experts answer readers' financial planning and investment queries)
May 1, 2005... We have a start-up company, and have secured some large contracts in our first six months of trading. Could we as a limited company within which we have distributed company shares to our directors put our shares into an individual savings...

Avoiding an IHT hit.(Money clinic: A panel of independent experts answer readers' financial planning and investment queries)
May 1, 2005... My 78-year-old mother has money she wishes to invest so I can receive it on her death. I understand that if she lives longer than the next seven years any investments are not liable to inheritance tax (IHT). What kind of investment would...

Pension top-ups.(Money clinic: A panel of independent experts answer readers' financial planning and investment queries)
May 1, 2005... My wife (39) and I (36) wish to invest approximately 40,000 [pounds sterling] as a back-up to our current pension plans. We could set up another pension, for example a self-invested personal pension (SIPP), and take advantage of tax relief but...

Sourcing opportunities: companies are increasingly looking to other organisations for help with all aspects of their businesses. Simon Hildrey looks at where private investors can make profits in the outsourcing sector.(Technology)
May 1, 2005... When you phone a customer service number, perhaps that of your bank or credit card company, there is a high probability you will connect with a call centre in India. This is the most obvious sign of companies outsourcing services and...

Taking a view on the future: in the first of a two-part series on reaching retirement, Nick Sudbury looks at the choices faced by pension holders.(Reaching retirement: annuities)
May 1, 2005... Those who save a pension during their working lives can look forward to enjoying the fruits of their labours in retirement. This is especially true for anyone just approaching this landmark, as they will be among the first to benefit from...

Spread your net wider: offshore investment is neither as dodgy nor as glamorous as some people might think--rather it's a practical answer to the needs of some private investors.(Investing offshore)
May 1, 2005... There are more myths about putting your money offshore than almost any other type of investment. Some believe it's merely a tax wheeze for the super-rich. Others think it involves leaving money in dodgy tax havens with scant regulatory...

Global equities: full of Eastern promise: each month, What Investment speaks to fund managers focusing on five different asset classes and asks them to reveal the key issues currently driving their stock-selection decisions.(ASSET ALLOCATION)
May 1, 2005... "The market consensus for global GDP growth in 2005 is currently at 3.0 per cent compared with our forecast of 2.9 per cent," says Aberdeen Asset Management's Mike Turner. "We expect GDP to be stronger in the first half of the year, weakening...

Bonds: long-dated gilts fail to excite.(ASSET ALLOCATION)
May 1, 2005... With the direction and timing of any future movements of the Bank of England base rate still uncertain, it's little wonder that bond fund managers continue to speculate about what will happen next. Aberdeen Asset Management's Mike Turner is...

Commodities: taking the long view.(ASSET ALLOCATION)
May 1, 2005... "The long cycle in commodities has traditionally been about 32 years. It tends to be a skewed cycle, so that an up or downtrend can last for 16 or even 20 years, and this is so large a fraction of an adult working life, that people develop a...

Property: buy-to-let appetite wanes.(ASSET ALLOCATION)
May 1, 2005... Is the tide turning on buy-to-let? According to the latest research by specialist lender UCB Home Loans, the rapid rate of growth in the purchase of buy-to-let properties has finally begun to level out. "The market is around ten times bigger...

Market insider: Turkey: continuing our series providing a fundamental analysis of a region from an economic and political perspective. This month, Michael Wilson considers the outlook for Turkey.(WORLD MARKETS)
May 1, 2005... Turkey is a country that stands at the crossroads in practically any respect. It sits right on the borders that divide Europe from Asia and from the Islamic Middle East. Its curious mix of the Islamic religion with a fully secular constitution...

Market view: Tom Winnifrith considers the outlook for UK shares.(UK SHARES)
May 1, 2005... Was it a pre-Easter lull? The UK certainly had its fair share of Bank Holidays during March. But there were perhaps more fundamental reasons for concern and a pullback. The oil price eased back over the month, which hit the FTSE 100 (where oil...

Tobacco sector view.(UK SHARES)
May 1, 2005... Earlier in this issue of What Investment you may have read about ethical investing. To me the only ethics involved in investing are to do with maximising your returns. Others, though, think it is about going for stocks untainted by association...

Tobacco share view.(UK SHARES)
May 1, 2005... Gallaher, which I stress I do own shares in, offers strong and growing dividends as well as unique franchises in the former Soviet Union (and a toehold operation in the People's Republic of China). These offer real long-term growth potential....

European sector review: Hilary Cook, director of investment strategy at Barclays Private Clients, examines the prospects for the European pharmaceuticals sector.(STOCK MARKET REVIEW)
May 1, 2005... In February Swiss healthcare company Novartis shelled out 5.65 billion [euro] in cash to gain a leading position in the German and US markets for generic drugs by acquiring privately owned Hexal of Germany and its majority holding in Eon Labs...

Unit trust best buys: What Investment asks three independent financial advisers to recommend their favourite unit trusts for a cautious, a balnced and an aggressive investment.(UNIT TRUSTS MONITOR)
May 1, 2005... CAUTIOUS OPTION Ryan Hughes, investment director at Chartwell Investment Management, suggests that investors averse to taking much risk consider the Investec Capital Accumulator Trust. In the UK Zeros sector the fund is rated fourth out of...

Unit trust performance tables.(UNIT TRUSTS OEICs)
May 1, 2005... What the tables show The figures show the value of 100 [pounds sterling] over six months, one, three, five and ten years to 31 March 2005, on an offer-to-bid basis with net income reinvested. Funds are listed by sector so that you can...

The only constant is change; Keiron Root meets a fund manager who believes profits lie in understanding transition.(FUND MANAGER PROFILE)
May 1, 2005... Jeff Saunders believes the key to making money from the UK stock market is to understand the behaviour of those who invest in it. "By and large, people are not very good at predicting the future," he says. "The future is a lot more uncertain...

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)
May 1, 2005... CAUTIOUS OPTION Nick Greenwood, head of investment trusts at iimia, has an unusual suggestion for cautious investors. He selects a class of share issued by Close Assets Funds. This trust's shares are ranked sixth out of 17 in the Undefined...

Investment trust performance tables.(INVESTMENT TRUSTS)
May 1, 2005... Investment trust performance tables What the tables show The figures show the value of 100 [pounds sterling] over six months, one, three, five and ten years to 31 March 2005, on a mid-market basis with net income reinvested. Funds...

Best ways to save.(REFERENCE)
May 1, 2005... Best ways to save Telephone Account Number/Website INSTANT-ACCESS BRANCH ACCOUNTS Lambeth BS 0500 200020 Premier Save Manchester BS ...

Personal pension annuity rates.(REFERENCE)
May 1, 2005... 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)
May 1, 2005... Top-performing unit-linked pensions Five years to 31 March 2005. Results of 100 [pounds sterling] invested on an offer-to-bid basis with gross income reinvested. Name Value Rank ...