What Investment articles from November 2002

What Investment archives from November 2002

Fortune favours the brave. (Comment).(Column)
November 1, 2002... `With the FTSE 100 more than 45 per cent off its peak, the Chinese whispers around the City seem to be suggesting that it's now offering investors some sort of value. Great news. And about time too. But before you get too enthusiastic, remember...

UK Superstars. (November News).(Fidelity Investments)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... FundsNetwork, the online fund superstore from Fidelity Investments, has launched UK Superstars, a ready-made fund package offering investors access to three top UK funds--Fidelity Special Situations, Artemis UK Smaller Companies and Invesco...

Bond guide. (November News).(New Star Investment Funds Ltd.)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... New Star Investment Funds has produced a free consumer Guide to Investing in Corporate Bonds, drawing on the experience of James Gledhill, manager of the New Star High Yield Bond fund, which was launched in September 2002. The guide looks at...

Perks from property. (November News).(Chartwell Investment Management Ltd. )(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... Equities are tumbling, but the outlook for commercial property remains positive according to IFA Chartwell Investment Management. The number of empty commercial properties is currently 5 to 6 per cent--compared with the late-80s and early-90s...

DIY pensions. (News Round-up).(Hargreaves Lansdown)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... Hargreaves Lansdown claims to have redefined the self-invested personal pension market, with the UK's first SIPP to carry no fixed or annual fees. The product is designed to allow investors to switch their pensions to a low charge investment,...

Get real. (News Round-up).(Legal and General Assurance Society Ltd.)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... Legal & General is offering investors the chance to use its online pensions calculator to `get real' with the purchasing power of their pension in advance of next year's new regulations on pension projections. The new regulations, known as...

Where's your windfall? (News Round-up).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... Thousands of people are missing out on being able to save or invest more money because they are neglecting to claim their windfalls, according to National Savings and Investments (NS&I), which says a total of 21.6 million [pounds sterling]...

Please release me. (News Round-up).(Regulation of the equity release industry is urged)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... Full regulation of the equity release industry is urgently required according to Britannic Retirement Solutions. A combination of increased life expectancy, low inflation and poor equity returns has led to a reduced pension for many...

With-profits dented again. (News Round-up).(Standard Life Assurance Co.)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... As a result of falling equity markets, Standard Life, Europe's largest mutual life assurance company, has announced a reduction in final (terminal) bonus rates on with-profits policies. This will result in reductions in maturity payouts of...

Slip slidin'. (November News).(Charles Schwab Europe)
November 1, 2002... Charles Schwab Europe has slashed its dealing charges by as much as 60 per cent. It has introduced a sliding scale pricing system, which allows existing investors to trade from as little as 7.50 [pounds sterling] per trade, almost 60 per cent...

Spread 'em. (November News).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... A website dedicated to financial spread betting www.TopSpreadBets.com has been launched by Charles Vintcent, author of the best-selling book How to Win at Financial Spread Betting. "Spread betting is a more tax efficient way of investing in...

IPO market falls flat. (November News).(initial public offerings)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... After a brief rally in the spring, the UK IPO market has fallen back to an all-time low in the third quarter, raising only 385m [pounds sterling] from five flotations. The activity this quarter comprised the listings of trading companies...

Top ten funds. (November News).(Illustration)
November 1, 2002... top ten funds Unit trusts One year Performance 1 Merrill Lynch Gold & General 157.01 2 Schroder Seoul 145.97 3 Baring Korea 142.58 4...

Friends Provident. (New offers).(Friends Provident Life and Pensions Ltd.)
November 1, 2002... Friends Provident has launched the High Yield Distribution fund, which is available through its Income Distribution Bond. It invests in higher yielding UK and overseas corporate bonds, aiming to provide a high monthly income for investors...

AXA. (New offers).(AXA Investment Managers)
November 1, 2002... AXA's new Capital Protected Distribution Bond aims to protect initial capital investment while locking in 80 per cent of investment gains on a quarterly basis. The product has a seven-year life and splits investments between AXA's fund and...

New Star. (Product of the month).
November 1, 2002... New Star has entered the fixed income market with the launch of the High Yield Bond fund. The fund will be managed by James Gledhill. It aims to provide a high level of income with the potential for capital appreciation from investments in a...

Bristol & West. (November News).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... Bristol & West has launched Easylife Guaranteed, a savings account offering a rate guaranteed for the lifetime of the account. After a six-month introductory rate of 4 per cent, the rate will be no more than 1 per cent below base rate. Minimum...

Norwich Union. (November News).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... Norwich Union has entered the structured income bond market with Prosper, a four-year income bond offering a guaranteed return of 6 per cent net per annum. The minimum investment is 5,000 [pounds sterling] and the offer closes on 8 November....

Premier Fund Managers. (November News).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... Premier Fund Managers has launched the Premier Extra Income Plan offering investors an annual income of 6.25 per cent or 0.5 per cent monthly. Minimum investment is 7,000 [pounds sterling]. Offer closes 13 November. Call 0800 212 577

Chelsea Building Society. (November News).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... Chelsea Building Society's new Step Rate Bond offers three fixed-rate periods. The first has an interest rate of 3.95 per cent gross until 10/11/03. The second has an interest rate of 4.1 per cent until 10/11/04. The third has an interest rate...

Panel of experts. (New offers).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... * Graeme Cumming is a financial adviser at Save & Invest * Patrick Connolly is an associate director at Chartwell Investment Management * Edward Creasey is a financial adviser at RJ Boorer & Associates * Milena Atanassova is a...

Scottish Widows. (New offers).(Scottish Widow's Fund and Life Assurance Society)
November 1, 2002... Scottish Widows is offering the Guaranteed Investment Combination product, which combines investment in a Term Deposit Account (30 per cent) with investment in a six-year, single premium Guaranteed Investment Bond (70 per cent). The deposit...

Managers on the move: should you stay or should you go? Keiron Root looks into the reasons behind recent fund manager moves. (Fund Managers).
November 1, 2002... Having observed last month that fund management is an increasingly insecure profession, September saw this borne out with a vengeance. In addition to the usual round of managers moving from one fund management house to another and those who...

Closed for business: in the introduction to a new series on investment trusts Michael Drewett explains how to put some `trust' back into your portfolio. (Focus: investment trusts)(Cover Story).(Cover Story)
November 1, 2002... There are all kinds of weird and wonderful theories about investment. Traditionalists say buy quality at whatever price it comes and stick with it. Momentum investors ignore fundamentals like a company's ability to make a profit and simply go...

Don't slip up! An annuity? Isn't that where you swap a brimming pension pot for a thimbleful of annual income? What Investment looks at ways to maximise your annuity income. (Annuities).
November 1, 2002... Just as the facial features of prince of pop Michael Jackson are constantly on the move, so the world of investment continues to shift. Even the staid old annuity is set to have a bit of a facelift. And about time too, we hear you cry. ...

Best of British: looking to make the most out of the stock market lows? Harvey Jones shows you how. (Undervalued investments).(Illustration)
November 1, 2002... The global economy continues to look fragile, beset by the accounting scandals, corporate fraud, falling profits forecasts and fears of a war in Iraq. Confidence in a US recovery has been dented, consumer spending in Europe is low, Japan is...

What does it warrant? David Harris explains the benefits of the new covered warrant market. (Q & A).
November 1, 2002... Just when you thought there were enough products on the investment shelves, another one springs up. Earlier this year, we highlighted that the traditional warrant market would soon be joined by a new entrant--the covered warrant. That time is...

Tackling tax: paying too much tax? What Investment reviews a selection of websites that could help you cut your tax bill. (Technology).
November 1, 2002... One in three employees pays too much tax because of an incorrect tax code and two-thirds of pensioners pay tax on the. interest from their savings when they shouldn't be doing so. A worrying thought. And also an irritating one particularly for...

United Kingdom: value creeps back in. (World Markets).
November 1, 2002... 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. Buoyant consumer spending means that the UK has recorded...

United States: united state of confusion. (World Markets).
November 1, 2002... Lack of direction and a decline in key indicators keeps the market down "Low interest rates and a healthy activity in the housing and mortgage-refinancing sectors continue as a positive economic influence," says Bill Fries, fund manager of...

Europe: slow to rally. (World Markets).
November 1, 2002... High volatility and sluggish consumer spending means there's little to smile about on the Continent Unlike the US, Europe's problem is not that firms have invested in too many new factories and machines, but rather that household spending...

Far East: time to revisit. (World Markets).
November 1, 2002... With a lower p/e, a lower price-to-book figure and a higher return on expenditure than the US, the Far East looks attractive A combination of corporate and economic reforms introduced after the Asian crisis of 1998 and rapid growth in China...

Japan: chugging along. (World Markets).
November 1, 2002... Japan remains a market of winners and losers, and stock-pickers are finding some value "In the long term, the worry is that Japan is going to be entering a period of population decline, which will not be very good for GDP growth," says...

Emerging markets and in first place ... (World Markets).
November 1, 2002... Emerging markets have outperformed developed markets over the, last one, two, three and four years and could be set to do it again Anyone wishing to play something of a wild card in the investment markets could do a lot worse than take a...

Market insider: Russia: continuing our series providing a fundamental analysis of a region from an economic and political perspective. This month, Michael Wilson considers the outlook for Russia. (World Markets).
November 1, 2002... Right now, the only bears you're likely to find in Moscow will be the ones behind bars in the city zoo. At a time when we've all been battening down the hatches on the global investment scene, Russia's national stock market has been picking up...

Market view. (UK Shares).
November 1, 2002... September was another awful month for the markets. In the US a number of big names, ranging from MacDonald's, a plethora of tech giants through to supposedly `safe' stocks such as Phillip Morris, issued profits warnings. In the UK it was a...

Banking sector view. (UK Shares).
November 1, 2002... The banking sector has not been a rewarding one for investors so far this year. At 7,085.87 it now yields 4.93 per cent and trades on an historic price/earnings ratio of 12.5. Hence, superficially at least, it looks to be more rewarding than,...

Banking share view. (UK Shares).
November 1, 2002... My favoured stock within this industry is the Royal Bank of Scotland. Brokers have been trimming--rather than slashing--their earnings forecasts for the company and now expect it to generate earnings of 144p in calendar 2002, rising to 157.2p....

European sector review: Hilary Cook, director of investment strategy at Barclays Private Clients, examines the prospects for the European tobacco sector. (Stock Market Review).(Illustration)(Industry Overview)
November 1, 2002... Although shunned by many an ethical investor, the tobacco sector does provide unique defensive qualities, which are particularly relevant given recent volatility and market fails. The tobacco sector has performed extremely well in the last two...

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).(Illustration)
November 1, 2002... CAUTIOUS OPTION Sue Whitbread, associate director at Chartwell Investments, suggests a fund at the more active end of the corporate bond sector, the Aegon Extra Income fund. This fund is ranked 16th out of 59 funds in the UK Corporate...

Focusing on the upturn: Neil Rogan tells Keiron Root that less should mean more when it comes to running international growth funds. (Fund Manager Profile).(Rogan is Gartmore Investment Management's head of international equities)
November 1, 2002... Anyone blessed with the gift of hindsight would not have chosen the first quarter of 2001 to launch a series of investment funds, much less funds with relatively small portfolios, designed to be aggressively managed for maximum growth. Yet that...

Investment trust best buys: What Investment asks three independent financial advisers to recommend their favourite investment trusts for a cautious, a balanced and an aggressive investment. (Investment Trusts Monitor).(Illustration)
November 1, 2002... CAUTIOUS OPTION Paul Craig, manager at Exeter Fund Managers, returns to a zero dividend preference share he highlighted earlier this year as still representing a solid choice for investors who do not want to take too many risks--Jupiter...

ITs OK. (Money clinic).( investment trusts)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... I seem to get plenty of newsletters and junk mail in the post about unit trusts but very little information ever comes my way about investment trusts. Can you tell me where I can learn a little bit more about investment trusts and how they...

Let's make lots of money ... (Money clinic).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... Can you please, just out of curiosity, shed some light on how IFAs make money. They discount the unit manager's upfront charges, give away most of their annual commission, flood me with expensive newsletters, statistical booklets etc. So is...

When tech went pop. (Money clinic).(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... I started investing monthly in the Aberdeen Technology fund when it was near its highest, I stopped paying my 100 [pounds sterling] monthly contribution when the so-called bubble burst. It is frightening how much it has decreased in value since...

IFA panel.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2002... * Scott Maddock-Ellis, financial advisor at Sedgwick Independent Financial Consultants * Gary Hexley, financial adviser at Weston Financial Group * John Cooper, financial adviser at Weston Financial Group

A safe house. (Money clinic).(advice on investment for a retiree)(Letter to the Editor)(Column)
November 1, 2002... I am 60 years old and have just retired. I have paid off my mortgage, have no debts and am living off the state pension. I have 150,000 [pounds sterling] in a deposit account and want to know whether it would be a good idea to use this money to...

Going cheap. (Money clinic).(advice on cheap global markets)(Brief Article)(Letter to the Editor)(Column)
November 1, 2002... With the FTSE reaching lows of near 3500, surely we are very. near to the `bottom' of the market in the UK. Do you think now is a good time to start investing again and, if so, should I be thinking of monthly savings or is it best to go for a...

Best ways to save. (Reference).
November 1, 2002... Best ways to save NO-NOTICE ACCOUNTS Company Account Gross Interest Name Rate Freq. Balance of 500 [pounds sterling] Abbey National ...

Personal pension annuity rates. (Reference).
November 1, 2002... 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)
November 1, 2002... TOP-PERFORMING UNIT-LINKED PENSIONS Five years to 30 September 2002. Results of 100 [pounds sterling] invested on an offer-to-bid basis with gross income reinvested. Name Value ...

ISA directory. (Financial Contacts).
November 1, 2002... ISA Directory NAME & ADDRESS NAME OF TYPE SCHEME Abbey National[R] Investments/Tracker Stocks & Shares Tel: 0800 30 20 30 ISA Cash ...