What Investment articles from November 2004

What Investment archives from November 2004

Pulling together.(Comment)
November 1, 2004... This month file American electorate goes to the polls. It's been a fascinating battle, and many of us in the UK will be gripped as the results start coming in. So will the economists, although opinion is divided on whether the markets will be...

Have your say.(November news)
November 1, 2004... Henderson Global Investors is looking for views on the new Child Trust Fund (CTF). Parents, grandparents and guardians are being asked to give their opinions on the types of investment vehicle they wish to use for the CTF money their offspring...

FTSE in focus.(November news)
November 1, 2004... An e-mail newsletter offering information on FTSE 350 stocks has been launched by online publisher Tips.com. The newsletter will be written by former stockbroker Robert Sutherland Smith and sent out to subscribers 26 times a year. Aimed at...

Keeping record.(November news)
November 1, 2004... Investors who make important transactions over the phone may be interested in a new service that allows them to record their calls. Registered Call allows you to record and store your conversations for up to six months; the calls can be...

Pension payouts plummet.(News Round-up)
November 1, 2004... Payouts from with-profits pensions have plummeted over the past year, according to new research from Investment, Life and Pensions Money facts. A survey carried out by the magazine revealed that someone retiring today with a with profits...

Pole position.(News Round-up)
November 1, 2004... A new scheme is giving British investors the opportunity to get exposure to the Polish stock market. Keydata's Polish Privatisation Service otters investors the chance to buy shares in up to 16 privatisations planned for the next two to three...

A fund of information.(News Round-up)
November 1, 2004... Investors who want to research their fund choices have two new sources of information. American Express Sharepeople and Financial Express have both enhanced the data available on their websites. The American Express Sharepeople site,...

Manager moves: a round-up of the comings and goings in the fund management world.(November news)
November 1, 2004... The past few weeks have been dominated by a series of announcements from F&C & ISIS, the two fund management companies that officially became one on 11 October, merging under the F&C Asset Management banner. Inevitably this has meant the...

Free trade.(November news)
November 1, 2004... Barclays Stockbrokers is offering new clients 50 free online trades to use before the end of 2004. The offer is open to investors who sign up for a MarketMaster or Frequent Trader Club account before 30 November. The offer applies to UK equity...

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.(November news)
November 1, 2004... * Witan Witan Investment Trust has appointed a new management team. Henderson Global Investors will run the UK Mainstream, UK smaller Companies and North American elements of the fund as enhanced index portfolios. Two managers--MFS...

Product of the month.(November news)
November 1, 2004... * T Bailey T Bailey Asset Management has launched an equity income fund of funds to complement its growth fund of funds. The T Bailey Equity Income fund will be a single-priced unit trust, available for investment from 1 November. The fund...

National Savings & Investments.(Also launching this month ...)
November 1, 2004... National Savings & Investments has launched a ninth issue of its Guaranteed Equity Bond (GEB).The new GEB offers a return equal to 105 per cent of any growth in the FTSE 100 index over a five-year term. There is no cap, giving unlimited growth...

Abbey.(Also launching this month ...)
November 1, 2004... High-street bank Abbey is offering a fixed rate account paying 6.5 percent. The Fixed Rate Monthly Saver account is designed for people who want to put money aside each month and don't want to make withdrawals during the first year. The rate is...

Standard Life.(November news)
November 1, 2004... Standard Life has launched a new self-invested personal pension (SIPP) for those who want to take control of their pension fund. The SIPP offers access to a range of investment options including direct equity investment and commercial property,...

What's in a name? As a raft of new funds hits the market, Keiron Root looks at the problems faced by those responsible for naming them.(Lessons from history)
November 1, 2004... It is a somewhat irksome fact of modern culture that successful advertising slogans rapidly become part of our everyday vocabulary. One that crops up with monotonous frequency when talking to people who sell investment funds for a living is...

With-profits crash: your investment is worth less than expected and the news coming out of with-profits providers seems to be all bad--what should you do? Patrick Connolly, investment manager at IFA John Scott & Partners, outlines the factors you need to consider.(With-profits investments)
November 1, 2004... Many investors have concerns regarding their existing with-profits holdings--and with good reason. During the past few years, this type of investment has received a constant barrage of criticism and does not appear to be abating. Performance...

Bright sparks: some fund managers achieve good returns even when the market seems to be against them. Stephen Spurdon investigates funds that have defied the odds.(Against the grain)(Cover Story)
November 1, 2004... When things behave in a way they should not, we usually check to see why. It is the same with fund management: if a fund reacts to market conditions in a way that is unusual, it is a good idea to look under the lid and see what's going on. ...

Spot the difference: no two fund managers are quite the same, says Nick Sudbury, so how important are the differences to your investment decisions?(Fund managers)
November 1, 2004... Fund management groups come in all shapes and sizes. Many have become household names and the likes of Fidelity, Threadneedle and Invesco Perpetual are each responsible for well over 10 billion [pounds sterling] of UK investors' money. Yet the...

Flexible friends: self-invested personal pensions offer the chance to put your retirement fund in any of a wide range of vehicles.(Pensions)
November 1, 2004... Pensions are often regarded as the least flexible of financial products. It's not just the fact that you can't access your cash until you retire--in the past there tended to be a limited choice of investment vehicles in the run-up to retirement...

Pile 'em high ...: investors who know what they want to buy can make savings and achieve extra flexibility at a fund supermarket.(Technology)
November 1, 2004... You know an idea has been successful when the market is suddenly crammed with competitors offering their own spin on the concept. This is certainly the case with online discount brokers and fund supermarkets--there are dozens out there, ranging...

Are bonds key?(Money clinic: a panel of independent experts answer readers' financial planning and investment queries)(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2004... I have become tired of equity-based funds and more interested in those that provide a high and reasonably secure income from a mixture of gilts and high-quality 'investment-grade' bonds. When a year or so ago the income from a one or...

Novel investments.(Money clinic: a panel of independent experts answer readers' financial planning and investment queries)(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2004... I have recently seen a number of new unit and investment trusts join the market. As a private investor is there any advantage for me in investing in these when they are first launched, or is it wiser to wait until they have built up a track...

Doing it for the kids.(Money clinic: a panel of independent experts answer readers' financial planning and investment queries)(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2004... My wife and I have two grandchildren born this year and we want to put some money into trust for them to access when they are 18 years old. We want them to have some income to help with their education and some capital for a house deposit in...

Global equities: pick your country carefully: 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)
November 1, 2004... It's not yet the end of 2004 but commentators are already looking back on the year--and in many cases looking forward to leaving it behind. "Despite the good economic news and the strength of the profit recovery, markets have found it difficult...

Bonds: high interest in high yields.(Asset Allocation)
November 1, 2004... "While investors are assuming the worst about the economic outlook, there is enough momentum in the upturn for interest rates to continue to rise and drive bond yields higher," says John Stopford, head of fixed income at Investec Asset...

Commodities: liquid assets.(Asset Allocation)
November 1, 2004... It can't have escaped your attention that the eyes of the investment world are firmly focused on the price of oil. At a recent G7 meeting the Chancellor, Gordon Brown, called for immediate action to curb oil prices. "A global recovery is under...

Property: landlords feel the chill.(Asset Allocation)
November 1, 2004... There are signs that the boom in the residential property market is nearing an end. The latest edition of Woolwich's consumer confidence index, published at the beginning of October, indicated that confidence in the housing market had fallen...

Market insider: Scandinavia: continuing our series providing a fundamental analysis of a region from an economic and political perspective. This month, Michael Wilson considers the outlook for Scandinavia.(World Markets)
November 1, 2004... We're going to be hearing a lot about Scandinavia in the next couple of years. And not necessarily good things. The governments of Sweden, Finland and Denmark are getting not just anxious but actually uncooperative about how much their EU...

Market view: Tom Winnifrith considers the outlook for UK shares.(UK Shares)
November 1, 2004... September was a surprisingly good month for equities. Despite oil prices racing ahead to near record levels and a number of disappointing statements regarding corporate earnings, there was a whiff of takeover activity. A feeling that base rates...

UK stock performance.(UK Shares)
November 1, 2004... UK STOCK PERFORMANCE Rank Company Weight in 1 Month Name Index Return TOP 20 FTSE All-Share 1 Emblaze 0.01% 64.16% 2 Ebookers...

FTSE 100 index.(UK Shares)
November 1, 2004... FTSE 100 INDEX Stock 1 month Rank 1 year Rank 3i Group plc 96.86 61 95.48 80 Abbey National 93.65 89 119.17 41 Alliance & Leicester...

Index constituent rankings FTSE 100.(UK Shares)
November 1, 2004... INDEX CONSTITUENT RANKINGS FTSE 100 Rank Stock Price Dividend Yield (%) 1 BP 527.5 ...

Beverages sector view.(UK Shares)
November 1, 2004... The beverages sector is not a large one. There are just eight companies on the main list and a sprinkling of small fry on AIM. However four of those stocks are in the FTSE 100: file spirits group's Diageo and Allied Domecq and the brewing...

Beverages share view.(UK Shares)
November 1, 2004... Diageo is a core blue-chip holding. Formed as a result of the merger of Guinness and Grand Metropolitan it owns premium brands, ranging from Guinness to Johnny Walker. The company has gradually divested its non-core, low-return, food interests,...

European sector review: Hilary Cook, director of investment strategy at Barclays Private Clients, examines the prospects for the European chemicals sector.(Stock Market Review)
November 1, 2004... With the synchronised global recovery now firmly under way, later-economic-cycle sectors such as chemicals are now starting to see strong volume growth. Recent announcements by global bellwethers such as Dow, BASF, DuPont, DSM, Ciba and...

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)
November 1, 2004... CAUTIOUS OPTION Phil Clements, investment director at Towry Law, believes the Investec Cautious Managed fund has something to offer investors looking to achieve a good return without exposing themselves to too much risk. The fund is ranked...

Unit trust performance tables.(Unit Trusts OEICs)
November 1, 2004... Unit 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 30 September 2004, on an offer-to-bid basis with net income reinvested. Funds...

Singing a song for Europe: Keiron Root meets Roger Guy, a fund manager who selects the best opportunities European companies can offer from the comfort of his city office.(Fund Manager Profile)
November 1, 2004... Roger Guy is one of most experienced, and most successful, fund managers operating in continental Europe. Whilst the much-vaunted European market has often flattered to deceive over recent years, Guy, and his co-manager Guillaume Rambourg, have...

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)
November 1, 2004... CAUTIOUS OPTION Rolly Crawford, investment trust analyst at Collins Stewart, suggests the income shares of Aberforth Geared Capital & Income Trust for investors who want to limit their risk. The trust is ranked eighth out of 36 in the UK...

Investment trust performance tables.(Investment Trusts)
November 1, 2004... What the tables show The figures show the value of 100 [pounds sterling] over six months, one, three, five and ten years to 30 September 2004, on a mid-market basis with net income reinvested. Funds are listed by sector so that you can...

Best ways to save.(Reference)
November 1, 2004... Best ways to save Telephone Account Number/Website INSTANT-ACCESS BRANCH ACCOUNTS Manchester BS 0870 990 0810 Premier Access Lambeth...

CASH ISAs.(Reference)
November 1, 2004... CASH ISAs Company CAT Notice Standard or Term MINI CASH ISAs 1,000 [pounds sterling] Lambeth BS 0500 200020 No 45 Day...

TESSA-ONLY ISAs.(Reference)
November 1, 2004... TESSA-ONLY ISAs Company Interest Paid Yrly TESSA ONLY ISAs 3,000 [pounds sterling] Halifax 0845 726 3646 5.80% F Lambeth BS 0500 200020...

National Savings & Investments.(Reference)
November 1, 2004... NATIONAL SAVINGS & INVESTMENTS Product Notice/ Minimum Term Deposit ACCOUNTS AND BONDS Easy Access Savings Instant 100 [pounds sterling] Investment Account ...

Personal pension annuity rates.(Reference)
November 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)
November 1, 2004... Top-performing unit-linked pensions Five years to 30 September 2004. Results of 100 [pounds sterling] invested on an offer-to-bid basis with gross income reinvested. Name Value ...