What Investment articles from October 2003

What Investment archives from October 2003

Hanging on the telephone.(Comment)
October 1, 2003... 'A couple of weeks ago my tax-exempt special savings account (TESSA) matured. I had lovingly nurtured my investment over the five-year term and was particularly glad that I had done so in the light of three years of stock market woe. Now the...

On your marks ...(News Round-up)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... A radical rethink on benchmarking is required as stock market concentration hits record levels says fund management group ISIS Asset Management. The concentration of the FTSE 100 Index has hit an all-time high, with the 10 largest stocks...

What a waste.(News Round-up)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Individuals investing in funds directly with fund management groups could be wasting 75 million [pounds sterling] by paying full initial charges according to IFA Bestinvest. In the twelve months to the end of July 2003, Investment...

Free books.(Win)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... We have five free copies of Renting Out Your Property for Dummies by Melanie Bien to give away to readers. Published by Wiley at a RRP of 14.99 [pounds sterling], this guide aims to shed light on the constantly changing property market and...

Finance evening.(Win)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... The 2003 REFS Investor Evening will take place on 14 October at The Royal College of Physicians in London. The evening will include a presentation by legendary investor and writer Jim Slater, as well as the opportunity to put questions to Jim...

MVRs.(Win)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... IFA Chartwell has produced a report on with-profit bond market value reductions. The report considers the effect of market value reductions (MVRs) and looks at ways investors can avoid them, including information on the major with-profits...

Drawdown disappointment.(News Round-up)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Government proposals on income drawdown will benefit insurance companies to the detriment of private investors according to The Drawdown Bureau. Government proposals to change the structure of income drawdown, would worsen the rules on...

Win a free Tax Guide.(News Round-up)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... We have five free copies of the Daily Mail Tax Guide 2003/2004 to give away to readers. Published by Profile Books (RRP 9.99 [pounds sterling]), this jargon-free guide advises on how to plan your tax affairs efficiently, shows you how to fill...

Stop and go.(October News)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Financial website Ample has added limit and stop orders to the share-trading service on its website www.ample.com. The limit and stop orders allow investors to pre-set price levels at which shares will automatically be bought or sold. The Ample...

The new guide.(October News)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... New Star Investment Funds has revamped its Guide to Bond Investing. Providing a straightforward look at the main features of bonds and why an investor might choose to invest in the sector, the guide covers issues such as credit risk, bond...

Going cheap.(October News)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Credit Suisse Asset Management is offering investors the opportunity to invest in its Multi-Manager fund-of-funds range for no initial charge. The offer closes when 100 million [pounds sterling] of investment money has been reached or on 28...

What stocks?(October News)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... UK-Analyst.com, a free email share tip service, has been launched by internet share-tipping company t1ps.com. The service will provide a daily market report plus monthly share tips from a selection of 20 industry experts. Visit...

Taking issue: Nic Cicutti reports on the latest issues rocking the world of finance.(October News)
October 1, 2003... I was at a lovely party the other night. In between managing to annoy the neighbours by turning the music up too loud and upsetting our party host by spilling wine on his carpet, I found myself being quizzed by another guest about share prices...

Top ten funds.(New offers)
October 1, 2003... Unit trusts One year 1 Unicorn Free Spirit A Income 159.47 2 Manulife Global China Value 152.32 3 Jupiter Preference Acc 150.07 4 HSBC GIF Indian Equity AD 147.17 5 Schroder ISF Emer Europe A Acc ...

Legal & General.(New offers)
October 1, 2003... Legal & General is offering Issue 5 of its Protected Index Plan. The product is an index-linked investment, providing growth in the FTSE 100 up to a maximum of 55 per cent over the five-and-a-half-year term. Capital is 100 per cent secure...

Insight Investment.(New offers)
October 1, 2003... * Insight Investment has launched the Insight Investment Growth Plan, combining the Accelerated Growth Option and the more cautious Capital Protected Option. The Accelerated Growth Option provides a 10 per cent return for every 1 per cent...

Premier Asset Management.(Product of the month)
October 1, 2003... * Premier Asset Management Premier Asset Management has launched the Premier Growth Plan offering the potential of a predetermined 7 per cent annual growth for six years linked to the performance of the FTSE 100. If the FTSE 100 is at the...

Franklin Templeton.(New offers)
October 1, 2003... Franklin Templeton Investments has added tour OEICs to its range of funds: Franklin US Equity, Franklin Mutual Shares, Templeton Europe and Franklin Corporate Bond. The US fund is a multi-cap, multi-style fund, the Mutual Shares fund is a...

Panel of experts.(October News)
October 1, 2003... * Patrick Connolly is a director at Chartwell Investment Management [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] * Philip Johnson is a director at Kenwood Associates [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] * Mitch Hopkinson is a financial adviser at M2 Financial ...

Britannia International.(Also launching this month ...)(Optimum Growth Bond)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Britannia International has launched the Optimum Growth Bond, a five-and-a-half-year plan linked to the FTSE 100 and offering 105 per cent of the FTSE's growth over this period. The bond will mature early if the FTSE rises by 31 per cent or...

Nvesta.(Also launching this month ...)(second edition of its Accelerator Growth Plan)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Nvesta has launched the second edition of its Accelerator Growth Plan. The plan is linked to the performance of the FTSE 100 and offers growth of up to 12 per cent a year. This is a six-year investment, but there are early maturity dates on the...

NDF.(Also launching this month ...)(Secure Double Growth Plan )(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... NDF is offering the Secure Double Growth Plan providing uncapped growth over a five-year term and a fixed return of 6 per cent for one year. Investors can place up to half of their investment in the one-year fixed return option. The balance...

Managers on the move: should you stay or should you go? What Investment looks into the reasons behind recent fund manager moves.(Fund managers)
October 1, 2003... The fund management merry-go-round shows little sign of slowing down, as management houses seem increasingly keen to compete for the services of highly rated fund managers. Top of this list over recent weeks has been Richard Woolnough, manager...

Tempting trusts: Harvey Jones explains why the investment trust sector is throwing up some not-to-be-missed bargains this autumn.(Focus: investment trusts)
October 1, 2003... The investment trust sector has had a rough ride in recent years, but while some problems can be pinned on tumbling stock markets, others have been firmly of its own making. Market falls hammered all equity-linked investments, but it took a...

Home equity facelift: tapping into the equity in your home could help you improve your retirement, but it isn't something to rush into says What Investment.(Home equity release)
October 1, 2003... Most people look forward to retirement, a time of no work and plenty of opportunities to do your oval thing. But doing your own thing can be expensive, and unless you've planned carefully you may find that before too many years have passed...

The income struggle: should income investors put their money into bonds or equities?(Equities, bonds or gilts?)
October 1, 2003... Income investors have a dilemma. For the first time in a while, the yield on the All-Share Index is significantly greater than the base rate. So should income investors be seriously looking at the stock market again--with all its attendant...

Pull the plug on risk: do protected unit trusts offer investors the best of both worlds?(Protected unit trusts)
October 1, 2003... Protected products have been hit by a double whammy recently. The recovery in stock markets since mid-March has lessened appetites for such products and the sector has also been damaged by the negative publicity surrounding so-called precipice...

A private matter: What Investment checks out the best PMI deals for the over-fifties.(Private medical insurance)
October 1, 2003... While many of us aspire to being healthy, wealthy and wise, achieving such an idyll is harder than you might imagine, particularly if you are over 50 and looking for private medical insurance (PMI). Although almost seven million people in...

Compensation schemes: want to make a complaint about an investment you've made? What Investment explains how.(Q & A)
October 1, 2003... In this age of blame and retribution, there's little that escapes the sharp eye of the law. Serve a hot cup of coffee a couple of degrees above the optimum and you can expect a pretty hefty lawsuit. Defend yourself against a petty criminal and...

High street or superhighway? A growing number of people are choosing to do their banking online.(Technology)
October 1, 2003... It doesn't seem five minutes since the internet first entered our lives and yet, for many of us, the net really has created a revolution in the way we bank. Research from eBenchmarkers, a company that evaluates the performance of online...

United Kingdom: small is best: 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.(World Markets)
October 1, 2003... Small cap stocks continue to enjoy favourable trading conditions There seems to be a consensus amongst UK fund managers that the small cap sector is the place to be. "Recent performance in this sector shows the benefits of investing in...

United States: improving sentiment.(World Markets)
October 1, 2003... Industrial production, consumer spending, and growing GDP indicate that recovery is on its way The US stock market has rallied from its mid-March low, and many fired managers are still cautious. However, Simon Melluish, Gartmore's head of...

Europe: scope for change.(World Markets)
October 1, 2003... Despite the lag in growth, valuations and liquidity in Europe remain relatively attractive "We remain underweight in Europe," says Neil Birrell, chief investment officer at Framlington Fund Managers. "The outlook for European economies...

Far East: up and down.(World Markets)
October 1, 2003... Despite the recent rally, Far Eastern markets will remain volatile in the short term "Asian stock markets are likely to remain volatile in the short term, given the current uncertainty over the strength of the US economy," says Susie...

Japan: increased optimism.(World Markets)
October 1, 2003... Cost cutting, foreign investment and improved fundamentals continue to boost the economy Neiloy Ghosh, manager of SocGen Japan Growth, is one of a growing number of Japanese fund managers getting more positive about their market. "Just...

Emerging markets: turning defensive.(World Markets)
October 1, 2003... Politically sensitive issues increase risk aversion in emerging Europe "Emerging markets have performed well, but with risk-aversion now hack to normal levels we are more concerned about the potential for a decline in sentiment and are...

Market insider: Spain: continuing our series providing a fundamental analysis of a region from an economic and political perspective. This month, Michael Wilson considers the outlook for Spain.(World Markets)
October 1, 2003... And then there were two. First, Germany admitted that its economy had dropped back into recession in mid-2003 after growth had shrunk for two successive quarters. Then it was Italy's turn to enter the hall of shame, as Europe's analysts started...

Market view.(UK Shares)
October 1, 2003... Trading volumes were not massive in August, but they never are. But they were more than respectable given the time of year, and the mood in the City was upbeat. The FTSE 100 Index advanced by 2.43 per cent between 1st August and 28th August to...

Beverages sector view.(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... Where I am sitting right now the biggest alcoholic brand is Metaxa (brandy), but I have had to work hard to go to a place (Athens) where the dominant brand is not a global one. Brands are everything in the world of alcoholic spirits. In the UK...

Beverages share view.
October 1, 2003... Diageo--which dwarfs the rest of this sector in terms of scale--has just reported its results for the year to 30 June 2003. Last year was a transitional time for the company, which was formed as a result of the merger of Guinness and Grand...

European sector review: Hilary Cook, director of investment strategy at Barclays Private Clients, examines the prospects for the European telecoms sector.
October 1, 2003... It was not so long ago that the telecoms sector was hugely out of favour with the stock market, encumbered by huge debts, weak top-line growth and delays in mobile technology. While some of these issues still exist to a lesser extent, the...

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)
October 1, 2003... CAUTIOUS OPTION Marcus Gilmartin of financial advisers Chase de Vere Investments, opts for the Henderson Preference & Bond fund for a cautious investment. The fund is ranked seventh out of 29 funds in the UK Other Bond sector over three...

Unit trust performance tables.(Unit Trusts OEICs)
October 1, 2003... 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 29 August 2003, on an offer-to-bid basis with net income reinvested. Funds are...

More interesting than woodworm: David Binnie swapped the world of property management for a career in fund management. Keiron Root surveys his progress.(Fund Manager Profile)
October 1, 2003... With most fund managers joining graduate trainee schemes straight from university, it is increasingly rare to find a tired manager who had experience of another career before they got down to managing money. David Binnie of Edinburgh Fund...

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)
October 1, 2003... CAUTIOUS OPTION Tony Lanning, investment director at Advisory & Brokerage Services chooses the zeros issued by Jupiter Dividend & Growth Investment Trust as his option for cautious investors. These shares are ranked 29th out of 52 in the...

Investment trust performance tables.
October 1, 2003... 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 29 August 2003, on an offer-to-bid basis with net income reinvested....

Without a profit.(Money clinic: a panel of independent experts answer readers' financial planning and investment queries)(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2003... I retired early for health reasons and live on investment income. I invested a sum of 50,000 [pounds sterling] plus rebated commission with Scottish Mutual in a with-profits bond four years ago, to produce a regular safe income. I also hold...

Pension performance.(Money clinic: a panel of independent experts answer readers' financial planning and investment queries)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... I am due to retire in ten years time, and am concerned about my pension performance. I really have no idea how well my investments have performed. I read that pension funds have been performing poorly and was wondering if you could tell me how...

Inflation know-how.(Money clinic: a panel of independent experts answer readers' financial planning and investment queries.)(Brief Article)
October 1, 2003... I would be most grateful if you could tell me what the rate of inflation has been for each year from 1995 until the present day or, if you do not have this information, provide details of where this could be obtained. B Bingham County...

Best ways to save.(list of savings vehicles and rates)
October 1, 2003... NO-NOTICE ACCOUNTS Company Account Gross Interest Name Rate Freq. Balance of 500 [pounds sterling] Northern Rock Tracker Online 4.15% *...

Personal pension annuity rates.(Reference)
October 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)
October 1, 2003... Top-performing unit-linked pensions Five years to 29 August 2003. Results of 100 [pounds sterling] invested on an offer-to-bid basis with gross income reinvested. Name Value Rank ...

Rolling-up for a higher rate of return.(RLAM Feature)
October 1, 2003... If you wish to invest tax efficiently then there are two obvious savings vehicles for you to choose from; an ISA or a Pensions plan. Yet there are other options you may not have heard of. Learn about the benefits of rolling up offshore. ...