What Investment articles from October 2005

What Investment archives from October 2005

Flat-pack tax.(Comment)
October 1, 2005... I read with some interest the other week that the Treasury had recently written a report, discussing the merits of a 'flat tax' and, although the report was published under the Freedom of Information Act, certain bits of the discussion part...

Fidelity to split fund.(News Round-up)
October 1, 2005... The assets of the 5.4 billion [pounds sterling] Fidelity Special Situations Fund will be divided into two separate funds during the first half of 2006, according to Fidelity Investments. Anthony Bolton, manager of the fund since launch in...

Free book offer!!(News Round-up)
October 1, 2005... We have 10 copies of Ernst & Young's Tax Saver's Guide 2005-2006 to give away free to readers. The book, described by one reviewer as "A 'must-have' for self-employed professionals and higher-rate tax-payers", is the annual guide for...

Older--and wiser.(News Round-up)
October 1, 2005... Older investors are consistently more successful when it comes to making money on the stock market than younger age groups, according to the latest research by Halifax Share Dealing. Halifax Share Dealing questioned more than 790 investors...

Inflation, what inflation?(October news)
October 1, 2005... Only one in every four savers takes inflation into account when looking to save, even though it is currently running at 2.9 per cent (as measured by the Retail Price Index), according to National Savings & Investments (NS&I). Awareness had...

Manager moves: a round-up of the comings and goings in the fund management world.(October news)
October 1, 2005... The trend for funds moving between management groups, rather than simply fund managers, continues, with the news that Brown Shipley is to transfer its Solus Eastern Enterprise Fund to Premier Portfolio Managers, in order to concentrate its...

New guide to advice from FSA.(October news)
October 1, 2005... The Financial Services Authority (FSA), the independent financial watchdog, has published an updated guide to help consumers understand what financial advice is and how to get it. The guide provides impartial information on how to choose...

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.(October news)
October 1, 2005... * Newton Investment Management Ltd The Newton Global Opportunities Fund will be a concentrated portfolio of stocks unconstrained by a benchmark. Alex Stanic, a member of Newton's Global Equities team, will manage the fund, which will...

Cavendish AIM Fund.(Product of the month)
October 1, 2005... Cavendish Asset Management is launching a new specialist AIM fund, which is intended to be a sub-fund of the Cavendish Investments Funds OEIC. Paul Mumford, senior fund manager at Cavendish Asset Management, will take charge of the AIM fund. He...

Witan Investment Trust.
October 1, 2005... Witan Investment Trust, the multi-managed global growth investment trust, is waiving its 1 per cent share-dealing charge on all new lump-sum investments into the Witan Share Plan from 1 October to 30 November 2005 for those wishing to...

Trade winds: Keiron Root explains how the Chinese are the ultimate beneficiaries of Trafalgar.(Lessons from history)
October 1, 2005... By the time you read this, the 'Nelson Industry' will be at the top of its cycle, celebrating the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar. Trying to tie Nelson's posthumous victory into an investment column is somewhat harder, but there is...

You pays your money ... stockbrokers used to be intimidating people in pinstripe suits. But that has all changed: today's stockbroking is available in a wide variety of forms for a variety of different prices. But what is the difference between a 'bucket shop' execution-only broker and the advisory service offered by long-established firms? Jo Tura finds out.(Closing and using a stockbroker)(Cover Story)
October 1, 2005... Stockbroking, like so many other services, has morphed from a fairly simple proposition a couple of decades back (go to an office, a man helps you buy shares), to an all-singing, all-dancing variety show involving not just equities but bonds,...

Getting specific: when it comes to investment funds, you're spoiled for choice. Now, funds can be sector-specific--you can invest in a specific geographical area or in specific industries. So how can these funds make it into your portfolio and add spice, and how much risk are you taking on by investing in them?(Single-sector funds)
October 1, 2005... The oil price breached $70 (38.02 [pounds sterling]) a barrel at the end of August following the effect of Hurricane Katrina on production in the Gulf of Mexico. This may be casting uncertainly over the future rate of inflation and economic...

To track or not to track? Are we still in a stock-picker's market? With Shell bulking up the FTSE 100, should you just stick to a tracker and save money on the annual charge? Or is it precisely because Shell--and other oilers--look so large in the index that it's time to embrace active management? Helen Pridham takes a look.(Trackers versus actively managed funds)
October 1, 2005... In the second half of the 1990s, it seemed to many investors that they had found the holy grail--investment funds that were low-cost and never underperformed, or at least only marginally. These funds were index trackers whose sole aim was to...

Stopping losses.(Money clinic: A panel of independent experts answer readers' financial planning and investment queries)
October 1, 2005... At the age of 63 my small business is winding down and I have transferred pension funds into a SIPP with SIPPdeal Ltd. After taking the maximum tax-free lump stun, the fund value is 140,000 [pounds sterling] which I have invested via ComDirect...

Suspended shares.(Money clinic: A panel of independent experts answer readers' financial planning and investment queries)
October 1, 2005... I am a shareholder in Bookham Technology, and have recently tried to sell my shares. However, when I called my broker to place the sale instruction, I was told that nay share certificate was no longer valid. Is this true and, if so, what...

Compensation matters.(Money clinic: A panel of independent experts answer readers' financial planning and investment queries)
October 1, 2005... I have made an investment in a Skandia Multi ISA through a discount broker. I believe that investors using execution-only services do not have any entitlement to compensation. I have invested in several funds. What are the implications of...

The price of supplements.(Money clinic: A panel of independent experts answer readers' financial planning and investment queries)
October 1, 2005... I am looking to retire within the next couple of years, but as I will not have a full pension I have calculated that I need to supplement nay pension by about 10,000 [pounds sterling] per annum. I do have some savings but I was wondering what...

Portfolio monitoring tools: monitoring the performance of your portfolio of investments used to mean poring over the pages of the FT with a magnifying glass. Not any longer. These days, a number of websites will do the work for you. Harvey Jones logs on.(Technology)
October 1, 2005... Everybody likes a freebie, and the internet gives away some astonishing goodies. Portfolio monitoring services are a good example. We might take them for granted now, but just a few years ago this kind of investment-tracking data would only be...

That sinking feeling: income seekers affected by the recent cut in interest rates must look elsewhere for better returns.(Investing for income)
October 1, 2005... Investors who rely on the income from their savings are naturally reluctant to expose their capital to any risk. In this respect a deposit account provides the perfect solution. The problem, however, is that many banks and building societies...

Global equities: when the levee breaks: each month, What Investment speaks to fund managers and analysts focusing on four different asset classes, and asks them to reveal the key issues currently driving their stock-selection decisions.(ASSET ALLOCATION)
October 1, 2005... As has become a well-established pattern with recent natural--and manmade--disasters, devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina on the Southern states of the US has had little long-term effect on the stock market. Rupert Della-Porta, manager of...

Bonds: yields fall on US 10-year Treasuries.(ASSET ALLOCATION)
October 1, 2005... Looking back over the past 12 months, at the beginning of the period, inflation-linked bonds and corporate bonds performed better than government bonds, according to Chris Iggo, senior strategist at AXA Investment Managers. But as US data...

Commodities: oil price places pressure on global growth.(ASSET ALLOCATION)
October 1, 2005... Ian Watson, chairman of resources company Galahad Gold, recently observed at an investors' briefing: "I think Asia in general--and China in particular--has changed global metal markets. It has changed the cyclical nature of these markets. Take...

Property: moderate growth in housing market.(ASSET ALLOCATION)
October 1, 2005... The most recent report compiled by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), which looked at global demand for commercial property, concluded that UK business demand for property has ground to a standstill, while signs of a...

Helping you to help yourself through the maze of financial advice: consumers need better access to clear, fair information which is not misleading, says financial watchdog the FSA. Talking to an independent financial adviser has to be a good start.(ASHLEY LAW / Advertisement Feature)(Advertisement)
October 1, 2005... Again and again market surveys reveal the majority of consumers don't take enough care of their finances. Whether its a lack of time, interest or a shortage of information few people give themselves regular financial health checks to make sure...

Market insider: Eastern Europe: continuing our series providing a fundamental analysis of a region from an economic and political perspective. This month, Michael Wilson considers the outlook for Eastern Europe.(WORLD MARKETS)
October 1, 2005... In one way or another it's shaping up to be a tough autumn for the world's major investment markets. Even without taking Hurricane Katrina into consideration, America is facing the very real prospect of a major downturn, thanks to rising oil...

Market view: Tom Winnifrith considers the outlook for UK shares.(UK SHARES)
October 1, 2005... Sell in May, then go away, and come back on St Leger's Day. This year St Leger's Day was on 10 September, but the old saying has proved rotten advice. All the UK major indices gained ground in August just as they had done in July, June and May....

FTSE 100 index.(UK SHARES)
October 1, 2005... FTSE 100 INDEX Stock 1 month Rank 3i Group plc 98.53 70 Alliance & Leicester PLC 98.06 74 Alliance Unichem PLC 100.23 54 Amvescap...

Index constituent rankings FTSE 100.(UK SHARES)
October 1, 2005... INDEX CONSTITUENT RANKINGS FTSE 100 Rank Stock Price Dividend Yield (%) 1 BP 632 ...

AIM sector view.(UK SHARES)
October 1, 2005... A lot has been written about AIM, the Alternative Investment Market, over the past few months and so, as a distinct sub-sector, it's a topical one: it was also the best-performing FTSE index in August. From fragile and often controversial...

AIM share view.(UK SHARES)
October 1, 2005... Domino's Pizza holds the UK and Irish franchise for the world's favourite home delivery brand. It's rolling out 40-50 stores a year and people will pay Domino's 200,000 [pounds sterling] to buy a franchise for a new store. So this rollout is...

European sector review: Hilary Cook, director of investment strategy at Barclays Private Clients, looks at the impact of rising crude oil prices on European oil companies.(STOCK MARKET REVIEW)
October 1, 2005... In recent weeks, oil prices seem to have entered a seemingly relentless upward trend, with West Texas Intermediate trading at $65 per barrel in mid-August. Certainly, we are of the opinion that higher oil prices are likely to be the norm for...

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, 2005... CAUTIOUS OPTION Gillian Cardy, principal of IFA Professional Partnerships feels that the Legal & General High Income Trust represents a solid choice for investors who want to take very little risk. Legal & General High Income is ranked 3rd...

Unit trust performance tables.(UNIT Trusts OEICs)
October 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 August 2005, on an offer-to-bid basis with net income reinvested. Funds are listed by sector so that you can...

Staying ahead of the curve: Keiron Root meets a fund manager who is constantly looking for new markets.(FUND MANAGER PROFILE)
October 1, 2005... Investing in emerging markets is regarded as a highly volatile process. When a particular market is rolling, the gains can be spectacular but, when it falls out of favour, these can disappear just a rapidly. Dealing with economies that 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)
October 1, 2005... CAUTIOUS OPTION Nick Greenwood, head of investment trusts at iimia, suggests some LOOT--the Life Offices Opportunities Trust--as an option for investors who do not want to eke too much risk. These shares are ranked 4th out of 4 in the...

Investment trust performance tables.(INVESTMENT TRUSTS)
October 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 August 2005, on a mid-market basis with net income reinvested. Funds are listed by sector so that you can...

Personal pension annuity rates.(REFERENCE)
October 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...

Best ways to save.(Money facts)
October 1, 2005... Best ways to save Telephone Account Number INSTANT-ACCESS BRANCH ACCOUNTS Universal BS 845 070 1314 Prime Time Scarborough BS 845 056 0840 ...

Cash ISAs.(REFERENCE)
October 1, 2005... Company Notice Minimum or term deposit MINI CASH ISAs 1,000 [pounds sterling] Halifax None (H) 1 [pounds sterling] Bradford & Bingley None...

TESSA-only ISAs.(REFERENCE)
October 1, 2005... Company Notice Minimum or term deposit TESSA-ONLY ISAS 3,000 [pounds sterling] Halifax None (H) 1 [pounds sterling] Harpenden BS ...

National savings & investments.(REFERENCE)
October 1, 2005... NATIONAL SAVINGS & INVESTMENTS Product Notice/ Minimum Term Deposit ACCOUNTS AND BONDS Easy Access Savings Instant 100 [pounds sterling] Investment Account...

Top-performing unit-linked pensions.(REFERENCE)
October 1, 2005... Top-performing unit-linked pensions Five years to 31 August 2005. Results of 100 [pounds sterling] invested on offer-to-bid basis with gross income reinvested. Name Value Rank Balanced...

ISA directory.(Financial Contacts)(Directory)
October 1, 2005... Financial Contacts ISA Directory NAME & ADDRESS NAME OF TYPE SCHEME Abbey National[R] Investments ISA Stocks & Shares Tel: 0800 30 20 30 Safety Plus...