What Investment articles from September 2005

What Investment archives from September 2005

No, minister!(Comment)
September 1, 2005... 'I remember watching an episode of Yes, Minister, where the civil servants, led by Sir Humphrey Appleby, gave their opinion on the current batch of politicians they served. The Education secretary was said to be "illiterate" the Arts & Culture...

AXA buys Framlington.(News Round-up)
September 1, 2005... AXA Investment Managers has announced that it has entered into an agreement to buy Framlington Group Limited from HSBC Holdings plc and Comerica Incorporated. Completion of the transaction is subject to certain conditions, including FSA...

Equity release--risk to inheritance?(News Round-up)
September 1, 2005... Retired people looking for equity release schemes can expect greater choice as more mortgage providers enter the lifetime mortgage market, reveals a new report from Defaqto. It says that trend is set to continue as the housing market slows...

Pensioners experience house sale delay.(News Round-up)
September 1, 2005... Over 237,000 retired homeowners will move home this year, but many will face a long wait to sell their current home, according to Economic Lifestyle, the retirement housing and finance specialist. According to research, of 47 retired homeowners...

What Investment at the World Money Show, London.(September news)
September 1, 2005... The World Money Show, London, is an investor exhibition and educational conference that is taking place on 30 September and 1 October 2005 at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre in Westminster. It will feature over 120 free events,...

Manager moves: a round-up of the comings and goings in the fund management world.(September news)
September 1, 2005... Once again the most important move over the past month has not been of a fund manager but of a fund management group. Framlington, recently awarded the accolade of What Investment Fund Management Group of the Year, is to be acquired by AXA...

Top ten funds.(September news)
September 1, 2005... Top ten funds UNIT TRUSTS One Year 1 dit-Korea - A - USD 182.53 2 First State Indian Subconti I 173.76 3 MLIIF Latin Americ A2 USD 165.70 4 JI India Equity 164.60 5 ...

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.(September news)
September 1, 2005... * Keydata The Keydata Secure Income Bond claims to offer a higher level of fixed income without the level of risk from investing in equities or corporate bonds. It offers a choice of income payments over five years: 7.5 per cent fixed...

Premier Asset Management.(Product of the month)
September 1, 2005... Premier Portfolio Managers Limited has launched the Premier Pan-European Property Share Fund, which will invest in the shares of commercial property companies and investment trusts in the UK and across the whole of Europe, including the...

Portman Building Society.(Also launching this month ...)
September 1, 2005... Portman Building Society has launched a Branch Bonus Saver account, which offers a competitive interest rate, introductory fixed bonus, and guarantee to pay at least the Bank of England base rate until 30 June 2007. The account offers...

Building a mystery: if you have a share portfolio, how do you best construct it to minimise risk--and maximize gains? Should you just buy a FTSE tracker? Or are there any gains to be made constructing your own portfolio? Are there any easily understood and applicable 'rules' you should bear in mind? Rupert Walker takes a look.(Building a portfolio)
September 1, 2005... Although we may not be the share-owning democracy envisaged by some of the more optimistic free-market disciples in the 1980s, many of us acquired shares from privatisations or, in the following decade, from building society demutualisations....

Online savings: many people are migrating to online savings accounts. But is this where the best deals are?(Technology)
September 1, 2005... Gone are the days when banks had to be imposing institutions with Doric columns and marble floors. These days, not only convenience, but also the best deals lurk online. Or so it seems, if you look at the rate tables. But do online banks really...

The perfect tonic? Focus funds offer concentrated holdings of 'high-conviction' stocks sufficient to pep up any flagging portfolio. Nick Sudbury takes a look.(Focus funds)
September 1, 2005... The uncertain stock market conditions of recent years have made it difficult for mainstream, benchmark-linked funds to flourish. Because of this, a growing number of investors are turning to a relatively new breed of unit trust to help boost...

Lumpy sums.(Money clinic: A panel of independent experts answer readers' financial planning and investment queries)
September 1, 2005... I heard recently that, from April next, I can take 25 per cent of my pension fund as a tax-free lump sum without having to buy an annuity immediately with the remainder (I am over 50, of course). I also believe that I will be able to contribute...

Someone else's Goldmine.(Money clinic: A panel of independent experts answer readers' financial planning and investment queries)
September 1, 2005... I have been reading recently of such things as the 'Goldmine System', which can apparently help an individual regulate a portfolio--picking out the best stocks, setting entry points and stop losses, making sure stop losses are not missed when...

Desperately seeking shares.(Money clinic)
September 1, 2005... In my late mother's will, she left me her oil shares and monies from them. The will states they are held at the Midland Bank on Linthorpe Road. No account numbers, share certificates or contact numbers--nothing. I have contacted HSBC, but they...

Tax havens.(Money clinic)
September 1, 2005... You have recently published two very interesting articles on investing overseas and using tax havens. I have been informed that all assets--and all income that arises overseas--have to be declared and tax paid at UK rates. I always thought...

AIMing to keep your inheritance: growing numbers of investors are turning to the Alternative Investment Market to shelter their estates from inheritance tax. Keiron Root discovers why.(Inheritance tax strategies)
September 1, 2005... The primary reason why a growing number of families are getting caught in the IHT net is the dramatic increase in the value of their homes. Georgina Mitchell, head of investment support at stockbroker Redmayne Bentley points out that, as house...

Profit from your hoardings: if you have an attic or spare room full of what you consider junk and you're tempted to throw it out, don't be too hasty--it could be worth as a substantial amount. Conal Gregory looks at alternative investments.(Alternative investments)
September 1, 2005... It may be the attic, the garage or a visit to a car boot sale--all are great sources of 'alternative' investments. The passing of time has given many everyday items a value that few could have predicted at the time. The good news is that...

Global equities: interest in the renminbi: each month, What Investment speaks to fund managers focusing on four different asset classes and asks them to reveal the key issues currently driving their stock-selection decisions.(ASSET ALLOCATION)
September 1, 2005... For some months, the focus of the UK market has been on the possibility of reduction in interest rates and the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) finally obliged and cut its base rate by 0.25 per cent, to 4.5 per cent, at its...

Bonds: stability after the rate cut.(ASSET ALLOCATION)
September 1, 2005... The MPC's interest-rate cut also had an effect on the fixed-interest markets. Ian Fishwick, head of UK fixed income at Credit Suisse Asset Management, believes the Bank of England has cut interest rates primarily because it wants to ensure that...

Commodities: no clear limit for the oil price.(ASSET ALLOCATION)
September 1, 2005... Nick Greenwood, head of iimia's multimanager team, is focussing on the alternative energy sector, in response to high oil prices. He argues that iimia believes the price of oil will stay higher for longer. "However, there's the risk that...

Property: rate cuts should stimulate interest.(ASSET ALLOCATION)
September 1, 2005... Unsurprisingly, the 0.25 per cent base rate cut announced at the beginning of August drew the attention of mortgage lenders. John Goodfellow, chief executive of Skipton Building Society, commented that many in the market, including Skipton,...

Market insider: South East Asia: continuing our series providing a fundamental analysis of a region from an economic and political perspective. This month, Michael Wilson considers the outlook for South East Asia.(WORLD MARKETS)
September 1, 2005... September's a dangerous, unpredictable month for the financial markets. It's the month when all the stockbrokers and all the fund managers come back from their holidays to re-examine the crazy world they left behind them before they went away....

Market view: Tom Winnifrith considers the outlook for UK shares.(UK SHARES)
September 1, 2005... Stock indices are always misleading. This point has been made here before but, in view of what follows, it needs to be made again. The FTSE 100 surged ahead by 5.4 per cent in July to a new three-year high of 5,282.30. But that was largely due...

FTSE 100 index.(UK SHARES)
September 1, 2005... FTSE 100 INDEX Stock 1 month Rank 1 year Rank 3i Group plc 105.01 33 127.42 34 Alliance & Leicester PLC 100.34 64 109.28 80 Alliance Unichem PLC...

Index constituent rankings FTSE 100.(UK SHARES)
September 1, 2005... INDEX CONSTITUENT RANKINGS FTSE 100 Rank Stock Price Dividend Yield (%) 1 BP 629.5 2.86% 2 ...

Online gambling sector view.(UK SHARES)
September 1, 2005... This season's hottest sector has been the online gambling sector. Over the past couple of years, 17 companies have floated and there are more on the way: Betfair, Interactive Gaming Holdings and JackpotJoy are down for autumn flotations,...

Online gambling share view.(UK SHARES)
September 1, 2005... Party Gaming is now valued at 7.5 [pounds sterling] billion. One of its founders made a previous fortune in internet pornography, so there is at least a track record of successful e-commerce! Some 92 per cent of its revenues come from poker;...

European sector review: Hilary Cook, director of investment strategy at Barclays Private Clients, examines the economic prospects for London after its successful bid to host the 2012 Olympics.(STOCK MARKET REVIEW)
September 1, 2005... In one of the closest contests in the history of the modern Olympics, London has been chosen to host the 2012 games, edging out Paris in the final round of voting. While the Olympic Games will have a significant effect on London's economy,...

Unit trust best buys.(UNIT TRUSTS MONITOR)
September 1, 2005... CAUTIOUS OPTION Rob Harley, fund analyst at Bestinvest, argues that cautious investors should focus on fixed-interest funds. To that end, he suggests Royal London Income Trust. This fund is ranked 13th out of 64 funds in the UK Corporate...

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

Valuing growth: Keiron Root talks to Stephen Whittaker, a fund manager who likes to work for, and invest in, dynamic growth companies.(FUND MANAGER PROFILE)
September 1, 2005... Stephen Whittaker is a fund manager with a distinctive approach to running a portfolio and a preference for working for smaller, dynamic fund management houses. As such, his profile fitted perfectly with that of New Star, the fund management...

Investment trust best buys.(INVESTMENT TRUSTS MONITOR)
September 1, 2005... CAUTIOUS OPTION For investors looking for a stable investment, Daniel Lockyer, investment trust analyst at iimia, highlights the attractions of the packaged units of the Investors Capital Trust. These units are ranked 4th out of 10 in the...

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

Personal pension annuity rates.(REFERENCE)
September 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)
September 1, 2005... Best ways to save Telephone Number/Website INSTANT ACCESS BRANCH ACCOUNTS Universal BS 0845 070 1314 Bank of Scotland 0500 804 804 Scarborough BS 0845 056...

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

ISA directory.(Financial Contacts)(Directory)
September 1, 2005... Financial Contacts ISA Directory NAME & ADDRESS NAME OF TYPE MAXI/ SCHEME MINI Abbey National[R] Investments ISA Stocks &...

Unit trusts & OEICs.(Financial Contacts)
September 1, 2005... Aberdeen UNIT TRUST MANAGERS One Bow Churchyard, London, EC4M 9HH www.aberdeen-asset.co.uk Contact: Customer Services 0845 300 2890 Fax 01224 425907 Unit Trusts: Wide range of 28 unit trusts covering stock markets and...

Investment trusts.(Financial Contacts)
September 1, 2005... ABERDEEN ASSET MANAGERS LTD One Albyn Place, Aberdeen AB10 1YG. Tel: 0500 00 00 40. E-mail: inv.trusts@aberdeen-asset.com Website: www.invtrusts.co.uk Conventional Investment Trusts: Aberdeen Asian Smaller Companies Investment...

Friendly societies.(Financial Contacts)
September 1, 2005... ROYAL STANDARD FRIENDLY SOCIETY FREEPOST, LONDON SW18 5YY Contact: Philip Truelove, Tel/Fax: 020 8870 3119 Established for over 170 years. Tax-free with-profits plans available from 7.50 [pounds sterling] to 25 [pounds sterling] a...

Spreading your options.(The essential guide to saving for children)
September 1, 2005... Investment trusts are a popular medium for long-term savings, because they spread investment risk and give those saving relatively small sums access to a much wider portfolio of investments than they would be able to achieve investing directly...

Future security.(The essential guide to saving for children)
September 1, 2005... Raising children is the most important thing that a parent can do. And putting aside the almost certain flashpoints of mohawk haircuts, body piercing, homemade tattoos and Marilyn Manson music, you want to provide your child with every possible...

Good, clean fund?(The essential guide to saving for children)
September 1, 2005... The Child Trust Fund (CTF) was launched in spring 2005 distributing vouchers to every child born in the UK after 1st September 2002. In most cases these vouchers are worth 250 [pounds sterling] (500 [pounds sterling] for families with income...

Little acorns.(The essential guide to saving for children)
September 1, 2005... "Saving is a very fine thing especially when it is done by your parents"--Winston Churchill Parents are becoming increasingly worried about their children's future financial security. How will they fund a university course? Will they be...

Fleeing the nest: Paul Ilott, Senior Investment Adviser at Bates Investment Services explains why parents need to plan ahead to meet their offspring's university fees.(The essential guide to saving for children)
September 1, 2005... After taking into account above inflation increases in costs, a parent with a new born baby can expect to pay around 47,600 [pounds sterling] out of earned income starting in 18 years time in order to fund their child through a three-year...