The region has plenty of trade groups, but which ones can help the UK boost trade? The good news is that UK trade with Latin America is growing. But not as fast as British exports…
Where is the clever money going in 2016? – May
There are plenty of uncertainties ahead to muddy the investment waters, from the impending EU referendum and American presidential elections to the state of the Chinese and US economies and the policy measures they employ.…
Week in review: talking nonsense
In celebration of the birthday of author and poet Edward Lear, Thursday was declared National Limerick Day. Former Bank of England monetary policy committee member Andrew Sentance took this to heart and decided the form…
2015 record year for investment company adviser purchases
Purchases almost triple pre-RDR levels. Latest research from the Association of Investment Companies (AIC) using Matrix Financial Clarity demonstrates that 2015 was a record year for adviser and wealth manager purchases of investment companies via…
The Queen celebrates 90 years: Investment company sector continues to thrive
Figures from AIC show that 10% (27 by number) of conventional members have been around for 90 years or longer and continue to thrive. Of these, nearly half are featured in the AIC’s dividend heroes…
Market review: oiling the wheels
The week began with a whimper, as the Doha oil talks – at which the world’s major oil producers discussed cutting production – ended without agreement on Sunday. Although the oil price initially dipped in…
Market review: mixed fortunes
UK investors had reason to cheer this week, with the FTSE 100 up by 2.6% as at Thursday’s close. Highlighting the international nature of our “domestic” index, the move up was driven by strong performance…
Continuing our hunt for opportunities
Today, everyone is aware of the lack of pricing power of commodity businesses just as they became aware of the complexity and leverage inherent in bank business models in 2008. Likewise, all the economic analysis…
Long Term Issues Dominate Sterling – It’s not just about Brexit
The UK finds itself in a very uncomfortable position at the moment. Although most of the scary headlines recently have surrounded the question of whether we vote to leave the EU or not, we see…
Week in review: waving Tata to British steel
Prime Minister, David Cameron, held an emergency meeting this week to decide what the future holds for troubled steel operator, Tata Steel. Though there’s unlikely to be any major decisions made immediately, Cameron has all…
Week in review: the ‘Bittersweet’ Budget
This week George Osborne opened his red briefcase and revealed the latest figures from the Office for Budget Responsibility. The Chancellor appeared somewhat less optimistic towards the UK economy than he was four months ago,…
Low-cost exposure or face to the future?
The first step into the stock market from being a cash investor, safe in bank deposits but earning minimal rates (the current best 2-year fixed-term bond pays just 1.85%, and top-paying cash Isas yield around…
Dividend heroes – investment companies with at least 20 year records of dividend rises
2016 began with a rocky start for markets, but there is some better news for income seeking investors. Today, the Association of Investment Companies (AIC) has published a list of the investment company sector’s dividend…
A simple exposure to markets
It is possible to introduce a lot of complexity into the selection of investments. Is it better to invest in large or small companies, for example? Or with this fund manager or that fund manager?…
Tracking the market
How best to track the market Understandably, most investors assume that if a fund claims to track an index, their return will be exactly the same as the index. There are a number of reasons…
FTSE All Share versus FTSE 100
Once an investor has made the thorny decision over whether they want to look for an active fund manager, or simply to track an index, it may feel like all the hard work is done.…
Week in review – the impending ‘Brexit’ referendum
The main topic du jour for most commentators has been the impending ‘Brexit’ referendum, the date of which was revealed at the weekend (23 June). Conservative politicians were not particularly EUphoric following Mr Cameron’s trip…
The buy and hold strategy has had a miserable time in 2016, so what is the alternative to market exposure?
Buy and hold investors have had a miserable time so far in 2016. The FTSE 100 index lost more than 9 per cent between 25 January and 11 February alone, while a spate of ferocious…
Should you look at cheap funds for your portfolio in the hope of enjoying their recovery?
Are you in search of an effective ‘system’ through which to build your portfolio? One option is momentum investing. Momentum investors in effect ride the crest of the wave of the most successful stocks or…