Investment Funds Leeds
Many people would love the opportunity to invest money and make a profit. Read the following investment fund articles to learn how you can make that a reality.
Now that the financial institutions appear to have stopped collapsing, and governments have embarked upon an unprecedented programme of buying up their own and others’ debt, while extending their own debt levels to almost incomprehensible levels, what exactly happens next?
Keiron Root highlights those investment companies best placed to benefit from any further signs of a recovery. Please read on for more detailed information in the following article.
While many savers use Individual Savings Accounts to take advantage of their tax status to boost their personal savings and investments, research highlights that, for many investors, the typical fees charged for an ISA often outweigh their tax savings.
With investors increasingly focussed on income, and fund management houses keen to plug any gaps in their ranges of income-producing funds, it is an interesting time for the Investment Management Association (IMA) to make changes to its classification of UK Income funds. Read more.
While many investors have been withdrawing their money from traditional forms of managed fund during the current financial crisis, one area has experienced significant growth. Both the numbers of, and the value of assets under management within, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) have increased dramatically over the past year, and market participants expect this trend to continue in the future. Keiron Root examines the reasons for the dramatic rise of the exchange-traded fund.
However hard the investment trust sector tries to address the problem of share price discount to net asset value (NAV), the difficulty stubbornly refuses to disappear. Here David Harris considers the dilemma facing many investment company boards of whether or not to implement a discount control policy.
In the past couple of years, parents and grandparents have had a real chance of providing their children with a financial boost when they reach the age of 18, all courtesy of the government and its Child Trust Fund (CTF) initiative. This innovation has the potential to achieve an income tax- and capital gains tax-free investment pot of over £50,000, with some additional funding and the right investment selection.
Portfolios that seek to follow a flexible investment approach while limiting the overall level of risk should be particularly attractive, and it is just such a strategy that is followed by the CF Miton Special Situations Portfolio Fund, one of a range of distinctive investment funds run by Midas Capital Partners.
There are two distinctive approaches that a fund manager can take towards running an investment portfolio. An 'actively managed' fund is one where the fund manager buys and sells holdings with the intention of maximising gains and minimising losses.
As ever, personal circumstance and preference will determine the best route to take, but the following comments may help. The key is whether the money is needed now or not. WSH is not in a “desperate hurry” but, understandably, doesn’t want to see the value of the pot decrease. I agree that it appears to be sensible to leave the Equitable without penalty as soon as this is possible, as one of the largest risks to pension money is an unstable provider.
Running a fund that concentrates on a particular sector, or group of companies, brings its own set of rewards and problems. When it is in favour, outperforming the market should be relatively easy. It is when the market is shunning your chosen sector that the ability of the manager to discover hidden value is put to the test.
Given the massive growth in the overall popularity of spread betting as an investment tool in recent years, alongside the ever higher profile achieved by the general gaming industry, it is perhaps quite surprising that the traditional form of gambling – fixed-odds betting – is not more widely used.
Andy Parsons, advice team manager at The Share Centre, explains why investors looking for long-term capital growth and some exposure to overseas markets should consider the BlackRock European Dynamic fund.
There is actually a form of gambling that can help protect your portfolio from the current market mayhem. It is called financial spread betting, and its advocates claim it can both help you manage your portfolio more efficiently, and reduce the cost. Harvey Jones explains how investors can make the most effective use of spread betting.
The Inland Revenue Matching Rules provide the guidelines for calculating capital gains tax on sales of shares purchased in tranches over a period of time. These rules seek to match the purchase cost against the sale, in order to calculate the gain. Unfortunately, the calculations can be quite complex.
This article introduces child trust fund performance and discusses the differences between stakeholder and non-stakeholder products. Read on to know more about CTFs.
Choose CTF and there will be a huge variety of these, from mainstream investments like global growth investment trusts to more risky vehicles such as Far Eastern funds.
This new cautious fund has been designed for those investors who have a low appetite for capital fluctuations in their portfolio by focusing on capital preservation and aiming to beat cash deposits, inflation and fixed- income investments consistently over a medium-to-long term.
Commodity investment has become increasingly popular over the past few years, as the associated benefits have become more widely known. As global growth has continued unabated, led by the new economic powerhouse of China, commodities have been consumed at an unprecedented rate. With the rise in demand and problems of tight supply, prices have risen across most of the commodity spectrum.
Contracts for difference (CFDs) have revolutionised the way in which active investors run their portfolios. From slow beginnings, CFDs have become an essential investment tool, giving investors efficient and flexible trading at a significantly lower cost than traditional share dealing. Indeed, the UK’s financial regulator, the Financial Services Authority (FSA), estimates that CFD related activity accounts for over 30 per cent of daily equity trading flow on the London Stock Exchange.
Generalist investment trusts have had plenty of critics over the years. More than once these trusts, which are often very large and invest globally in the shares of many different types of companies, have been condemned as unwieldy dinosaurs. Yet while they may not offer the excitement of specialist trusts, which concentrate on one sector or geographic region, they do not have their disadvantages either. Indeed, for many investors they are an ideal choice.
Covered warrants were launched on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) in October 2002 with noisy fanfare but also a certain degree of scepticism. Private investors weren’t exactly rushing to get their hands on this new twist on options and the verdict from investment experts was scathing. One year after launch, Futures & Options World condemned them as a ‘complete and utter rip-off’ and one that private investors should be taught to avoid.
The volatility in investment markets that began in July would be expected to lead to investors moving away from investment trusts, particularly since the vast majority of the sector’s constituents have portfolios heavily weighted towards equities and bonds.
Before a Local Authority agrees to fund a person’s residential/nursing care, they undertake financial means-testing. In your circumstances the actual property will be excluded while you live there, but your wife’s other capital and/or income will be included in the means-test. If this is above the upper threshold, she will be classed as a self-funder.
Warrants, like many things in the investment world, go in and out of fashion and are viewed by many investors as being extremely high risk. However, they do have the potential to generate larger gains than would be made by simply investing in the underlying share. Jenny Lowe explains how investors should approach the market in warrants issued by investment companies.
We all remember the ‘split-cap scandal’ of 2001-2003 that saw thousands of investors lose large amounts of money, but despite their chequered history, many experts believe split-capital investment trusts still have a place in investors’ portfolios.
Considering the alternatives to equity release should be a fundamental part of any customer’s assessment process. Downsizing, using existing savings, assistance from family and friends, or access to additional state benefits could reduce or eliminate the need to release money from your property.
Commodities have been the investment success story of the past five years. As equity markets become more volatile and property loses its lustre, investors are becoming increasingly aware of the returns to be made from a wide range of physical commodities.
Being the father of three teenagers, until about three years ago the word ‘rap’ was synonymous with blinged-up individuals with names like DJ Dizzy Jizzy addressing such key social issues as having the wrong trainers.
Ethical investment means investing in line with your principles, supporting companies that benefit the community and avoiding those whose products and services or business practices you find morally objectionable.
Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are pooled investments that aim to track particular indices, such as the FTSE 100, the Dow Jones Industrial Average or the Investment Property Database Index. Colin Tipping, client director at Barclays Global Investors, one of the major UK providers of ETFs to UK investors under the brand iShares, explains, ‘Although they are collective investment schemes, they differ from more traditional funds in that they combine the best features of direct securities and collective investment schemes.’
While many investors have been withdrawing their money from traditional forms of managed fund during the current financial crisis, one area has experienced significant growth. Both the numbers of, and the value of assets under management within, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) have increased dramatically over the past year, and market participants expect this trend to continue in the future. Keiron Root examines the reasons for the dramatic rise of the exchange-traded fund.
When it comes to fund management, are two heads better than one? Cherry Reynard investigates whether investors are better following star fund managers or opting for the team approach to managing money.
There are many reasons why a fund outperforms others, such as the ability of the fund manager to select and sell stocks and asset allocate, the timing of buy and sell decisions and the size of the fund, the investment style of the fund and whether that style is in favour with stock markets. Because of this, there are many different ways for managers to select stocks and run their funds.
Investment trusts have a huge amount to offer the right investors, but there are over 800 available. To make an informed decision, investors need to make choices about the sector in which a trust invests, the investment objectives of its manager, the gearing policy and the dividend policy, and decide whether they are happy with the discount at which the fund may be trading. Here Sarah Coles sets out the ground rules for getting advice on investment trusts.
Real estate investment trusts (REITs) are a tax-efficient way to invest in commercial property. REITs were only launched at the beginning of 2007 in the UK (see box, right), but the investment structure has been established all over the world for many years. REITs are popular investment vehicles in 23 countries, providing a means for investors to diversify their property holdings on an international basis.
Investment clubs have become very popular in the UK, with more than 5,000 springing up across the country since the 1990s. The rise in popularity was fuelled by people realising that investing can be turned into fun by teaming up with friends or colleagues – ideal for those new to investing in shares.
While many savers use Individual Savings Accounts to take advantage of their tax status to boost their personal savings and investments, research highlights that, for many investors, the typical fees charged for an ISA often outweigh their tax savings.
Like covered warrants and spread betting, CFDs allow you to benefit from the ups and downs of the market, without actually buying shares. Richard J Hunter, head of UK equities at Hargreaves Lansdown Stockbrokers, has the details.
With investors increasingly focussed on income, and fund management houses keen to plug any gaps in their ranges of income-producing funds, it is an interesting time for the Investment Management Association (IMA) to make changes to its classification of UK Income funds. Read more.
As interest rates on cash savings are slashed yet again, cutting to rock bottom the income that many investors rely on to supplement their pensions, and reducing the increases in other savers’ nest-eggs to close to zero, many investors in investment trusts are sitting pretty. Here Mary Sullivan explains how some investment trusts manage to pay out steadily rising levels of income year after year.
The Investec Enhanced Natural Resources Fund aims to deliver a long-term total return from a portfolio of commodity and resource stocks. Importantly, the fund can make full use of UCITS III powers to take short positions, enabling the potential for downside protection as well as the possibility for additional returns.
It is encouraging to see that, despite the current testing economic times, parents are still putting money aside to provide for their children's future. Since their introduction in 2005 by the Labour government, more than four million Child Trust Fund (CTF) accounts have been opened in the UK, and nearly one million are regularly topped up via monthly direct debits by parents and family members.
Whether you want to buy bricks and mortar or invest in a fund, there are plenty of options to increase your exposure to property. Deciding on where to invest, however, might be more of a problem, given the multitude of overseas markets now open to retail investors.
Investment trusts raise money for investing by issuing shares. Generally, this happens once - when the trust is created. This makes investment trusts closed-ended: the number of shares the trust issues, and therefore the amount of money it raises to invest, is fixed at the start. Knowing this amount of money is fixed enables fund managers to plan ahead.
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