Trump vs Biden – should investors really care? October 12, 2020 | City Talk There are two things I’m being asked about constantly at the moment: Covid-19 and the US election. As a former politics student who’s always maintained my passion for the subject, I certainly feel more comfortable opining on the latter. But as an investor, how much should I really care if the next US president is [...]
On World Homelessness Day, can impact investing help us build back better? October 10, 2020 There is no debating that we are looking down the barrel of a tough six months. An increase in the daily cases of Covid-19 means that the gradual loosening of restrictions has ground to a halt, and the threat of a return to a full lockdown ahead of the festive season will be the Sword [...]
Digital wealth manager Nutmeg records eighth consecutive year of losses October 9, 2020 Digital wealth manager Nutmeg recorded losses of £21m last year as it struggled to break even for the eighth year in a row. Accounts for the year to the end of December 2019, filed on Companies House today, show Nutmeg made a loss of £21.2m, deepening last year’s losses of £18.4m. This comes even as [...]
Goldman Sachs launches healthcare equity fund October 5, 2020 As the pandemic pushes healthcare to the top of the agenda, Goldman Sachs’ asset management division has announced it is set to launch a new “supercharged” healthcare equity fund. Goldman Sachs Asset Management (GSAM) will launch the fund and provide investors exposure to companies at the “forefront of rapid innovation in healthcare”. The Goldman Sachs [...]
Are you motivated by morals or money? October 2, 2020 | City Talk Investing is a personal choice and a number of influences will hold sway over where you put your money. Your personal value system is one such influence and, for most people, this appears to be non-negotiable. More than three-quarters (77 per cent) of investors refuse to compromise on their personal beliefs when investing, even if [...]
Spotting the right opportunity, at the right time October 1, 2020 | City Talk For an active trader, volatility always represents opportunity. As the most traded commodity in the world, this is especially the case for traders in the oil markets. Oil has traditionally been viewed as a relatively safe bet. While there are countless examples of a stock price dropping greater than 50 per cent in an instant [...]
US proposal on ESG causes sparks to fly… but it’s the right move September 29, 2020 | City Talk A spotlight has been cast on the curious logic underpinning the case for environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investing by the US Department of Labor’s recent actions. In June, the DOL proposed a new rule that would limit the ability of most employee retirement plans to select investments based on ESG factors. More than 8,700 pieces [...]
Could decarbonisation be the mega-trend of the next decade? September 28, 2020 | City Talk US equities have led global stock markets higher over the past decade. In the last ten years, US equities have returned a stellar 292%, compared to just 73% for global equities (as measured by the MSCI USA Index and MSCI AC World ex US Index respectively, in US dollar terms, as at 31 August 2020). [...]
Retail trading – don’t become a one-trick pony September 28, 2020 | City Talk The markets around the world have recently been a hive of activity and volatility. When this occurs, it presents a multitude of potential trading opportunities. This has given birth to a new breed of traders accessing their platforms. The average trader nowadays does not want to be confined to a single asset class or product; [...]
UK investments remain resilient in the face of pandemic September 24, 2020 Total investments in the UK are set to near pre-pandemic levels this summer despite a torrid year for global markets amid the coronavirus crisis. Total assets under management (AUM) by members of the Investment Association (IA) reached a record high of £8.5 trillion at the end of 2019, a 10 per cent increase on the [...]