Scottish Widows becomes first investor in Blackrock climate fund August 5, 2020 Scottish Widows has become the first investor in Blackrock’s newly launched climate fund, which is designed for the transition to a low carbon economy. The pension provider is initially allocating £2bn of its pension portfolios into Blackrock’s Climate Transition World Equity Fund. It marks a shift in strategy for Blackrock, which is using data to [...]
Could the bounce-back be quashed by a second wave? August 4, 2020 | City Talk With some countries fearing a second wave of Covid-19 cases, Schroders’ chief economist Keith Wade considers whether a bounce back in the economy could be quashed. While there are hopes that the easing of lockdowns and reopening of businesses are beginning to give life to the global economy, fears of second waves of infections are [...]
No longer superheroes? Twilight of the bonds August 4, 2020 | City Talk Superman not only has the best superpowers – he is also handsome and humble. No-one can outmatch him, except perhaps someone who brings the proverbial gun to a knife fight. In this case, that gun is Kryptonite, Superman’s only known weakness. The substance renders his powers useless. In the investment world, fixed-income instruments have their [...]
FCA proposes 180-day wait for property fund withdrawals August 3, 2020 The City regulator is planning to ask investors in open-ended property funds to give 180-day notice before they withdraw money. In a consultation paper released today, the Financial Conduct Authority said there was a “liquidity mismatch” between the underlying property held in the funds and the almost daily basis in which investors buy and sell [...]
28 months later: are European equities back on investors’ radar? July 29, 2020 | City Talk European equity flows turned positive in June for the first time in 28 months – we look at what might be reviving investor interest in the asset class. It’s been a tough couple of years for pan-European equities. A combination of political worries, including Brexit, and weak economic growth means many investors have shunned the [...]
Jupiter Fund Management profit halves as outflows decline July 29, 2020 Jupiter Fund Management reported that profit halved in the first half of the year as net assets fell after outflows jumped during the pandemic. The figures Jupiter reported pre-tax profit fell by 50 per cent to £40.8m and assets under management (AUM) was down 8 per cent to £39.2bn as net fund outflows jumped to [...]
St James’ Place reports increase in net inflows despite pandemic July 28, 2020 Wealth manager St James’ Place beat estimates and reported a modest rise in net inflows due to a recovery in market sentiment following the coronavirus-induced selloff. The figures Net cash inflows rose two per cent to £4.5bn in the six months to the end of June, beating the consensus expectation of £4.4bn, the same as [...]
Woodford investors have lost £1bn since fund was frozen July 27, 2020 Investors in Woodford Equity Income fund have seen the total value of their assets slide more than a quarter – around £1bn – over the past year. There is a £122m shortfall in the fund’s total value but administrator Link said this reflected the asset and currency movements during the period. A Sunday Times investigation [...]
FCA launches probe into Woodford depositary Northern Trust July 24, 2020 The City regulator has launched an investigation into Neil Woodford’s depositary Northern Trust over the events that led to the gating of the flagship Equity Income fund last June. The investigation was launched in recent months following an ongoing probe into Link Fund Solutions, the firm supervising the Woodford Equity Income Fund. Last June the [...]
Why investing sustainably can get you better income and better outcomes July 23, 2020 | City Talk For those that remain sceptical, we show that an integrated ESG approach can improve income stability. Not only is it possible to combine income investing and sustainable investing, we believe you can actually make your income more resilient, smooth and reliable by investing sustainably. Many things have changed for investors in a post Covid-19 world, but [...]