Portfolios of biggest asset managers ‘misaligned’ with climate targets November 27, 2019 The world’s largest asset managers – responsible for a collective $37 trillion (£29 trillion) – are failing to invest in a manner that supports the goals set out in international targets on climate change, according to research released today. The investment portfolios of the 15 biggest asset managers are “misaligned” with the goals of the [...]
FCA to ban marketing of mini-bonds amid concerns over investor losses November 26, 2019 The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) today set out to ban the mass marketing of speculative mini-bonds to ordinary investors. The watchdog said the unregulated bonds could cause harm to amateurs, following a spate of investor losses. Read more: What are mini-bonds? Everything you need to know about the products hit by the FCA’s marketing ban [...]
What are mini-bonds? Everything you need to know about the products hit by the FCA’s marketing ban November 26, 2019 The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) today announced it is using its special powers to ban the marketing of some unregulated mini-bonds to individual investors. Mini-bonds have come under scrutiny since the collapse of lender London Capital & Finance (LCF) earlier this year, but what exactly are the controversial investment products, and what has the FCA [...]
IPOs – no sure thing? November 26, 2019 | City Talk IPOs always attract plenty of attention, particularly when they are of highly-recognised companies. But are they a wise destination for investor cash? IPOs offer plenty of glamour, a change from the usual stocks in an index, and there have been plenty of new entrants to the UK stock market over the past ten years. Some [...]
Green Bonds vs. Traditional Bonds November 26, 2019 | City Talk Are environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investing returns higher, lower, or the same as those of comparable traditional investments? This question is the source of constant debate. Because ESG investing integrates non-traditional sources of risk that are not always priced by the market, some theorize that ESG approaches might generate higher returns than traditional assets. Contrasting green and non-green [...]
Profit dips as Polar Capital suffers £448m outflows November 25, 2019 Polar Capital has reported a drop in pre-tax profit following a “challenging” first half, but its assets under management (AUM) rose despite £448m net outflows. The figures The investment manager said its AUM hit £14.3bn as of 30 September, a 3.6 per cent increase on the £13.8bn it reported at the end of March. Polar [...]
What is microfinance and why does it matter for investors? November 25, 2019 | City Talk Exclusion from the financial system is widely regarded as a major obstacle to people’s efforts to grow out of poverty. In 2017, 1.7 billion adults across the globe had no access to a bank account, with the vast majority of them living in emerging and frontier markets. 56 per cent of these were women, and [...]
Investment in London offices slows as demand outpaces supply November 25, 2019 Investment in London’s office market is falling despite growing demand from British and overseas investors, as a lack of available stock continues to hamper the sector. Total turnover for office investments in the capital in 2019 is set to drop well below the figure for the previous year, according to new data from Knight Frank, [...]
Brooks Macdonald buys Cornelian Asset Managers in £39m deal November 22, 2019 Brooks Macdonald has bought Edinburgh-based wealth manager Cornelian for up to £39m and has this afternoon sealed a £30m share placing to fund the deal. In an update to the stock market this morning, Brooks Macdonald said it would pay an initial £31m for the company – £22m in cash and £9m in shares – [...]
Some inconvenient truths about income November 22, 2019 | City Talk “Chin up. Be positive. It’ll all work out.” We are always being encouraged to look on the bright side, but too much optimism can be dangerous. Take the simple matter of how much we expect to earn from our savings and investments. Far too many people around the globe take a “glass half full” approach [...]