29 reasons not to invest in the stock market January 21, 2019 | City Talk Wars, disasters, economic strife and political instability have been persistent themes over the last three decades and they can affect people’s attitude towards investing. In many cases they make an already tough decision to part with your money and invest even harder, leading some to not invest at all. Behavioural scientists have a name for [...]
UK dividends hit record-breaking high in 2018 January 21, 2019 UK dividend payments rose to a record £99.8bn last year driven by rising profits and better than expected special dividends. British American Tobacco accounted for almost one fifth of the increase in UK dividends as it paid out an additional £900m over the course of 2018, entering the UK top five for the first time, according [...]
The stock markets that look ‘cheap’ at the start of 2019 January 18, 2019 | City Talk 2018 was a rumbustious year for stock markets, with things really coming to the fore in harrowing fashion in the latter stages. With investors having grown accustomed to an unusual oasis of calm over recent years, volatility was back with a bang. However, as the dust settles, there is a silver lining. Even before the [...]
Vanguard founder and ‘father of indexing’ John Bogle dies aged 89 January 17, 2019 Vanguard Group founder and the “father of indexing” John Bogle has died at the age of 89, the company confirmed today. A pioneer of low-cost investing, Bogle formed Vanguard – which he described as the “Vanguard Experiment” – in 1975 and launched its first index mutual fund a year later, despite backlash from the rest [...]
City investment management firm Charles Stanley reports sharp assets drop amid challenging market conditions January 17, 2019 Investment management firm Charles Stanley saw assets under management fall last year due to challenging market conditions. Funds under management and administration were £22.8bn in the three months to the end of December, representing a decrease of 8.8 per cent, the City-headquartered firm announced today. The drop can be blamed on a sharp fall in [...]
Blackrock investigates hoax letter to chief executives over climate change January 16, 2019 Blackrock is investigating a hoax letter published this morning, claiming to be from chief executive Larry Fink, that warned companies that the world’s largest investment firm would divest unless they took action against climate change. The letter, which was posted on a spoof Blackrock website as the company reported its financial results, said the investor [...]
Blackrock assets under management drop five per cent January 16, 2019 Blackrock’s assets under management dropped five per cent last year as the world’s biggest investment manager saw inflows slashed in half. The manager reported AUM of $5.97 trillion at the end of 2018, down from $6.3 trillion in 2017. Read more: Blackrock and Metro Bank on shortlist for new responsible business award In 2018, full-year total [...]
Brexit deal defeat triggers huge uncertainty: what next? January 16, 2019 | City Talk Sterling rose in vote aftermath from €1.115 to €1.128; FTSE 100 fell more than 40 points in early trading In event of no deal, Schroders forecasts 2019 UK recession Market expectations that soft Brexit is now more likely seem premature Azad Zangana, Senior European Economist & Strategist, says: As had been widely expected, parliament has [...]
Shares in asset manager Ashmore fall amid ‘challenging’ emerging markets January 15, 2019 Assets under management at Ashmore Group edged upwards in the three months to 31 December against “challenging markets”, the asset manager said in a trading update today. The emerging markets specialist saw the value of its funds rise $300m (£235.2m) to an estimated $76.7bn. Read more: Top adviser joins firm aiming to ‘open up’ emerging markets The [...]
Aberdeen Standard Investments makes $13m investment in digital insurance company Singapore Life January 15, 2019 Asset management firm Aberdeen Standard Investments (ASI) has announced it will invest $13m (£10.1m) in digital insurance company Singapore Life. The minority equity investment will build on ASI’s existing strategic relationship with the company beyond the management of its fiduciary assets. Singapore Life is the first fully digital insurer in Singapore, and aims to become a [...]