Sinking supermarkets: Tesco has had a disastrous year. Can it recover? June 18, 2015 The UK’s supermarkets were once investment darlings. The likes of Tesco and Sainsbury’s emerged on the stock markets, radically changed our shopping habits and then rose to dominance on the FTSE 100. But times have changed, and the supermarkets have been down on their luck. Are they still worthwhile investments? “Part of the [...]
Ladies who don’t lunch: Pretty Sagoo talks science, stress and Solvency II June 18, 2015 The whole pension thing was completely by accident,” says Pretty Sagoo, explaining how she ended up in banking, working with insurance and pension fund clients. In the language of the industry, her career has revolved around structuring and pricing deals, de-risking, swaps, hedges and the like. But Pretty doesn’t do jargon. “It just winds [...]
Breaking new ground: Why the investment trust is offering unique – and growing – opportunities June 18, 2015 Investment trusts have been around since the 1860s, but a perception of obscurity and limited choice has meant that they have not been as well-regarded as their open-ended counterparts. In recent years, however, their popularity has been on the up. Indeed, in 2014, investment trust assets hit a record high of £122bn, with purchases by [...]
Riding the rollercoaster: Investing in emerging markets June 18, 2015 It’s been a risky few years but some have still made money. Top fund manager Edward Lam of Somerset Capital Management tells Annabelle Williams the tricks of the trade. From one crisis to the next, emerging markets have been a rollercoaster ride for investors over the last five years. Countries as diverse as Indonesia, [...]
The great adventure: How to navigate the world of equity crowdfunding as an investor June 18, 2015 Debt and equity crowdfunding have the potential to revolutionise small business funding. In 2012, The Breedon Report predicted a funding gap of £59bn for UK companies by 2016, if nothing was done. The government’s response was to make funds available via alternative finance providers and to enhance the benefits to equity investors via the Enterprise [...]
A quiet revolution in Saudi Arabia is unlikely good news – Animal Spirits June 18, 2015 Each month John Hulsman examines under-appreciated opportunities around the world, uncovering markets that it would be easy to overlook. Economics has never been the problem with Saudi Arabia. Investors have long eyed the petrokingdom as one of the world’s last-untapped frontier markets. Given its almost boundless energy riches, with GDP equalling $750bn, Riyadh amounts [...]
Britain’s still great: Opportunities abound from the Northern Powerhouse to infrastructure revamp June 18, 2015 EUROPE REFERENDUM To the relief of many, the UK election turned out to be a simple affair. But while we avoided protracted wrangling over the make-up of the government, the key risk facing the UK now is the referendum on European Union membership. It is due to be held before 2017 – but some business [...]
Investing in Europe: Which fund should I buy? June 18, 2015 Europe received a boost earlier this year when the European Central Bank began a QE programme, following in the footsteps of the US, UK and Japan. The long-awaited bond buying scheme was greeted with cheer by investors who now hope Europe’s markets will continue to rise. This follows a very turbulent time for investors [...]
The importance of income: Regular dividends will make a massive difference to your portfolio June 18, 2015 Most new investors build a portfolio in the hope of capital growth. You put money into shares, the price rises, and you sell out with a handsome profit. But investing in assets which make regular payments can make a real difference to the overall performance of your portfolio, and some of the world's most successful [...]
Cheap and cheerful: Your quick guide to low cost passive investments June 18, 2015 More and more people are shunning active fund managers and choosing to buy cheap “passive” market-tracking investments instead. The amount of money invested in these low cost alternatives has nearly doubled over the last ten years. Now 12 per cent of all money put into funds is invested in passives, according to the Investment [...]
