Investment Funds | Finance

Scottish Life introduces ten new funds

Scottish Life, the pensions specialist arm of the Royal London Group, has introduced ten new funds to its core fund range. The funds have been introduced in response to feedback from IFAs and market analysis.

Threadneedle: Outlook for US Equities

Cormac Weldon, Head of US Equities, Threadneedle UK: Threadneedle's US equity team has developed a successful approach to managing money that has allowed it to attract significant asset flows in the past two years. Based in London, the team's $7bn under management makes it a key staging post for US management teams visiting Europe. The team is well-staffed throughout the UK and US business day, providing full coverage during trading hours combined with the perspective and time to reflect afforded by a UK location.

F&C Active Return Fund exceeds target during first year

F&C Active Return Fund, an open-ended mutual fund launched in October 2008 to make some of the derivative investment strategies successfully employed by the F&C Alternative Investment team available to a wider universe, has successfully achieved a 12-month track record.

Forecasts might underestimate Russia's economic recovery in 2010

President Dmitry Medvedev painted a gloomy picture of the Russian economy this weekend by admitting the country will be hit harder than expected, with GDP dropping by around 7.5% this year, compared to earlier forecasts of 3 to 3.5%.

Increased interest in green and ethical investment

Penny Shepherd, UKSIF chief executive, comments on new research from EIRIS that shows increased interest in green and ethical investing.

UK stock market is attractive, but UK economy is less so

James Macpherson, BlackRock's Head of UK Equities and manager of the BGF UK Fund said: "Although the UK stock market has made handsome progress since March, it still remains attractive. UK shares offer very good value, ahead of what investors can expect from Government bonds, corporate bonds or commodities. Part of this is because the UK stock market is highly international. Out of every £10 of earnings, £7 comes from overseas. Quantitative easing is likely to continue for some time. We can expect persistently low interest rates since Central Banks are not going to run the risk of raising interest rates too quickly and opening the door to a double dip recession.

Threadneedle October investment strategy 2009

Sarah Arkle, Chief Investment Officer at Threadneedle, comments on investment strategy for October: "Expectations for economic recovery continue to be revised up as a number of major economies have now emerged from recessions. Our forecast for growth remains below consensus for 2010 in anticipation of a slow recovery as consumers pay down debt and western governments start to address their fiscal deficits. Against this background of sub-trend growth and considerable spare capacity we believe underlying inflationary pressures will be muted for the foreseeable future. However, we have edged up our forecast for headline US inflation for the end of this year due to the mathematics of the big oil price fall in 2008 dropping out of the calculations.

‘Hip' is not a throw-away fashion

With Bank of England governor Mervyn King saying he expects interest rates to remain at historic lows for some time as the UK struggles to emerge from a protracted recession, beleaguered savers seeking to rebuild income combined with the potential for capital growth may well be considering investments which look beyond volatile equities and currently-fashionable bond funds.

A return to stock selection

Mark Hall, the highly respected fund manager of Rensburg UK Select Growth Trust has been repositioning his fund over the last year. He commented: ‘We have had serious concerns about the macro-economy. But as we came through the bottom of the cycle in late 2008, we started shifting into sectors likely to be amongst the earlier beneficiaries of recovery - Retail and House-builders. More recently though we have been uncovering better value in late cycle sectors - Industrials, for example. These moves have been funded primarily by selling down some of the larger FTSE 100 stocks that we had previously brought in as a defensive measure in the earlier phase.'

Threadneedle introduces SICAV range

Threadneedle, a leading international asset management company, has announced the introduction of the Threadneedle (Lux) SICAV following the completion of the integration and restructuring of the World Express investment funds business.

JPM emerging markets infrastructure fund one year on

Whilst the global downturn has cut state spending in a number of areas, infrastructure in emerging markets is not one of them says J. P. Morgan Asset Management. Fiscal stimulus packages around the world are, in many cases, proving to be a catalyst to countries' long term commitment to infrastructure spending, particularly in emerging markets, and are providing investors with a unique growth area in the current market.

Neptune passes £4bn landmark

Award-winning fund management boutique Neptune Investment Management ('Neptune') has passed the £4 billion assets under management (‘AUM’) landmark, with month-on-month net inflows continuing through 2009 to date, extending this unbroken record to over four years.

Barings adds over £140m to flagship multi asset fund

Baring Asset Management (Barings), the international investment management firm, has won over £140 million in assets so far this year in its flagship institutional multi asset offering, the Baring Dynamic Asset Allocation (DAA) fund. This brings the total funds under management to over £1.3 billion as at 31 August 2009. The fund launched in January 2007 and now has over 40 clients invested.

Investors over-exposed to UK equities, say IFAs

The overwhelming majority of financial advisers believe investors are over-exposed to UK equities, according to research conducted by Ignis Asset Management.

Investors voice carbon emission concerns

New research from Sainsbury's Loans reveals that there are currently just four lenders, of which it is one, offering an APR of less than 8% on unsecured loans on loan amounts between £5,000 and £15,000.

Spiralling gold reaches $1,000 per ounce

According to F&C market strategist Ted Scott, the recent strength in the price of gold - which is testing an all-time high at around $1000 per announce - is something of a paradox given signs of an emerging global economic recovery and soaring equity markets.

China leading the way in commodities demand

New research from Sainsbury's Loans reveals that there are currently just four lenders, of which it is one, offering an APR of less than 8% on unsecured loans on loan amounts between £5,000 and £15,000.

Market volatility to remain excessive for next decade

New research from Sainsbury's Loans reveals that there are currently just four lenders, of which it is one, offering an APR of less than 8% on unsecured loans on loan amounts between £5,000 and £15,000.

L&G Dynamic Bond Fund

New research from Sainsbury's Loans reveals that there are currently just four lenders, of which it is one, offering an APR of less than 8% on unsecured loans on loan amounts between £5,000 and £15,000.

European ETF AUM hit all time high

Latest data from the ETF Research and Implementation Strategy team at Barclays Global Investors reveals European ETF Assets have been pushed to an all time high of US$192.1 bn at end August 2009, driven by emerging market and fixed income ETFs.

Neptune calls for return of consumer growth

At the 2nd annual Investment conference hosted by Neptune Investment Management, Rob Burnett, Investment Director and Head of European equities, warned the audience of 120 clients, not to bet against global consumption growth.

Cambridge Investments Master Portfolio Service

Cambridge Investments Ltd, the authorised discretionary investment managers, has launched a new Master Portfolio Service which will invest within a specifically constructed portfolio of funds.

New coalition in Germany could step up pace of reform

A likely CDU/CSU/FDP coalition under the ruling of current German Chancellor Angela Merkel in the 17th German federal election at the end of September could step up the pace of reform, according to David Moss, manager of the F&C European Equity Fund at F&C.

Almost half of investors are going all-out for growth

In the second of a new series of monthly online polls, users of F&C Investments' investment trust website (fandc.co.uk) have revealed their investment objectives, with 46% of respondents to August's question ‘What is the aim of your investment?' saying they invest purely for growth.

Fund in Focus: First State Greater China Growth

Andy Parsons, Advice team manager at The Share Centre, explains how investors interested in long-term capital growth and current exposure to one of the world's most vibrant economies, could benefit from the First State Greater China Growth fund.

F&C's Multi Manager Team reposition funds to increase risk exposure

F&C's Multi Manager Team have reintroduced the AXA Framlington Equity Income fund, managed by George Luckraft, to their portfolios as part of tactical positioning to increase risk exposure at stock level.

Emerging markets debt issuance soars

In the first half of this year emerging market countries and companies sold US$ 79 billion of international bonds, with Colombia raising US$2 billion - the most in two years according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

New prescription for emerging markets

With the Obama administration facing the twin problems of uninsured Americans and costly healthcare, the US domestic ‘cash cow' for pharmaceutical companies may be headed for leaner times.

F&C: Growth likely to be stunted for sometime

Having enjoyed a significant rally since early March, European equity markets appear to think that the recession is over and that normal business is resumed.

Threadneedle: Outlook for the oil sector

David Donora, Threadneedle's Executive Director of commodities comments on the outlook for the oil sector.

Political change in Japan could boost domestic consumption

A victory for the opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) in next month's snap general election could boost domestic consumption, according to Stefan Bain, who manages the F&C Japanese Equity Fund alongside Jamie Jenkins.

Childs attains Citywire AA rating

New research from Sainsbury's Loans reveals that there are currently just four lenders, of which it is one, offering an APR of less than 8% on unsecured loans on loan amounts between £5,000 and £15,000.

Seismic shift in Japan's workforce

Rightly labelled as inflexible and hamstrung by high fixed costs Japan's economy and companies have historically found themselves hostage to the prevailing winds of global trade - not a good characteristic to boast in the most severe global GDP crunch ever witnessed.

Top ten tips for investing during the recession

With speculation rife over the state of the economy, knowing where to invest your hard earned cash can seem like an uphill struggle. Whether you have a positive outlook and see green shoots of recovery or you have a more cautious view, Unbiased.co.uk, the professional advice website, brings you ten top tips for where best to invest your money in the current market.

Free fund analysis web site for investors in Ireland

Morningstar, a leading provider of independent investment research, today launched a new Web site to bring free investment fund data and analysis to investors in the Republic of Ireland.

Threadneedle: Indonesian elections results

Rafael Polatinsky, Asian equities fund manager, comments on the outcome of the elections and how it will impact markets: The expected first-round victory for President Yudhoyono is a very positive development for the Indonesian market. President Yudhoyono has made great strides in addressing some of the structural problems that have prevented Indonesia reaching its full growth potential, such as bureaucracy and corruption, and investors are hopeful that his re-election could provide additional catalyst for the re-rating of the Indonesian market, and a platform to boost GDP growth rates to Chinese and Indian levels.

JPMAM Asian markets outlook

New research from Sainsbury's Loans reveals that there are currently just four lenders, of which it is one, offering an APR of less than 8% on unsecured loans on loan amounts between £5,000 and £15,000.

IFA appetite for ETFs set to boom

New research from Sainsbury's Loans reveals that there are currently just four lenders, of which it is one, offering an APR of less than 8% on unsecured loans on loan amounts between £5,000 and £15,000.

MPC right to put QE on hold, says F&C's Scott

New research from Sainsbury's Loans reveals that there are currently just four lenders, of which it is one, offering an APR of less than 8% on unsecured loans on loan amounts between £5,000 and £15,000.

Cashing in on investment opportunities

New research from Sainsbury's Loans reveals that there are currently just four lenders, of which it is one, offering an APR of less than 8% on unsecured loans on loan amounts between £5,000 and £15,000.

Has sustainable mining become a reality?

New research from Sainsbury's Loans reveals that there are currently just four lenders, of which it is one, offering an APR of less than 8% on unsecured loans on loan amounts between £5,000 and £15,000.

Standard Life boosts fund distribution in Scandinavia

New research from Sainsbury's Loans reveals that there are currently just four lenders, of which it is one, offering an APR of less than 8% on unsecured loans on loan amounts between £5,000 and £15,000.

Private investors fear future inflationary pressures

New research from Sainsbury's Loans reveals that there are currently just four lenders, of which it is one, offering an APR of less than 8% on unsecured loans on loan amounts between £5,000 and £15,000.

BlackRock agrees to acquire Barclays Global Investors

New research from Sainsbury's Loans reveals that there are currently just four lenders, of which it is one, offering an APR of less than 8% on unsecured loans on loan amounts between £5,000 and £15,000.

James Hay adds Artemis and SWIP funds to Wrap and SIPP platform

New research from Sainsbury's Loans reveals that there are currently just four lenders, of which it is one, offering an APR of less than 8% on unsecured loans on loan amounts between £5,000 and £15,000.

Markets await return of consumer while economy stumbles

New research from Sainsbury's Loans reveals that there are currently just four lenders, of which it is one, offering an APR of less than 8% on unsecured loans on loan amounts between £5,000 and £15,000.

Close announce the closure of four global sub-funds

New research from Sainsbury's Loans reveals that there are currently just four lenders, of which it is one, offering an APR of less than 8% on unsecured loans on loan amounts between £5,000 and £15,000.

Indian stocks surge after a decisive election result

Indian stocks gained 17% in a single day after national election results gave the ruling Congress Party a stronger mandate. This is the largest increase achieved in 24 hours for the benchmark BSE Sensex Index for almost twenty years. The Congress party has been leading a coalition government, and faced strident opposition from the Hindu nationalist BJP, as well as communist and caste-based opposition groups. The result means that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh should be able to press ahead with the reform agenda, in spite of the complexities introduced by India's system of proportional representation. The Prime Minister is a respected economist with a masters degree from Cambridge, a doctorate from Oxford and experience working as a governor at the International Monetary Fund.

Indian election victory for UPA could be a ‘game-changer'

The Bombay Stock Exchange Sensex Index soared by 17% yesterday following the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance party's strong showing in the Indian parliamentary election.

Threadneedle May Investment Strategy 2009

Sarah Arkle, Chief Investment Officer for Threadneedle, summarises the May Investment Strategy: Bonds - The weak economic backdrop, low inflation and quantitative easing are supportive for gilts although concerns remain over the sheer volume of new issuance and the poor state of the government's finances, which suggests the risk of a downgrade to the UK's AAA rating. While the second quarter is often a tough period for the gilt market, we would view any meaningful rise in yields as a buying opportunity. We are currently most constructive on the credit markets, where valuations are still very attractive and a lot of bad news has already been priced in. Moreover, the technicals for both investment grade and high yield have been improving, with a pick-up in demand for both asset classes. Emerging market bonds have performed well over the last month. Weaker economic growth and falling inflation are enabling interest rates to fall.

Ignis Asia Pacific team scoops equity prize at PIPA Awards

Ignis Asset Management's Asia Pacific equities team won the prestigious Active Asia-Pacific equity category at the annual Pensions and Investment Provider Awards in London last week.

LGIM Global Macro Fund wins Best Newcomer award

The LGIM Global Macro Fund has been successful in winning the coveted ‘Best Newcomer' title at the Hedge Funds Review 9th European Performance Awards held on the 6th May 2009.The Fund was short listed against two other funds. From launch at the start of February 2008 to the end of December 2008, the Fund returned +20.3%.

JPMAM: Emerging market equities - what now?

Richard Titherington, Global Head of Emerging Markets, J.P.Morgan Asset Management: "Despite continuing to be very optimistic about the long term potential of Emerging Markets Equities (EME) and that they will offer investors attractive returns, and out-performance against G7 equities, I have consistently emphasised the volatility inherent in the asset class. That volatility has certainly been evident in both recent times and historically:

Investors make push into emerging markets ETFs says iShares

Inflows into emerging markets ETFs are accelerating as investors are showing a renewed appetite for opportunities outside of the developed markets, reports iShares, the world's leading Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) provider.

HSBC’s World Selection Fund reaches 100m milestone

HSBC's range of investment portfolios, World Selection, has passed the important £100 million milestone.

Aberdeen optimistic despite global economic downturn

Thanks to its long-term investment horizon, Aberdeen Asset Managers' global equities team is taking a contrarian view in the short-term amid the current economic and stock market turmoil.

First State launches Global Emerging Markets Sustainability Fund

First State Investments has launched a Global Emerging Markets Sustainability Fund to UK and European retail and institutional investors which complements its existing Asia Pacific and Emerging Markets product range.

iShares expands fixed income and equity ETF range

iShares, the world's leading Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) provider, has announced the launch of seven new funds with fixed income again providing a key focus for the firm's product development.

Emerging market outperformance is no bear market rally

Strong emerging market outperformance should not be dismissed as a bear market rally, says Bryan Collings, manager of the Ignis International HEXAM Global Emerging Markets Fund.

Investor demand for income grows through ETFs and Funds

Investors are on the hunt for income returns through ETFs and funds, according to Barclays Stockbrokers. Trading activity in ETFs through Barclays Stockbrokers increased by 31% in March compared to February trading figures and up by 123% on the same month in 2008.

Budget gives with one hand and takes away with the other

There was good and bad news for savers and investors in today's Budget, with positive measures introduced for ISA savers and parents of disabled children, while high earners' ability to receive top-rate tax relief on their pension contributions has been curtailed.

Beware of dividend yields that look too good to be true

Colin McLean, SVM, comments: Recent activity has brought a welcome bounce in share prices, but it is still too soon to call the end of the bear market. With the immediate prospect of deflation, one worrying pattern seems set to continue; dividend cuts.

Alex Hoctor-Duncan on investing in gold

Alex Hoctor-Duncan, Head of UK Retail at BlackRock, said: "The versatility of gold as a long-term investment tool has never been more clear-cut. While the characteristics of gold make it a good hedge in the face of current economic uncertainly, BlackRock's Gold & General unit trust invests mainly in gold mining and other precious metal related shares and has been serving investors well over much longer periods than the recent turmoil.

Double win for M&G at Morningstar UK Fund House Awards 2009

The M&G Fixed Income team took the award for Best Specialist Fixed Interest House, and M&G's Multi Asset team led by David Jane was awarded Best Multi-Asset House at the Morningstar UK Fund House Awards 2009.

Standard Life wins 'Best Sterling Corporate Bond Fund'

Standard Life Investments, one of the largest fixed interest managers in the UK, today announced that it has won the ‘Best Sterling Corporate Bond Fund' category at the Morningstar 2009 Fund Awards.

JPMAM: Convertibles are cheap now but valuations will rebound

J.P. Morgan Asset Management says investors should invest in convertibles while they offer such value, but not compromise on quality or diversification in chasing high yields.

Beware green shoots

"Macro and corporate news flow remains generally very bleak", say Roger Guy and Guillaume Rambourg, managers of the European Selected Opportunities Fund and the SICAV Continental European Fund. Unemployment has soared and a dreadful first quarter reporting season is expected. However, they add that "this time around, there is no more ‘surprise effect' on the announcement of bad news unlike in 2008".

Opportunities abound for the shrewd high yield investor

The European high yield market has been as volatile as the equity markets with investors trying to work out the benefit of the stimulus packages from the US, Europe and the rest of the world.

As India goes to the polls, growth outlook remains strong

With India's fifteenth general election underway, investors should expect the stock market to remain volatile until the results are announced next month.

AXA launches blended funds

AXA introduces blended funds to CIMP and TIP pensions, providing bespoke fund investment structure and greater flexibility.

UK now a "serious contender" as a fund location

The Investment Management Association (IMA) welcomes regulations on UK authorised investment funds, published today, which introduce the Tax Elected Funds Regime and provide certainty that funds will be taxed as investing, not trading.

Trust Standard Life Investments to win another award

Leading fund manager, Standard Life Investments has announced its win of the Smallcap Fund of the Year award at the Growth Company Awards 2009 for the performance of its' Standard Life UK Smaller Companies Trust Plc.

Standard Life Investments wins Global Fixed Income Award

Standard Life Investments, global fund manager and one of the largest fixed interest managers in the UK, today announced that it has won the ‘Global Fixed Income, unhedged' category at the Asian Investor Awards 2009.

Cost cutting is the new corporate buzzword across Europe

Alan Thompson Economist, at Scottish Widows Investment Partnership (SWIP): Euro area economic activity is contracting sharply, with survey evidence suggesting that there will be no quick rebound. Despite the pickup in EC and PMI survey based indicators, they remain deep in recession territory. The financial engineering of the last few years, and the development of a shadow banking sector, led to risk being systemically underpriced, a situation which is currently being rapidly unwound. The financial sector appears to have stabilised, but the economy is only just beginning the adjustment process to a credit constrained environment, which is likely to be arduous for both the consumer and the corporate sectors. Indeed, consumer and business confidence indicators remain at extremely low levels, reflecting the strains of this adjustment. In addition, although the external environment appears to have stabilised, the world economy is expected to record the deepest recession since 1945, which will constrain net export growth. We expect euro-area GDP to contract by 3.9% in 2009, with only modest growth of around 0.5% in 2010.

L&G launches new triple index based capital protected investment

Legal & General has launched a new triple index based capital protected investment that offers the potential for 22% growth over its five year term, plus return of capital.

Outlook for Chinese equities remain strong

Gigi Chan, manager of the Threadneedle China Opportunities Fund says, despite a slowdown in GDP growth, China is still well placed to deliver far superior levels of economic growth than almost any other economy in the world. The forecast of around 7 per cent growth in 2009 compares to expectations of significant contraction in Europe, UK and the United States.