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Twists, turns and bumps in the road
Investors seemed to breathe a sigh of relief when the US Federal Reserve finally announced a rise in interest rates at the end of 2015. Stock markets across the world enjoyed a much needed end-of-year…
Week in review: waving Tata to British steel
Prime Minister, David Cameron, held an emergency meeting this week to decide what the future holds for troubled steel operator, Tata Steel. Though there’s unlikely to be any major decisions made immediately, Cameron has all…
Week in review: muted Easter markets
We bring you a shortened week in review to mark the end of this four-day working week as we move into Easter. But the holiday weekend has been overshadowed by Tuesday’s terrorist attacks in Belgium,…
Investment trusts continue to deliver
Global equity investors had a mixed year in 2015, with varying performances across global markets. The Japanese market produced the strongest returns, with the Topix up 12% in yen terms, while European equities saw decent…
Steering to a soft landing
Asia can look forward to another tough year. Global demand for goods and services is unlikely to improve anytime soon. Investor sentiment towards emerging markets hasn’t been this bad in ages. Stock markets plunged as…
Focusing on Asia’s future winners
Nigel Cayzer looks back on 20 years as Chairman of Aberdeen Asian Smaller Companies Investment Trust PLC. In 1995, Aberdeen Asian Smaller Companies Investment Trust PLC was an idea that recognised the economic powerhouse that…
Built for staying power
How time flies when you are enjoying yourself as a personal finance journalist. I can’t believe that nearly 30 golden years have passed since I first started writing about the virtues of investment trusts. I…
Understanding risk
Risk means different things to different people; its essence is embedded in the eye of the beholder. While the concept of fate has long been established, our understanding of risk is still quite new in…
Week in review: the ‘Bittersweet’ Budget
This week George Osborne opened his red briefcase and revealed the latest figures from the Office for Budget Responsibility. The Chancellor appeared somewhat less optimistic towards the UK economy than he was four months ago,…
Market review: Saving the euro
For many years now, Mario Draghi has relied on a four-word promise to keep the Eurozone ship on an even keel. The European Central Bank (ECB) president has repeatedly asserted that he would “do whatever…
Market review: playing the game
Risk made a comeback this week – and we don’t mean the perennially popular, seemingly never-ending board game. Rather, investors – who recoiled as volatility struck equity markets early in 2016 – returned in their…
Market review – China will bounce back
Economists have often said “when America sneezes, the world catches a cold” reflecting the importance of the US to the global economy. But the past 12 months suggest the world’s immune system is more sensitive…
A simple exposure to markets
It is possible to introduce a lot of complexity into the selection of investments. Is it better to invest in large or small companies, for example? Or with this fund manager or that fund manager?…
Tracking the market
How best to track the market Understandably, most investors assume that if a fund claims to track an index, their return will be exactly the same as the index. There are a number of reasons…
FTSE All Share versus FTSE 100
Once an investor has made the thorny decision over whether they want to look for an active fund manager, or simply to track an index, it may feel like all the hard work is done.…
Week in review – the impending ‘Brexit’ referendum
The main topic du jour for most commentators has been the impending ‘Brexit’ referendum, the date of which was revealed at the weekend (23 June). Conservative politicians were not particularly EUphoric following Mr Cameron’s trip…
Market review: A bite of the apple
Leading tech firm Apple Inc announced on Tuesday its fifth multi-billion dollar offering of corporate bonds since 2013. Likely inspired by low interest rates, the household name synonymous with smart technology issued $12 billion of…
Market review – Markets get the jitters
It’s been an edgy week for investors. Fears of a US recession are rising, with recent industrial production and manufacturing data proving disappointing. Exports have been hit by the strong dollar and weakness in…