The way the markets have started 2018 suggests that we have entered a new phase of heightened volatility with plenty of downside risk. Investors who are uncomfortable with this environment may want to protect their capital by increasing their exposure to some of the more defensively positioned funds. These use a variety of strategies to…
In 2017 global emerging markets stocks and currencies posted their best return since 2009. And even after this robust performance emerging markets continue to offer attractive investment opportunities as economic growth outpaces the developed world in 2018 (4.9% vs 3.3% forecast growth this year (Shroders)), current account deficits improve, political volatility moderates and structural reforms…
One of the global leaders in investor relations communications, Orient Capital, is to collaborate with Master Investor Show as Main Stage Webcasting Partner – extending the reach of the event to a worldwide audience of corporate investors. Taking place on 17 March at the Business Design Centre, London, the event’s Main Stage line-up will include…
Until last weekend I summarised to myself that Barnier and Juncker’s line was that since we declined to be governed by them we’d have to pay them some money. But at the weekend Theresa May mentioned that it would be important for British expertise in resisting Islamist terrorism to be recognised (i.e. easing back on…
It may sound strange to talk about housebuilders such as Barratt (LON:BDEV) and Bellway (LON:BWY) as turnaround opportunities. After all, the two stocks are up 136% and 163% respectively in the last five years. However, in the last month their shares are 11%+ lower after the government announced potential plans to crack down on land…
A day in the life of a fund manager: the chairman emailed early yesterday with the pithy advice that something had gone on at Aberdeen. Since he is a card-carrying, kilt-swirling Scot, I presumed that in that northern city they had run out of IrnBru. I let the matter slip. But when the butler…
The British political class is riven with dissent over what type of Brexit is most desirable. This is because, after two years of Brexit argy bargy, few Brits really understand the issues – and least of all in the Labour Party. A discourteous proposition Last week Monsieur Barnier, the EU Chief Negotiator, threw a document…
The SFO have formally charged Barclays over the dealings with Qatar about ten years ago. I asked a partner in the cleverest City major law firm as to whether there could be a defence for the directors’ conduct that by conducting themselves as they did they kept Barclays out of HM Treasury’s lifeboat. He said…
For many dividend investors, the demise of Carillion was a disaster. Not only did their portfolios lose an important source of income, they also saw a permanent loss of capital. It’s easy to see what went wrong with hindsight, and in the August 2017 issue of Master Investor I wrote about some of the key…
One of the attractions of investment trusts is that in many cases the fund manager stays in place for years and this continuity increases the likelihood of consistent performance. Recently however, there have been a number of high profile departures that have forced investors to decide whether to stay put or move their money elsewhere.…
