magazine archive
magazine archive
Editor's View
Help the coronavirus fight now and profit later
Thursday 09 Apr 2020Investors and the general public are going to view many companies in one of two ways once the coronavirus crisis has abated. They will either hold them in high esteem or view them with bitterness, with their opinion shaped by how companies behaved during the pandemic. Companies are essentially...
Two things you must seek in fund managers’ latest reports
Thursday 02 Apr 2020The start of April means fund managers should now being issuing their latest quarterly reports. Normally that wouldn’t be anything out of the ordinary, yet these reports will contain the first insight into how many funds have coped with the global market sell-off in late February and most of March...
Preaching patience amid the coronavirus crisis
Thursday 26 Mar 2020These are extraordinary times. In a matter of weeks the coronavirus outbreak has gone from an event which was seen as having a localised impact in mainland China to a global crisis which has effectively seen the pause button hit on the world’s economy. Equity markets, slower than other asset...
Reasons to stay optimistic despite falling markets
Thursday 19 Mar 2020The speed at which markets have fallen has left investors feeling depressed with the state of their portfolios. Even thinking about taking a look at your ISA or pension can bring on a sense of anxiety. You are not alone in feeling this way. Coronavirus has had a fast and hard impact, meaning very...
Has diversification saved your portfolio?
Thursday 12 Mar 2020Asset diversification should have been one of the few saving graces for investors in recent weeks, potentially reducing the losses. Having a mixture of stocks, bonds and property means you spread your risks across different assets – each of which behave somewhat differently in terms of market...
From optimism to fear: how investors’ mindset has changed
Thursday 05 Mar 2020An 11% decline in the FTSE 100 over a single week, and similar losses in many other markets around the world, has led to a change in investor mindset. There are now widespread concerns about where markets go next and large numbers of investors want to now what everyone else is thinking to help...
Should you buy safe haven assets as markets wobble?
Thursday 27 Feb 2020The large sell-off in stock markets around the world on Monday 24 February has pushed investors towards safe haven assets as they try to avoid losing money. Natural homes for money in times of strife include US government bonds, defensive sectors like beverages, pharmaceuticals and utilities, gold...
Why a change of name is often a cheap trick
Thursday 20 Feb 2020You can put lipstick on a pig but it is still a pig. This colourful analogy came to mind after the news that Royal Bank of Scotland ( RBS ) plans to seek shareholder approval to change its corporate name to NatWest. This would represent the third high profile name change of a UK-listed firm in the...
What your weekly shop can tell you about Unilever and Reckitt
Thursday 13 Feb 2020When you go to the supermarket or go online to shop for household essentials, just how much do brands matter to you? Will you pay more for a brand you know and have an attachment to, or are you prepared to pay less for a cheaper non-branded alternative? And if you’re happy to pay up, perhaps you’ll...
Plenty of shares are still rising despite coronavirus fears
Thursday 06 Feb 2020Readers often ask if they should sell their investments in times of market turmoil, such as the current environment fuelled by coronavirus fears. The best answer is to weigh up the evidence and grasp what the market is thinking rather than going straight to panic selling. The market has currently...