magazine archive
magazine archive
Exchange-Traded Funds
Fad or genuine trend? What you need to know before investing in a thematic ETF
Thursday 15 Jun 2023Themes can be a powerful driver of investment returns as followers of the recent proliferation of AI (artificial intelligence) as a hot topic in the financial markets and beyond could attest. The fast-growing thematic ETF (exchange-traded fund) universe provides a straightforward way to invest in...
The quick and easy way to build a diversified portfolio using cheap tracker funds
Thursday 26 Jan 2023One of the most compelling attributes of exchange-traded funds, also known as ETFs, is they allow investors to create a diversified investment portfolio from scratch rapidly, easily and inexpensively. If you bought a product tracking the MSCI World index you could arguably do this at the click of a...
Revealed: the cheapest tracker funds that could make your life easier
Thursday 26 Jan 2023The fact only a quarter (27%) of fund managers beat the market in 2022 has led many investors to look at low-cost tracker funds. Instead of trying to outperform the market, why not simply mirror what it does and not worry about a fund manager making good or bad decisions. Exchange-traded funds or...
Foreign currency ETFs explained and how exchange rates affect performance
Thursday 26 Jan 2023Holidaymakers will be familiar with exchanging pounds for euros and dollars when making trips abroad. A weak pound can make that trip more expensive, or a strong pound can result in extra cash to spend. Exchange rates also impact investing in overseas markets, but unlike the holidays example a weak...
How have three ETFs with inflation protection qualities performed?
Thursday 11 Aug 2022Theodore White, the American political journalist, described inflation as ‘arriving gradually, is recognised too late and can be cured only by ruthless political surgery’. In June the UK’s annual rate rose to a new four-decade high and is predicted to peak at 13% according to the latest Bank of...
Discover three dividend ETFs for straightforward and low-cost access to income
Thursday 28 Jul 2022A surge in global inflation has forced central bankers to start raising interest rates. However this has not yet translated into significantly higher returns on cash deposits for savers. Investors continue to inhabit a world characterised by abnormally low interest rates, which poses a conundrum...
Two low-cost funds for exposure to US value stocks
Thursday 17 Feb 2022Many US stocks have become expensive in recent years and these high ratings make them less appealing in the current market environment which now favours cheaper valuations. Investors needn’t panic as there are easy ways to get exposure to more value-style stocks in the US. During the pandemic price...
Three hot thematic ETFs analysed
Thursday 19 Aug 2021Investing in thematic ETFs (exchange-traded funds) is an approach which focuses on predicted long-term trends, enabling investors to access structural one-off shifts that can transform an entire industry. However in recent months, concerns have been raised regarding the limitations associated with...
The difference between two popular FTSE 100 ETFs
Thursday 05 Aug 2021Readers often ask how they should choose between different exchange-traded funds covering the same underlying market so let’s look at two products tracking the UK’s flagship stock market index, the FTSE 100. iShares Core FTSE 100 ETF ( ISF ) is the largest exchange-traded fund of this kind, with...
Global tracker funds: how do they differ?
Thursday 01 Jul 2021I’ve been looking at ETFs as a cheap way of getting exposure to lots of global stocks but I’ve seen different products with different names, including ones which seem to track the FTSE All-World index and MSCI World index. Is there any difference between the two? Sara You’re off to a good start, as...