Four ways passive investing has altered the markets May 14, 2019 Ever since the first exchange-traded fund (ETF) listed in Europe 19 years ago, passive investing has proved hugely popular. ETFs are traded like stocks, and simply track the big indices like the FTSE 100 or the Dow Jones, as opposed to having a fund manager cherry-pick individual companies for you. And with the lowest annual [...]
Cybersecurity: why you’re right to be cautious May 13, 2019 | City Talk By Ian Hall (City PM, for the CFA Institute) The threat of cybersecurity and data-privacy attacks is under-estimated and growing, and organisations and individuals should proceed with extreme care in respect of digital information security, according to a Switzerland-based expert. David Basin, Professor of Computer Science at ETH Zurich, used a seminar at the 72nd [...]
US regulator SEC gives go-ahead for first ‘negative fee’ fund May 13, 2019 The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the US financial regulator, has approved the first ever “negative fee” fund, which will pay investors for depositing their money. New York-based Salt Financial has waived its 0.29 per cent fee and will contribute 0.05 per cent to the fund instead meaning an investor will receive $5 (£3.86) for [...]
BP: Discipline and efficiency underpin ‘buy’ case May 13, 2019 | City Talk Profits are down in the first quarter, but BP remains on track, writes our head of markets. BP (LSE:BP.) may not have repeated its immense performance from the full-year numbers in February, but nonetheless remains on track to deliver on its strategic promises. The company's prodigious cash flow continues to enable its share buyback programme, [...]
The real revolution in electric vehicles… May 13, 2019 | City Talk Electric vehicles (EVs) have reached a clear inflection point. Product quality has improved and consumer availability is expanding rapidly. Perhaps most importantly, the cost of electric car ownership is finally approaching parity with traditional combustion engine cars. The colourful stories within the industry have also helped generate interest: the spectacular and turbulent growth story of [...]
Why bombed-out Sainsbury’s leads the FTSE 100 May 10, 2019 | City Talk Hammered since the Asda merger was blocked, our head of markets explains the surge to a three-week high. Rather than fight the decision of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), Sainsbury (LSE:SBRY) and Asda decided to call off the wedding. This leaves a huge strategic question mark over where Sainsbury's goes next. Not surprisingly, the [...]
The relief of revenue reserves May 10, 2019 | Sponsored There is no question that we find ourselves in uncertain times. It is during periods of uncertainty that the investment trust structure has distinct merits. That’s because investment trusts, which are listed companies in their own right, can store future income away for a rainy day – a unique function of investment trusts called revenue [...]
Can you afford to be out of the stock market this summer? May 8, 2019 | City Talk By Jemma Jackson from interactive investor. With lots of potential banana skins for financial markets around, we discuss investment tactics for the warmer months ahead. The days when the City was swapped for Ascot, Wimbledon, Henley and Lords en masse are long gone, and whether senior trader, private investor, or anything in between, we are [...]
Investor confidence over Brexit picks up despite ongoing uncertainty May 7, 2019 The number of investors that believe Brexit will have a positive impact on the economy has overtaken those with a negative outlook. Despite the ongoing uncertainty over the UK’s departure from the European Union, 41 per cent of high net worth individuals said Brexit will be good for the UK’s economy compared to 35 per [...]
DEBATE: Could Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook omnipotence be coming to an end? May 7, 2019 Could Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook omnipotence be coming to an end? Greg Consiglio, chief operating officer at Connectt, says YES. Facebook was originally set up to connect friends who share interests, primarily through a news feed that users controlled. Now, algorithms dictate the user experience, and with feeds more crammed than ever, what once was fun and informative [...]
