UK active fund inflows nosedive on coronavirus fears February 11, 2020 Sales of active equity funds in the UK plunged over 90 per cent in January after the coronavirus outbreak led to a collapse in investor confidence. Inflows into actively-managed equity funds totalled just £78m in January, a drop of 93 per cent compared to the previous month, according to figures from fund network Calastone. “Stock [...]
Fresh blow for Woodford investors as biotech sell-off fails February 9, 2020 Investors in the failed flagship fund of Neil Woodford are facing a further blow after a £550m deal to rescue a portfolio of his stakes in biotech startups collapsed, raising concerns the holdings will be offloaded in a fire sale. WG Partners, a boutique investment bank specialising in life sciences, had been trying to assemble [...]
The £19k cost of trying to time the market February 7, 2020 | City Talk When markets fall, the natural instinct is to sell. Our research highlights how costly it can be to miss the stock market’s best days. “Buy low, sell high” – that’s every investor’s goal. However, it’s easier said than done. Especially if you’re trying to time the market, which is notoriously difficult, if not impossible. It [...]
Antler secures fresh investment from Schroders February 6, 2020 Company builder Antler have taken their total raised to $75m, after closing investment from Schroders and FinTech Collective. Antler has raised the $75m in the last six months, with the latest tranche led by British investment management company Schroders, as well as Johan Andresen’s vehicle Ferd. The investors join an existing group that includes Facebook [...]
Peter Hargreaves sells £500m worth of shares February 6, 2020 Co-founder of Hargreaves Lansdown, Peter Hargreaves, has announced he will sell £500m worth of shares in the investment platform via an accelerated bookbuild offering. The purpose of the offering is to enable Hargreaves to diversify his assets. “I have decided to sell some of my shares in Hargreaves Lansdown. This is part of a process [...]
The big freeze: Investors feel the chill in M&G’s frozen property fund February 4, 2020 December and January have been cold dark months, especially for investors whose money has been frozen in M&G’s £2.5bn property fund since the beginning of winter. The asset management company felt compelled to suspend trading on its Property Portfolio fund on 4 December, due to the high volume of withdrawals by investors in the preceding [...]
Investment giant Legal & General to vote against combined chair and chief executive roles February 3, 2020 Legal & General’s investment arm will vote against combined chief executive and board chairman roles globally, taking on business giants including Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg and Blackrock’s Larry Fink. Legal & General Investment Management (LGIM), one of the largest investment companies in the world with over £1 trillion under management, announced the change as part of [...]
St James’s Place overhauls pay and perks after scrutiny February 2, 2020 St James’s Place is set to overhaul its pay and perks programmes following intense scrutiny of the incentives offered to partners, including cruises and white-gold cufflinks. Bosses at Britain’s largest wealth manager have told staff the changes will reward “the right behaviours” and go beyond recognising sales made in a single year, according to the [...]
Reopening date for Woodford Income Focus Fund revealed January 31, 2020 An investment fund that once formed part of Neil Woodford’s empire is due to reopen five months after it was frozen, administrator Link Fund Solutions said today. The £268m ASI Income Focus Fund, formerly the Woodford Income Focus Fund, will begin operations again on 13 February, ending a long period of limbo for investors. Once [...]
Chairs of public companies think they would be ‘better off’ at private firms January 29, 2020 Many chairs of public companies in the UK believe they would be “better off” at private firms given the regulatory burdens and intense scrutiny faced by listed businesses, according to a major investor group. The Investor Forum, whose 50 members control £18.5 trillion assets, said the continued rush of private money into the unlisted market [...]