Star trader Neil Woodford’s fund reports healthy profits despite recent drop in assets January 9, 2019 Veteran investor Neil Woodford’s fund Woodford Investments has reported operating profit of £41.7m and paid directors £36.5m in dividends in the 12 months to the end of March last year. However, the accounts do not take into account recent outflows from the fund, and profits are likely to be impacted in the next set of full-year [...]
Virgin Money and Aberdeen Standard Investments sign agreement for investment and pensions joint venture January 9, 2019 Virgin Money and Aberdeen Standard Investments (ASI) have signed an agreement for a new investment and pensions joint venture. ASI will acquire 50 per cent of Virgin Money Unit Trust Managers Limited for at least £40m, the companies announced today, and take over the management of its £3.7bn retail assets. The deal, which is designed [...]
Five ways to clean up your buy-to-let portfolio in 2019 January 9, 2019 While January is a great time to be making financial resolutions, with many over-spending at Christmas, it’s sometimes best to concentrate on making the most of what you already have. For 2.5m people owning £1.4 trillion of buy-to-let, investment property is the best place to start. It comprises an enormous part of personal wealth, it [...]
Richard Buxton steps down as chief executive of Merian Global Investors after Old Mutual spin off January 8, 2019 Richard Buxton has stepped down as the chief executive of Merian Global Investors following a management buyout and rebranding of the business from Old Mutual Global last year. As a major shareholder, Buxton will remain on the Merian’s board and continue to lead the equities team and manage his UK Alpha fund. His successor, Mark [...]
Pantheon opens Dublin office as part of Brexit planning January 8, 2019 Investment firm Pantheon has opened a Dublin office in order to continue doing business within the EU after Brexit. The private equity, infrastructure, real assets and debt investor, which has $42.3bn assets under management, is authorised as an EU Alternative Investment Fund Manager in Ireland, and the five-strong team will be lead by chief executive [...]
The impact investing trend is here to stay January 8, 2019 From recycling waste to reducing plastic consumption to going vegan for the month of January, more and more people today are conscious of the impact they have on the planet. This outlook has extended to investing, as a new generation of finance customers start to raise questions about exactly where their money is being directed. [...]
Financial markets 2018: the year in review January 7, 2019 | City Talk After two years of steady growth in asset prices, 2018 proved more of a challenge for investors, particularly in the last three months of the year. US president Donald Trump’s tax cuts had provided an added boost for investors heading into 2018, and US GDP growth accelerated to 4.2 per cent on an annualised quarterly basis [...]
Vanguard retains fastest-growing fund manager title January 7, 2019 Vanguard has maintained its role as the world’s fastest-growing fund manager for the seventh year in a row. The fund manager confirmed it collected net inflows of $232bn (£181.69bn) last year, compared to the world’s largest asset manager Blackrock, which attracted net inflows of $73.8bn in the first nine months of 2018. It is the fifth [...]
Forex 2019: Dollar rally to fade? January 7, 2019 | City Talk The course of 2018 saw a firming in the US dollar against just about every other currency. But the factors that contributed to this steady rise may be starting to diminish. The big question facing the FX markets this year is whether the dollar can continue to push higher or whether the softening in December [...]
Bowmark Capital closes £600m UK-focused fund amid Brexit uncertainty January 3, 2019 Private equity firm Bowmark Capital has raised £600m to invest in UK companies, indicating investor confidence in British business despite Brexit uncertainty. A total of 44 per cent of the capital has come from European investors, and 35 was invested from North America, the company said. The Bowmark Capital Partners VI fund reached its target in [...]