indias dire 2011 should not put off investors
James Smith takes the positives from India’s poor-performing equity markets and argues the case for solid long-term investment opportunities.
James Smith takes the positives from India’s poor-performing equity markets and argues the case for solid long-term investment opportunities.
While wealth managers are more than aware of RDR – whether they have done anything about it or not is another thing – they may not be as aware of FATCA, another costly piece of legislation that comes in on 1 January next year that they would be equally foolish to ignore.
Given Europe is on our doorstep it gets more attention from UK investors than it is due because on the global stage Europe is not in as great a crisis as we think it is.
Barclays is looking to expand its business in the sector, Brewin Dolphin has beefed up its London office, and Quilter has pledged not to make any job cuts or office closures. From where we’re sitting it all sounds fairly positive in the world of wealth management.
Wealth managers are suspicious of putting money with managers taking on new funds in sectors where they have little track record, so where does this leave Daniel Roberts for whom Fidelity has today unveiled Global Dividend Fund?
It is often said as the ‘rich get richer the poor get poorer’, and one look at current trends in consumer spending would seem to support such a thesis. But as quality starts to overtake quantity on the high street, how can investors benefit?
Any landmark date – birthdays, anniversaries, a new year for example – brings with it a lot of navel-gazing and the desire for a brand new start. Rarely does anything change, and this is perfectly illustrated by the noise surrounding the Chinese New Year.
The big question I like to pose to any fund manager or asset allocator I meet is: are we past the worst? If 2011 really was the economic trough, then things could begin to look rosier for banks especially.
The watchword for RDR is transparency, and this is a concept trumpeted by the FSA and financial services providers to be the best thing since sliced bread: the cure to all of the industry’s current ailments.
Investors need to ensure they make what is a very clear distinction between the US mortgage crisis and the European sovereign debt crisis rather than lumping them both together under a ‘global financial crisis’ heading.
The FSA is now closed… to responses on its consultation paper dealing with legacy assets and their treatment after the RDR rules come into effect. But we have not heard the end of it, not by a long shot.
Like tax cuts and tank tops, property has a tendency to be either in or out of fashion in a big way.