Don’t expect Japan’s QE to end anytime soon
Fund managers remain bullish on Japan’s corporate earnings growth as stagnant inflation seems highly unlikely to spur its central bank into unwinding quantitative easing for at least another two years.
PA Analysis
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Funds rebadging as ESG reaches new heights
Asset managers are increasingly repurposing underperforming funds into ESG products to jump on the sustainable investing trend, but an announcement this week from Franklin Templeton Investments has taken the process to new heights as it repositions a global equities fund into a thematic climate change product.
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Fund management’s blatantly obvious pay gap problem
The discrepancy between the average pay of male and female asset managers is gaining considerably more traction in 2018. But does the industry care enough about closing the gap? Or is this another box-ticking exercise?
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US equity large cap funds preferred but small caps edge ahead
Strong gains in US equity markets over the past year have encouraged investors to target the asset class in 2018, but while most prefer large cap funds it’s the small caps that have generated the better returns.
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FCA challenged to name and shame closet tracker firms
The Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) action to make asset managers stump up £34m in compensation for “closet trackers” initially seemed like a win for investors, but the regulator has refused to name companies involved, even though one is facing an enforcement investigation.
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May sidesteps ‘lunatic fringe’ in Brexit speech
Prime Minister Theresa May has chosen pragmatism over the “lunatic fringe” of the Conservative Party in her speech on the UK’s exit from the European Union, but she provided few nuggets for investors.
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Have European and UK equities lost their lustre?
In what was a dismal month for markets generally, the UK and European equities were the pits, making up the five worst performing Investment Association sectors for February. But have the asset classes lost their lustre?
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Hung Italian parliament is best for investors
The consensus forecast of no clear winner in this weekend’s Italian election coming true is the best short-term scenario for financial markets and the economy, according to industry experts.
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Can absolute return handle volatility?
During the past month, 80 out of the 101 funds in the Targeted Absolute Return sector lost money, leading investors to question, as volatility makes a comeback, whether they are too correlated with stock markets.
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The dangers to be aware of when investing in China
China has been making all the headlines in recent weeks after it celebrated the Year of the Dog on 16 February. After such a strong year for Chinese investors in 2017, many headlines focused on the opportunities which lie ahead, but are there dangers that investors need to be aware of?
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Phoenix is the real winner of SLA deal
Standard Life Aberdeen hailed its decision to ditch its insurance roots as “a major step” on the road to becoming a “world-class investment company”, but analysts suggest that Phoenix is the real winner here.
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The rush to emerging markets
European-domiciled emerging market (EM) funds have seen a spectacular turnaround in fortunes since the start of 2018, with inflows up €14.5bn (£12.8bn) during January to reach €11.4bn of assets under management, according to Morningstar data.
