Should fund managers really need any extra incentive to deliver for investors given they are already being paid a fee to do their job? Until recently it was commonplace for the managers of investment trusts to receive a performance fee on top of their management fee if they exceeded a specified level of return.Increasingly, this structure is being abandoned by trusts, though around a third of equi

German residential property investor Phoenix Spree Deutschland (PSDL) seems able to brush off the country's economic struggles after it reported a 14% increase in the value of its portfolio during 2018.Its focus on a relatively buoyant Berlin property market also delivered strong rental growth of 7.4%. The investment trust benefits from its exposure to a city with falling unemployment, an undersup

Berlin residential landlord Phoenix Spree Deutschland (PSDL) gains 3% to 387.3p this morning as it announces a 43.8% increase in the valuation of its portfolio to €609.3m.The boost, following work by external valuer Jones Lang LaSalle GmbH, reflects continuing strong demand in Germany's capital for quality rented accommodation as well as several disposals of non-core assets which were achieve

London's FTSE 100 sheds 14.6 points to trade at 7,476 early on Friday, ahead of the widely followed US non-farm payrolls release later in the day.Telecommunications networks and services titan BT (BT.A) cheapens 2.8% to 248.9p as third quarter revenues reverse 3% to £5.97bn due to challenging market conditions for its Global Services arm.CEO Gavin Patterson remains confident in the full year outl

The adviser to German residential property investor Phoenix Spree Deutschland (PSDL) notes average property prices in the capital city of Europe's largest economy are lower than thosein Warsaw.PMM Partners director Mike Hilton uses this astonishing fact to illustrate the potential opportunity still in front of the fund in Berlin despite an exceptional 2017.Last year saw its portfolio increase in v

Some of the best performing investment trusts in 2017 have been aided by favourable market conditions as global markets continue to grow.Top of the pile is Independent Investment Trust (IIT), which delivered a total return of 71.6% which is the share price gain and dividend income. Its portfolio has this year included various high-flying tech stocks, beverage companies and housebuilders, all of wh

When weighing up investment trusts to add to your portfolio, cost is a key consideration. The greater the charges associated with a fund, the better your investments must perform to deliver you a return.One of the biggest costs are the fees investment trusts payto fund managers for managing the portfolio; investment trusts may also pay a performance fee if the manager outperforms certain targets.F

London's FTSE 100 is broadly flat at 6,894 points in early dealings, the blue chip index having closed 47.27 points lower on Tuesday at 6893.92 points, slipping from a 14-month peak as higher-than-expected UK inflation data weighed on the market.Balfour Beatty's (BBY) recent rebound continues, the shares bid up another 6.7% to 260.7p as CEO Leo Quinn's flags progress with the construction group's

London equities jolt lower after torrid sessions on Wall Street and in Asia overnight provide firm directional cue. France's CAC 40 and Germany's DAX are down more than 2%. Tapering commodity prices and a dive in China's yuan remain the troubling catalysts for investor gloom. The UK benchmark FTSE 100 skids 96 points, or about 1.6%, lower to 5,865, while the midcap FTSE 250 takes an even heavier 1

There's more to property than houses and shops. Industrial, offices, warehousing, GP surgeries, hotels, self-storage and student accommodation landlords all trade on the London Stock Exchange, but diversity in the property sector does not end with the assets they own. Investors can also buy shares in real estate companies that are invested in international markets, such as Germany, Europe's larges

Investors who diversify their portfolios can achieve a more stable return because many of the ups and downs in the individual holdings will cancel each other out. The obvious way to do this is to allocate your money across different asset classes and geographic markets, but there are a number of uncorrelated funds that can take the process a stage further.One of the least correlated areas of all a