For much of the past five decades a conventional balanced portfolio made up of 60% shares and 40% bonds has served its purpose.The rationale behind this approach has been that bonds cushion volatility and provide income, and act as a counterbalance during a bear market. Conversely stocks provide the capital upside during a bull market.More recently the two asset classes have become more correlated

The gradual reopening of the UK economy has been matched in the property investment space by a similarly gradual reopening of open-ended real estate funds. This follows a long period when trading in numerous property funds was suspended due to the difficulty of valuing their holdings in the pandemic.There are mounting arguments that these vehicles are becoming 'uninvestable' thanks to the mismatch

The idea of investing in UK property might make you fearful given political instability created by the upcoming general election and ongoing Brexit saga. But there is genuine merit in having exposure to UK property as part of a diversified portfolio given its enduring income appeal.We believe this exposure should be selective. In this article we identify four of our prime property picks, each of w

Investors who assume the real estate sector is set for a universally gloomy 2019 could be proved wrong according to Nick Montgomery, head of UK real estate investment at asset manager Schroders.Adding the usual caveats around the impact of Brexit, Montgomery paints a much more nuanced picture by forecasting that certain areas will struggle but others will remain far more resilient through the cour

It has been another bad day for London-listed property funds and investment trusts as investors head for the hills in the wake of the EU Referendum vote.Investment trusts are taking a battering. Schroder Real Estate IT (SREI) fell 8.8% to 45.1p in early trade, Picton Property Income (PCTN) declined 7.8% to 59.8p and F&C Commercial Property (FCPT) dropped 7.3%.The biggest faller is Standard Life In

FTSE 100 fund manager Schroders (SDR) bucks the weak market trend, rising 1% to £24.57, after analysts at RBC Capital Markets set out their reasoning for a punchy £28.00 price target. Analyst Peter Lenardos says the firm should trade in line with peers due to double-digit EPS growth, diversification and the potential for bolt-on acquisitions.Supermarkets titan Tesco (TSCO) ticks 2.85% higher to

The attractions of investing in a company that pays quarterly dividends are, for the income investor, undeniable. The range of London-listed securities offering such a steady stream of cash to shareholders is substantial. While the payment of quarterly dividends is not the norm on this side of the Atlantic, Shares has nevertheless identified a list of 61 vehicles that reward their shareholders fou

Veterinary services consolidator CVS (CVSG:AIM) clips ahead 2.5% to 307.4p as strong half-year figures to December and a positive outlook statement triggers further earnings upgrades. As foreshadowed by Shares, the company has sales momentum at its heels with like-for-like sales up 4.6% in the first half, improving further in the third quarter with the help of mild weather in January and February.

Could Morrisons (MRW) be broken up? That's the question posed by Cantor Fitzgerald analyst Mike Dennis who makes a very bullish switch on the stock, going from 'sell' to 'buy' and raising his price target from 229p to 330p. This is on the back of yesterday's disappointing Christmas trading update. The market is intrigued as shares in the Bradford-based grocer rise 1% to 236.8p. Dennis reckons Morr

For a comedian preparing to embark on a potentially lucrative national tour drawing some attention to yourself is usually good for business. But Jimmy Carr tested the notion that all publicity is good publicity last June after an investigation by The Times newspaper discovered he was paying as little as 1% tax on his seven-figure earnings.Carr was not breaking the law and was one of thousands of h