Investment trusts offer numerous benefits for those who take the time to understand them, but too often investors miss out on the opportunities offered by these investment gems, put off because they can seem complicated. In fact, an investment trust is incredibly similar to a fund – the major difference is it is listed on the stock market and you buy shares rather than units. The price of these ...

It can be difficult picking a fund and even more challenging to decide when a good time to sell is, but one investment manager has flagged vulnerable funds and alternative options for investors. Patrick Thomas from Canaccord Genuity Wealth Management says investors should consider ditching Monks (MNKS) and Fundsmith Emerging Equities Trust (FEET) among several other trusts. EXPENSIVE ...

One of the main factors that determines the average investment trust discount in a particular sector is investor sentiment towards that part of the market. The most out-of-favour areas currently include the UK small and mid-cap funds, which creates a contrarian opportunity for those who are prepared to take a long-term view. According to data from Numis Securities Research, the UK Smaller ...

As a result of its vote in favour of leaving the EU, the UK is probably heading towards a recession’. That warning from Julius Baer’s chief economist Janwillem Acket provides a good clue as to why the FTSE 250 has travelled in an opposite direction to the FTSE 100 blue chip index since the Brexit vote was cast. The FTSE 250 is down 5% since the EU referendum vote results on 24 June, versus a ...

One mid-cap investment trust on Shares’ radar is Caledonia Investments (CLDN), a vehicle well placed to deliver the benefits of dividend compounding whilst foraging far and wide for capital growth. Guided by chief executive officer Will Wyatt, Caledonia seeks to generate a long-term performance in excess of the FTSE All-Share and since becoming an approved investment trust in 2003, has ...

Appetite for investment trusts, the oldest form of collective, continues to get a boost from regulatory changes. The first leg of the Retail Distribution Review (RDR), launched in January 2013, and the second round due this April both shine a light on the fees levied by open-ended investment companies (Oiecs) and financial advisers. As a consequence data for last year show purchases of investment ...

You could have made nearly five times more money through investing in mid caps than tracking the FTSE All-Share this year. We believe this trend is set to continue well into 2013 so load up your portfolio with FTSE 250 stocks as these could become the big companies of tomorrow. We created a mid-cap portfolio early in the year (see Shares, Cover, 9 Feb) of 11 medium-sized stocks. These have ...