It was a good first half of the year for Smithson Investment Trust (SSON) after it significantly beat the market. The Fundsmith-managed vehicle grew net asset value by 11.7%, outperforming the MSCI World Small and Mid-Cap index by 9.8 percentage points.That goes some way to making up for the miserable time investors experienced in 2022 where the quality-focused trust delivered net asset value tota

Given the poor recent performance of many investment trusts compared with the FTSE 100 index - which has held up relatively well this year and which investors can access via a tracker fund for a few basis points - the age-old issue of fees has reared its head again.The big question for investors in investment trusts which carry a high OCF (ongoing charge fee) is should they stick with them when th

Rising interest rates since the turn of the year, runaway inflation and Russia's shocking invasion of Ukraine have shaken the investment kaleidoscope in 2022 and forced many investors to reposition portfolios for an increasingly uncertain world.This is reflected in developments in the investment trusts universe, which has thrown up some obvious and more surprising winners in the opening months of

In the end 2021 proved a rewarding year for stock markets as vaccines were rolled out and economies began to recover from the worst ravages of the pandemic. In the early part of the year, growth was shunned for value before bouncing back into fashion as the year progressed.On the whole, this was a volatile period, with investors contending with concerns over inflation and the rising interest rates

THIS IS AN ADVERTISING PROMOTIONWhat Can Income Investors Do?All investment strategies have the potential for profit and loss, your or your clients' capital may be at risk. Past performance is not a guide to future returns.Unprecedented. That is the only word to describe the ongoing collapse of corporate dividends. At the time of writing, UK dividends are forecast to reduce by 62 per cent this yea

Investment trust investors put money to work with an active fund. So if the fund fails to beat the market or its assigned benchmark, you'll understandably feel aggrieved.The aim of active management is to outperform a benchmark and if the manager to which you entrust your hard earned savings fails to beat the market, then why not just invest in a low-cost passive fund?As a way of trying to spot th

The FTSE 100 is in a tentative mood, opening up slightly with around a three point gain to 7,614. The market may be waiting for an update on inflation due in shortly. Miners such as BHP Billiton (BLT) continue to struggle, the company is down 1.3% to £16.78.Pharma giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) shifts on 1.3% to £15.80 as its two drug treatment for HIV has met an important goal in development.The t

Investors seeking a fund flush with bargain stocks and upside catalysts should buy British Empire Trust (BTEM). It aims to achieve long-term absolute returns by investing in undervalued assets.It offers shareholders value within the portfolio's underlying assets and the share price also trades at a discount to the trust's own net asset value (currently 9.4%).Investment bank Jefferies argues: 'Havi

Oil prices are heading towards the $80 mark as armed conflict between Iranian and Israeli forces follows hot on the heels of the US president Donald Trump's decision to exit the Iran nuclear deal.Investors looking to benefit from the oil price surge have the option of investing in individual companies, although this does come with substantial exposure to the risk of these individual companies endu

Mining was the second best performing FTSE 350 sector in 2016 and is still in the top 10 so far this year. Improving commodity prices, stronger balance sheets and more lean mining operations have all contributed to share price success.Anyone who wants exposure to the sector without the individual country risk should look at the wide range of investment trusts that invest in miners. You should be a

Retail powerhouse Sports Direct International (SPD) falls 5.9% to 670p after owner Mike Ashley cashed in £106 million worth of shares. The entrepreneurial Newcastle United football club owner has sold 16 million shares or 2.7% of the company. Ashley still holds over 61.7% of the UK's number one sports retailer, which pushed out another strong update yesterday revealing a 15.1% sales rise to £463

Riverstone Energy (RSE) - an investment vehicle backed by energy-focused private equity firm Riverstone Holdings - has raised £760.3 million from institutional investors.The issued shares, sold at £10 each, are down 4.2% to 958.5p as conditional dealing gets underway. The shares will be available to trade to the wider market from 29 October. The total raised was at the lower end of the £670 mil