If we took a straw poll of readers and asked which country has the world's biggest sovereign wealth fund, the chances are Saudi Arabia and Singapore would come high up the list if not at the top.In fact, the largest is Norway's Government Pension Fund Global which has a value of more than $1.6 trillion.When the country discovered large offshore oil fields at the end of the 1960s, the government de

September was a bad month for stocks in general, but it was especially poor for UK REITs (real estate investment trusts), with 77% of the sector by market cap being derated according to analysts at Winterflood, leaving 24 out of 32 trusts down over nine months.With worries over the economy, discounts to NAV (net asset value) continuing to widen and retail investors exiting the sector in their drov

Jefferies cuts stocks to 'hold' or 'sell'Analysts see 'recession' in officesMorgan Stanley takes a more positive viewShares in four of the UK's biggest property companies fell after analysts at investment bank Jefferies cut their recommendations on the basis office rents in the capital are headed for recession.British Land (BLND) shares eased 1.9% to 320p, Derwent London (DLN) shares were 1.6% low

Self-storage and private rental markets strongFirms all investing for future growthValuations yet to respond due to high ratesWhile shares in UK property stocks are stuck in the doldrums due to rising interest rates, the latest announcements from a leading self-storage firm and a pair of property rental groups suggest it is very much 'business as usual'.A GROWING MARKETIn its first-quarter trading

If you could buy a selection of the best-quality UK real estate investment trusts all under one roof rather than individually, it would save a lot of time and effort. You can, thanks to the open-ended VT Gravis UK Listed Property Fund (BK8VW75).While property has been out of favour recently, weaker valuations means you can get exposure at a cheaper price.The fund is owned and run by Gravis Capital

Student accommodation is a segment of the property market with supportive dynamics coming out of the pandemic and we think Empiric Student Property (ESP) is an attractively valued way of gaining access to this space.Empiric trades at a substantial discount to its larger peer Unite (UTG), reflecting a somewhat more uneven track record and its smaller scale, but we think the managers of the real est

British Gas owner Centrica (CNA) and student property company Unite (UTG) look set to be promoted into the FTSE 100 index following the latest quarterly reshuffle of the blue-chip index. The changes become effective on 20 June 2022.Firms only get promoted when their size places them inside the top 90 companies by market capitalisation and likewise the demoted stocks need to be below the 110th larg

Look at the investment trust space if you want to outperform the market when it comes to investing in UK smaller companies.Using data from FE Fundinfo, Shares compared the sector performance to the FTSE All-Share and the Numis Smaller Companies indices.Only seven out of 17 open-ended funds in the UK Smaller Companies sector have beaten the market over the past five years, according to analysis by

UK stocks experience their worst one-day fall in more than 12 months on Monday as global markets swooned due to sustained weakness in US technology stocks with the Nasdaq 100 collapsing by 4% as sellers began to exhibit signs of panic.Asian trading saw a volatile session with Japan's Nikkei 225 and China's Shanghai Composite up slightly, but the EuroStoxx 50 index of leading European companies she

UK stocks fell sharply at the start of the week as global markets swooned following weakness in US stocks on Friday.Asian trading saw a volatile session with Japan's Nikkei 225 closing 0.25% higher and China's Shanghai Composite up slightly, but the EuroStoxx 50 index of leading European companies shed 2% as tech stocks faced heavy selling.Investors are also bracing themselves ahead of an update f

UK and European stocks started the week on a down note following weakness in US stocks on Friday, although futures prices indicated a bounce of close to 1% for the benchmark S&P 500 at the open.Asian trading saw a volatile session with Japan's Nikkei 225 closing 0.25% higher and China's SE Composite up slightly. Oil prices continued their rise with Brent Crude gaining 0.5% to $87.70 per barrel.Inv

UK shares ended the first week of the quarter much as they started it, with the conversation dominated by rising energy prices.Brent crude finished above $83 per barrel for a gain of nearly $4 or 5% on the week, marking a three-year high.In the event the much-awaited US September non-farm payroll data was a damp squib, sending markets in Europe and the US lower.By the close the FTSE 100 index was

UK shares eased back after a firm opening on Friday as investors awaited US monthly non-farm payrolls data, with expectations that the economy added 0.5 million jobs in September.Brent Crude prices gained to $82.50 per barrel while it was reported that US diesel stockpiles were at 20-year lows heading into the winter.At midday the FTSE 100 index of leading shares was flat at 7,078 despite gains in

UK shares opened slightly firmer on Friday led by gains in oil companies, with both Royal Dutch Shell (RDSB) and BP (BP.) gaining close to 2%.Brent Crude prices gained another 1.2% to $82.75 per barrel while it was reported that US diesel stockpiles were at 20-year lows heading into the winter.Trading in Asia was positive with gains seen in China and Japan overnight, but the focus today will be on

London's FTSE 100 plunged deeply into the red by close on Tuesday, reversing significant earlier gains as concerns over a global chip shortage sparked a tech sell-off in the US.The global shortage of semiconductors has put pressure on tech and carmaker stocks, which are leading the falls. The UK's benchmark index fell back below 7,000 to close 0.67% lower to 6,923.In the US the tech-heavy Nasdaq i

London's FTSE 100 gained 0.82% by lunchtime on Tuesday to reach 7,026.99, jumping back above the psychologically important 7,000 level as investors looked to the reopening and holidays starting again.Travel stocks in particular have been buoyed on hopes of EU tourism opening up again next month, with British Airways owner International Consolidated Airlines (IAG) gaining 2.8% to 208.5p, while budg

UK stocks got off to a firm start to trading following the holiday-extended weekend with economically sensitive sectors, including miners, travel and energy, driving gains.The benchmark FTSE 100 opened around 0.6% higher, pushing back above the 7,000 market at 7,011.80 with Fresnillio's (FRES) near 3.5% at 851.4p leading the index. Travel and leisure companies also saw firm demand as Brits await t

UK stocks ended Monday's session in the red as the reopening of shops and pubs across the UK failed to generate much of a market reaction.Caution prevailed as many investors decided to hold off on any big decisions as first quarter earnings season picks up pace in the US.'UK markets have remained pretty subdued as they seemed to have priced in today's lockdown easing exuberance,' explained Danni H

UK stocks were ever slightly lower by lunchtime on Monday, even as local restaurants, bars and other non-essential businesses began to reopen, with sentiment uncertain amid global jitters over rising bond yields and lofty stock valuations.By lunchtime, London's blue chip benchmark index was off 22 points or 0.31%, at 6,894.2, with high street names weakening on reopening day as investors decided t

The FTSE 100 fell 0.69% to 6,868 in early trade on Monday despite optimism as non-essential retailers and pubs open their doors for the first time in months.Momentum in UK shares had been building ahead of today, with the index getting back to pre-pandemic levels last week. The midcap FTSE 250 index, which last week hit a record high, also fell this morning with a 0.46% drop to 22,148.Most retaile