From the category archives:

Investing

Why do investment trusts trade at a discount or a premium?

August 24, 2010

Does it bother you that a trust can trade at a big discount, or even a big premium? It should – it’s arguably an example of stock market inefficiency that isn’t supposed to happen.

0 comments

Investment trust discounts and premiums

August 20, 2010

Investment trusts on a discount enable you to get more assets for your money. Alternatively, if you like throwing away money you can buy a trust at a premium.

2 comments

How to invest in German companies

August 17, 2010

Don’t mention the war – German companies are among the best in the world, and they’re booming as the world recovers under dark clouds.

14 comments

How free trade makes us all better off

August 13, 2010

Three cheers for free trade! It’s just saved us from a global depression, and it’s been making us richer for centuries.

10 comments

Perceived risk versus actual risk

August 11, 2010

Wilbur Ross reckons the trick is to take on perceived risks but to avoid real risks. Nice work if you can get it…

12 comments

No lost decade: Why we’re not Japan

August 5, 2010

The lost decade in Japan haunts Western markets, as deflation stalks the land in the US and interest rates can’t go any lower. Here’s why you shouldn’t worry.

17 comments

Swensen’s Ivy League portfolio revisited

August 3, 2010

Swensen’s actively managed fund based Yale endowment portfolio has trounced the ETF one he suggests for the common people. What can we do about it?

4 comments

The bewitching appeal of Lloyds suspended preference shares

July 29, 2010

Why take one unloved banking preference share into the portfolio when you could have two? Well, a few reasons actually, but they didn’t stop me.

6 comments

A brief history of behavioural finance

July 27, 2010

Behavioural finance unpicked the Efficient Market Hypothesis. But is it really the Holy Grail of investing insight?

5 comments

Beware the lure of the exotic

July 15, 2010

Some people find complicated financial products compelling – especially advisers peddling a hot new fund for commission.
If there’s a whiff of the exotic thrown in, so much the better.
A person who knows nothing about Indonesia, Brazil, or South Africa will confidently tell you that these countries offer much better returns than the domestic market. Ask [...]

12 comments

The risks of buying mark to market investments on margin

July 13, 2010

If you’re going to risk borrowing to invest in volatile assets, you need long-term debt to do it.

8 comments

Wealth preservation strategies of the rich

July 8, 2010

The rich get richer, while the rest of us struggle to keep up, let alone catch up. It’s all about safety-first investing.

38 comments

Keep it simple, stupid

July 1, 2010

You see a reaction to a French minister saying industrial output is looking shaky. I see a market following a random walk.

12 comments

Something for everyone: the new Lloyds retail bond

June 16, 2010

With the common shares tempting value investors yet others fearing a second banking crash, these high-yielding 5-year bonds look a good compromise.

4 comments

Two new personal finance tools for Monevator readers

June 11, 2010

Wondering how your money will grow? Pondering whether it’s worth over-paying your mortgage? Muse no more, my friends.

5 comments

Are BP shares a buy?

June 4, 2010

Sometimes the best time to pick up a bargain is when everyone else is running the other way. Is it time to buy BP shares?

28 comments

Getting an investment income from investment trusts

May 26, 2010

Why buy some dubious investment bond thingy-me with a big initial fee when you can buy a 5% income from investment trusts?

16 comments

What first attracted me to the 9%-yielding Natwest preference shares

May 18, 2010

I recycled some of my equity portfolio into Natwest preference shares. Out of the frying pan, into the microwave oven?

9 comments

Bank preference shares: A brief history

May 18, 2010

Did you buy bank preference shares when the market was giving them away? Me neither. What an incredible opportunity it was.

2 comments

Using a watchlist to improve your investing

May 7, 2010

If you’re trying to beat the market, you need to buy good companies and you need buy them at the right price. A watchlist helps with both.

5 comments

Walter Schloss: His rules that beat the market

May 4, 2010

If you’re going to try to beat the market, you’re better off learning from a wrinkly old guy with an incredible record than a 30-something on CNBC.

14 comments

Weekend reading: Why I’ve sold a few shares as the bull marches on

April 17, 2010

A huge but wildly waffle-riddled update on my personal portfolio and recent activity. Plus the week’s best links!

20 comments

Bond default probabilities: by rating

April 9, 2010

When investors flock to high-yield bonds, they often do so heedless of the risks. Here’s some data on corporate bond defaults.

9 comments

ISA limits to increase annually with inflation: Budget 2010

March 24, 2010

ISA allowances are to increase with inflation from 2010, says UK Chancellor Alistair Darling. Not before time.

3 comments

The risks of Venture Capital Trusts (VCTs)

March 22, 2010

Venture Capital Trusts are specialised investments, where the small print about risks really does come true.

4 comments

Cash and your portfolio

March 17, 2010

Cash is often an under-rated asset class among private investors, who underestimate the impact that chasing returns can deliver.

16 comments

Avoiding capital gains tax on your investments

March 15, 2010

Want to avoid a big capital gains tax bill? Lucky you. Here’s some tips to help you get your tax bill down.

18 comments

5 ways to invest like Warren Buffett (from the man himself)

March 12, 2010

Are you a better investor than Warren Buffett? I’m not even a better writer than Buffett, so let’s hear some wisdom from the great man himself.

8 comments

US historical asset class returns

March 10, 2010

The big rally in US equities in 2009 isn’t so unusual, but the crash in the price of US government bonds is a once-in-a-lifetime event.

9 comments

← Previous Entries

Investing

Why do investment trusts trade at a discount or a premium?

Investment trust discounts and premiums

How to invest in German companies

How free trade makes us all better off

Perceived risk versus actual risk

No lost decade: Why we’re not Japan

Swensen’s Ivy League portfolio revisited

The bewitching appeal of Lloyds suspended preference shares

A brief history of behavioural finance

Beware the lure of the exotic

The risks of buying mark to market investments on margin

Wealth preservation strategies of the rich

Keep it simple, stupid

Something for everyone: the new Lloyds retail bond

Two new personal finance tools for Monevator readers

Are BP shares a buy?

Getting an investment income from investment trusts

What first attracted me to the 9%-yielding Natwest preference shares

Bank preference shares: A brief history

Using a watchlist to improve your investing

Walter Schloss: His rules that beat the market

Weekend reading: Why I’ve sold a few shares as the bull marches on

Bond default probabilities: by rating

ISA limits to increase annually with inflation: Budget 2010

The risks of Venture Capital Trusts (VCTs)

Cash and your portfolio

Avoiding capital gains tax on your investments

5 ways to invest like Warren Buffett (from the man himself)

US historical asset class returns

Essential reading

Better investing

Get money motivated

Property posts

Search

New on Stock Tickle