Around the world in a weekend: a review of the money sections
This weekend saw readers whisked off around the world with an array of international investment opportunities paraded for inspection. Some stood up to muster but others came with a word of caution and a health warning.
Ellen Kelleher in FT Money highlighted a growing trend for financial advisers to favour global income funds over UK equity income investment because the dividend yields by Asian and European companies look so attractive. Also in FT Money, Alice Ross honed in on Japan and the investment opportunities that could arise since the recent intervention by the government. Sentiment in the piece ran on the cautious side of optimistic.
Leaving the Far East we will now travel with the Money Mail to equally warm climates and stop off in Africa as a wave of fund manager promotions have begun. The launch of two new African funds (by Renaissance Asset Mangers) is seen, according to Simon Watkins, as an early sign of a wider trend of funds opening as managers make a dash for Africa. Staying in Africa, Simon Read in The Independent noted that African funds have high potential but this is coupled with high risk for investors. Advisers agreed that investors need a strong stomach and suggested that a diversified GEM fund is a safer bet.
Carrying on our world tour, Alexandra Goss in the Sunday Times thought that now is the time to bag a bargain property abroad. Barbados and France are looked into in detail…a tough choice but if pushed we would go for Barbados, who can resist white sandy beaches?
Finally, we will finish this whistle stop tour with some words from Paul Farrow in The Telegraph. Farrow suggested that it might be time to dip a toe into European waters as by looking at past performance Europe has delivered decent returns over five years.
The rest of the coverage was broken down as follows:
Charity 2%
Credit cards 2%
Fraud/scams 6%
IFAs 0%
Insurance 9%
Investment 33%
Mortgages 8%
Pensions 12%
Regulation 1%
Savings 12%
Tax 6%
Utilities 9%