IC Top 100 Fund Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust (SMT) has backed some of the most innovative and successful technology-themed companies, but its manager James Anderson now fears that the policies of the US and UK governments will damage the chances of companies with ambition. Nevertheless, he is still confident in his current holdings which include "the greatest growth opportunities in the world," reports deputy personal finance editor Kate Beioley. She also updates on how the trust has taken a new approach to investing and some of its key holdings are doing.
OTHER STORIES IN THIS ISSUE
This week's tip highlights an investment trust which hasn't recently performed well, but follows an investment approach which means it could be set to generate good returns going forward. It is also trading on a very wide discount to net asset value relative to its history, so could provide an opportunity both for growth and discount tightening.
Investors are concerned about China for reasons including a rise in US protectionism, increasing debt and slowing growth. Personal finance writer Emma Agyemang considers how warranted these concerns are and highlights a number of reasons why Chinese equities might still offer a good long-term opportunity. She also sets out the best funds with which to exploit China's potential gains, suggesting options for a range of risk appetites.
IC Top 100 Fund BlackRock Frontiers Investment Trust (BRFI), meanwhile, reports that despite investing in an area considered even higher risk than emerging markets such as China, since launch it has delivered lower volatility than major benchmarks such as the FTSE All Share index. The trust's managers tell Emma Agyemang how this is possible, as well as updating on where they are finding companies with strong cash flows and high dividend yields, on some of the lowest valuations in the world.
Asset manager Vanguard has trimmed the fees on its LifeStrategy fund range, the third cut since launching it in June 2011 and the latest in a series of price cuts by the passive funds industry. Emma Agyemang looks at how much these funds now cost and how they compare to similar funds.
In our latest personal finance podcast the team are joined by James de Bunsen, co-manager of Henderson Alternative Strategies Trust (HAST), who explains the merits and risks of some of the more unusual areas to which you could commit your money. They also consider how to capture the return of value with exchange traded funds (ETFs) and the case for emerging markets debt.
Our podcast is now available across five different distribution channels to allow you to access it in the most convenient way. Find us on Soundcloud, Acast, Audioboom, Stitcher and iTunes.
This week's Portfolio Clinic features a reader who wants to generate a yield of 3 per cent to supplement her retirement income. Our experts offer some suggestions on how to do this and make the most of her tax allowances.
Do you have a personal finance problem? Or want to know more about something in this week's personal finance pages? If so let us know by getting in touch with leonora.walters@ft.com, kate.beioley@ft.com or emma.agyemang@ft.com.
