Our cover features span a huge range of topics, but all have the same aim - to make you a better investor! From emerging markets to tax planning, from growth stocks to income plays, there's hardly a subject we haven't covered.
You can navigate to all this year's cover features using the links below. Bear in mind that in most cases, the main part of the feature is free to read, but you may have to register or subscribe to read all of it. You can get a free, no-obligation two-week trial of IC Advantage by signing up here.
Be aware also that online versions of cover features may differ slightly from the print version - they often contain direct links to other sources of information, and additional tabular data that could not be fitted into the print version.
Don't forget that cover features are uploaded to the website every Friday!
DECEMBER 2009:
- Themes for the coming year, plus lots of new investing ideas
- Far from being over, the credit crisis is only just starting to crunch. Dominic Picarda explains how the cycle of boom and bust is as old as the Bible itself - and how you can position your portfolio to get in at the bottom
- The world is hotting up and mankind is to blame. Accurate or not, emissions reduction is a high priority for the nations of the world, and for investors the door is opening to a new investment opportunity. Graeme Davies points the way
NOVEMBER 2009:
- Peter Temple selects five new shares for our O'Higgins inspired portfolio. The system is based on divided yields and should deliver
- Stock markets have bounced back sharply, but there are still lots of high-quality companies whose shares trade at reasonable valuations.
- Investor appetite for residential property is stronger than ever. But with mortgage availability constrained, investors are being seduced by unregulated residential funds
- Oil firms are increasingly exploring in more remote and hostile regions of the world. Martin Li reports
OCTOBER 2009:
- The UK's crumbling infrastructure needs to be replaced before the lights go out. Claer Barrett reports on why investment in utility companies is driven by politics, not the market
- David Stevenson suggests three different ways of extracting a good income from your capital
- Many people believe that emerging markets will be the main drivers of world economic growth as heavily leveraged western consumers and governments pay down debt. Graeme Davies explains how to buy in
- Gold has had a staggering run, but where does the yellow metal go from here? Five IC writers give their point of view.
- Sentiment is firmly turning in favour of commercial property. With a slew of IPOs and property fund launches expected in the next six months, there will be many tempting opportunities to invest
SEPTEMBER 2009:
- A popular misconception is that deflation just means falling prices. But there's much more to it than that. Dominic Picarda explains
- Many experts are predicting the oil price will correct after a strong recent rally. Martin Li asks if that happens, which oil and gas shares are likely to be most resistant to such a fall?
- Profiting from China's explosive economic growth is easier said than done. The odds are stacked against you. But, as David Stevenson argues, you can still win
- Stability has returned to the banking sector now that the sub-prime asset crisis has passed - but banks are now facing an old fashioned recession indeed bad debt crisis.
AUGUST 2009:
- An estimated half a million Brits have purchased holiday homes abroad – however, as the credit crunch deepens, the dream has plunged many investors into a financial nightmare, reports Claer Barrett
- Buying unpopular shares and selling the most loved ones works a treat as a strategy for making money, says Dominic Picarda
- Iraq, awash in oil, could sweep away concerns about peak oil and make some oil companies a lot richer
- A former bond trader explains what private investors should look for when choosing corporate bond investments
JULY 2009:
- Double or bust investments can bring big rewards, but they're not for the faint hearted.
- First recovery, then stagnation, then uncertainty. As the stock market struggles for fresh direction, Jonathan Eley, Chris Dillow and Dominic Picarda look at what the next six months holds for investors
- Dividend cuts have proved a nightmare for income seekers but, with the worst of the decimation behind us, there could now be some tempting opportunities out there
- The property crisis has trapped thousands of off-plan buyers in a legal nightmare. Their flats are now being sold as bargains – but are they? Claer Barrett visits one fire sale to find out
- Investing in shares could prove to be a costly mistake if your timing is all wrong. David Stevenson outlines some rules to follow for investment success
JUNE 2009:
- With speculative fever running roughshod over oil market fundamentals again, is there any sensible way to play this staple sector? We provide rules to avoid losing your shirt
- What do previous bear markets tell us about how best to profit as markets recover? Martin Li finds out
- John Mulligan uses an enhanced version of his growth and value screening process to select five shares that look set to power ahead following a resurgence in confidence
- David Stevenson explains how to spot overvalued shares that might be heading for a fall
MAY 2009:
- We've tested a FTSE 100 momentum strategy that has outperformed the index by 115 per cent in the past five-and-a-quarter years. Here are its strengths - and limitations
- Dominic Picarda has studied the history of bear markets to see how investors can avoid being mauled by bear market rallies – and perhaps even profit from them
- All small companies claim their shares are undervalued, and in most cases, such claims are impossible to substantiate. Most, but not all - these are the shares with real hidden value
- David Stevenson explains how can you tell if the markets are nearing the bottom and whether shares are truly cheap
APRIL 2009:
- Buy the cheapest shares on the market, get a further big discount on them, and then watch them rocket. Welcome to the world of small-company investment trusts
- The latest British housing slump is devastating the value of bricks and mortar from John O'Groats to Land's End. Here Dominic Picarda gives his key predictions for the market. He also reveals what you can do to protect yourself
- It's been a tough year for income seekers, but John Hughman reports on some of the best sources of income available to investors
- With many companies now cutting their dividends to preserve cash, David Stevenson identifies 16 shares that are unlikely to let investors down
MARCH 2009:
- The stock market downturn has reduced many a corporate titan to penny share status. But not all of them will stay that way. We look for shares that'll bounce back
- Last week, investment guru Jim Slater outlined his optimal asset allocation strategy for the current downturn. This week, he outlines how to pick individual shares
- Investment guru Jim Slater compares the current downturn to 1974, and assembles a portfolio of asset classes that will preserve wealth now and increase it once recovery starts
- They're the hottest asset class of the moment. But how do corporate bonds work, where do you get prices and data, and what's the best way to invest in them. We explain all
FEBRUARY 2009:
- Small companies are a dirty word these days. But now could be the time to snap up bargains. Small-cap fund manager James Chapman explains why
- Rethinking your whole portfolio after a crash makes sense, but take care not to throw out all the good stuff along with the rubbish
- Investors Chronicle's Bargain Shares portfolios have beaten the market in all bar one of the past 10 years. Simon Thompson presents his portfolio of undervalued shares for 2009
- Confused by the myriad predictions and recommendations offered in the media? Uncertain as to what to do? Let our writers guide you through the prospects for 2009
- The government's second banking bail-out has taken the UK's beleaguered banking sector a step closer to nationalisation
- What are the prospects for individual market sectors in 2009? We look at each in turn - and provide views on all the companies in them
- Eight shares that we think are set to prosper over the coming year
- Imagine having a system that is able to predict with uncanny accuracy how stock markets will perform over the course of the year. Simon Thompson reveals not just one, but three
