This week's articles: 7 December 2012

Find out which articles have been published on the website this week.

December 7, 2012

FEATURES:

You can make better returns from lending out your money than by leaving it in a savings account. Leonora Walters explores the world of peer-to-peer lending and explains how to get it right.

■ Revenge of the building society

Building societies already offer some of the best mortgage and savings rates. Nick Louth finds out what else they can offer investors.

■ The importance of portfolio maintenance

John Baron stresses the importance of regular rebalancing and strategy scrutiny, after a good year for both his portfolios.

SEVEN DAYS:

■ All you need to know about investing in the past seven days: what's rising, what's falling and what's making the headlines.

NEWS:

■ Extra borrowing little threat to gilts - Higher government borrowing need not mean higher gilt yields.

■ Chancellor plans double-whammy pensions raid - Wealthy savers have been dealt a double blow in the Autumn Statement with significant cuts to lifetime and annual pensions allowances planned for 2014.

■ George's big gamble on gas - The fact that growth prospects in the US have improved due to the success of the unconventional oil and gas industry has not gone unnoticed.

■ Drawdown investors welcome U-turn on income limits - The chancellor surprised the pensions industry by restoring the higher capped drawdown income limits that he withdrew in 2011.

■ Isa boost for savers and Aim - The chancellor ups Isa limit and gives hope to Aim companies.

■ Tesco's US plans go stale - Supermarket giant announces plans to pull out of the US as it faces serious headwinds across the business.

■ Italy's prospects look up - Italy has not fully recovered yet, but elements of La Dolce Vita are making a comeback.

■ The Energy Bill lacks detail - The wrangling over who will pick up the bill for decades of under-investment in the UK energy sector continues.

■ What next for Sirius? - Sirius Minerals is firming up its production plans for the York Potash project.

ECONOMIC OUTLOOK:

■ "Look after unemployment..." - Government borrowing will fall significantly only when unemployment does so. And this might not be for some time.

■ Next week's economics - The euro area recession has lasted longer than expected, next week's numbers should show.

COMMENT:

Our columnists offer in-depth analysis and investment ideas:

■ The Editor: George giveth and George taketh away - The Autumn Statement delivers good and bad news for investors.

■ No free lunch: The Loser's Game.

■ Mr Bearbull: What drives China's currency - The renminbi has been weak for the past few months. What does that signal?

■ Simon Thompson: Small caps to buy now - Our companies editor sees share price upside in no fewer than three small-cap companies this week.

■ Chris Dillow Cheap or low growth? - Dividend yields help predict returns. But this might not mean that shares are now underpriced, but rather that the market isn't fully pricing in low growth.

YOUR MONEY:

Financial planning, tax and investment wisdom:

■ Reader portfolio: This passive portfolio has merits.

■ Inheritance tax relief slashed 33 per cent in real terms: Savers and their relatives are getting a raw deal as relief on inheritance tax has been falling in real terms for three decades.

■ Financial planning: Divorced tax savers stung for millions.

■ SmartMoney - Are you sleepwalking into retirement?

SHARE TIPS OF THE WEEK:

■ Shares in this housebuilder trade at a discount to rivals, but improving sales and profit margins means its dividend is set to rise sharply.

■ This insurer's IPO may have proved a success, but the technical factors that have lifted its shares may soon be overwhelmed by poor fundamentals.

■ Income seekers should take a look at the retail bond issued by this private education provider, secured against its valuable London properties.

■ A sell-off of this packaging manufacturer has left its shares looking too cheap.

FUND TIP OF THE WEEK:

■ This investment trust offers access to global growth companies at an attractive discount.