FEATURES:
We test the mettle of Aim's biggest companies - this week we count down from 100 to 51.
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:
■ Bellwether commodities stall as gold slumps
■ International Personal Finance launches retail bond
■ International Mining & Infrastructure Corp comes knocking for Afferro Mining
■ How to secure inflation-protection
ECONOMIC OUTLOOK:
■ Recessions matter: Chris Dillow says the UK economy is probably in deep recession, without anyone noticing. This tells us why some recessions matter, and some don't.
■ Next week's economics: Next week's numbers could show that the UK economy has avoided a 'triple dip' recession and is recovering, while the eurozone is still in recession.
COMMENT:
Our columnists offer in-depth analysis and investment ideas:
■ The Editor: Always believe in gold - Gold's plunge shouldn't distract us from the serious problems with Western monetary policy.
■ Mr Bearbull: Income signal - A high dividend yield can be a bullish or a bearish signal, so you have to figure out which. Carillion is an example.
■ Chris Dillow: Uncertainty and gold - Gold has fallen. Uncertainty about US economic policy has diminished. These two facts are related. Also see:
- The psychology of fat tails - The high risk of crashes in financial markets is an unavoidable result of investors' complex behaviour.
- Sporting losses - Don't laugh at the professional footballers who have lost millions. Their mistakes are common amongst all investors.
- Read more articles by Chris on his comment page.
■ Property Matters: Buy-to-let in a Sipp? An initiative to boost housing supply and rejuvenate high streets using Sipp money probably won't come to much.
YOUR MONEY:
Financial planning, tax and investment wisdom:
■ Portfolio Advice on switching equity portfolio to bonds.
■ Pros and cons of employee share schemes: Are they a no-go or a no-brainer?
■ Financial planning: Corporate mansion levies catch thousands in costly tax trap.
■ SmartMoney: Reasons not to buy gold.
SHARE TIPS OF THE WEEK:
■ This European colossus has finally got its act together - it's growing profits at breakneck speed and an industry boom has years to run. Now is a great chance to buy.
■ Demand for this lender's loans just keeps rising. It has a solid funding base, a more cautious approach than less scrupulous lenders and a decent yield.
■ Following on the heels of a dividend cut, a profit warning is hard to stomach. But mostly we're concerned about ongoing weak demand for the company's products.
■ This small-cap medical devices company stands out from the crowd for its focus on emerging economies and its niche testing business.
FUND TIP OF THE WEEK:
■ Well ahead of its peers in the performance stakes, this European smaller companies investment trust is also approaching a trigger point for attracting the attention of private wealth managers.
SHARE TIP UPDATES:
■ Aggreko
■ Betfair
■ Centrica
BROKERS' TIPS:
FUNDS:
■ Fund news: 14 investment trusts beat the FTSE All-Share yield.
■ Shares I love: M&G fund manager Matthew Vaight explains how a restructure has made South Africa's Imperial Holdings a market leader value creator.
■ The big theme: Aim funds to benefit from 'huge fillip.'
■ Top 100 Funds: Keep calm and carry on with gold funds.
■ ETFs: Opportunities in latin America.
■ Interview: Successful UK stockpicker Ian McVeigh explains the core themes of his portfolio.
SHARES:
■ Stock screen: Seven low-risk, high-yielders
■ Sector focus: To invest in housing, head to Germany.
■ The lowdown on the latest company results:
■ Camkids
■ Evraz
■ Geopark
■ MP Evans
■ Prezzo
■ Tesco
■ WH Smith
■ Directors' dealings: Notable transactions at Rathbone Brothers and AZ Electronic Materials, plus a table of all boardroom share trades.
■ Week ahead: A summary of key company announcements expected in the coming week.
TAKEOVERS:
■ Download this week's takeover tables as a PDF.
TRADING:
■ Trading ideas: Chart-driven calls on the FTSE 100, Hargreaves Lansdown, sterling and S&P.
■ The Trader: Greatly exaggerated reports - Gold's decline is scary, but the great boom since 1999 is not necessarily over.
The Trader, Dominic Picarda, publishes his outlook for ten major equity, currency and commodity markets on a daily basis. You can view his articles on his comment page, or sign up to The Trader's market outlook emails.
