With US stocks trading close to all-time highs, valuations looking stretched and one of the narrowest markets on record, this could be an opportune moment to consider adding some defensive qualities to your portfolio through capital preservation funds and trusts.These products aim to protect your capital during periods of heightened volatility and equity market drawdowns as well as growing capital

Given the poor recent performance of many investment trusts compared with the FTSE 100 index - which has held up relatively well this year and which investors can access via a tracker fund for a few basis points - the age-old issue of fees has reared its head again.The big question for investors in investment trusts which carry a high OCF (ongoing charge fee) is should they stick with them when th

The market regards hedge fund Brevan Howard as one of the leading global macro absolute return investment managers.Absolute return specialists aim to deliver a positive return to investors regardless of whether markets are rising or falling. They often own a mix of bonds and stocks as well as other asset classes and sometimes look to benefit from the value of assets falling as well as rising (a sh

There are dozens of different investment strategies, but most investors are largely looking to either build wealth for the long run or look after what they already possess. This latter objective is what capital preservation funds are designed to do.There are a handful of specialist investment trusts which fall under the capital preservation banner, including Capital Gearing Trust (CGT), Personal A

Two listed hedge funds that significantly beat the broader UK stock market in 2020 could merge.BH Macro (BHMG) and BH Global (BHGG) are under pressure from Investec, which is a shareholder in both vehicles, to combine into a single entity.The proposal is on the grounds that the two hedge funds have significant portfolio overlap and they could become smaller and less liquid in the wake of upcoming

New product launches, market departures and management changes are throwing up opportunities for fund investors to consider.Fresh opportunities need to be scrutinised with care and altered mandates assessed to see whether they suit your financial needs and risk appetites.Say helloBB Healthcare Trust (BBH) has joined the stock market (2 Dec) after raising £150m. It should interest investors wantin

Hedge funds, Warren Buffett once said, are a remuneration structure masquerading as an asset class.Two-and-twenty fee structures, where a manager earns two per cent of assets under management and 20% of any performance above the fund's benchmark are now not as common as they once were. But the funds remain pretty expensive.Funds run through investment trusts, for example, have an average ongoing c