Paul's very first taste of investing came when his employer, aerospace and defence company Rolls Royce (RR.), introduced an employee share scheme which gave him what seemed to be a low-risk way of getting exposure to its shares.It seemed low risk, explains Paul, because the scheme allowed employees to save a monthly or four weekly amount for five years and at the end of the period the savings and

Despite recent record power prices, renewable energy-focused investment trusts are now largely trading at material discounts to net asset value. That's created some good buying opportunities in this space, particularly as many of the trusts have historically traded at a premium.Over the long term there is a clear catalyst for growth in renewable energy given global governments have set ambitious t

As investors debate whether the next move in markets is up or down, it's worth noting that there are a group of stocks which are quietly making new 52-week and multi-year highs and even a few making new all-time highs.While some are involved in special situations, such as bid talks, and some are related to the unprecedented surge in energy prices, the most interesting from our point of view are th

- Index changes to be announced tonight- Three new names to join the FTSE 100- Four new faces in the mid-cap FTSE 250Investors with FTSE tracker funds will be keenly waiting for details of the latest index reshuffle due to be published after the market close tonight.As well as changes to the FTSE 100 big-cap index there are expected to be several changes to the FTSE 250 mid-cap benchmark and the F

- Bluefield Solar NAV per share up 10%- NextEnergy Solar NAV per share up 7.8%- Both trusts benefit from higher power pricesSolar-focused investment trusts Bluefield Solar Income (BSIF) and NextEnergy Solar (NESF) have both reported material increases in the value of their assets thanks to higher power prices.With both funds also displaying their inflation-busting credentials, shares in Bluefield

Specialist alternative asset manager Gresham House (GHE) posted a bigger than expected increase in assets last year thanks to strong organic growth.Together with a sharp hike in the dividend, the news sent shares up 5% from their recent lows to 825p.STRONG DEMANDFor the year to December, AUM (assets under management) climbed 65% to £6.5 billion due to a combination of investment performance, fund

One reason why Europe is facing an energy crisis is that renewables power generation fell short of expectations after a summer which was neither sufficiently windy nor sunny.While this reveals one of the limitations of solar and wind power and has provided a reminder of the continuing role of natural gas, among other traditional sources of energy, it also shows the need for further investment to b

Solar power investment company NextEnergy Solar (NESF) was unchanged at 98.6p as it announced a £100 million joint venture partnership with Eelpower, a battery storage specialist.The joint venture is targeting the establishment of up to 250MW (megawatts) in projects with £100 million in invested capital and has already signed its first acquisition of a 50MW standalone battery storage project.The

There is a well-worn phrase that 'a week is a long time in politics'. In market terms, a week can feel even longer and can sometimes signal a shift from one trend to another.A fortnight ago when we introduced the idea of watching the number of stocks making new highs as a barometer of the health of the market, the FTSE All-Share was just below its all-time high and everything seemed to be going sw

Renewable energy looks to be one of the areas set to receive the greatest amount of investment over the next 10 to 20 years. However, some market commentators have argued it's a sector not worth backing.A hard-hitting research note at the start of the year from JP Morgan claimed renewable energy investment trusts could end up becoming a 'victim of their own success', as growth in carbon-free energ

Solar energy investment trust Bluefield Solar Income Fund (BSIF) will seek shareholder permission to expand its investment remit beyond solar projects.In a circular published today, the trust's board of directors effectively said that the accelerating decarbonisation of the UK energy market is a wider opportunity that it does not want to miss out on.Shares looked at the opportunities to invest in

The summer's sweltering temperatures may have played havoc with tour operators' holiday bookings but it has done wonders for the UK's growing solar power industry.The three months to 30 September was the sunniest third quarter in the UK since 2006, according to data from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.The period enjoyed an average of 6.5 hours of daily direct sunshine

The global stock market sell-off that started in the US on 2 February could linger for a while, judging by the way markets have behaved since that event.There was a glimmer of hope on 7 February when the UK market, along with many other parts of the world, started to bounce back. Yet hopes have since been dashed as markets fell back into the red.The widespread decline in share prices has understan

The UK votes today as millions of Brits hit polling stations up and down the country to select their next government. Latest polls predict a Conservative win, but the margin of victory is very much unknown. Read on for Shares in-depth coverage (initially published on 1 June) of how today's election result could affect UK plc, its companies, financial markets and the pound.Election countdown: what

The UK is now a week away from voting in the general election. At the time of writing, the Conservative Party held the lead in the polls although the gap against Labour has narrowed.The current market rally, as represented by the domestically-focused FTSE 250 index, implies a Tory victory. There wouldn't be any radical changes to how the country is run and Theresa May could concentrate on getting

It goes against the grain to pay more for an investment trust than the underlying net assets are actually worth, but sometimes it can make a lot of sense. The most highly rated trusts tend to experience heavy demand and normally trade at a premium to reflect their superior performance.In some cases the demand is sufficient to lift a whole sector. For example, strong investor appetite for safe sour

No longer seen as an esoteric facet of the tree-hugging ethical investor?s portfolio, Alternative Energy is a sub-sector laden with opportunities.Whether it?s at the cutting edge of fuel cell technology with the likes of AFC Energy (AFC:AIM) or Intelligent Energy (IEH) or battery technology pioneers like Ilika (IKA:AIM), the alternative energy space has the capacity to offer technological innovati

Barclays takes axe to dividendFollowing an 8% pre-tax profit fall in 2015, Barclays (BARC) is selling various international operations, including its Africa business, to create a transatlantic retail, corporate and investment bank. The dividend has also been cut for the next two years to help boost capital levels and profit. (MD)Tribal's new rally on asset saleEducation technology group Tribal (TR

We have spotted an investment trust that could be the antidote to investor sickness towards utility stocks like SSE (SSE) and Centrica (CNA). With a historic dividend of circa 6.8%, excluding additional payments from running down a reserve pot of cash, and outperformance of the FTSE All-World Utilities sector over the past three years, Premier Energy & Water Trust (PEW) has significant appeal at 1

Oil prices at record lows have so far failed to put the brakes on investment in the alternative energy sector. Going forward, the macro backdrop points to continued growth and investors have the option of taking a diversified approach using one of the many investment vehicles designed to gain varied exposure to Alternative Energy.This is a wide sector in terms of business segments and investors ca