During volatile market conditions and high inflation, investors are looking for ways to protect their income. Investment trusts have an income advantage which is particularly important for seekers of rising payouts.This is because they are able to hold back up to 15% of the income they receive from their investments in their revenue reserves. They can use these reserves to boost dividends during l

The UK blue-chip index ended Thursday on a high note after data suggested that Omicron infections are less likely to require hospital care.Initial findings from four separate Omicron studies were released on 22 December, two from the UK, one from South Africa, and another from Denmark. All offered an optimistic assessment of the latest Covid strain, agreeing that the severity of illness appears to

The UK blue-chip index hit a six-week high on the last full trading day before Christmas as findings from a number of Omicron studies lifted the market mood.Initial findings from four separate Omicron studies were released on 22 December, two from the UK, one from South Africa, and another from Denmark. All offered an optimistic assessment of the latest Covid strain, agreeing that the severity of

London's FTSE 100 edged 0.21% higher to 7,356.94 points on the last full trading day before Christmas, as investors welcomed news that the Omicron variant may not be as severe as previous strains.Citing data from an Oxford University laboratory study, drugs giant AstraZeneca (AZN) said a three dose course of its Covid-19 vaccine is effective against the highly transmissible new strain.This gave a

Having bumped along at negligible levels for much of 2020 as the UK economy struggled under months of lockdown, consumer inflation is back, with big implications for your savings and investment portfolio.UK CPI jumped to a four-month high of 0.7% in January, up from 0.6% in December 2020. Admittedly this rate of inflation remains modest by historical standards, yet CPI now stands at four times wha

UK stocks moved sharply higher on the last full trading day before Christmas as hopes were raised that a Brexit trade deal could be within reach.The UK and EU are continuing talks on post-Brexit trade, amid an increasing number of reports that they are close to agreeing a deal.The UK's benchmark FTSE 100 index gained 0.66% to 6,495.75, while the more domestically-focused FTSE 250 - considered a ba

UK stocks had a mixed morning on the last full trading day before Christmas as investors focused on Brexit and US stimulus talks, with little significant company news to steer markets.The UK's benchmark FTSE 100 index fell 0.24% to 6,437 just before midday with markets on edge as outgoing US president Donald Trump demanded changes to a crucial US stimulus package and the clock continued to run dow

It was typically very quiet start for UK stock markets on the last full trading day before Christmas. There was very little company news to steer markets one way or the other, leaving investors to ponder the possibility of a Brexit trade deal being agreed.The chances of a deal being struck between UK and EU negotiators seemed to nudge a step closer with speculation emerging overnight of progress i

The FTSE 100 fell 0.79% to 5,965 by lunchtime on Thursday, weighed down by supermarket chain Morrisons (MRW) and British Airways owner International Consolidated Airlines (IAG) as the cost of the coronavirus pandemic became clearer.Also weighing on sentiment was news that Prime Minister Boris Johnson's plans to implement mass Covid-19 testing, which would see millions of people tested daily and ha

The FTSE 100 opened 0.4% lower on Thursday to 5,989 points while the mid-cap FTSE 250 index was up 0.7% to 17,717 points, helped by strong gains in Games Workshop (GAW) and Dixons Carphone (DC.).In Asian trading Japan's Nikkei 225 index closed up 0.9% while in China the SSE Composite was 0.6% lower.Gold prices were flat while Brent crude was 0.3% adrift at $40.6 a barrel.In its interim results for

Income is a big motivating factor for people to invest in the markets. The idea of securing a regular stream of cash which can be used to pay the bills or reinvested to help boost capital returns is an attractive one.However, this income is not guaranteed and the last two months or so of dividend cuts, suspensions and deferrals have seen billions of pounds worth of payouts from UK stocks taken off

Just as it looked like a short-term resolution to the Brexit saga was in sight, with a deal agreed with the EU and subsequently gaining early stage approval from MPs, a refusal by the same MPs to go along with Boris Johnson's timetable led him to put the legislation on pause and push for a general election.Johnson, who, as a result, failed to deliver on his 'do or die' promise to deliver Brexit on

The allure of high growth and often pre-profit companies may be finally losing its hold over investors who are increasingly counting the cost of chasing supposedly 'hot' stocks regardless of valuation.The collapse of the mooted IPO of US property firm WeWork at the end of September underlined a third quarter theme where the valuations of many recent IPOs and previously racy companies, including Ub

The second and third quarters of this year have seen some chunky fundraisings by infrastructure and renewable energy funds.In June, Greencoat UK Wind (UKW) raised €375m, Sequoia Economic Infrastructure Income (SEQI) raised £216m and Aquila European Renewables Income (AERI) raised £154m.In September, Sequoia raised a further £139m, IPP (INPP) raised £234m in two separate funding rounds and

Investors who prefer to entrust capital allocation decisions to a professional money manager as opposed to buying individual stocks are exceptionally well served by the FTSE 350. Within its ranks, you'll find a highly-diverse batch of investment trusts spanning all the key asset classes.Shares' number-crunching reveals a grand total of 57 investment trusts within the FTSE 350 - that is with some v

On the face of it, investing in infrastructure seems like a wise move.After all, you tend to get a steady stream of income for a long period of time. Assets such as ports, airports and toll roads aren't going anywhere anytime soon, and due to their essential nature their earnings are both predictable and less likely to be hit by volatility. They also have an explicit link to inflation through regu

Sterling continues to slide amid ongoing uncertainty over Brexit. It now looks like Theresa May will have one last shot at getting her Brexit deal across the line in early June before exiting stage left.In the background the Brexit Party is leading in the polls for the looming European elections with results coming through in the early hours of 24 May.Most observers think any hopes of May getting

The Budget failed to make a significant impact on the London stock market with the UK-focused FTSE 250 index moving up slightly during the start of Chancellor Philip Hammond's speech, before giving up all of these gains and more.While the index closed the day 1.17% higher at 18,566, all of the gains were ultimately attributable to this morning's session.Hammond was particularly bullish on the econ

It is testament to the flexibility of investment trusts that they can offer exposure to such a diverse collection of potential investments. Beyond the standard form of listed companies they offer more niche interests which span from private equity to wind farms and even loans to shipping companies.All of this means investors can access income from a variety of different sources beyond traditional

The 145.2p per share cash takeover offer for John Laing Infrastructure (JLIF) on 16 July has renewed investor interest in a sector dogged by political risk of late.Infrastructure as an asset class had been gaining greater traction over the last five years or so. It is relatively uncorrelated to the equity market and can provide a predictable stream of income, often rising ahead of inflation, over