Funds inevitably have their up and downs in performance. When a fund has gone through a particularly poor spell, does this represent a buying opportunity for investors in the expectation it will bounce back to form?Likewise for existing investors, should they stick or twist? Fortunately, there are lots of studies from the institutional fund management world which provide answers to that question a

Capital preservation funds are positioned to help investors avoid large losses while growing their wealth too, albeit more slowly than more risk-tolerant funds. In the investment trusts patch, the three main wealth preservers are Ruffer Investment Company (RICA), Capital Gearing Trust (CGT) and Personal Assets Trust (PNL), while RIT Capital Partners (RCP) also has a capital preservation bent.Durin

Former publishing industry professional John is in his 50s and has been investing for decades, starting at a very early age.John became an investor in his late teens and has started devoting more time to it over the last 20 years. He has always had an interest in markets, even when he was a young boy of seven or eight.A CHILDHOOD INTEREST IN STOCK MARKET SUCCESSES AND FAILURESHe says: ?I read the

Investors sought haven trusts over the past monthCapital preservation trusts proving popular amid geopolitical instabilityUK-focused trusts disappoint as FTSE 100 stallsConflict in the Middle East, an ongoing war in Ukraine, stubbornly high inflation and interest rates… it is no wonder investors have been positioning portfolios for a rocky ride ahead.Names with a reputation for low-risk investme

Questions have been raised over RIT Capital's (RCP) capital preservation credentials of late thanks to its exposure to private investments. The shares have notably underperformed those of rival trusts and the discount to NAV (net asset value) has widened significantly.In this article we look at whether the criticism and discount is warranted and consider the recent underperformance of the trust in

Investors often fall into two camps. Some look to build wealth for the long term, while others want to protect wealth they have already accumulated, and this latter objective is what capital preservation funds are primarily designed for.There are three main investment trusts in the capital preservation space, namely Capital Gearing Trust (CGT), Ruffer Investment Company (RICA) and Personal Assets

According to the Association of Investment Companies (AIC), private equity trusts delivered an average return of 409% over the 10 years to 31 May 2023, which compares very favourably to 156% for all investment companies.Yet despite this spectacular long-run performance, 14 out of 17 trusts in the AIC's Private Equity sector trade on double-digit discounts to NAV (net asset value) at the time of wr

UK investment trusts are trading at the widest discount seen since the 2007/8 financial crisis, according to recent research from Numis and Winterflood. Against a backdrop of weak investor sentiment, the sector weighted average discount widened from 2.3% at the start of 2022 to 16.4% by the end of March 2023.For example, the Global sector is currently trading on a 9.27% discount to NAV versus a fi

Mid-cap companies have always attracted investors. Seen as large enough to compete on a global scale, but not so big that their capacity for growth is capped, like many FTSE 100 stocks, an increasing number of investors spend time researching stocks on the FTSE 250 index, or simply buy the index through the handful of inexpensive targeted ETF tracker funds that are available.While many investors m

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

Technology-heavy Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust (SMT) tops the charts with retail investors, according to data from investment platform AJ Bell YouInvest.The Baillie Gifford-run investment trust was the most actively traded by AJ Bell YouInvest customers this week, regaining its popularity after falling out of favour for most of 2022's first quarter.Scottish Mortgage saw its shares rally nearl

Numerous investment trusts in recent years have asked shareholders permission to increase their exposure to companies which do not trade on a stock market, known as unquoted or unlisted.Primarily, this is because companies are staying private for longer and this change in investment policy allows investment trusts to capture more of the rapid growth and value generated during the earlier stage of

For now, the escalating conflict in Ukraine shows no signs of easing. After the initial shock, markets were hopeful the economic impact of the war might be contained as the West's opening salvo of sanctions in response to Russia's invasion (24 Feb) were weaker than some had anticipated.However, any relief soon dissipated as Ukraine put up stiff resistance against the Russian invaders and sanctions

2021 proved another strong year for RIT Capital Partners (RCP), which delivered a net asset value total return of 23.6% to outperform both its benchmarks, despite having modest equity market exposure.Returns for the investment trust with a capital preservation bent were boosted by its private investments. Indeed, the initial public offering of South Korean e-commerce colossus Coupang, often referr

A global equity markets sell-off at the start of 2022, driven by concerns over hot inflation and rising interest rates, together with growing tensions between Russia and Ukraine, has left many investors nursing significant portfolio losses.Those with exposure to the technology-rich Nasdaq index across the pond have endured a particularly punishing 2022 so far, as monetary policy tightening, accele

Investing requires discipline and patience. Regularly putting money into investments can pay off in the long term, and it's this habit which can help to build up wealth over time.A lot of people have the willingness to put money into stocks, funds or bonds every month - they simply don't know where to start in terms of picking the right products.To give you a helping hand and put your investment j

UK stocks began August on the front foot, lifted by further UK merger and acquisition activity in mid-caps.Oil and Gold prices were lower with Brent Crude down 0.9% to $74.7 per barrel and Gold was 0.4% down at $1,807 per ounce.At the close the FTSE 100 index of leading shares was up 50 points or 0.7% at 7,082 points led by aerospace and retail stocks.The mid-cap FTSE 250 index was up 260 points o

UK stocks started the month on the front foot, lifted by strong gains in Asia after China signaled support for the economy and further UK merger and acquisition activity.China's SE Composite index gained close to 2% reversing some of last week's heavy losses while Japan's Nikkei 225 also added 2%.Oil and Gold prices were lower with Brent Crude down 0.9% to $74.7 per barrel and Gold was 0.4% down a

Shares in RIT Capital Partners (RCP) ticked 0.6% higher to £25.70 as the capital preservation trust reported an impressive 19.1% net asset value (NAV) total return for the half ended 30 June 2021, outperforming both inflation and the MSCI All Country World Index's 12.2% return.Private investments generated particularly strong returns for the flexible investment trust, notably the successful initi

UK stocks opened on the front foot on Monday boosted by strong gains in Asia after China signaled support for the economy and further UK merger and acquisition activity.China's SE Composite index gained close to 2% reversing some of last week's heavy losses while Japan's Nikkei 225 also added 2%.Oil and Gold prices were lower with Brent Crude down 0.9% to $74.7 per barrel and Gold was 0.4% down at