On 1 August the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee made a 5-4 decision to kickstart its rate-cutting cycle. A 25 basis point reduction in the base rate to 5% marking The Old Lady of Threadneedle Street's first cut since March 2020.This means cash savings rates are heading in one direction, down. And the lower-than-expected jump in UK inflation reported on 14 August only boosted market exp

Major UK stocks ended the day in the green, lifted for a second day by companies that should benefit from a reopening of the economy. The rally comes after the UK Prime Minister Johnson sounded cautiously optimistic on Monday, with hopes that lockdown restrictions will start to take effect from 8 March and could come to a complete end by June.Travel and leisure stocks jumped nearly 2.5% in Tuesday

UK markets were flat in early trade on Tuesday as gains from rising commodity prices, mining and energy stocks and a firm reopening trade were neutralised by weakness from banking giant HSBC (HSBA), which ditched its long-term profitability targets.At lunchtime, the commodity-heavy FTSE 100 benchmark was struggling to make any ground, slipping 0.14% at 6,602.71. Mid-caps were stronger but lost som

UK markets were flat in early trade on Tuesday as gains from rising commodity prices, mining and energy stocks and a firm reopening trade were neutralised by weakness from banking giant HSBC (HSBA), which ditched its long-term profitability targets.At 9am, the commodity-heavy FTSE 100 benchmark was struggling to make any ground, clawing single point gains at 6,613.56. Mid-caps were much stronger,

Amid all the gloom and falling markets as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, at least one area of investment seems to be holding up relatively well.Mostly seeing smaller declines than the market year-to-date and maintaining their dividends, renewable energy infrastructure investment trusts will have been useful supports in a diversified portfolio.According to analysis from the Association of In

UK blue chip stocks got off to a slow start on Monday morning, taking its cue from Asian stock markets which were subdued as China's central bank kept interest rates on hold.But reports that allies of a renegade general in Libya had blocked a key oil-export pipeline in the country gave a lift to oil prices. Oil stocks including BP (BP.) and Royal Dutch Shell (RDSB) initially rose on the news but q

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

In a quiet day for news from companies in the FTSE 350, the main issue occupying investors' minds comes from China.As the trade with the US intensifies, the world's most populous country has pledged more support for its weakening economy, with plans to invest regional development and boost spending on infrastructure projects.That typically requires more steel, which requires more iron ore, and has

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

Is it bad practice for an investment trust to raise money by issuing new shares priced at a premium to net asset value (NAV)? It's an interesting question given that several trusts have recently asked shareholders to pay more for assets than they are worth in order to provide more money to make further investments.The concept of issuing new shares at a premium to underlying value might seem odd if

Banking group Investec (INVP) looks primed to join the FTSE 100 at September's index reshuffle, according to our calculations and assuming no major changes to market values over the next week.Investec is expected to replace Provident Financial (PFG) whose share price collapsed earlier this week following another profit warning, dividend cancellation, chief executive departure and investigation by

Quality not quantity looks to be the story when it comes to new investment trust issues in 2015. According to the latest monthly report from Winterflood Investment Trusts £1.59 billion has been raised in the first three months of the year including issue activity and new issue activity, compared with £2.04 billion for the first three months of 2014.Fundraising across the investment trust sector