After a decent showing in 2022, the UK stock market has failed to fire in 2023. The good news for investors is shares in other parts of the world have done much better and it has never been easier to have a globally diversified portfolio.There is an excellent range of products and instruments which allow you to participate in the returns from markets across the globe and, in this article, we provi

Investors owning Latin America and emerging markets funds should check for any exposure to Argentina after the country lifted interest rates to a staggering 40% in a desperate attempt to prop up the peso and gain control over rampant inflation.Three investment trusts stand out for their notable exposure to Argentina. The country accounts for 16% of BlackRock Frontiers' (BRFI) net asset value (NAV)

Infrastructure has been a favourite among investors and politicians alike. Investors like the high yields on offer while politicians prefer to wax lyrical on infrastructure projects and spending at election time as they are usually linked with job creation.Unfortunately infrastructure funds - vehicles such as investment trusts which provide investors with access to the asset class - have hit a few

Pubs, gaming firms and gold miners are among the handful of UK-quoted companies largely escaping Tuesday's stock market sell-off.Gold prices rose 0.7% at $1,342 per ounce on Tuesday. Gold is typically seen as a 'safe haven' during geopolitical crises or stock market crashes so it comes as little surprise that investors are today turning to the metal.Today's increase in the gold price may look mode

For 'bottom-up' stock pickers, face-to-face meetings with company management can be the key to obtaining a competitive investment edge. Other professional fund managers, however, prefer to pore over annual reports and undertake forensic analysis of the profit and loss account and balance sheet. By investing purely on the fundamentals, they seek to avoid allowing management teams led by skilled pre

Emerging markets enjoyed a significant comeback in 2016, despite a pullback towards the end of the year. The outlook remains equally exciting, so let's look at the key drivers and some of the investment trusts that provide exposure to this region.The MSCI Emerging Markets Net Total Return Index increased by 32.6% in sterling terms during 2016. That's the first year of outperformance relative to de

The financial markets offer a route to achieving inflation-busting returns. Are you taking advantage of this opportunity or letting cash sit idle in the bank with minimal returns? Now is the time to sit up and put your money to work.The latest Barclays Equity Gilt Study - a widely followed benchmark of the returns from different assets - shows that over the past 50 years, once the impact of inflat

As a result of its vote in favour of leaving the EU, the UK is probably heading towards a recession'. That warning from Julius Baer's chief economist Janwillem Acket provides a good clue as to why the FTSE 250 has travelled in an opposite direction to the FTSE 100 blue chip index since the Brexit vote was cast.The FTSE 250 is down 5% since the EU referendum vote results on 24 June, versus a 3.8% g

Dragon Capital's flagship fund Vietnam Enterprise Investment (VEIL) has floated on London's Main Market in the midst of a strong comeback for overseas-focused funds.The closed-ended fund first launched in 1995 and provides exposure to a portfolio of listed and unlisted companies in Vietnam that offer 'attractive growth and value metrics and strong corporate governance' according to Dragon Capital.

Emerging markets have started to regain favour among investors as some of the major headwinds appear to be waning. Equity valuations in general look cheap and this year's partial recovery in the price of oil, copper and other commodities is seen as beneficial for many emerging market regions who are reliant on the sale of natural resources.The hunt for decent income yield is also pushing investors

Fans of utilities, stocks famed for their high dividends, defensive qualities and excellent long-term track record, include legendary investor Warren Buffett and British star manager Neil Woodford. Yet Labour leader Ed Miliband's proposals to freeze energy prices, should he become prime minister, has created some skittishness towards the quoted utility sector, impacting sentiment towards British G

The publication in autumn of both the International Monetary Fund's latest World Economic Outlook and the World Economic Forum's Global Competitiveness Report highlights the importance of infrastructure for any economy. Just as if a company fails to maintain and improve its assets it will lose efficiency and competitiveness, a government must ensure a nation also keeps its edge, to attract investm