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

City of London most bought second month in a rowNvidia tops stock buys againRenewables trust UK Greencoat Wind sparks interestInvestors across the AJ Bell platform have been piling into artificial intelligence (AI) 'darling' Nvidia (NVDA:NASDAQ) and oil giant Shell (SHEL) before the end of the tax year.FTSE 100 aero-engine maker Rolls Royce (RR.) also makes appearance in the top five of most bough

THIS IS AN ADVERTISING FEATUREAuthor: InvescoWith the world such a vast place, how and where do you begin to invest?Whether you?re saving for retirement, looking to pay off your mortgage or any other future goal, investing in equities has been one of the most successful ways of generating long-term growth.However, equities can go down as well as up. That?s where diversification comes in. Spreading

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

The transition to cleaner energy is a long-term trend which will involve significant investment in areas like renewables. UK Greencoat Wind (UKW) is a good way to play this transition while offering a stream of income from dividends which are rising in line with inflation.The trust generates strong cash flow from its portfolio of onshore and offshore wind farms, reinforced more recently by strong

One of the most compelling attributes of exchange-traded funds, also known as ETFs, is they allow investors to create a diversified investment portfolio from scratch rapidly, easily and inexpensively.If you bought a product tracking the MSCI World index you could arguably do this at the click of a single button - and by doing so you would gain exposure to more than 1,500 stocks. But that index is

- NAV total return 9.1% for the fourth quarter- Dividend increased in line with RPI again- Analyst says 5% discount 'undemanding'Renewables investment trust Greencoat UK Wind (UKW) bolstered its dividend credentials as it posted strong returns for the three-month period to 31 December.The investor in wind farms has maintained a covered dividend linked to RPI (retail price inflation) since its IPO

Rotation has been a hallmark of 2021 with the early part of the year seeing growth shunned for value, before whipsawing back again as the year progressed. As the Omicron strain keeps Covid-19 very much in the headlines it looks like volatility will remain elevated in global stock markets as we approach 2022.Pullbacks and shakeouts can be useful for investors, creating buying opportunities and help

In late September 2021, when the UK market had its most recent wobble, many ESG or 'sustainable' stocks and funds experienced a sharper sell-off than the FTSE All-Share index, prompting some to wonder if the boom in ethical investing had run its course.Fast forward to today and the best of those ethical stocks and funds are trading at even higher levels than the start of September. Sustainable inv

The prime minister and the chancellor have written an open letter to the UK's institutional investors, challenging them to ignite an 'investment big bang' by investing in illiquid assets, such as infrastructure and unquoted companies.The chancellor is also setting the groundwork for the launch of 'Long Term Asset Funds' later this year, which will be open-ended funds that invest in illiquid assets

Renewable energy funds and investment trusts have rapidly gained in popularity in the last few years as investors look to do good with their money while also making a return on their investment.But it's important to note that for all the talk about the growth in renewable energy and the 'opportunities' available in the sector, the share price returns from trusts and funds with generating assets in

Investors have reacted in a mixed fashion to the Budget after Chancellor Rishi Sunak pledged to extend furlough and support for businesses, continue relief on stamp duty and refrain from raising income tax.The blue-chip FTSE 100 was trading 0.6% higher at 6,654 shortly after the Chancellor's speech, losing half of the gains seen at the market open, while the more domestically focused FTSE 250 midc

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 began the week strongly on news the coronavirus vaccine developed by Oxford University, and to be manufactured by pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca (AZN), has been shown to be 70% effective in protecting people against Covid-19 in phase-three trial data.The effectiveness is less than the 95% protection shown by the Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines, but this vaccine is a lot cheaper to

UK stocks began the week strongly after more positive news on a coronavirus vaccine emerged this morning.The vaccine developed by Oxford University, and to be manufactured by pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca (AZN), has been shown to be 70% effective in protecting people against Covid-19 in phase-three trial data.The effectiveness is less than the 95% protection shown by the Moderna and Pfizer/BioN

It's impossible to ignore the tremendous attention to environmental matters that has emerged across the globe in recent years.Campaigners and activists have put green credentials on the priority list for most politicians, with Boris Johnson recently reinforcing his pledge to make the UK greener with £160 million of investment in wind energy.The Covid-19 crisis may have overshadowed the activities

Shares in energy company SSE (SSE) bolted 3.6% higher to £13.7 higher on Tuesday after the company disposed of its 50% interest in two energy-to-waste projects, raising £995 million in cash.SSE is selling the assets to an infrastructure fund managed by First Sentier Investors and the transaction is expected to close by the end of the year, subject to regulatory approval.The two assets, Multifuel

In the last five years chief executive Tony Dalwood and his team have utterly transformed investment company Gresham House (GHE:AIM). The company has amassed £3.3 billion of assets under management (AUM) and established itself as a specialist alternatives asset manager with a strong focus on environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues.Clients range from high net worth individuals and busine

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

UK were firmer at the open on Monday, taking their cue from positive grey market trading on Wall Street and strong Asian gains, after the Bank of Japan expanded its monetary stimulus again.The benchmark FTSE 100 rallied a fraction off 100 point, or 1.7%, to 5,851.95, while the mid cap FTSE 250 charged 2% higher at 15,996.93.Asia markets have got off to a positive start as a raft of countries get r