Investment Funds

As the woes of UK retail sector continue to make headlines with stores such as Woolworths, Zavvi and Adams going bust, opportunities still exist in selective stocks, according to Hilary Aldridge, co-manager of the F&C UK Growth & Income Fund.

The dispute between Russia and Ukraine over gas supplies rumbles on. Despite some European regions declaring a state of emergency, Russia's state-controlled Gazprom have yet to reconnect the supply.

According to George Dallas, Director of Corporate Governance at F&C, this week's announcement that a serious fraud had been perpetrated at India's Satyam Computer Services is a reminder of the governance risks that can occur when internal controls are weak and an owner/manager is inadequately overseen by independent board directors.

The bumpy ride in the UK market may last well into 2009 says Scottish Widows Investment Partnership (SWIP). However, investment opportunities exist in all kinds of terrain and SWIP continues to search out long term opportunities.

Simon Ward, economist at New Star: The corporate liquidity ratio - companies' holdings of short-term assets divided by their short-term borrowing - is a good leading indicator of the economic cycle.

Barclays Wealth is targeting savers caught between volatile equities and falling interest rates with a new range of protected investments offering geared exposure to stock markets or a high level of fixed income.

Architas Multi-Manager Limited ("Architas") has teamed up with JPMorgan Asset Management to launch the Architas Liquidity Fund.

Argonaut Capital is delighted to announce that the Argonaut European Income Fund - the UK's first overseas equity income fund - celebrated its third anniversary on 15 December 2008. Since inception, the fund has returned 3.43%.

HSBC Global Asset Management's leading Luxembourg-based fund range is now available to UK intermediaries via the Cofunds platform.

With markets down some 40% from the peak and sentiment reaching historic lows this has provided a very good stock picking environment as we enter 2009, says Sanjeev Shah, portfolio manager of Fidelity's Special Situations fund.

Despite the turbulence in the stock markets in the past months, SWIP is confident in continuing to find great European securities.

First State Investments has secured approximately €560 million in new infrastructure investment mandates in less than twelve months, growing its total infrastructure assets under management to circa €2 billion.

Legal & General has become the latest leading life company to add F&C's Lifestyle Funds to its product range, including their Portfolio Bond and Portfolio Plus investment products. The Lifestyle Funds will also be available on Legal & General's Portfolio Bond range through Cofunds.

The SWIP Pan-European Smaller Companies fund has been awarded an AA rating by Standard & Poors (S&P) Fund Management Ratings.

As the fragility of the financial markets continues to affect investors around the globe, it’s tempting to put your hard-earned cash under the nearest mattress and pray for the end of the credit crunch!

The number of people who think that their home is the only investment they will ever need has fallen dramatically over the past six months, according to long-term investment provider Skandia.

Commenting on oil price trends, Angus McPhail, Global Oil and Natural Resources Analyst at Alliance Trust said: Oil prices are currently being driven by only one side of the supply-demand equation, by the outlook for demand.

Jeremy Tigue, fund manager of the Foreign & Colonial Investment Trust, one of Britain's most popular investment funds, writes: "2008 has been an unprecedented year and one we hope will not be repeated in our lifetime.

Over the last couple of years there has seen a surge in popularity of convertible bonds with more investors attracted to the potential capital gains and defensive nature of the asset class.

Mark Wilkinson, head of tax and financial planning, AXA Winterthur Wealth Management: Interestingly, according to research carried out by AXA in the wake of the credit crunch, consumers do believe that property and shares are still the asset classes with the best long term return potential despite recent falls in property and equity markets.

Jupiter Asset Management is delighted to announce it has won a mandate from the Northern Ireland Local Government Officers' Superannuation Committee (NILGOSC) to manage a high alpha, unconstrained UK equities portfolio.

James Hay has added the highly acclaimed Cazenove UK Absolute Target fund to its Wrap & Collect platforms.

Muna Abu-Habsa, fund analyst at Morningstar: We believe Fidelity European Opportunities remains a solid choice in its Morningstar category, but its recent losses make clear the risks of its approach.

Whilst prospects for companies in the sub-Saharan region remain strong, the impact of the credit crunch and the knock-on effect on global stock markets has resulted in an increase in redemptions from investors.

Investors are making the most of market volatility by trading ETFs, according to Barclays Stockbrokers. Trading activity in ETFs through Barclays Stockbrokers has increased significantly over the past three months, with October 2008 experiencing the highest volume of trades for the year to date.