Investors Chronicle

Alex Newman, Jemma Slingo, and Mark Robinson discuss some of the economic ramifications of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, before touching briefly on the banking and logistics sectors.Then Julian Hofmann joins the pod to discuss his feature 'Ready for a turnaround: the art of distinguishing value traps from recovery gems'. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The IC’s favourite economist Chris Dillow is back on the podcast this week! He talks through what leading indicators are telling us about prospects for the stock market, his thoughts on inflation and why retail sales data in the UK look surprisingly encouraging. He also cautions against paying too much attention to medium term earnings forecasts, reminds us to be humble about how little we know and explains why he doesn’t think investors should change their asset allocation as they get older, contrary to popular belief. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

For many people, investing in a way to help make the world a better place is a priority. But as sustainable investing has exploded in popularity, so have the investment options and it can be very difficult to know what the best approach is.Some people don’t want to own any companies that they deem to have a negative impact on the environment and society. Others take the view that it’s better to engage with companies - which you can do as a shareholder - and encourage them to do better.In this podcast, Amy Lazenby, investment director at Close Brothers Asset Management, talks through what sustainable investing means to her, what options you have for constructing a sustainable investment portfolio and how to navigate a myriad of reporting standards to make sure a company or fund is meeting the environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards that you expect.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

William Green has interviewed slews of the world’s most legendary investors from John Templeton to Charlie Munger and synthesised what we can learn from them in his bestseller Richer, Wiser, Happier, which draws on hundreds of hours of interviews with over 40 of the world’s most successful investors. In a tribute to his late father, whose favourite publication was Investors’ Chronicle, William discusses with the IC’s Mary McDougall what makes a great investor and what sacrifices might come with it. What the motivations are beyond money, whether the rise of index funds and commission free trading sites has made active investing harder and why his obsession with investing didn’t tempt him to be a money manager himself… See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

When putting together an investment portfolio, for an optimal risk / return profile you’ll want significant exposure to overseas stocks. The UK now makes up around 4 per cent of the global stock market and, while many pundits believe UK stocks are attractive relative to international peers, the UK has been among the poorest performing of the major equity regions over the past decade. In this podcast, IG’s chief market analyst Chris Beauchamp and the IC’s deputy editor Dan Jones discuss how much exposure investors should have to UK stocks and the pros and cons of investing in different geographies. They also talk about currency and cost implications of investing overseas in the context of both funds and individual shares. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

As 2021 fades in the memory, the spectre of inflation is firmly on investors’ minds and Simon Gergel gives his view on what that may mean for markets in 2022. After a year where finding genuinely under-priced good businesses – rather than those that are cheap for a reason – paid dividends, Simon explains how extreme pricing anomalies still appear prevalent. This could be where investors are overlooking longer-term potential or, equally, being over exuberant on short-term earnings momentum. To see the full podcast series visit https://www.merchantstrust.co.uk/podcast/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Buying shares can be much more risky than buying funds, but get it right and the returns can be greater too. In the fifth episode of our investing explained podcast series, IG’s chief market analyst Chris Beauchamp and the IC’s former associate editor Algy Hall talk through what a share is, different styles for investing in shares and multiple approaches to assessing valuations. Algy also talks about his most successful stock screens, how to see through company marketing spin and how to account for intangible assets. Chris sheds light on how the success of different styles can differ across geographies and sectors, where different valuation metrics are suitable and how to know when is the right time to sell. This podcast is sponsored by IG. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Nick Train’s stock picking success over the past 30 years has made him one of the UK’s best known fund managers. But over the past 12 months both his global and UK-focussed funds have notably underperformed their peers. In this interview, he tells the IC’s Leonora Walters why he is resolutely sticking with his investment approach and why quality companies could do ‘extraordinarily well.' Train talks through the investment case for London Stock Exchange (LSE), Unilever (ULVR) and Schroders (SDR) among others and explains why he finally lost patience with Pearson (PSON).  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Investment funds are the core of most private investor portfolios and are suitable for everyone, regardless of your level of knowledge. The tricky thing is, there are lots of different types of funds, and thousands available. In the fourth episode of our investing explained podcast series, the IC’s funds editor Dave Baxter and Elston Consulting’s research head Henry Cobbe talk through some of the key distinctions and how you might consider putting them together in a portfolio. They explain the difference between active and passive, listed and unlisted, and how to think about managing risk. This podcast is sponsored by IG. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The opening weeks of 2022 have proved difficult for some of the most popular funds and Rathbone Global Opportunities (GB00B7FQLN12) is no exception. Like other growth-oriented portfolios, it has suffered a gruelling few weeks as investors worry about the potential for tighter monetary policy.James Thomson, who has worked on the fund since 2003, talks about the psychology of running a fund in a market meltdown, resisting the temptation to rush into cyclical stocks, and the challenges of separating hype from substance in the tech sector. He also discusses the outlook for holdings Nvidia (US:NVDA), Microsoft (US:MSFT) and Amazon (US:AMZN). See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

With a new year upon us, Walter Price and Mike Seidenberg of Allianz Technology Trust joined host Cherry Reynard late in December to look at some of the defining moments for the tech sector in 2021 and to reflect on the future of the sector. To see the full podcast series visit https://www.allianztechnologytrust.com/podcast/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Investors and savers take note. Tax wrappers can make a huge difference to the value of your savings over time. You have two main options: put more money into your pension or invest within an individual savings account, better known as an Isa. Ideally you can do both. In the third episode of our investing explained podcast series, Jeremy Naylor, presenter at IG and Svenja Keller, financial coach and founder of SK Inspire, explain the nuances of tax wrappers and how to use them as effectively as possible. They talk through the different types of Isas and pensions available, the pros and cons of different options and how to prioritise between them.This podcast is sponsored by IG. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Few UK small cap investment trusts trade on a premium to their net assets, but Odyssean Investment Trust is currently one of them. In this interview, manager Stuart Widdowson explains why he brings a private equity mindset to public markets, how he seeks to spot special situations and how he feels about the current investment outlook. He also talks through the investment case for some of his holdings, shares which books have been most influential for his investment approach and explains why he tends to avoid participating in IPOs. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Wild stock market movements such as those seen with ‘meme’ stocks last year make investing look like an exciting or treacherous roller coaster - depending on your perspective. But the truth is, successful investing should be disciplined and boring - as you slowly let your money grow.The trouble is, there are thousands of stocks and funds to pick between. In this podcast, Mary McDougall speaks with the IC's funds editor Dave Baxter and IG's analyst and presenter Daniela Sabin to find out how much you should invest, what your options are, why diversification matters and how to pick between an active or passive strategy. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We’re kicking off 2022 with a double interview. Firstly, everyone’s favourite stock picking expert Simon Thompson is on the pod to discuss the feature he’s written this week: Secrets of Successful Investing. Then IC properties writer Alex Newman joins us off the back of a busy week, with the government asking housebuilders for a 4-billion-pound plan to resolve the unsafe cladding crisis, and a peer-to-peer property lender launching in the UK. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Do you want to kickstart the year by sorting out your finances? Frightened of the stock market and unsure where to start? Investing can seem complicated, confusing and downright scary, but get it right and it’s a powerful tool for growing your wealth.Over a series of ten weekly podcasts, we’ll be breaking down the complexities of the financial world to help you learn about how you can build yourself a better future through sensible investing.  Our first podcast covers why you should invest, with Investors’ Chronicle’s Mary McDougall in conversation with Jeremy Naylor, presenter at IG and financial wellbeing expert Jason Butler. Hear their views on how to establish an investment plan, how it fits within your wider finances and why it’s best to start as early as you can. They also discuss the role of crypto in an investment portfolio, why you need to be careful when using social media and how to avoid being ripped off by financial institutions. This podcast is sponsored by IG. See

Being a contrarian investor has been a tough gig over much of the past decade but Alex Wright, manager of Fidelity Special Values (FSV) and Fidelity Special Situations believes the best way of making money is to go against the consensus. In this interview, he tells Mary McDougall how he identifies mispriced assets, what he has been buying and selling recently and in what sectors he sees the best opportunities. He also explains how he mitigates the challenges faced by value investors. The interview was recorded on 8 December.  00:00 - Intro00:55 - What did you learn from Anthony Bolton?02:17 - Investing style03:33 - Process for spotting mispriced assets04:33 - How intangibles affect thinking05:23 - Avoiding value traps07:23 - Turnarounds08:50 - Recent fund performance and current outlook11:24 - What have you been buying and selling recently?14:17 - Inflation impact17:42 - Fund turnover19:10 - Challenge of needing lots of investment ideas20:09 - Need for a large portfolio21:54 - Pricing methodolo

The private equity sector may have generated very strong returns in recent history but many investors are yet to be won over. That's one interpretation of the fact that many of the private equity investment trusts available in the UK have had a stellar run of performance but still see their shares languish on substantial discounts to the value of portfolio assets.Steven Tredget, who works on Oakley Capital Investments (OCI), tells Dave Baxter about the trust's great performance in recent years, the processes behind it and its future prospects. But he also takes aim at those who obsess over share price discounts, warning that this can only prolong the problem.He also discusses the spate of private equity acquisition activity of 2021, and makes the case for private equity as an ESG-friendly asset class.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Terry Smith, founder and chief executive of Fundsmith, has built the UK’s largest actively-managed fund via rigorous implementation of the simple mantra 'buy good companies, don’t overpay, do nothing'.In this interview, Smith tells Mary McDougall how he analyses and selects companies, how the rise of software has folded into his investment thinking and what trends he thinks currently look most promising.He also talks about the extent to which fund size is a challenge going forward, and what spurred him to buy Amazon (US:AMZN) this summer.Fundsmith Equity Fund has delivered an annualised total return of 18.4 per cent since its inception in November 2010, compared with 12.8 per cent for its benchmark MSCI World Index. It had assets under management of £27.9bn on 30 November 2021.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Ian Mortimer and Matthew Page, managers of the Guinness Global Equity Income fund, take a different approach from some income managers by seeking companies with a "moderate yield and growing dividend" rather than chasing higher payouts.They talk to Dave Baxter about how this approach has worked in different scenarios and their view on the outlook for dividends - from surprisingly resilient sectors to their relative lack of exposure to Asia.The managers also tackle the thorny issue of inflation and make the case for quality dividend-payers as a buffer in a time of rising prices, while addressing questions about performance.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.