Focus on Funds Magazine Issue 2

US-China trade war, tensions in the Gulf, Kashmir in lockdown, and Boris at a ‘Gish Gallop’ – this is getting serious.

So much has changed since the inaugural issue of Focus on Funds, but are we getting greater clarity?

The US-China trade war looks set for the long haul after President Trump jutted his jaw in the Twittersphere, and pledged to support US farmers in 2020 should they face pressure from China; meantime President Xi has troops ducking rocks and firing off teargas on the streets of Hong Kong.

Britain has announced a maritime coalition with the US to protect merchant vessels in the Strait of Hormuz amid growing tensions with Iran; in Kashmir telephone networks and the internet are suspended, prompting today’s Telegraph to run the headline ‘Will nuclear-armed Pakistan go to war with India again?’

Thank heavens for the sound of leather on willow and strawberries and cream; but it’s not been entirely without incident in Blighty. It wasn’t necessary to exhume Paul the Octopus to call the Tory leadership election, and No 10 staff were given fair warning to cover the sofas before Boris blustered in at a Gish Gallop.

That’s a bit more like it; a bit of Churchillian spunk, drag Johnny Foreigner back to the table to renegotiate the deal or tell them we’re bally well off.

Cue some Gallic shrugging; however ‘fiery’ Boris’ meeting with the Taoiseach, not a inch has been yielded to date and nobody believes the unfortunate Mrs Merkel’s trembling in any way betrays trepidation over a no-deal Brexit.

Greater clarity – so, we’re definitely out on Oct 23^rd; with an improved deal or not – unless Parliament blocks it. Boris will definitely prorogue Parliament; or possibly be slapped down by HMQ.

Cripes, who’d be an investor? At Focus on Funds, we firmly believe that we all should be, and that active investment management is the way investors can benefit from the experience and expertise that exists in the industry.

Mr Woodford gets due attention in this issue for an ugly affair; suffice to say that we hope and believe that both industry and regulator will emerge stronger for the lessons they will be forced to learn.

In this issue RM Funds describe the Ball and Cups Game in Bonds; Aberdeen Standard heralds a New Dawn for Asian Markets and Ediston Property Investment Company says despite the ‘death of the High St’ there’s plenty of life in retail parks.

Polar Capital asks How Revolutionary is the 5G evolution? Janus Henderson describes the benefit of bond exposure in an uncertain world and we look at investing in infrastructure funds.

Elsewhere, we continue with our series of educational pieces around investing in actively managed funds, including making sure you select the right share class.

Contributions from our ‘tame’ investors include Cedric Bucher from TM Home Investor Fund, Renauld de Planta revisits the active vs passive debate, Saltydog Investor says there is ‘nothing new under the sun’ in personal finance and we welcome The Nimble Investor for the first time with ‘More Questions than Answers’

So, throw in a vote of no confidence and a General Election, and it’s not going to be dull; we think DIY investing should be the complete antithesis – measured, long term wealth accumulation without your hair on fire, and Focus on Funds is here to assist.

Throughout the issue you will see featured funds with details of how you can invest in them in your Selftrade account should you wish to; for example if you wish to invest in the Merian Gold and Silver Fund, you can access your account and find the fund by using the following links:

To buy this fund click below to login to your Selftrade account and select

Merian Gold & Silver Fund R GBP Acc – IE00BYVJRH94

To get you started, here’s an introduction to multi-asset funds from Selftrade

We hope that you find Focus on Funds engaging and useful in helping you make informed investment decisions; we would welcome your feedback at ask@diyinvestor.net

Focus on Funds Magazine Issue 2

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• Boris at a Gish Gallop
• The Cup and Ball Trick in Bonds
• The is Nothing new Under the Sun
• Open Ended Funds and Liquidity
• Parklife! Defying the ‘Death of the High Street’
• A New Dawn for Asian Markets
• How Revolutionary is the 5G Evolution?
• The Hidden Dangers of Passive Investing
• Investing in Infrastructure Funds
• More Questions than Answers
• Bond Exposure in a World of Uncertainty
• Fund Basics: What is an OEIC?
• What Enables a Fund to Outperform?
• Socially Responsible Investing
• The Big Picture: Economic and Political View
• Fund Basics: How to Pick the Right Share Class
• Fund Basics: Howto Read a Fund Factsheet