AIC

Investment trusts special: What advisers need to know about gearing

Investors using direct to consumer platforms are now among the largest shareholders in investment trusts, as a post-Retail Distribution Review (RDR) revival for the sector gets underway.

UK smaller company funds have once again dominated the list of the most consistently top performing investment trusts of the last decade, a study has revealed.

Venture Capital Trusts (VCTs) have been hoarding investor cash after an error from HM Revenue and Customs left the vehicles afraid of issuing new shares.

Her Majesty's Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has for the first time withdrawn the venture capital trust (VCT) status of a company, after Oxford Technology breached one of its investment rules.

Investor confidence in the UK has strengthened considerably over the past 12 months, according to the latest investor confidence survey from the Association of Investment Companies (AIC).

V4M

Investment company purchases on platforms by advisers and wealth managers are up 53% in the first six months of 2013 against the same period last year, research by the Association of Investment Companies (AIC) suggests.

With the Financial Conduct Authority's (FCA's) long-awaited announcement on how platforms will be paid for, and whether rebates can be paid to consumers, a line has finally been drawn.

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