Investment

Rising labour costs in China means manufacturers have been turning to robotics to save costs. Now, a robotics revolution is underway, driven by smart materials and more sophisticated design. Pieter Busscher from RobecoSAM explains the dynamics.

Jupiter has reported an 18% fall in its profits in the first half of 2014, with the sale of its private client business increasing costs but also boosting dividend prospects.

Barclays said today its underlying profits for the first half of the year had fallen 7% after a drop in investment bank revenue, while it also reported another huge bill to compensate PPI customers.

Bond fund investors should beware a crowded market where there is a growing risk of being caught out by a sharp sell-off in fixed income, analysts at RBS have warned.

Ardevora UK equities manager Gianluca Monaco is shorting Morrisons while remaining long Sainsbury's ahead of next week's results announcement from the former.

Net retail sales of UK equity income funds hit a record high of £1.4bn last month, according to the Investment Management Association, as Neil Woodford's new fund provided a boon to the sector.

JO Hambro Capital Management is considering rolling out a multi-asset range as it looks to benefit from pension reforms, its chief executive has said.

EUROPE

Discretionary fund managers are facing growing pressure to standardise managed portfolio fees as the FCA considers warning advisers against using any service where costs are not clear.

BP will step up its share buyback programme with the revenues from divestments over the next year, according to its second quarter results.