Technology

Special Sits outperformed this year

IT companies have historically preferred to reinvest or acquire rather than distribute profits to shareholders, but this is now changing says Guinness AM's Matthew Page.

The recent perils of not understanding the Chinese stock market have taken centre stage, and meaningful economic data points have been ignored, says LGBR Capital's Fen Sung.

It is finally time to say adieu to listed hedge fund BlueCrest BlueTrend, which has just tabled proposals to wind up as its market cap has slumped below $100m.

Since the onset of the financial crisis, productivity in the UK has slowed and there are various factors that could be to blame, writes Parmenion Capital Partners' Meera Hearnden.

Managers Pearson and Burton to exit

The $4.2bn (£2.7bn) Pictet Global Megatrend Selection fund's focus on secular growth trends certainly makes it stand out from the wider peer group, with only a 15% overlap between the portfolio and the MSCI World index.

As another high-profile victim counts the cost of cybercrime, the attack reinforces the widely held view among cyber security professionals that breaches are inevitable.

Mark Barnett, head of UK equities at Invesco Perpetual and manager of the Edinburgh investment trust, analyses the growing pressures on listed companies from a number of sources.

In tandem with global equities, the UK market has declined 16% from its April peaks. Volatility has spiked and confidence has collapsed.