What is the recent strength in the gold price telling us? Is this the time to be investing in the precious metal? With uncertainty overhanging so many other market sectors, it is perhaps not a surprise that investors have been increasing their exposure to gold and bullion in order to mitigate potential volatility elsewhere and seeing value in these assets as a portfolio hedge. So we’ve tasked Michael Wilson to analyse what’s going on and give us a detailed assessment of gold and bullion from an investment perspective. You’ll find his analysis starting on page 6. Talking about analysing what’s going on, I have to confess that if you’re picking up your copy of IFA Magazine in the vain hope that we will be able to shed some light on what’s going on with Brexit, I’m guessing that you won’t be surprised to hear that we haven’t a clue either. With each day bringing a new twist or turn to the situation, it is very challenging for market watchers to make informed decisions on matters of investment. It’s no wonder that the latest Investment Association figures for July 2019 showed the biggest outflows from UK equity funds since May 2018 with £734m being withdrawn from the sector during the month of July alone. Advisers and investors are spooked by the prospect of a no deal Brexit, by the political shenanigans and the fall in the value of the pound.
AND IN OTHER NEWS…
But there is plenty more in this edition of IFA Magazine to get you thinking. We take a look at paraplanning – with the start of a new mini-series reporting from members of the PFS Paraplanner Panel – and Tracey Underwood looks at the alternative approaches of outsourced and in-house paraplanners. On another theme, Tony Catt gives a compliance-based view on what advisers need to know ahead of the FCA’s Senior Managers and Certification Regime (SM&CR) ahead of the December deadline and Brett Davidson looks at how to review your business habits to boost success. Mark Holt of Frenkel Topping discusses the implications of the proposal to include financial abuse in the legal definition of domestic violence – and why professional advisers need to be aware of it and Sean Osborne of Charles Stanley gives tips for intergenerational planning. We’re grateful to Brian Tora for his reflections on whether open-ended funds are the right vehicle for less liquid holdings and to Jupiter’s Talib Sheikh for his insight into multi asset investing in the next ten years.
Finally, Alex Araujo of M&G Investments explains the merits of investing in Global Listed Infrastructure and King and Shaxson remind us why sustainable investing is gaining such a foothold in portfolio construction and asset allocation decisions.
As always, we hope that you find this edition of IFA Magazine to be of interest. We are grateful to all our contributors for sharing their insight and ideas with us.
Sue Whitbread
Editor
IFA Magazine
