| New Millennium Tax Year This is the 11th edition of Tracker Magazine
and the first in this tax year which stretches into the new Millennium.
Fanfared in with the start of the ISA era and
accompanied with the US and UK markets hitting all-time highs, there’s been a lot to
take in all at once.
What to do about market timing?
Is the market too high? Is it due for a correction? Will it be a big one? And what on
earth are ISAs all about? They are so confusing.
The consensus view on the markets seems to
indicate that markets might go higher. Economic growth is showing little sign of slowing
and interest rates seem set to stay low for a while longer.
What to do about ISAs?
Everyone’s convinced that ISAs are proving too complicated. This could prove a major
embarrassment for the government if ISAs drive savers away.
One way to pick your way through the ISA maze is
to choose a Maxi Stocks and Shares ISA if you want something that is so similar to a PEP
as makes no difference.
If you’re not sure what’s right for
you, the experts reckon you should avoid making a hasty decision. Look around, watch and
wait. There will be many more ISAs on the market by the Autumn. But in the meantime have a
look at our new website FAQ.netISA.
Tracker Funds
The pros and cons of Tracker Funds is also a hot topic for discussion. With most active
funds investing in the UK failing to beat the Index, they are defending their positions
either by becoming ‘closet index trackers’ or taking big risks and shifting into
small companies which they reckon are due for recovery. This could be very high risk since
if there was a market correction, a small companies blood bath could ensue.
We are shortly launching a new site to help
investors to learn more about the world of passive fund management and to dispel some of
the myths of active fund management.
If you have any comments or ideas for the site
please email us.
In this Issue
In this issue we are looking at the Charity market and how financial services are helping
to raise money for charity. We also have an article of the thorny question of pension
plans.
As before we feature our usual regular Global
Asset Allocation section, a market commentary and some FTSE 100 Index statistics.
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