In this week's MoneyWeek magazine: how to spot great companies before they achieve greatness; two tech stock funds to buy now; and how volatile is your ETF?
Plus: should you trust online bank-account aggregators; a social housing bond to buy now and a supermarket property fund for income. All that, plus our usual features, news and share tips could be yours if you sign up now. You'll get the magazine, plus full access to the MoneyWeek website, digital edition, and the smartphone and tablet app. Why not sign up now?
The "intelligent fanatics" who inspire greatness
"It's the Holy Grail of investment", says Richard Beddard in this week's cover story. "A way to uncover great companies before they achieve greatness, and the share price gains that go with it." Two small-cap investors in the Us think they've cracked it. Find companies with a "moat" a sustainable competitive advantage that adds value and can't be easily copied by competitors. And what determines the strength of a company's moat is good leadership, or, as they put it, "intelligent fanaticism". Paul explains how to find those fanatics in the UK, and picks five promising British companies for you to consider. Find out what they are in this week's MoneyWeek magazine.
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Two tech funds to buy now
The thing with investing is that it's all about opinions. To make a market, there has to be two sides buyers and sellers. At MoneyWeek, we like to give you as much information as possible, so you can make your own decisions. As a result we rarely, if ever have a party line. And so it is with tech stocks.
There's been a lot of talk about tech stocks being overvalued in recent weeks. Our very own John Stepek and Merryn Somerset Webb have made some very sound arguments for that being the case. But Max King doesn't share their views. It's not like the dotcom crash of 2000, he says: "these are high-margin, cash-generative and knowledge-based companies" that have gone "from a standing start to domination of fast-growing markets They haven't stopped innovating." As a result "it's doubtful that the sector is heading for a fall as it was in March 2000". Max picks two mainstream investment trusts in the sector to buy now. Find out what they are in this week's MoneyWeek magazine.
How volatile is your ETF?
Exchange-traded funds are often thought of as passive investments that track an index or market. In theory, they're fairly simple to understand. But the rise of the "smart beta" fund adds a whole new layer of complexity, one that many investors may not fully appreciate. s We often say that if you don't understand exactly what your money is invested in , you should consider just how suitable that investment is for you. And so it is with smart beta ETFs. Recent "turbulence" in ETFs tracking "low volatility" led to results that many investors weren't expecting. It was a lesson in just how important it is to keep an eye on what's going on in your funds, says our executive editor, John Stepek, in his investment strategy column this week. Find out exactly what he has to say with a subscription to MoneyWeek magazine.
Bank account aggregators, a social housing bond, and different take on supermarkets
Bank account aggregators are online tools where you can add details of the accounts you hold with various institutions and gather all your financial information in one place. They're supposed to make life easier for us all. Rather than log in to your current account, savings account, Cash Isa, and other separately, you give your login details to the aggregating service, and everything is right there at your fingertips. It all sounds great in theory, but just how good are they, and what are the pitfalls? Indeed, should you trust them at all? Emma Lunn investigates.
Oliver Butt casts an eye over a retail charity bond issued by a social housing provider that supplies "intermediate" homes for people below market rent, but higher than traditional social housing rents provided by councils or housing associations. The charity is in a "very sound financial position", and with a return of 4.25%, it's certainly worth a look.
And David C Stevenson looks at a new real estate investment trust (Reit) that hopes to give investors a secure stream of income by building up a portfolio of large supermarket sites and leasing them back.
Elsewhere, Matthew Lynn outlines his vision for the best way to end austerity; Simon Wilson explains just what's behind the EU's scrap with Google, and David Prosser has advice on how small businesses can maximise the returns on their cash in the bank.
There's a whole lot more, of course. Chris Carter delves into the world of collecting fine wines; Ruth Jackson looks at energy smart meters; Matthew Partridge writes on the EU's plans for the spread-betting sector; and professional investor Eric Labb picks three French small-cap stocks to buy. Plus, there's our usual roundup of all the best share tips from the rest of the UK press, and in the back section this week, we have the best properties on the market with tennis courts, three European cruises to tempt you, and Matthew Jukes' wine pick is a cabernet sauvignon with "serious class and complexity".
If all that tickles your fancy, why not splash out on a subscription to MoneyWeek magazine.
