Podcasts from The Big Call presented by Ed Bowsher related to Investing in Funds

Ed Bowsher finds out about the ‘Elston Top 50’, which is a new rating system that could help private investors pick the best ETFs for their needs. Ed speaks to Henry Cobbe from Elston Consulting, who created the top 50, and Ed also finds out about Henry’s new book ‘How to invest with Exchange-Traded Funds.’ Later in the show, Ed speaks to Hoshang Daroga from Copia Capital about whether the Neil Woodford disaster could be repeated in the world of ETFs.

How can you use ETFs to build an investment portfolio? And what should investors focus on when they’re choosing an ETF? Ed Bowsher finds out from Oliver Smith, Portfolio Manager for IG Smart Portfolios, and Adam Laird, Head of ETF Strategy at Lyxor.

Ed Bowsher finds out more about smart beta investing – passive funds that can follow particular investment strategies such as value or momentum. He speaks to Adam Laird, Head of ETF strategy at Lyxor and Steve Goldin, Managing Partner at Parala Capital. Steve gives the rundown on recent Smart Beta performance and also looks at how smart beta ETFs that look similar may actually be very different.

ETFs (exchange traded funds) have revolutionised the investment world, offering a wide range of new opportunities for private investors. A new book on the funds has just been published called ‘The Ultimate ETF Guidebook’. Beginners can easily read the book, and more experienced investors will probably find fresh insight as well. In the latest edition of The Big Call, Ed Bowsher talks to the co-author of the book, David Stevenson.

As the Brexit crisis becomes ever more unpredictable, Ed asks whether now is a good time to buy some cheap UK shares. Do long-term investors need to worry as they see their portfolios sway up and down? Ed speaks to Oliver Smith, Portfolio Manager at IG Smart Portfolio, and Howie Li, Head of ETFs at Legal & General Investment Management. Howie tells Ed about a new UK ETF that LGIM has just launched which has a management charge of just 0.05% a year and takes a slightly different approach from the more established UK ETFs. There’s more to this ETF than just being cheap. Howie also explains more about five other ETFs that LGIM launched last month.

The technology sector has had a serious wobble in the last fortnight. Ed Bowsher asks what’s next for this part of the market and whether now is a good time to invest. He speaks to Howie Li of Legal & General Investment Management and Hector McNeill of HAN ETF.

Smart beta is sold as a way for private investors to follow sophisticated investment strategies at low cost. These include value (looking for cheap shares) and momentum (investing in companies where the share price is rising fast.) Ed Bowsher discusses the pros and cons with David Stevenson of ETFstream, Nicolas Samaran of Invesco, and market strategist Richard Wiggins.

Interest rates and bond yields are slowly starting to rise in 2018, so it’s a good time to ask what investors should do with their money as we begin to return to a world of monetary normality. Is it time to get out of bonds? Or stay in shares? Ed Bowsher asks James Butterfill, investment strategist, Sean Corrigan of Cantillon Consulting and Russ Mould of AJ Bell.

It’s pretty easy to find investments that can pay you a chunky 5% or 6% yield. The challenge is to find investments where the dividend is sustainable and won’t be cut. Ed Bowsher heads to the “Big Call: Dividend Debate” conference and finds out several tips on how to do this by speaking to: Edward Lam of Somerset Capital Management, Mark Baker of Link Asset Services, Chanchal Samadder of Lyxor and David Stevenson of ETFstream.

ESG investing, also known as ethical investment, is a big growth area in investing, especially in ETFs. And it doesn’t just make you feel virtuous, it can also boost your investment performance. Ed Bowsher finds out more from Veronique Menou of MSCI, and John Ditchfield from Castlefield Advisory Partners.