Share Sounds. presented by Juliette Foster related to Investing in Funds

This is today's edition of The Apprentice Investor. Regular listeners to the show will know that our Apprentices are five members of the Share Radio team who've each been given fifteen thousand pounds of virtual money to build their individual share portfolios. They have a minimum of eight stocks which they've been buying and selling through The Share Centre. So...are our financial novices in line for a June windfall...or is financial disappointment lurking around the corner? Apprentices Alexi Philips and Olivia Demetriades are in the studio along with Ed Bowsher, Share Radio's Senior Analyst.

This is the Responsible Investment show. Morningstar, the investment research and management firm, recently held its annual Investment Conference with social and ethically aware investing as one of the central themes. The event comes a year after Morningstar unveiled plans to launch the industry's first sustainability ratings index for global mutual and exchange traded funds. So what prompted that decision? Patrick Jones went to the company's conference where he put that question to San Lie, Director of Manager Research at Morningstar Benelux. But how transparent are your investments? Industry experts say that a lack of fee transparency in many funds is stinging buyers with hidden charges -- in some cases they're so high the investments could lose money. It's claimed some unscrupulous fund managers may be exploiting the lack of transparency for their own ends. Matt Cox was also at the Morningstar Conference and he asked Gina Miller a founding partner of SCM and an advocate of fee transparency, about how opaque charging can hurt investors. And finally, James Donald of Lazard Asset Management told the Morningstar conference how his company screens for Environment and Social Governance or - ESG - in companies that operate in emerging markets. Share Radio reporter Patrtick Jones caught up with him and asked him about the ESG qualities it looks for in emerging market businesses.

This is The Apprentice Investor. Regular listeners to the show will know that our Apprentices are five members of the Share Radio team who've each been given fifteen thousand pounds of virtual money to build their own individual share portfolios. They have a minimum of eight stocks which they've been buying and selling through The Share Centre. So....are our financial novices awash with riches beyond their wildest dreams...or are they drowning in waves of debt? Apprentices Matt Cox and Ruby Johnson are in the studio along with Ed Bowsher, Share Radio's Senior Analyst.

India's long term economic prospects are good...that's according to the professional services company Price Waterhouse Coopers, whose latest analysis predicts that by 2050 India's economy could outperform those of the United States and China. However if India is to realise its potential, it has to sustain its reform policies whilst increasing investments in infrastructure and education. With so much in its favour is India the next investment hotspot? That's certainly the view of Spike Hughes, founder and CEO of Cohesion Investments whose joined forces with India's Reliance Capital Asset Management to launch a new fund. Spike Hughes now joins Juliette Foster in the studio.

The US Federal Reserve says it's upbeat about America's economy while the recent pick-up in inflation is on track to hit the Fed's target of 2%. It's a timely prognosis that comes ahead of next week's meeting of Fed officials and after February's employment data showed the US economy is creating more jobs. So if you're looking to take a punt on the world's biggest economy, what's the best way to get in? Cole Smead is a Co- Portfolio Manager of the Washington based investment advisor, "Smead Capital Management" and he joined Juliette Foster in the studio.

A survey by the professional services firm, Deloitte, claims the Infrastructure Investment sector is facing a tough time amidst a 'risky regulatory environment'. The report surveyed 25 European infrastructure investors, including direct lenders, and amongst other things, examined how they're managing their assets. So what else did they find? Juliette Foster is joined on the line by Jason Clatworthy, an infrastructure M&A partner at Deloitte.

Welcome to Emerging Opportunities - the only show on your radio dedicated to the world of emerging markets with Juliette Foster and Gavin Serkin, the author of Frontier: Exploring the Top Ten Emerging Markets of Tomorrow, and the Managing Editor of Frontier Funds and Frontera News. On this week's show we're broadcasting from a rather special conference in Beverly Hills, LA. The event brings together a group of investors who are looking not just to make money, but also to help change the world - in a positive way. These impact investors are focused specifically on frontier markets and they invited my co-host, Gavin Serkin, along for their event. Gavin, who is the author of Frontier: Exploring the Top 10 Emerging Markets of Tomorrow, begins by speaking with Jean-Philippe de Schrevel. Jean-Philippe is one of the pioneers of microfinance and private equity investing in companies serving consumers in frontier markets. He is also the founder and CEO of Bamboo Finance.

Welcome to today's edition of The Apprentice Investor. Regular listeners to the show will know that our Apprentices are five members of the Share Radio team who've each been given fifteen thousand pounds of virtual money to build their own individual share portfolios. They have a minimum of eight stocks, which they've been buying and selling through The Share Centre. So....are our intrepid investors on course for a summer of prosperity...or one of penury? Apprentices Matt Cox and Alexi Phillips are in the studio along with Ed Bowsher, Share Radio's Senior Analyst.

Good afternoon and welcome to today's edition of The Apprentice Investor. Regular listeners to the show will know that our Apprentices are five members of the Share Radio team who've each been given fifteen thousand pounds of virtual money to build their own individual share portfolios. They have a minimum of eight stocks, which they've been buying and selling through The Share Centre. So are those portfolios bulging with profit...or debt? Apprentices Olivia Demetriades and Valsa de Winter are in the studio along with Ed Bowsher, Share Radio's Senior Analyst.

The world's financial markets got off to a wobbly start earlier in the year as fears over the health of the global economy - and China in particular - punched a hole in the value of sectors that traditionally perform well. However it wasn't all bad news as biotechnology companies held their ground and they've continued to go from strength to strength, delivering impressive returns to investors. Carl Harald Janson is the manager of the "International Biotechnology Trust" and he joins Juliette Foster in the studio.