Investing

Boeing will invest $20 million in Virgin Galactic when the space tourism venture launches an initial public offering later this year. The investment will be made through Boeing's HorizonX, a subsidiary through which the company funds new technology and research. Boeing said they hoped the investment would lead to greater future cooperation between the two companies as the market for commercial space travel develops.   Virgin Galactic's VSS Unity rocket (pictured above) was the company's first to make it to space, and one of several reasons why Boeing was excited to invest in the company's future efforts. According to a CNBC report Boeing has a particular interest in Virgin's work in hypersonic travel.  Virgin expects fight hypersonic flight technology to have an effect not just on space travel but everyday air travel on Earth, something which could be a boon to Boeing's business.  Flying in the upper atmosphere at hypersonic speeds, a flight between Los … [Read more...] about Virgin Galactic gets $20 million investment from Boeing as it prepares for IPO before end of the year

Hargreaves Lansdown was fund manager Neil Woodford's biggest champion before he barred savers from pulling cash out of his flagship Equity Income Fund two months ago The Woodford Equity Income Fund set up by Neil Woodford is to be wound up, the administrators running the fund have said.  Link Fund Solutions, which runs the fund on Woodford's behalf, said: 'After careful consideration, the decision has now been taken not to re-open the fund and instead to wind it up as soon as practicable. 'This is with a view to returning cash to investors at the earliest opportunity.' The winding up is expected to commence on January 17 2020 due to rules that state there must be at least a three-month notice period and took place because attempts to sell off Woodford's investments in unlisted businesses had 'not been sufficient to allow reasonable certainty' for when the fund would reopen. The announcement comes after Mr Woodford has for months been under fire after it was revealed he pumped … [Read more...] about Fund set up by millionaire investment manager Neil Woodford will be wound up, reveal administrators who hope to ‘return cash to investors at the earliest opportunity’

South Korea has announced plans to invest 1.7 trillion won (£1.1 billion) in self-driving car technology from 2021–2027 alongside aiming to get flying cars airborne by 2025. Alongside this, the Hyundai Motor Group has revealed its intent to invest 41 trillion won (£27.4 billion / $34.7 billion) in future automotive technology by the year 2025. The move in parts represents the South Korean automotive-maker's desire to catch up with the rest of the pack in the self-driving car race. Funding will also be allocated to developing electric cars and connected vehicles — those designed with their own internet access and often wireless network. The plans come after Hyundai and its affiliates revealed an investment of £1.3 billion ($1.6 billion) towards a joint venture with US-based self-driving tech firm Aptiv. Scroll down for video South Korea has announced plans to invest 1.7 trillion won (£1.1 billion) in self-driving car technology from … [Read more...] about South Korea plans to test FLYING CARS as soon as 2025 as it announces £1.1billion investment in self-driving vehicles

Would you be tempted to sign up for an investment offering an 8% return if Grand Designs frontman Kevin McCloud was involved in it? The Channel 4 presenter and designer is director of a company that has launched a £3m “mini-bond” scheme, which is basically a way of raising money from private investors. This one is targeting people looking for something “social and environmental” as well as a decent interest rate. A return of 8%, or 9% if you sign up before close of play on Monday, is way more than you’d get from a savings account, and 32 times the Bank of England base rate. However, those interested need to be aware of the risks attached to such an investment. This type of bond is not covered by the government’s Financial Services Compensation Scheme and, unlike other recent bonds, are not transferable and cannot be traded. The mini-bonds have been launched by HAB Land, part of a group of companies that includes HAB Housing. This was set up by … [Read more...] about A grand investment idea from Kevin McCloud, but it’s not without its risks

What is an asset manager? Asset managers invest other people’s money with the aim of growing their client’s wealth and protecting them from financial risk. By pooling lots of investors’ money they can reduce the risk to them by spreading it across a range of asset classes: stocks, property, bonds, commodities and other funds. Asset managers make money by taking a fee for providing these services to their clients. Since the 2008 financial crisis, high fees and poor performance have seen money flowing away from “active” funds, with a manager who researches and selects investments using a particular philosophy, to “passive” funds. What is a passive fund? The most common form of passive investing is a “tracker fund” that follows an index such as the FTSE 100 or the S&P 500. Instead of selecting particular companies in which to invest, passive fund managers buy everything on an index and hold the shares over a long period of time. … [Read more...] about Why are asset managers investing in fossil fuel companies?