Lowes Magazine Issue 129

INVESTMENT

The importance of independent advice when investing

Lowes has always held the belief that great financial advice requires the research and analysis of an independent investment team. While a large proportion of the industry has gone down the route of restricting investment choice to a certain group of companies or a panel of investments, we believe this inhibits the investment success that is achievable. Our ability to look across the entire investment market means we can ensure our clients’ investments are placed where we believe they can best grow, maintain and protect our clients’ wealth. Our investment team spend their days researching, monitoring and analysing the markets and the available investments. Primarily we use actively managed mutual funds, because through experience, we believe professionally managed funds which allow the fund manager to seek out the best opportunities and avoid the areas of weakness, are most suited to our clients’ portfolios. We do use some index tracking funds, which aim to mirror an index like the FTSE Lowes client competition 2024 Our client competition for 2024 focusses on the UK domestic market. We want your predictions on where the Bank of England interest/base rate, the rate of inflation (CPI) and the UK GDP figures will be in December 2024. We start the year with market predictions that both the Bank of England interest/base rate and the rate of inflation will come down during 2024. The question is, will they and if so, by how much? UK Gross Domestic Product (GDP) figures have been thwarting commentator expectations of late and with talk of a potential recession in 2024, how might the UK’s performance be affected? Here is your task – predict the following figures as published by the relevant authorities in December 2024: a) The Bank of England interest/base rate – to two decimal places b) The inflation rate (CPI) – to one decimal place c) The UK GDP figure – to two decimal places We have provided data on each of these figures over the past year to help you with your predictions. The person who successfully predicts or is closest to all three figures when all the figures are available in December 2024 will win £500 of Amazon vouchers. In the unlikely event of a tie, the prize will be split between the winners.

100. Also, Lowes is recognised as an industry expert on structured products and the opportunities these offer our clients. Many of the successes achieved by our clients through investing in structured products have been missed or simply are unknown to other investors because their advisers won’t put in the time to research them. Our investment expertise means managers of top funds in the market are keen to talk with us about their views of the market and their investment strategies. It has also enabled us to develop our own funds in areas we believe offer long term opportunities for our clients - such as the Lowes UK Defined Strategy Fund and MI Diversified Strategy Fund - and work with product providers to create and develop structured products - changing the face of the structured product market along the way. Our investment team of six is not large, but it is very experienced and highly respected by fund managers and the industry in general. The team members have 70 years experience between them. It is also an award winning team, most recently winning the Investment Adviser of the Year at the ILP Moneyfacts Awards.

Data for CPI, interest rates and UK GDP for 12 months to 30th November 2023.

UK GDP 2023 (GDP figures are published 2 months in arrears) Source: ONS /Bank of England

Bank of England Interest rates Jan – Nov 2023

Inflation (CPI)

Nov Oct Sep Aug Jun May Apr Mar Feb Jan Jul

3.9 4.6 6.7 6.7 6.8 7.9 8.7 8.7 10.1

Nov Oct Sept Aug Jun May Apr Mar Feb Jan Jul

5.25 Nov

0.30 -0.28

5.25

Oct

5.25 Sep 5.25 Aug

0.19 0.12

5.00

Jul

-0.58

5.00 Jun 4.50 May

0.73

-0.22 0.23 -0.31

4.25 4.25

Apr Mar

10.4

4.00 Feb 3.50 Jan

0.15

10.1 0.52 To enter, please visit www.lowes.co.uk/client-comp or use the tear-out card included with this magazine and send it to: FREEPOST LOWES FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT . No further address is required.

Lowes.co.uk

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