Five things your clients will call you about this week

Nationals round-up: Warnings about ETFs, the latest on investment trusts and another supermarket could soon be offering a savings bond.

Investment trusts

If some clients start calling to enquire about investment trusts, they will probably have read the Mail on Sunday over the weekend. The paper did a comprehensive round-up of the latest developments in this field, explaining how many trusts are choosing to have more than one manager and detailing how they go about managing their discounts. Murray International, managed by Bruce Stout, and Scottish Mortgage, managed by Baillie Gifford, are among the trusts touted for their strong performance in recent years.

ETFs

They have enjoyed a meteoric rise, but it now seems the honeymoon period for exchange-traded funds (ETFs) is well and truly over. The Mail on Sunday gave reader the ‘truth' about ETFs, explaining how many investors may be underestimating the risks. It focuses specifically on synthetic funds, which have an added counterparty risk through the use of derivatives.

Cheque please

Do you think any of your clients would be tempted to switch bank accounts just so they can keep using cheques? You may find out soon as the Royal Bank of Scotland has pledged to keep supplying customers with chequebooks until a "viable alternative" is found, the Observer reported. This would set it apart from the rest of the industry, which has set a target of 2018 for the phasing out of this quaint method of payment.

Fine wine

Another week and another extensive feature on the benefits and challenges of investing in fine wines. This time the Independent on Sunday tried to explain why names such as Petrus and Château Lafite are helping fine wines outperform more traditional asset classes. The article also gave some tips on investing, either through a fund or independently, and delivered the usual warnings, including the importance of not putting too much into alternative assets.

Sainsbury's bond

Sainsbury's could soon become the latest retail giant to attempt to woo customers with a bond offering. The supermarket could make a decision on whether it launches a savings bond by this summer, according to This is Money. Both Tesco and John Lewis Partnership have launched bonds this year, raising £125m and £50m respectively.