Open ended investment companies (OEIC)

Open ended investment companies (OEIC’s) are collective investment vehicles operated in the form of a company. Funds are pooled together to invest in other companies on the stock market.

Typically, open ended investment companies invest in a range of assets and shares and act as a more flexible version of a unit trust. Investors are free to switch their funds to a variety of sub-funds as the investment environment changes.

The ‘open ended’ element means that they are capable op expanding or shrinking depending on demand. OEIC’s do not provide guaranteed returns and you can lose money as well as gain. The market for OEIC’s has expanded quickly and management fees and the terms and conditions of individual products will vary so you need to research and shop around carefully to choose the best product for you.

	£1.3bn investment means Post Office branches will open longer The Post Office has announced a new £1.3bn investment programme that is currently being piloted which will see branches revamped and increase their opening hours.
	Water companies selling "unnecessary" water pipe insurance Most of the UK’s largest water companies are promoting potentially unnecessary pipe insurance, costing consumers more than £100 million a year, a Which? study shows.
	Ofgem unveils reforms to open up electricity market Energy watchdog Ofgem has outlined reforms aimed at boosting competition in the electricity market and loosening the grip of the ‘big six’ suppliers.
	UK FTSE companies pay record £18.8bn in first quarter of 2012 Capita Registrars reports that UK companies paid a record £18.8 billion in dividends in the first three months of 2012 but that this was lower than predicted.
	NS&I boosts investment account interest rate National Savings & Investments (NS&I) has relaunched its Investment Account, making it a postal only account but offering a higher interest rate.