An introduction to the FTSE/APCIMS indices

The Private Investor Indices provided by FTSE and APCIMS are a set of calculations which indicate the returns which investors might expect from their portfolios. The skill in investment management is to design a unique portfolio which will meet an individual investor's needs, so it is unlikely that your portfolio growth will reflect the movement of the Indices exactly.

They are not industry-wide benchmarks, nor do they provide any kind of alternative to the professional investment advice of portfolio managers. However, used properly, they can give a useful perspective on the world of stocks and shares and on the performance of your portfolio.

They can provide:

1. A measure to compare the performance of Income, Growth and Balanced funds.

2. A basis for reviewing the asset allocation and structure of your portfolio with your fund manager or stockbroker.

3. A benchmark for assessing and comparing the performance of discretionary fund managers.

There are three Private Investor Indices, to reflect the differing aims of investors:

• the Growth portfolio is for investors seeking capital growth;

• the Income portfolio is for those seeking a steady income from their investments; and

• the Balanced portfolio is for those seeking a balance of income and capital growth.

Each of these portfolios contains different proportions of UK shares, international shares, bonds and cash to reflect the investment aims. The changes in their values (the movement up or down of the UK shares, international shares, bonds and cash) are represented by the movements of four related indices.

Allocations and their respective indices from 18th June 2007 are:

The latest values of the indices can be found on the FTSE website. Click here to go directly to the relevant page.

Indices values are also published every weekend on the Databank page of the Financial Times' Money & Business section.

Latest Indices News:

Click here to find the latest news on the Indices