Barclays offers access to global property with new investment note

Barclays Stockbrokers has announced the launch of a new Investment Note offering investors access to the diverse global property market.

The Global Property Investment Note invests in a basket with access to European, Japanese, US REITs and property holding companies. The note is a five year growth investment and is designed to produce 130% of any rise in the Basket.

The Global Property Investment Note offers access to the following basket of indices:

The FTSE EPRA/NAREIT European Real Estate Index – measures the capital performance of companies engaged in specific aspects of the European Real Estate business. Over the last three years the index has risen by 120.81%.

The Tokyo Stock Exchange REIT Index – measures the capital performance of Real Estate Investment Trusts listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Over the last three years the index has risen by 81.87%.

The iShares Dow Jones US Real Estate Index Fund – seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses of the Dow Jones US Real Estate Index. Over the last three years the index has risen by 58.96%.

The Note is eligible to be held in a Barclays Stockbrokers Self-Select ISA account and also via PEPs and SIPPs. It will be listed on the London Stock Exchange and is fully capital protected if held until maturity. If investors sell before the end of the term they may get back less than they invested. Past performance is no guarantee of future performance. For those investors wanting to trade regularly they can open and fund an ISA account and deal via the Barclays Stockbrokers website.

Amy Nauiokas, MD and Head of Barclays Stockbrokers says: “The launch of this note offers investors access to global property - traditionally a difficult area for investors to gain access to. We have chosen to invest in these indices because they offer our clients real geographical diversification while exposing them to sectors that we believe are experiencing strong growth. In particular the Japanese economy is enjoying strong growth. We also think real estate companies in Europe are better equipped to deal with a tougher market environment.

“Investment Notes have proved popular with investors seeking the peace of mind that capital protection offers while having access to niche markets. Our clients are becoming increasingly comfortable with this asset class, with 68% of the orders for the last Investment Note captured online – this has risen from 35% for the first Note.”

This week marks the first week of the offer period for the new Investment Note, during which investors will have access to the product at a fixed price exclusively through Barclays Stockbrokers. When the Notes commence trading on the London Stock Exchange on 29 June 2007, investors will be able to benefit from additional liquidity and flexibility similar to equities. At this point, there will be ten Investment Notes available to trade in the secondary market on the London Stock Exchange. The other Notes include:

Alternative Energy Investment Note
Global Infrastructure Investment Note
FTSE 100 Capital Protected Investment Note
Global Accelerator Investment Note
Nikkei 225 Supertracker Investment Note
Energy-Linked Capital Protected Investment Note
China Supertracker Investment Note
EURO STOXX 50 Capital Protected Investment Note