The country has some of the world's most famous and successful companies such as Toyota, Sony and Nintendo, but the share prices have long been facing a headwind of an economy at a standstill. This has started to change though and many of the top money managers in the City have an 'overweight' to Japan in place now, meaning they are investing more of their clients' money there than the weighting Japanese shares have in the global stock market.

Given that size matters when it comes to investments, many ETF providers are exploring weird and wonderful strategies in a bid to draw investor capital in a congested marketplace. This has resulted in the advent of some oddball propositions such as a 'anti-gay' ETFs. This Is Money has compiled a list most unusual thematic ETFs in the market.

People with a self-invested pension or a general trading account with Hargreaves Lansdown can now buy into a tracker fund that follows bitcoin. The funds are denominated in Swedish krona and investors should be aware of the currency risks, as well as those attached to bitcoin itself.

India is an exciting investment opportunity in one of the emerging markets' strongest economies, so why do more UK investors not buy in?

It is totally focused on medical, travel, life and disability cover with an international twist, ranging from companies wanting to insure local employees in far flung places to wealthy expats wanting private medical insurance from their home country. The business floated in February at 150p and the price has drifted to 142.5p. At this level the shares are worth a closer look. The company is growing fast, dividends are expected to be extremely generous and the market in which it operates is worth more than £7 billion.

Choosing the right DIY platform is crucial but a wealth of choice and changes to charges have left many investors scratching their heads. We pick some of the best. We also highlight why investing in an Isa makes sense, as it should protect your hopefully growing investments from tax forever.

The number of venerable investment companies that have increases their dividends every year for 50 years has grown to four, research revealed today. And another 19 investment trusts can demonstrate that they have raised their payout to shareholders for more than 20 years, according to data from the Association of Investment Companies.

Splitting an ISA or SIPP up into a number of funds or stocks is something the vast majority of investors do, however not so many take the additional step of reviewing and rebalancing things regularly enough. According to Fidelity, this could be costing them serious money.

'Political uncertainty' is a buzz-phrase in the world of investments but the UK election is meant to be a sure thing. But investors should at least use it as a prompt to review and in some cases reinforce their portfolios to shield against potential turbulence, says Chris Darbyshire, chief investment officer of Seven Investment Management.

Sitting in a drawer in Richard Buxton's Islington home, there lies an unfinished thesis on John Milton's Paradise Lost. He'd packed in his first job in banking to return to Oxford to write it, but quickly realised that finance had entered his bloodstream. When he decided to quit a year later, his tutor, the esteemed literary don John Carey, told him he was welcome to come back any time and complete it. A glittering City career ensured he never did.

More than half of investors prefer buying shares in UK household names and nearly a third only ever put money in well-known companies, research reveals. Many investors say stock-picking this way makes them feel more confident, and admit they would retain stakes in big name firms even if the shares performed badly, according to a survey by Investec Wealth & Investment.

Give me the name of a female fund manager? Struggling? That's not because there aren't any good female fund managers out there, in fact many top performing funds are run by women. But it is a well-established fact that when it comes to investment management, the female fund manager is a rare breed. Maike Currie picks five of the best.

The top performer spot among investment asset classes is in constant flux, making future predictions a 'fool's errand', new research reveals. Analysis of 13 different financial markets over the past two decades shows not one has hit the best performer spot for longer than a year at a time, according to Fidelity.

Graphene, the purest form of carbon, is 200 times stronger than steel, harder than diamonds and the world's thinnest material. On top of all that it's also the best electrical conductor known to Man. Investors were tempted by its promise some years ago, and now big firms are using it. Here are some funds to tap into its promise.

New Lifetime Isas allow under-40s to save for a home and retirement at once, and the Government is offering free top-ups worth up to £32,000 if you max out your fund. For those weighing up whether to open one, we look at the benefits and pitfalls of the new products, and what's available from providers.

With a new tax year just days away, many savers will be looking to use up their Isa allowance for this year or planning ahead for where to invest next year's. From April 6 the allowance will increase from £15,240 to £20,000. We've asked the experts where they are putting their money.

Supermarket giant Tesco has been forced to pay investors an estimated £90million for misleading them over its results, in the first ever crackdown of its kind by the financial watchdog. Investors who purchased Tesco shares and bonds on or after the 29 August 2014 update and who still held them when the statement was corrected on 22 September 2014 are eligible for the compensation, worth 24.5p per share plus interest.

Good-bye America, hello Asia. MAIKE CURRIE explains why Asia's largest two economies - China and India - are looking like the bright spot for investors.

The FTSE 100 has surged to fresh record highs in 2017, but can that run continue through the rest of the year? The top ten Footsie risers shows a selection of banks, housebuilders and airlines leading the pack, as they bounced back from their immediate Brexit vote pain. We look at whether those shares can keep rising - or whether investors would be wise to look overseas for the rest of the year and the coming years ahead.

Stock markets have confounded forecasts and risen on Donald Trump's election to US President, but will the Trumpflation trade run out of steam? Trump's spending, tax cuts and tearing up of regulations have been seen by traders as spelling good news short term for many US companies - but will he prove to be a good President long-term for investors?

Investment fund names are often a baffling mixture of impressive but vague words, which mean little to people who aren't already clued up on financial jargon. People hoping to boost their savings by buying a fund or trust face a steep learning curve, unless they're lucky enough to have a friend in the know or are willing to fork out fees to a financial adviser. We offer a short cut, and explain what all the fancy terms really mean.

Global government bond markets are vast and affect everyone who pays tax, saves or invests. But it's often hard to tell what's going on when there's a surge in bond buying or a sell-off because the jargon used by industry insiders can be pretty impenetrable. We unscramble it here to help everyone else fathom what's going on.

If you are new to investing then the huge number of funds and investment trusts on offer can be confusing. Fortunately, This is Money's experts have some ideas to get you started.