In the second part of our two-part feature we get another fascinating range of responses on what did and didn't work out for top fund managers during a tumultuous 2020 and which stocks they are most excited about now.Interestingly computer games firm Codemasters (CDM:AIM) features as both a success story in the eyes of one manager and a disappointment in the eyes of another. Read on to discover mo

This year may be one that people wish to forget and instead look to next year when some sense of normality might return. However, it wasn't all bad news with a few global stock markets and investment themes notching up stellar returns.Heightened volatility has meant that the divergence between the winners and losers has been especially wide so far in 2020, with the best almost doubling and the wor

House-builders were on the front foot today following a reassuring update from Berkeley Group (BKG) which followed yesterday's positive update from Redrow (RDW). Utilities and financials were the main drag on the index, with the FTSE 100 off just seven points at 7,268 while the FTSE 250 was off five points at 19,944.Markets were generally quiet, awaiting the US non-farm payrolls data, due to be re

A leading fund manager has warned of the importance of portfolio diversification in the current economic climate. James Henderson, who co-manages Lowland Investment Company (LWI), says the UK economy is very 'patchy' at present and diversification is needed to get around pockets of weakness.Having multiple holdings provides a cushion should one or a handful experience difficult times. And such an

Insurance investor Randall & Quilter (RQIH:AIM) has agreed to buy a non-life business from Royal London Mutual.The Bermuda-based acquirer will pay £11.9 million for RLGI, a near-12% discount to the £13.5 million its net assets were worth at the end of 2015.RLGI is in run-off, meaning that it no longer writes new business but still carries liabilities.The remaining liabilities in the book are pol

London stocks sink into the red in early trade on Monday as pressure on the mining sector drag on the UK's leading index and renewed worries over the health of the UK high street following BHS's crash into administration. The FTSE 100 index slides around 35 points, or 0.5%, to 6,275.BHP Billiton (BLT), Anglo American (AAL) and Rio Tinto (RIO) all feature among the bigger blue-chip losers as copper

London shares head south in early trade on Tuesday, following declines across Europe's leading markets and seemingly ignoring the positive mood across the pond overnight. Miners and pharmas provide the downward drive, with the mining sector filling the top five spots on the Footsie loser board, lad by Glencore's (GLEN) near 9% slump to 108.5p.The FTSE 100 index tumbles 110 points,or about 1.8%, ju

UK stocks move modestly higher in early trading Thursday, returning to the recently positive path after slipping back on Wednesday, its first reverse performance in six sessions. Stimulus hopes in China and easing concerns about the Japanese economy give London equities a boost, the FTSE 100 trading 20 points higher at at 6,629 in early deals.Sir Richard Branson's bank Virgin Money (VM.) starts gr

Troubled outsourcing business Serco (SRP) continues its run of bad luck, down 0.7% to 360.5p as it fails to keep the Docklands Light Railway management contract. It has run the shuttle service in London since 1997 but has now failed to snag the franchise for a third time. The activity represents 2% of its group revenues.It's acquisitions for the second day in a row for Xchanging (XCH) as the compa

CSR alters focusAfter the axing of its flagging cameras business earnings quality should improve at connectivity semiconductor designer CSR (CSR). Some analysts have already raised profit estimates for 2014 despite the implied $20 million cut to revenues next year, as $30 million of operational costs are also stripped out. (SFr)Amara put to test A large resource upgrade at the Yaoure gold project