The prospect of a new British ISA has put the spotlight on the UK market. Some investors will not feel comfortable picking individual shares and an alternative is to look at actively managed funds and investment trusts. Here are some tips on putting together a UK-focused portfolio. WHICH FUNDS AND TRUSTS WILL QUALIFY FOR INCLUSION IN THE BRITISH ISA? The rules for which investments can qualify for

Our 2023 picks have smashed it - achieving an average return excluding dividends of 20.6%, more than four times the return of the FTSE All-Share and better even than the MSCI World which is up 17.9% this year.This is all the more satisfying as the MSCI World index has been powered by the US 'Magnificent Seven' tech stocks, whereas the Shares portfolio benefited from the inclusion of just one of th

FY23 guidance downgradedCost-of-living pressures impact eating out market?Robust? growth targeted in 2024Shares in Tortilla Mexican Grill (MEX:AIM) tumbled 8% to an all-time low of 50.5p after the UK?s largest fast-casual Mexican restaurant group served up a profit warning following a sour end to 2023, with subdued demand across the eating out market hindering growth in the fourth quarter.The burr

Stock prices in London opened mixed on Monday morning, making few moves in anticipation of UK fiscal announcements and US central bank minutes.The FTSE 100 index opened down 25.58 points, 0.3%, at 7,478.67. The FTSE 250 was up 5.81 points at 18,573.68, and the AIM All-Share was up 0.39 of a point, 0.1%, at 719.44The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.3% at 746.20, the Cboe UK 250 was slightly lower at 16,070.

Shares in Restaurant Group (RTN) have been on a tear over the last nine months, gaining 84% after positive trading updates and a strategic review of the business prompted in part by activist investors pushing for change.The company has now agreed to offload its underperforming leisure division (principally Frankie & Benny's and Chiquitos) to the Big Table Group which operates brands including Cafe

Given how hard it has been to pick winning stocks this year, due to the outsized gains enjoyed by a narrow collection of stocks in the US in particular, we are delighted with the performance of our 2023 Tips of The Year.Against a FTSE All-Share index which has basically gone nowhere, eking out just a 0.5% positive return at this stage, our basket of 10 stocks has returned an average of 23.3% on an

There are an increasing number of large firms which are thinking about changing their main share listing from the UK to the US or elsewhere, raising fears London is losing its importance.This article explains why companies are giving serious thought to this issue and who might be next to press the button.Irish building materials giant CRH (CRH) is the latest firm to decide to move its main listing

- First-half sales and margins beat expectations- Organic sales and profit growth forecasts increased- Additional £750 million buy-back announcedUsually, for firms with tens of billions of pounds in annual revenues, the 'law of big numbers' means they can struggle to grow meaningfully.Happily for shareholders that's not the case at catering giant Compass (CPG), which reported stronger-than-expect

Helped by a positive first quarter for stocks our top selections for 2023 have made a superb start to the year.At the time of writing the share price return on the portfolio of 10 names is 18.5%, substantially outpacing the FTSE All-Share which is up just 3.8% and with not a single name in negative territory. We have also significantly outperformed the MSCI World's 4.6% advance in sterling.The key

Have you ever come across a company whose shares are classified as being in one sector, but in reality, should sit in a different one? It matters from a valuation perspective.For years, catering group Compass (CPG) was in the travel and leisure sector, sitting alongside travel agents, airlines and gambling groups. This seemed bizarre as running a canteen in a hospital or school is more of a servic

- Like-for-like sales 16.4% above pre-Covid levels- Food and energy costs eat into margins- Tacos-to-burritos seller reports positive current tradingTortilla Mexican Grill (MEX:AIM), the UK's largest fast-casual Mexican restaurant group, served up record sales for the year ended 1 January 2023 with a boost from a record year of 18 site openings and below-inflation price increases to mitigate risin

Investors should feast on food services company Compass (CPG) which has emerged from the pandemic in a stronger position with enhanced growth opportunities and more loyal clients.Compass believes the global outsourcing market for catering is worth at least £220 billion with around half the market still operated in-house. Increasing complexities facing many businesses across supply chains, regulat

- FY revenues +37.5%, adjusted operating profit +87.5%- Record new business and client retention- 2023 organic revenue guidance +15%, profit +20%Despite beating expectations for full year revenues and profit, shares in food services company Compass (CPG) fell 2% to £18.11 reflecting a slight disappointment in the margin outlook.In addition, the shares ran-up 3.5% last week coming into today's res

- Profits hit by surging meat and energy costs- Like-for-like sales have slowed over the summer- Industry headwinds to have 'material' impact on second half earningsShares in Tortilla Mexican Grill (MEX:AIM) slumped 27.4% to 106p after the UK's largest fast-casual Mexican restaurant group served up mixed first half results with surging meat prices eating into margins, news that overshadowed the Lo

The US dollar is trading at 20-year highs against a basket of major currencies. It has benefited from the twin tailwinds of big interest rate hikes from the US Federal Reserves and recession fears.When rates are rising faster in the US than in other parts of the world, the higher returns on offer attract more money into the US currency. In addition, the dollar is considered a safe haven currency a

With all the gloomy headlines about rising interest rates, rising energy prices and a risk of recession it's easy to overlook the fact some companies are doing very nicely for themselves.Take FTSE 100 food service company Compass Group (CPG), whose shares are up 10% this year at £18.20, their highest level since March 2020, giving the firm a market value of over £32 billion.BUSINESS AS USUALDesp

- Dining group delivers strong like-for-like growth- Warns cost inflation has worsened- Chilango deal strengthens position in fast-casual Mexican food marketFast-casual Mexican restaurant group Tortilla Mexican Grill (MEX:AIM) served up tasty first half like-for-like sales growth and insisted its store roll-out programme remains on track, welcome news that helped the shares trade 2.5% higher at 12

Foodservice firm Compass (CPG) dished up an impressive set of first half results and unveiled a big share buyback as business returned to pre-pandemic levels.Shares jumped almost 10% to £17.32 on the news, with analysts likely to increase their full year forecasts.GROWTH INTACTUnderlying revenues for the six months to March were up 37.9% to £11.6 billion thanks to strong growth in North America

Despite the many challenges facing the restaurant sector, Tortilla Mexican Grill (MEX:AIM) served up tasty maiden full year results following its stock market listing in October 2021, with sales and profits reaching record levels.Shares in the UK's largest listed fast-casual Mexican restaurant group were marked up 1.5% to 168.5p as it also reported first quarter like-for-like sales growth of 20.1%

After years in the wilderness the FTSE 100 is finally coming into its own as some of the key features of the index go from being liabilities to advantages.Our analysis suggests that, in a world of inflation, rising interest rates and surging commodity prices, many of the big names which dominate the index are well placed. As well as domestic investors, this could well increase the appeal of the UK