US-listed large-caps shone last year with shares in mega-caps, and the ?Magnificent Seven? in particular, surging higher. However, this outperformance only widened the valuation gap between US large and small-caps and left shares in the latter cohort languishing at the low end of historical valuations.Over one and five years, the Russell 2000 index of US small-cap stocks is up 14.6% and 30.5% at t

Experience counts in the asset management industry and in a phenomenal achievement, Peter Spiller (pictured) recently celebrated his 40th anniversary at the helm of wealth preservation specialist Capital Gearing Trust (CGT).The mind boggles when you consider that during his four decades as manager, Spiller has seen seven UK prime ministers elected, countless international conflicts rage and inflat

Investors who backed Fundsmith's investment trust Smithson (SSON) at launch October 2018 have now doubled their money.Their faith in the Fundsmith investment process has been vindicated, and proof they were right to put their money with Smithson despite it being run by a fund manager (Simon Barnard) who, at the time of launch, was unknown to the retail market.Terry Smith defined the Fundsmith inve

UK stocks represent a 'once in a generation' opportunity for investors, say fund managers. After years dogged by political and economic uncertainty, and soggy stock market performance, this is a welcome change of mood music.'UK equities are on a 30 year low versus peers, and we see this as a once in a generation opportunity to get involved in some fantastic businesses,' said Rory Bateman, manager

As a shareholder you are often one among hundreds or even thousands of individuals and institutions which also own a slice of a business.Many of these fellow shareholders will remain faceless or nameless entities but you can uncover the identity of the major shareholders in a company and there are several good reasons for keeping tabs on them.DISCLOSURE RULESIn the UK the identity of anyone who ow

Investors have been piling into technology stocks this year in volumes not seen since the dotcom bubble of 1999/2000. Things did not work out very well for investors back then, so it is quite reasonable to ponder whether we are headed for a similarly disastrous outcome.Managing to limit losses during any stock market downswing while staying keyed in to important growth opportunities is never an ea

Investors who prefer to entrust capital allocation decisions to a professional money manager as opposed to buying individual stocks are exceptionally well served by the FTSE 350. Within its ranks, you'll find a highly-diverse batch of investment trusts spanning all the key asset classes.Shares' number-crunching reveals a grand total of 57 investment trusts within the FTSE 350 - that is with some v

We've spotted quite a few investment trusts trading at unusually large discounts to net asset value (NAV). There are good reasons why some of them are out of favour. Other situations are more perplexing which suggests investors could potentially snag themselves a bargain if we assume the discount could revert back to normal levels or even disappear.The list includes BMO Global Smaller Companies (B

In part one, we talked about the attractive growth dynamics of investing in technology. In part two we now discuss some of options for investors wanting exposure to tech themes.Many investors already have exposure, even if they don't know it. A US or UK tracker fund would both give you a slice of tech. More than 29% of the S&P 500 index in the US is represented by tech stocks, although it runs to

Given the return of equity market volatility, the threat to global growth from trade wars as well as political uncertainties, portfolio diversification should be front of mind for the savvy investor and there is plenty on offer in the investment trust space.Investors can put money to work with funds that not only produce growth and income, but also provide a less rocky ride during times of market

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

Tech names and a tailwind from Far East markets powered the outperformance of F&C Managed Portfolio Trust (FMPG) in the six months to 30 November 2017, a period that builds on the investment company's impressive long-term track record.Chairman Richard Martin appears optimistic on the outlook for 2018, though investors might heed his warning markets have 'had a remarkable run since the great financ

Small cap technology fund Herald Investment Trust (HRI) has now created more than £1bn for investors since its 1994 launch. As relayed to research house QuotedData, seasoned manager Katie Potts says £98m was raised from investors at launch and in subsequent issues. 'All of this and more has been returned via share buy backs, yet Herald still has net assets of £952.3m (up from £791m at the star

Disruption is everywhere. Changes to established industries and employment dynamics are shaking to their foundations almost every aspect of life.Customers are constantly looking for cheaper, faster and better services, and providers like Amazon, Netflix, WhatsApp, Uber, Airbnb, and many others, are among the companies with a solution.The transition is happening in so many places; from transport to

Big technology companies have become hugely influential over past few decades. Technological advances have revolutionised our lives, changing the way we shop, communicate, work and even date, thanks to the internet's ability to connect people like never before.It's no wonder that investors have flocked to the technology in hope of profiting from this favourable industry backdrop.Names like Apple,

On 5 September the £24.3 billion acquisition of UK microchip designs champion ARM by Japan's Softbank (9984:T) was officially sealed and, in doing so, a high quality company has been removed from the UK stock market.Investors who were lucky enough to own the shares are set to get their slice of the takeover proceeds over the coming days. ARM's timetable implies the cash will be making its way to

Savvy portfolio balancing and genuine insight to big technological trends have helped Silicon Valley-based technology vehicle Allianz Technology Trust (ATT) to beat its benchmark index, the FTSE All-Share and several other markets. This performance could drive demand for the investment trust, thereby pushing the share price up and narrowing the discount to net assets through 2016.In the financial

The Retail Distribution Review, due to be implemented at the end of 2012, gives us all every incentive to take greater control of our financial destiny. Given the breadth and scope of the different options on offer it would be easy to feel intimidated but there are tools out there which are tailor-made for you, the investor, and which will help you construct a well-balanced portfolio designed to b