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

One of the most popular investment trusts with AJ Bell?s ISA millionaires, City of London (CTY) is a favourite with investors seeking long-term income and capital growth and a gateway to large international companies.However, while the long-run performance record is strong, Curtis? cautious approach means the fund can underperform in some market conditions. On a 10-year share price total return ba

For the second part of our annual survey, we asked fund managers if they had changed their view on any stocks this year, for better or for worse, and what lay behind their decisions.As with the winners and losers survey last week, the answers were often frank and once again we would like to thank everyone who took part.Thomas Moore - Aberdeen Equity Income Trust (AEI)THE STOCK THAT I CHANGED MY MI

There were several trends in the UK stock market this year which, if you managed to identify them, served you well.Most obviously, although it may not have seemed it at the index level, large-cap stocks generally performed better than small- and mid-caps, although for the lucky few the small-cap space has been rife with takeover activity.In terms of sectors, aerospace and defence topped the FTSE 3

Retailer Marks & Spencer (MKS) is the gift that keeps on giving. Its share price is up 162% since October 2022, dividends are back after a four-year absence, and analysts keep finding reasons to upgrade earnings forecasts. In fact, the analyst consensus earnings estimate has increased 11 times this year, according to Stockopedia data.Earnings growth is a key driver for share price growth so it mak

Value stocks have outperformed growth stocks by 12% since Pfizer (PFE:NYSE) announced the first effective Covid-19 vaccine on 9 November 2020. That's comparing the MSCI World Value index against the MSCI World Growth index.We have reason to believe the value investing style could soon deliver even bigger outperformance given the shift in the backdrop from cheap money to more normalised interest ra

During volatile market conditions and high inflation, investors are looking for ways to protect their income. Investment trusts have an income advantage which is particularly important for seekers of rising payouts.This is because they are able to hold back up to 15% of the income they receive from their investments in their revenue reserves. They can use these reserves to boost dividends during l

Finding reliable dividend income in the UK equity market remains tricky despite the resumption of dividends by companies emerging from the pandemic and repairing their balance sheets.In this feature Shares puts the spotlight on some of the best performing UK equity income funds and investment trusts which have also displayed consistency over many years.Topping the trust universe is the Law Debentu

'Form is temporary, class is permanent' runs the old adage often used to describe sportsmen and sportswomen, though the maxim can also be applied in the investment industry, where you'll find a cohort of collectives that consistently do the business for their holders.Funds that routinely outperform over economic and stock market cycles must be pursuing a winning process that should pique the inter

City of London Investment Trust (CTY) has been a popular choice for investors over the years, but a period of underperformance versus the UK Equity Income investment trust sector average on a three and five-year basis is a worry.Typically investing in FTSE 100 companies, City of London has been a hit with certain types of investors, particularly those approaching retirement or already in it. The

The double-digit discount to net asset at Henderson Opportunities Trust (HOT) looks unjustified given its long-term track record.Trading 14.7% below its NAV, the investment trust has delivered a total return of 318.5% over the last 10 years.This puts it near the top of the AIC's UK All Companies category in terms of performance and yet it offers the largest discount.A focus on UK value opportuniti

There are plenty of reasons to be more cautious about the markets despite the flagship US stock indices, the S&P 500, continuing to hit new highs.Investor nervousness is increasing. Just look at how many companies have recently beaten earnings forecasts, but their share prices have fallen as the market worries about near-term pressures or the loss of momentum in parts of their business.Valuations

UK stocks dropped sharply on Friday as the sell-off in bonds continued to rattle investors, not only wiping out the previous week's gains but wiping out the entire month's gains.Overnight the S&P 500 and Nasdaq indices fell by 2.5% and 3.5% respectively, triggering the sharpest sell-off in Asian markets for nine months with Japan's Nikkei 225 dropping 4% and China's SE Composite falling 2%.The sel

UK stocks dropped sharply on Friday as the sell-off in bonds continued to rattle global equity markets.Overnight the S&P 500 and Nasdaq indices fell by 2.5% and 3.5% respectively. That triggered the sharpest sell-off in Asian markets for nine months with Japan's Nikkei 225 dropping 4% and China's SE Composite falling 2%.The sell-off spilled-over into commodities with Brent Crude down 1% to $65 a b

UK stocks dropped on Friday as the sell-off in bonds continued to rattle global equity markets.Asian markets fell by the most in nine months with Japan's Nikkei 225 dropping 4% and China's SE Composite falling 2%. The sell-off spilled-over into commodities with Brent Crude down 1% to $65 a barrel. Gold fell 0.2% to $1,766 an ounce.At 9am the FTSE 100 of leading shares was down 0.4% at 6,626 points

With UK companies suspending dividends left, right and centre, times are tough for income investors.One possible solution is to look to investment trusts. Many are sitting on significant revenue reserves which they can draw on during 'rainy days' to supplement their revenue and maintain dividends during 'Black Swan' events such as the coronavirus shutdown.Most income trusts have accumulated close

Law Debenture (LWDB) 610pGain to date: 5.5%Original entry point: Buy at 578p, 21 March 2019Our 'buy' call on Law Debenture (LWDB) is in the money even after this unusual trust got caught up in the recent sell-off.We're staying positive following full year results (27 Feb) which revealed an impressive net asset value (NAV) total return of 17.9% for 2019, with the share price total return of 24.5% h

Investors are concerned about what Brexit means for their portfolios and how to navigate the current tricky markets. There's no magic bullet, but investors should make sure there aren't any risks lurking in their portfolios that they aren't aware of. One step they can take is to check the level of gearing in any investment trusts they own.Borrowing to invest is also known as gearing, or in other w

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

The Great Ideas section of the digital magazine represents our best ideas each week. We try to publish updates as soon as there has been relevant news, but sometimes all the news comes at once and we don't have space to feature everything.In an effort to catch up on the latest events, we're running the Great Ideas Update section in a slightly different format this week as we have 11 stocks to sque