There are many options for an investor wanting to put their money to work right around the world. Even if you’ve narrowed it down and decided to go for an investment trust instead of an open-ended active fund or a passive exchange-traded fund (ETF), choosing the trust for you can still seem a daunting task, particularly when there are 15 of them in the Association of Investment ...

London’s FTSE 100 struggled for direction on Tuesday as US stocks settled back from the previous day’s record highs. By the close, the blue chip benchmark was a mere 0.1% higher at 6,531.56 points, with the S&P 500 0.3% lower at 3,905.47 at 4.30 pm UK time. Airlines tumbled after the government tightened restrictions on travellers entering the UK, with International Consolidated ...

Despite warning of a record full-year loss Ryanair (RYA) fell just 1.3% to €14.02 on Monday, with investors apparently focusing on its strong financial position and hopes of market share gains in a recovery. The low-cost carrier swung to a deep third-quarter loss as the pandemic continued to hammer global travel markets. Net losses for the three months through December amounted to ...

Investors need not be too worried about what the rotation into value could mean for some of the most popular investment trusts geared towards growth names. Some of the trusts that invest almost exclusively in growth names are still delivering a decent performance, showing there are some good fund managers despite what the critics of active management might say. Naturally more ...

In the first of a two-part series Shares invites top fund managers to reveal which stocks they were most pleased with in 2020, which stocks they were most disappointed in, and which they have high hopes for in 2021. Their answers reveal an interesting mix of names across the market cap spectrum. Recent float, materials company HeiQ (HEIQ), for example, crops up twice in this set of ...

We are championing UK stocks despite the introduction of the latest lockdown measures. For more than four years London-listed shares have trailed in the wake of nearly all other major global markets, but the early Christmas present of a Brexit deal should end much of the uncertainty which led to this underperformance. We are already seeing a dramatic reversal in fortunes with the FTSE 100 going ...

UK investors can no longer buy shares in budget airline Ryanair (RYA) as it looks to stay compliant with EU rules for airlines after Brexit. EU operating airlines require a minimum of 50% of shares to be held by EU nationals and it’s believed Ireland-headquartered Ryanair is below this threshold. This has resulted in significant changes for UK shareholders, which came into effect on 1 ...

UK stocks inched higher in early trade on Thursday after posting strong gains yesterday, with the FTSE 100 index up 6 points to 6,848 points. The tilt towards ‘value’ names such as retailers and materials stocks continued, while banks, the biggest risers on Wednesday, handed back some of their gains. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 index hit a record high overnight on the Democratic win in ...

Budget airlines Ryanair (RYA) and Wizz Air (WIZZ) will strip UK investors of their voting rights once the Brexit transition period ends, in order to stay in line with EU ownership rules. In a statement Irish airline Ryanair said UK shareholders will not be required to sell their shares, but such shareholders will lose the right to attend, speak or vote at any general meeting of the company from ...

After an extraordinary year we look back at some of the top performers in different size categories from the heavyweights all the way down to sub £100 million market cap stocks at the bottom of the market and examine what has driven them higher in 2020. We have excluded investment trusts. £4 billion + market cap Share price movements in mining companies can be about exposure to the ...

In previous parts of this First-Time Investor series we have talked about how shareholders should consider themselves as a part owner of a business. By owning shares in a company, you have a voice and there are various ways you can engage with a business you are invested in. It is easier for big institutional investors to engage with firms than it is for retail investors, however that ...

While Baillie Gifford’s flagship investment trust Scottish Mortgage (SMT) tends to hog the headlines, there are other top-performing funds that bring exposure to the highly rated investment management group’s best growth ideas. One high-flying trust that looks particularly compelling is Monks (MNKS), which has a differentiated approach to global growth. Typically holding over 100 stocks ...

UK stocks closed higher Wednesday after news that the UK had become the first country to approve the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for emergency use with vaccinations expected to start next week. In afternoon trading, Pfizer shares gained 3.5% while in Frankfurt shares of BioNTech closed 5% higher on the day. At the close in London the FTSE 100 was was up 79 points or 1.25% at 6,463, with miners ...

UK stocks opened slightly lower on Wednesday despite news that the UK had become the first country to approve the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for emergency use with vaccinations expected to start next week. In contrast, shares of BioNTech jumped 8% in Frankfurt on the news. By midday the FTSE 100 was was up just 12 points or 0.2% at 6,396, with consumer stocks such as AB Foods (ABF), Coca-Cola ...

UK stocks opened slightly lower on Wednesday despite news that the UK had become the first country to approve the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for emergency use with vaccinations expected to start next week. Shares in Frankfurt listed BioNTech jumped 8% In early trading the FTSE 100 was off 0.1% at 6,382 points. Sterling traded 0.4% lower against the US dollar at $1.33. Brent Crude prices were ...

Highly-rated growth fund manager Baillie Gifford continued its strong returns run as the Monks Investment Trust (MNKS) significantly outperformed its benchmark in the half-year to 31 October 2020. Monks reported net asset value (NAV) growth of 26.8% during the six months, helping to power the share price 25.7% higher. This represented another knock-out performance versus its FTSE World Index ...

The FTSE 100 ended Monday with a 1.4% gain at 5,654, helped by a weaker pound. The currency fell 0.4% to $1.2904 following slow progress on Brexit talks, the threat of the Bank of England setting negative interest rates on Thursday and the prospect of a contested outcome from the US election. The more UK domestically focused FTSE 250 fell by 0.2% as investors worried about the impact of a new ...

After a slow opening following the announcement of a second national lockdown, UK stocks soared in mid-morning trading on Monday having been buoyed by a weaker pound and slightly improving sentiment. The exporter-heavy FTSE 100 gained 1.16% to 5,642 shortly after 12pm as the pound grappled with the lockdown impact and various other issues, including a lack of progress on Brexit talks, the ...

Shares in Ryanair (RYA) gained 3.76% to €12.43 despite the budget airline swinging to a big half-year loss as it warned of a ‘hugely challenging’ winter ahead. In the six months to 30 September, Ryanair reported a net loss of €197 million compared to a €1.15 billion profit after tax in the same period last year. Revenue plunged 78% to €1.18 billion from €5.39 billion in the ...

UK stocks continued their losing run on Monday with pub and restaurant operators among the biggest decliners as Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Saturday effectively placed the UK under house arrest with new restrictions aimed at halting the alarming rise in coronavirus infections. The measures, set be implemented on Thursday, are a little less draconian than those in place over the spring and ...