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

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

Investors are looking hard at the stocks held in funds managed by Odey Asset Management for fear they will be dumped on the market as the hedge fund tries to raise cash. While some positions have already been cut, there remain plenty of stocks where its position has not changed (yet?).The firm is restructuring following a Financial Times investigation into alleged misconduct by founder Crispin Ode

Any readers who share Warren Buffett?s opinion that gold is an inert, useless lump can turn over the page right now. The Sage of Omaha has long since asserted that an alien invader would dismiss the purportedly precious metal as worthless were they to trip over an ingot upon their arrival from outer space.That might be going a bit far, as even the most hardened sceptic would probably be prepared t

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

Shanta Gold (SHG:AIM) 11.85pGain to date: 31.2%We made African gold miner Shanta Gold (SHG:AIM) one of our key picks for 2023 in the expectation of higher gold prices and with the hope strong operational progress from the company could offer gains over and above those enjoyed by the precious metal.WHAT HAS HAPPENED SINCE WE SAID TO BUY?Both parts of our investment case have paid off. Gold prices h

Gold often does well during periods of slowing growth and persistent inflation (known as stagflation) and it should also benefit from a reversal in the strong dollar which held the precious metal back in 2022.Bitcoin's claims to be an alternative to gold have taken a battering in recent months as the collapse of cryptocurrency platform FTX has seen the digital token more than halve from 2022 highs

It's been a tricky 2022 for global stock markets and that's made life hard for ordinary and professional investors alike. In this feature several leading fund managers explain what worked out for them over the course of the year and what went wrong.James Harries - Securities Trust of Scotland (STS)What worked?At Troy (Securities Trust of Scotland's investment manager) we seek companies that genera

THIS IS AN ADVERTISING PROMOTIONAfter a turbulent year for gold so far, many commodity experts are bullish on the long-term outlook for the yellow metal - citing financial and geopolitical uncertainty topped off by the spectre of low interest rates - suggesting the recent price dip presents a ripe opportunity to snap up bullion.Against this backdrop, an emerging East African-focused gold producer

The UK's benchmark index gave up its early trading gains in a subdued session early in the afternoon on Friday. At midday, the FTSE 100 was down 0.03% at 7,123.17.In a market that has struggled to find both momentum and direction investors will be focusing on the comments made by Fed Chairman Jerome Powell at the Jackson Hole symposium. The market will be scrutinizing his remarks for any outline o

The FTSE 100 made a slow start to the final trading day of the week ahead of the long Bank Holiday weekend with investors keeping their powder dry ahead of Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell's comments at the Jackson Hole symposium for central bankers.Economic watchers largely expect the address to the remote conference will be unremarkable, but the market awaits in anticipation regardless.At 9am

One of the oldest sayings in the stock market is 'the trend is your friend', which means if a share price has been rising for some time, all else being equal, it's likely to continue rising for the foreseeable future. Likewise, if it's been falling for some time, it will likely keep falling until the news flow or sentiment changes.In this article we explain how buying stocks that hit a 12-month hi

Shares in AIM-quoted gold miner Shanta Gold (SHG:AIM) jumped over 5% to 11.6p on Monday 10 February after a 'potentially transformative' deal with Canadian giant Barrick Gold.The junior miner has acquired a gold deposit in West Kenya, paying $7m in cash to Barrick and another $7.5m in shares, meaning Barrick is now the fifth largest shareholder in the business.Shanta said the asset is one of the

The FTSE 100 fell into the red on Monday morning as the coronavirus death toll eclipsed Sars, with investors concerned about the impact the virus will have on manufacturing in China and the surrounding region.The UK's benchmark index opened 0.22% lower to 7,462.05, taking its lead from Asian stock markets which also dropped in morning trade.Japan's Nikkei 225 fell 0.6%, the Hang Seng in Hong Kong

Resurgence in the price of gold amid geopolitical tensions between North Korea and Japan has drawn investors back to gold mining shares.The precious metal has increased by nearly 10% in value since 7 July to $1,317 per ounce. Over that same period the best performing gold miner on the UK stock market has risen by 100% in value, being Bezant Resources (BZT:AIM).Gold miners often outperform a rising

I've been having a play with some of the pre-populated stock screens on financial website Stockopedia, in the hope of finding some ideas for companies to research for future articles in Shares. One screen, in particular, caught my attention as it flags some interesting names in the small cap space.Stockopedia has a screen called 'Tiny Titans' which has outperformed the FTSE 100 over the past six,

The 25% year to date rise in the gold price to $1,331 per ounce may bring a few nasties out of the woodwork. By that I mean low-quality projects that only work at a high gold price. I'm convinced this will happen if gold stays above $1,300 over the coming months.Many gold miners found they had to down tools when gold started its descent in 2012. The previous rally from circa $750 per ounce in 2008

Investors are excited by Shanta Gold's (SHG:AIM) plans to start production on a second mine, albeit just a pilot plant. The small cap miner's shares jump 15% to 8.35p on the news.The Tanzania-based miner says it will commence operations in the first quarter of 2017 at the Singida project, targeting 800 ounces of gold production per month.It will cost $4 million to development the pilot operation,

The Bastille Day attack in France has understandably hit holiday companies and airlines in opening trade on Friday. Budget carrier Easyjet (EZJ) leads the FTSE 100 fallers, down 3.2% to £11.33, while British Airways-owner International Consolidated Airways (IAG) trades 0.5% lower at 424p.Tour operator TUI (TUI) also opens on the back foot, 0.5% lower to 967.7p, while small cap airline FlyBe (FLYB

The discovery of high grade gold mineralisation by Shanta Gold (SHG:AIM) in a previously-unexplored area bodes well for extending the life of its New Luika mine in Tanzania.The news (6 July) wasn't recognised by investors amid the broader macro economic and political noise governing the direction of stock markets. That presents an opportunity to buy at 7.7p before Shanta's improving situation star