Technology-heavy Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust (SMT) tops the charts with retail investors, according to data from investment platform AJ Bell YouInvest.
The Baillie Gifford-run investment trust was the most actively traded by AJ Bell YouInvest customers this week, regaining its popularity after falling out of favour for most of 2022’s first quarter.
Scottish Mortgage saw its shares rally nearly 2.5% this week as investors’ appetite for growth continued to return. At £10.355, the growth fund has rallied 24% since 834p lows in early March 2022, reflecting big gains in the Nasdaq 100, which has rallied 15% since the middle of March.
Trading in Scottish Mortgage represented almost 17% of all AJ Bell youInvest client deals, the data shows.
Rising interest rates have not been helpful for Scottish Mortgage which saw its shares almost halve from November 2021’s £15.44.
STOCK MARKET RECOVERY
Stock markets have recovered almost all the losses suffered since the invasion of Ukraine despite the continued rise in bond yields.
This has spurred investor confidence and boosted investment activity. Defensive all-weather trusts also feature strongly in the data, an unsurprising trend given increased market volatility.
Ruffer Investment company (RICA) and RIT Capital Partners (RCP) have all seen investor interest rise over the last week. Collectively trading in these vehicles represented over 12% of all deals in the last week.
These trusts have provided investors with good shelter during the markets recent wobble and their shares trade near recent highs.
INFLATION PROTECTION
The Ukraine conflict has added to global inflationary pressures and investors have sought vehicles which give them some protection. The JLEN Environmental Assets Group (JLEN) saw the third most active trading over the last week.
This infrastructure fund’s objective is to pay a sustainable dividend which increases in line with inflation and to protect capital. The shares are trading near 12-month highs.
Russia reopened its stock market last week allowing investors the opportunity to buy and sell shares, so it isn’t surprising to see the JP Morgan Russian Securities (JRS) trust the second most active trust on the buy and sell side.
The shares have dropped over 80% since the invasion of Ukraine.
DISCLAIMER: Writer Martin Gamble and Steven Frazer, who edited this story, own shares in AJ Bell. Steven Frazer also owns shares in Scottish Mortgage.
