Funds play a really important role in most investors' portfolios. Many of us may not have the time or the inclination to research our own investment ideas and would rather entrust a professional to pick stocks (and other investments for us).The strength of broad market indices, particularly global and US ones, has made it difficult for actively managed funds to outperform over the last decade and

Saba's investment totals £1.5 billionSix of the seven trusts underperformedCompany proposes sacking directorsThe normally-sleepy world of investment trusts received a wake-up call this morning with the publication of a shareholder letter by activist investor Saba Capital Management calling for change at no fewer than seven well-known funds.The firm, which has a history of successfully instigating

Shares gain 289% over the past yearFurther contracts expected in space marketsTechnology roadmap progress madeShares in Filtronic (FTC:AIM) were up 8% to 77p in morning trading as the communications kit designer said it expects strong half-year results for the six months ending 30 November.It has been a stellar year for the firm which has seen its shares rise 289% due to a strong order flow from S

In last week's magazine, Shares focused on the methods by which leading fund managers identify genuine long-term growth opportunities, covering everything from the need for a growth mindset to bottom-up stock picking and the need to factor in top-down considerations.Now we turn the spotlight on the regional markets, themes and stocks which have some of the market's most admired investors salivatin

Edinburgh Worldwide Investment Trust (EWI) surprised the market this week when it announced it had developed 'a comprehensive action plan to improve execution' and would return up to £130 million of capital to shareholders next year.'Our vision, to identify and manage a carefully selected portfolio of transformative businesses, has the potential to deliver outsized returns for shareholders,' insi

Stocks in London ended Tuesday in the red, as growth fears sparked by the latest US manufacturing data and the weak demand outlook from China weigh on commodity stocks.The FTSE 100 index closed down 65.38 points, 0.8%, at 8,298.46. The FTSE 250 ended down 171.95 points, 0.8%, at 20,808.56, and the AIM All-Share closed down 4.51 points, 0.6%, at 762.39.The Cboe UK 100 ended down 0.7% at 830.63, the

Stocks in London were lower during midday trade on Tuesday, as investors looked ahead to the week's various US data prints.The FTSE 100 index was down 47.88 points, or 0.6%, at 8,315.99. The FTSE 250 was down 53.66 points, or 0.3%, at 20,928.34, and the AIM All-Share was unchanged at 766.96.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.5% at 832.51, the Cboe UK 250 was down 0.4% at 18,417.49, and the Cboe Small Comp

European markets ended in the red on Friday, after the fallout from a global IT outage sapped risk appetite.The FTSE 100 index ended down 49.17 points, 0.6%, at 8,155.72. The FTSE 250 ended down 166.48 points, or 0.8%, at 21,067.68, and the AIM All-Share fell 3.54 points, 0.5%, at 784.13.For the week, the FTSE 100 fell 1.2%, the FTSE 250 shed 0.6% and the AIM gave back 0.3%.The Cboe UK 100 ended d

Disposal boosts Chrysalis' liquiditySBO to receive back original investmentAnalyst says deal is 'good news' for UK techBritish semiconductor company Graphcore may have been sold to Japan's Softbank (9984:TYO) at a fraction of its peak value, but the deal has allowed investment trusts Chrysalis Investments (CHRY) and Schroder British Opportunities (SBO) to realise some cash and report uplifts in NA

Craneware will use Microsoft's Azure platformShares up 38% year-to-dateStrengthens existing relationship with MicrosoftShares in Craneware (CRW:AIM) were up over 2% to £23.65 in morning trading as the Edinburgh-based healthcare software company announced a tie-up with tech giant Microsoft (MSFT:NASDAQ).Craneware provides software solutions that help hospitals and other healthcare providers discov

THIS IS AN ADVERTISING FEATURE Imran Sattar, Portfolio Manager of Edinburgh Investment TrustWe like to diversify the Edinburgh Investment Trust within the 40 to 50 holdings in the portfolio by both companies and economic exposure. The portfolio currently is well diversified across stocks and sectors with a range of different economic characteristics.The most significant positions in the portfoli

Given the depressed valuation of the UK stock market ? and the even more depressed valuation of UK commercial property ? it was only a matter of time before someone came up with a fund to seize on the opportunities on offer.Enter Special Opportunities REIT, a new internally-managed real estate investment trust aimed at capitalising on the abundance of value in the UK commercial property sector 'at

Legal & General selling CalaDeadline for bids next weekPrice seen around £1 billionIn a sign of growing confidence among housebuilders, it has been reported Persimmon (PSN) could bid for smaller rival Cala Group which has been earmarked for sale by owner Legal & General (LGEN).Shares in the York-based homebuilder cheapened 32p or 2% to £14.50 as investors prepared themselves for a potential capi

Stock prices in the UK fell Friday morning after retail sales came in below forecasts after a rainy April.The FTSE 100 index opened down 53.88 points, 0.7%, at 8,285.35. The FTSE 250 was down 95.18 points, 0.5%, at 20,536.12, and the AIM All-Share was down 2.37 points, 0.3%, at 802.65.The Cboe UK 100 was down 0.7% at 826.62, the Cboe UK 250 was down 0.6% at 17,972.38, and the Cboe Small Companies

THIS IS AN ADVERTISING FEATURE Magnificent businesses are not confined to the US. In this article, Imran Sattar, Portfolio Manager of the Trust, explains why there are reasons for investors to be optimistic about the UK stock market despite the well documented headwinds, including the fact there are many companies with high returns and good growth prospects.I was appointed portfolio manager of

London?s FTSE 100 hit another record high on Friday, rounding off a strong week with another gain, despite a robust US inflation reading threatening to spoil the party.The FTSE 100 index added 60.97 points, 0.8%, at 8,139.83. It is its best closing level ever, and it earlier hit a record intraday high of 8,146.75.The FTSE 250 was up 222.18 points, 1.1%, at 19,824.16, and the AIM All-Share rose 2.1

London?s blue-chips remained in demand, pushing to new highs, with investors hoping US inflation data later does not derail the optimistic mood.In the FTSE 100, ConvaTec was an outlier, after Peel Hunt downgraded the firm?s investment rating. On the other side of the index was NatWest, with a set of well received results.The FTSE 100 index was up 35.73 points, 0.4%, at 8,114.59. The FTSE 250 was u

Investors bought in London at the open on Friday, with news led by Anglo American rejecting BHP?s £31.1 billion takeover offer and Darktrace accepting a $5 billion private equity takeover offer.The FTSE 100 index opened up 42.14 points, 0.5%, at 8,121.00. The FTSE 250 was up 151.94 points, 0.8%, at 19,753.92, and the AIM All-Share was up 2.41 points, 0.3%, at 755.53.The Cboe UK 100 was up 0.6% at

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

It?s something of a rarity to find a housebuilding company whose shares are hitting new 12-month highs but regional developer Springfield Properties (SPR:AIM) is flying high after its first-half trading update.The firm, which builds new homes in evocative locations such as Elgin and Inverness rather than focusing on Edinburgh and Glasgow, said it had seen increasing homebuyer confidence since the