We might have thought we'd seen it all after 2020 but it's been quite a year in 2021 too with an impressive rebound for the markets from the ravages of the pandemic.But which stocks have done best? Read on to discover the top performers up and down the market cap spectrum and find out why they've done so well. For the purposes of this article we've deliberately excluded investment trusts.£4...

London's FTSE 100 closed three points higher to 7,022.61 as stocks on Wall Street made a strong start ahead of US President Joe Biden's budget announcement, where he's expected to unveil the biggest Government spending since the Second World War.Biden's mega $6 trillion proposal would amount to more than one quarter of the United States' gross domestic product and see annual spending rise to a...

Leading UK shares gained ahead of US President Joe Biden's $6 trillion budget plan later, where it's expected he will unveil plans for the biggest sustained US Government spending since the Second World War.It would amount to more than one quarter of the United States' gross domestic product and see annual spending rise to a projected $8.2 trillion by 2031.Investors have reacted positively...

The UK's major shares opened on the up on Friday led by gains in heavyweight banking and commodity stocks, while investors awaited key US inflation data that has kept them on edge this week.The benchmark FTSE 100 rallied 0.3% in early deals to 7,041.55, gains that didn't quite match those seen on Asian markets overnight as they welcomed the strong economic recovery in the US.Japan's Nikkei 225...

THIS IS AN ADVERTISING PROMOTIONRoger Pim, Global Head of Private Markets Product Strategy & Solutions at Aberdeen Standard Investments, explains how the Global Sustainability Trust (GST) aims to achieve an attractive return for investors You've said that the Global Sustainability Trust will aim for an internal rate of return of 6-8% a year, net of fees. Why have you chosen that as the target...

THIS IS AN ADVERTISING PROMOTIONRoger Pim, Global Head of Private Markets Product Strategy & Solutions at Aberdeen Standard Investments, explains how the Global Sustainability Trust (GST) is constructed to deliver positive social and environment change. The Global Sustainability Trust's remit is to accelerate the United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals. So it's a very wide-ranging...

A pull back at consumer health and hygiene powerhouse Reckitt Benckiser (RB.) is a buying opportunity. The Cillit Bang, Veet and Vanish brands owner is a so-called 'expensive defensive' but its globally-derived earnings, dependable cash flow and progressive dividend should remain highly prized if markets turn bearish.GROWTH GUIDANCE DOWNGRADESSlough-based Reckitt recently cut (6 Jul) its full...

Cillit Bang-to-Strepsils owner Reckitt Benckiser (RB.) has rocked investors. The consumer products giant revealed that last month's WannaCry ransomware cyber-attack has put a serious dampener on second quarter sales.That has added to the drag of new product taxes in India, an important emerging market for Reckitt. It means that the Slough-based company is cutting its full year like-for-like...

Asian powerhouse India's macroeconomic health is the strongest it has been in a decade. The nation could be both a fantastic top down and bottom up investment story. Growth is accelerating driven by demographics and urbanisation, while corporate quality is high with many world class management teams treating minority shareholders properly. Furthermore, inflation is falling and the government...