Putting aside some of your disposable income on a regular basis to build up a deposit on a first home and take that initial step onto the property ladder is something everyone strives for, but did you know the government will give you thousands of pounds for free to do it?Launched in April 2017, the Lifetime ISA is one of the less well-publicised savings products, but it can get you to that...

- Earnings climb despite negative markets- Assets recover post year-end- Shares rally on better resultsIn a year which has seen sustainable and ESG (environmental, social and governance) driven investments come under pressure, specialist manager Impax Asset Management (IPX) has delivered a better-than-expected result.Impax shares, which have almost halved in value this year, jumped 6% to 767p...

- Shares tumble 13%, reversing three weeks of gains- Sales, operating profits and inflows all positive- Weak markets creating headwindsEven though it posted strong gains in sales and operating earnings for the six months to March, shares in specialist sustainable investment firm Impax Asset Management (IPX) tumbled 13% to 704p in early trading.A drop in net assets in April and fears of weak...

By Daniel Coatsworth, Mark Gardner, Ian Conway and James CruxIt's your final chance to make the most of the £20,000 ISA allowance for the 2021/22 tax year and we've got three quality investment ideas for those seeking last minute inspiration.The beauty of ISAs is you don't pay any tax on capital gains or income from investments inside the account.Even if you aren't ready to put more money...

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...

Among the best kept investment secrets is the fact smaller companies typically outperform larger companies over the medium and long term thanks to characteristics ranging from innovation and faster organic growth to entrepreneurial management, agility in the face of change and the greater likelihood of a takeover bid.Within the UK's small cap funds and investment trusts sectors is an elite...

UK stocks dropped in early trading after a selloff in overseas markets following the first case of the Omicron variant in the U.S. and a warning from technology firm Apple that demand for its latest iPhone had weakened.Meanwhile, investors were also watching energy prices ahead of an meeting of OPEC+ oil producers, which it is hoped will lead to an increase in supplies after the U.S. and...

UK investors have witnessed a steady if unspectacular pandemic recovery for UK shares in the main. But some parts of the market have bounced further and faster, and the BlackRock Smaller Companies Trust (BRSC) is a great way to tap into the strength of the UK smaller company universe at a larger than usual discount to net asset value.In 2021 the FTSE Small Cap index has risen 22% while the...

BlackRock Throgmorton (THRG) 916.59pGain to date: 30.4%Original entry point: Buy at 702.79p, 26 November 2020Our call to buy investment trust BlackRock Throgmorton (THRG) for its focus on quality companies which had been sold off in the initial value rally has proved a canny trade.The portfolio is dominated by small and mid-cap names which have performed strongly in the interim. A portfolio...

Despite healthy double-digit gains in 2021, driven by successful vaccination rollouts and recovering economies, major stock markets around the world appear to have stalled since early May.London's FTSE 100, the Standard and Poors 500, Japan's Nikkei 225 the Nasdaq 100 indices have failed so far to push on from recent highs.The exception is emerging markets with Brazil's Bovespa index up 6%,...

UK stocks traded sideways on Thursday as gains in mining and aerospace stocks were offset by weakness in utilities and consumer names. By 9am the FTSE 100 was down 3 points at 7,024, while the FTSE 250 mid-cap index was up 4 points at 22,644.Overnight, markets in America and Asia were largely unchanged as investors sat on the sidelines ahead of crucial trade talks between the US and China...

Picking individual shares can be a good investment strategy for an experienced investor who has a strong understanding of the stock market and has the time to do their own research.But none of us can get it right all the time and even investors like Alan from Fife, who has been investing since the 1970s, can sometimes make mistakes.He has been able to pick some winning shares with...

If the 2010s represented the temperamental teenage years of sustainable and ethical investing, 2020 marked its 'rite of passage' to adulthood. During the first quarter of 2020, even as markets around the world nosedived and global fund outflows hit $385 billion, sustainable funds saw net inflows of $45.6 billion according to Morningstar.As the industry matures there are those who can imagine a...

It feels as though 2020 was the year when ESG investing finally came of age. Expect more of the same in 2021, only more so.Throughout the pandemic, whatever happened to share or bond prices, sustainable investing continued to grow as institutions and individuals allocated more and more funds to the sector.A new cohort of younger, more eco-aware investors has emerged, demanding change, while...

After good gains in the previous two sessions, UK stocks marked time on Thursday as Brexit negotiations remained gridlocked and Russia and Saudi Arabia argued over extending production cuts agreed at the start of the pandemic.At 8.30am the FTSE 100 index of leading stocks was almost unchanged at 6,466 points with weakness in banks and utilities offsetting gains in industrial and consumer...

A UK fund run by asset manager Liontrust (LIO) snapped up an 8.1% stake in rival Impax Asset Management (IPX) earlier this week after Impax's biggest shareholder sold down part of its stake, according to a regulatory filing.On Wednesday, BNP Paribas Asset Management sold 10% of its 24.5% holding in the specialist asset manager through broker Peel Hunt at a heavily discounted price of 510p per...

Schroders (SDR) £30.37Loss to date: 9.2%Original entry point: Buy at £33.46, 19 December 2019OUR 2020 PICK has beaten the FTSE 100 since we recommended it late last year, having recovered significantly from its March lows, but we sense that further gains are likely to be limited.Assets under management (AUM) grew 5% in the first half to £525.8 billion, more than expected, mostly thanks to...

The FTSE 100 dipped 0.4% to 6,368 points on Thursday, dragged down by oil shares after Brent Crude prices fell 13% to $36.4 per barrel on heightened worries over a large build-up in US distillate inventories.Going in the other direction were pharma and beverage shares with AstraZeneca (AZN) up 1.7% to £87.4 and Diageo (DGE) 0.85% higher at £29.2.Asian shares rose to two-month highs with the...

Shares in specialist environmental, social and governance (ESG) money manager Impax Asset Management (IPX:AIM) climbed 10% to 332p early on Tuesday after its second-quarter trading update showed significant inflows of new money.Although assets under management (AUM) for the three months to 31 March were lower than at the start of the quarter, totaling £14.4bn against £16.1bn, this was due to...

Investors will be coming to equity markets on Wednesday hoping for some sort of recovery from the sea of red in yesterday's huge sell-off in UK stocks.The FTSE 100 benchmark slumped 1.75% to 7,158.76 in trading on Tuesday after President Trump again spooked investors, but the early signs in London are not hugely promising. The UK's leading index is off another 15 points in early deals to...