Investment trusts have experienced challenges this year, with discounts remaining wide across various sectors and some consolidation occurring. However, certain trusts have performed well compared to both the wider market and their peer group. This article highlights the top performers across four of the Association of Investment Companies' most widely followed equity-facing sectors.GLOBALAn inves

In the first part of a three-part series featuring opinions and ideas from some of the UK's leading fund managers, we asked which stocks have surprised them the most over the course of the 2024 and why.While it was hard to avoid the influence of AI (artificial intelligence) on portfolios, the breadth of responses was surprising and goes to show how skilled stock-pickers can turn up gems in parts o

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

Identifying genuine growth stories is not easy but can be extremely rewarding. Nvidia (NVDA:NASDAQ) may be the ultimate growth stock example now but who was flagging its potential 10 years ago when revenue and profit was just a fraction of what it is today and when the widespread application of AI was still restricted to think pieces in periodicals. Some did catch on early and would have enjoyed e

Eight months in, 2024 is already a record year for M&A (mergers and acquisitions) in the investment trust sector.Trust boards are increasingly focused on value for money and shareholder returns amid persistently wide discounts to NAV (net asset value) and with activists nosing around. A major trend underway is mergers between sub-scale trusts with similar remits to create funds large and liquid en

Funds can often be in vogue with investors thanks to a big-name manager or a past reputation, but just how well-earned is the popularity of the UK's most popular funds and investment trusts?In this article we've taken a look at the performance of a select group of funds which regularly feature among the most bought and most widely-held in the market to judge whether they are truly delivering the g

'Quality investing' is the style pursued by the world's most famous investor Warren Buffett and Terry Smith, arguably the best-known British fund manager who runs the five-star Morningstar-rated Fundsmith Equity (B41YBW7) and consistently favours quality firms. Quality investing has generated strong long-run returns for its practitioners, including Buffett, but how do the leading fund managers off

Discounts and premiums to NAV (net asset value), which is the value of all the investments an investment trust holds minus any debt or loans, are among the trust universe's unique quirks and can confuse novice investors. At the moment the vast majority of trusts trade at a discount.Annabel Brodie-Smith, the AIC's (Association of Investment Companies) communications director, says: 'Only around 20

A classic example of a superb business with staying power, The Coca-Cola Company (KO:NYSE) is blessed with iconic brands spearheaded by Coca-Cola or ?Coke?, the world?s most recognised soft drink synonymous with its red cans.Coca-Cola?s brands resonate with consumers around the world, making the New York-listed group?s products the beverage of choice for billions when at home or on the move.Powerf

Unlike investment funds, trusts can trade at a discount or premium to the underlying assets which can be to the advantage of potential buyers but a thorn in the side for existing shareholders and trust boards alike.Poor performance is often a key factor driving the share price below NAV (net asset value). Scottish Mortgage Trust (SMT) and multi-manager Witan Investment Trust (WTAN) sit on double-d

JPMorgan Global Growth & Income (JGGI) 551.1pMarket cap: £2.44 billionInvestors looking for a balance of dependable income and growth should look no further than JPMorgan Income & Growth (JGGI) which is the top performer in the AIC?s (Association of Investment Companies) global equity income category over the last five and 10 years.The objective of the fund is to provide superior total returns an

City of London most bought in FebruaryScottish Mortgage most sold last monthAI winner Nvidia tops stock buysInvestors across the AJ Bell platform have been piling into popular City of London (CTY), JP Morgan Global Growth & Income (JGGI) in February and selling Scottish Mortgage (SMT) and Smithson Investment Trust (SSON).Overall, 11.44% of all buy deals placed on the AJ Bell platform were for City

Trust cites ?ongoing market demand?Large wealth manager also buyingPlacing at a 0.6% premium to NAVIt?s not often an investment trust gets to issue new shares at a premium to NAV (net asset value) but being one of the UK?s most popular funds surely helps.That?s the case with JPMorgan Global Growth & Income (JGGI), which today announced it would raise up to £40 million in order to satisfy ?ongoing

It has been a difficult year for investment trusts as a whole. Discounts have widened across various sectors and there have been a series of failed continuation votes and mergers. Yet some trusts have still done extremely well - relative both to the wider market and their peer group. In this article we shine a light on the biggest outperformers in some of the Association of Investment Companies' m

Equity income trusts in demandCity of London most boughtScottish Mortgage, Finsbury Growth & Income divide opinionWith conflict in the Middle East and Ukraine creating uncertainty, and investors grappling with cost-of-living pressures as falling inflation is expected to be a drawn-out process, dependable income trusts have proved popular on the AJ Bell platform over the past month.At the same time

We would hesitate to call it a wave of consolidation - maybe a ripple would be more appropriate - but this year has seen a number of mergers among investment trusts.There is a long tail of sub-scale funds and trusts in the UK all desperate to attract more investors, but with the average discount to net asset value hitting 18% at the end of October, according to research from Winterflood Securities

Investors sought haven trusts over the past monthCapital preservation trusts proving popular amid geopolitical instabilityUK-focused trusts disappoint as FTSE 100 stallsConflict in the Middle East, an ongoing war in Ukraine, stubbornly high inflation and interest rates… it is no wonder investors have been positioning portfolios for a rocky ride ahead.Names with a reputation for low-risk investme

Fallen growth star loses net 6% trade volumes on AJ BellTerry Smith's Smithson also an autumn loser so farInvestors snap up reliable growth and income trustsOnce one of the UK's favourite investment trusts, Scottish Mortgage (SMT) continues to lose backers hand over fist as investors stay wary of private company valuations. Last month, the Baillie Gifford-run trust accounted for nearly 15% of all

22.2% rise in share price total returnBenchmark return 11.3% for the full yearAverage annualised NAV return of 16.2%Shares in JP Morgan Global Growth & Income (JGGI) were little changed at 468p in morning trading as the company's net asset value (NAV) per share returned 19.1% for the year ended 30 June 2023, well ahead of the MSCI All Countries World Index return of 11.3%, despite stubbornly high

We have touched before on the issue of 'concentration risk' or having too many eggs in one basket and the benefits of a diversified portfolio. The recent decision by the Nasdaq stock exchange to reduce the weighting of the biggest tech stocks has once again raised the question, can you have too much of a good thing?We do not necessarily mean tech stocks, but as an investor it is important to know