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

AI continues to drive revenue growthSales up nearly 32% year-to-dateStock has nearly doubled this yearAI demand continues to power chip sales for TSMC (TSM:NYSE), the world's biggest contract chipmaker, which clocked a sharp year-on-year increase in revenue through November, even if growth slowed a little from October.TSMC's net revenue rose 34% to T$276.06 billion (approximately $8.52 billion) fr

POLAR CAPITAL TECHNOLOGY TRUST (PCT) £27.71Trust size: £3.32 billionIt's a simple fact of modern investing that tech stocks need to be part of a broadly-based portfolio, but as the recent spell of volatility shows it can be a minefield.What you want is a broad selection of high-quality, innovative companies exposed to long-run profitable technological change while avoiding the hype and bluster m

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

That chip designer Nvidia (NVDA:NASDAQ) is now vying for the position of the world's largest company is arguably less startling than the 'blink and you've missed it' manner in which it has happened. It took Apple (AAPL:NASDAQ) five years to bridge the $1 trillion to $3 trillion market cap gap, Microsoft (MSFT:NASDAQ) about the same. Nvidia did it in barely a year.At the beginning of 2023 Nvidia wa

In retrospect, it seems clear the tipping point for AI (artificial intelligence) was the release in November 2022 of OpenAI?s free-to use ChatGPT system.Until that point, most AI products were being developed privately and weren?t widely available to the public, added to which most were fairly clunky whereas ChatGPT was able to interact in a conversational way, answering questions, challenging inc

The recent wave of takeovers and mergers in the quoted UK commercial real estate sector has continued this week with the proposed all-share takeover of UK Commercial Property (UKCM) by Tritax Big Box (BBOX).The deal, which values UKCM at 71.1p per share or a 10.8% premium to the previous day?s closing price, would create the UK?s fourth-largest REIT (real estate investment trust) by market cap wit

All-share deal to create top four REITOffer at a 10.8% premium to closing priceStrong strategic rationale for combiningThe wave of consolidation in the UK listed property sector looks set to continue with today?s announcement of an proposed deal between Tritax Big Box (BBOX) and UK Commercial Property (UKCM) to create the fourth-largest REIT (real estate investment trust) by market value.Shares in

While it was founded over a century ago as a general investment trust, since 1984 TR Property (TRY) has focused exclusively on analysing the UK and European property sectors looking for the most profitable and attractive companies.The FTSE 250 company currently has exposure to 12 European countries, including the UK, through holdings in over 60 stocks and funds as well as a small number of direct

It may look like odd timing to back Adobe (ADBE:NASDAQ) just after lukewarm guidance, but we think this is a great opportunity.The creative digital software firm called for fiscal 2024 earnings per share of $17.60 to $18 on $21.3 billion to $21.5 billion revenue, a little light compared with the consensus of $18 and $21.7 billion revenue respectively.The shares plunged 7%, which seemed harsh to us

AdobeIt may look like odd timing to back Adobe (ADBE:NASDAQ) just after lukewarm guidance, but we think this is a great opportunity.The creative digital software firm called for fiscal 2024 earnings per share of $17.60 to $18 on $21.3 billion to $21.5 billion revenue, a little light compared with the consensus of $18 and $21.7 billion revenue respectively.The shares plunged 7%, which seemed harsh

Saving for the future is not always front of mind for most people which is understandable given the cost-of-living crisis and the need to balance household budgets.This is a shame because the sooner an investor can get started the better their chances are of building a decent nest egg. In this article we show how you can go from a starting point of investing £200 per month, building up your contr

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

Combined market value just over £1 billionCombined assets close to £2 billionUK property sector ripe for consolidationThe UK property sector received a jolt this morning with the news UK Commercial Property REIT (UKCM), managed by investment group abrdn (ABDN), and independently-run Picton Property Income (PCTN), were in all-share merger talks.If the talks are successful, the merged company woul

It has not been an easy decade to be a fund manager. Brexit, a global pandemic, the largest war in Europe for a generation and an inflation crisis have punctuated a 10-year period which has seen significant market volatility. However, steering investors' money through difficult waters is how a good fund manager earns their corn.Using FE Analytics' platform, Shares has crunched the numbers to ident

NAV falls 2.8% versus 3% benchmark gainPolar Capital Technology Trust benefiting from tech stock reboundShares up 31% year-to-dateSpecialist technology investment trust Polar Capital Technology (PCT) reported a 2.8% fall in NAV (net asset value) for the year ending 30 April 2023 compared to a 7.7% fall in the same period last year.The Polar Capital trust underperformed its benchmark - the Dow Jone

It has been difficult to ignore the renewed sense of optimism creeping into stock markets this year. Misery has been replaced by a watchful brightness, and nowhere has this sheen reflected better than among software growth stocks.After tumbling more than a third in 2022, the US-listed iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF (IGV:BATS), comprised of many of the major enterprise software players,

Few portfolio managers have escaped the global stock market sell-off, but tech has been plagued more than most. For example, the Nasdaq index, often used as a barometer of the sector's health, is down 27% this year, compared to a 14% decline for the S&P 500.The reason to still invest in this space is to get exposure to clear structural trends capable of delivering above-average investment returns

Based on conversations with fund managers at AJ Bell's annual Investival conference for financial advisers, there is a feeling that professional investors are starting to become more optimistic after what's been a very tricky year on the markets.This tallies with how stock markets in many parts of the world have recently started to pick up. Bank of America even says the middle of November saw the

Following on from the pandemic and war in Ukraine, UK stocks are being buffeted by headwinds from hot inflation, rising rates and the cost-of-living crisis. But it is UK small and mid-cap investors that have endured the toughest period over the past year, with the small cap, mid cap and AIM indices all suffering severe setbacks.The good news, however, is this sell-off has created opportunities acr