Anniversaries are often an opportunity to take stock so the Shares team has had a look at the best performing shares, funds and investment trusts since the magazine's first issue in September 1999.Read on to discover the identity of the top performers and find out names we think will continue to impress in the years to come and those where we think the good times might be over. But first, Ian Conw

Since inception in October 2019 RTW Biotech Opportunities (RTW) has delivered 65.3% growth in NAV (net asset value), smashing the performance of the Russell 2000 Biotech index which is down 0.7% as well as the NBI (Nasdaq Biotech Index) which is up 20.6% over the same period.Despite the superior performance to the benchmark and peers, the shares trade at an unwarranted 23% discount to NAV, represe

With so much macroeconomic uncertainty, the recent mergers and acquisitions spree has lost momentum apart from one sector.Big pharmaceutical firms are awash with cash, yet patent cliffs (expiration of patent protection) present challenges which can be partially fixed by buying smaller biotech firms with products almost ready to go to market.International Biotechnology Trust's (IBT) Ailsa Craig and

The Bellevue Healthcare Trust (BBH) has built an enviable track record since launching in 2016. Shares believes the 5.6% discount to NAV (net asset value) presents investors with an attractive entry point.The trust has delivered three-and five-year total returns in NAV of 70.3% and 91.8% respectively, comfortably beating its benchmark (MSCI World Healthcare) returns of 48.6% and 71.2%.Dividends ha

Ryan Hughes, head of investment research at AJ Bell, picks eight funds and investment trusts with different risk levels covering bonds, global equities, infrastructure, healthcare and dividends.Cautious investors: Personal Assets Investment Trust (PNL)5-year annualised return: 6.68% (source: Morningstar)I'm sticking with the Personal Assets trust for the third year in a row, particularly as the ec

While it may be slightly out of favour with investors at present, healthcare is a good addition to any portfolio. It tends to be relatively insensitive to what's happening in the wider economy and demographic drivers, particularly in the West, are likely to underpin demand in the years to come as we emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic.Investment Trust Polar Capital Global Healthcare (PCGH) trades at

Investors need not be too worried about what the rotation into value could mean for some of the most popular investment trusts geared towards growth names.Some of the trusts that invest almost exclusively in growth names are still delivering a decent performance, showing there are some good fund managers despite what the critics of active management might say.Naturally more value-orientated trusts

Joe Biden is now officially president of the United States, something which is likely to have implications for your portfolio.His policy plans, ranging from infrastructure and renewable energy to technology and healthcare, will have direct impact on indices like the S&P 500 and FTSE 100, as well as a lot of the big companies held in a wide range of high-profile funds.INFRASTRUCTURE STOCKSOne of Bi

The biotechnology sector has been in the doldrums relatively speaking over the last five years having under-performed the FTSE World index by 48% and the MSCI World HealthCare index by 39%.According to Bloomberg data the sector is trading on a one-year forward price-to-earnings (PE) multiple of just 9.9 times, the lowest in 25 years.We have delved into the issues that have been driving performance

Investment funds expert Stifel has turned positive on Worldwide Healthcare Trust (WWH), a capital growth-focused pharmaceutical and biotechnology investor.'After the market volatility in the fourth quarter of 2018, some investors may be looking to reduce their portfolio cyclicality,' argues Stifel. 'Healthcare is one potential area as it is typically viewed as a defensive, non-cyclical industry su

The most popular investment trusts on AJ Bell's YouInvest platform in the month to 8 February include long-time favourites such as Scottish Mortgage (SMT) and Finsbury Growth & Income (FGT), as well as some trusts investors may be less familiar with.Investment trusts can be a useful option for investors looking for diversified exposure to a range of different companies and other assets.TAKING ADVA

Many parents use tax-efficient Junior ISA accounts to save for their children, but how do they decide where to invest for their children's future?Junior ISA accounts can grow tax-free, and can be opened from birth, with parents and grandparents able to pay in money each year, with the current tax year's limit being £4,260.The money is locked up until the child reaches the age of 18, at which poin

For many of us growing up, the idea of becoming a millionaire would have seemed a pipe dream which could only be achieved by winning the lottery or coming into an unexpected inheritance from a long-lost relative.However, making a million from the markets is a genuinely realistic goal. In this article, we do the sums to show how, by using tax efficient wrappers and benefiting from the superior retu

Have you ever checked to see if your investment portfolio is too dependent on success from higher risk assets such as shares in the tech, mining, oil or drug sectors?While these types of investments can often be very exciting and rewarding, having too much exposure can be problematic if these sectors go out of favour or the stocks do not live up to their hype.A neat trick to retain the excitement

Worldwide Healthcare Trust (WWH) portfolio manager Sam Isaly is optimistic about the future of the healthcare industry thanks, in part, to strong innovation from emerging biotechs. Run by OrbiMed Capital, the investment trust invests in the global healthcare sector in a bid to achieve high capital growth.Isaly also believes that pharmaceuticals companies are on the cusp of a period of positive ea

Investment trusts with exposure to the property and healthcare sectors, as well as overseas markets were in fashion over the last month.Among the most in demand were RIT Capital Partners (RCP), Tritax Big Box (BBOX), Biotech Growth (BIOG) and Templeton Emerging Markets (TEM).ENHANCING WEALTHRIT Capital Partners aims to protect and enhance shareholders wealth over the long term by taking advantage

Investment trusts are the oldest form of managed fund with some dating back more than a hundred years. They are structured as publicly listed companies with their shares quoted on the London Stock Exchange.There are about 400 investment trusts available in the UK and they have a combined market value of around £160bn. The largest are worth more than £3bn each and include the likes of Scottish Mo

One of the brains behind two highly successful pharmaceutical and biotech funds says a new US President could be good for the drugs sector, despite market concerns about the new leader imposing a price cap on drugs.Sven Borho is the founding partner of investment firm OrbiMed which manages Biotech Growth Trust (BIOG) and Worldwide Healthcare Trust (WWH). Together these funds have nearly $2bn of as

The US presidential election on 8 November 2016 matters to UK investors. It could have a significant impact on the value of stocks, bonds, currencies and commodities.Economic strength - as influenced by the president's policies - will also drive interest rates in the US. They are, in turn, highly influential on interest rates elsewhere in the world.We believe a Trump victory would trigger a short-

Wouldn't it be nice if you could buy an investment trust or fund and see it deliver a consistent performance year in, year out?We've found a group of products that arguably have the hallmarks of being reliable or fairly consistent performers. There is no guarantee they will always deliver positive results in the future, but their track record is so good that you should sit up and take notice.We lo