After well over 1,000 issues Shares' time as a weekly publication has come to an end. A new monthly version is in the works for customers of AJ Bell and, if that applies to you, remember to look out for that later this year. However, it is clearly a good time to take stock. Having worked for Shares for 18 of its 26 years it's been my privilege and pleasure to edit the magazine for the last 18...

After well over 1,000 issues Shares' time as a weekly publication is coming to an end. A new monthly version is in the works for customers of AJ Bell and, if that applies to you, remember to look out for that later this year. However, it is clearly a good time to take stock. Having worked for Shares for 18 of its 26 years it's been my privilege and pleasure to edit the magazine for the last 18...

In our penultimate issue in the current weekly format the Shares team identifies some of the actively-managed funds and trusts they like the best from the thousands on offer to UK investors. We have not used any specific selection criteria to come up with our list, these are just our writers' best ideas based on our assessment of the relevant vehicle's track record, management and investment...

Murray International (MYI) 295p Market cap: £1.75 billion Investment trust Murray International (MYI), part of the Aberdeen Asset Management stable, delivered a solid set of half year results on 15 August, cementing itself in the eyes of investors as delivering income and long-term capital growth. Over the six months to 30 June, the company delivered an NAV (net asset value) total return of...

Freixe axed after 'undisclosed romantic relationship' Nespresso head named new CEO Fresh uncertainty over strategic direction Investors in Nestle (NESN:SWX) face further uncertainty following news the Swiss food and drink giant has parted ways with its chief executive for the second time in a year with Laurent Freixe dismissed following a code of conduct breach. The KitKat chocolate-to-Nescafe...

Premium drinks leader Diageo (DGE) served up weak results for the year to June 2025 with operating profits down 27.8% to $4.3 billion (£3.2 billion) due to challenging spirits market conditions, unfavourable currency swings and an earnings hangover from restructuring costs. The FTSE 100 distiller failed to name a new CEO following the recent departure (16 July) of Debra Crew, forecast flat...

Stocks in London finished higher on Tuesday, helped by positive results for major firms, but tempered some earlier gains after weak data from the US. 'Strong corporate results are helping as they show businesses can still thrive despite the turbulent backdrop,' said Russ Mould at AJ Bell. The FTSE 100 index closed up 14.43 points, 0.2%, at 9,142.73. It had earlier traded as high as 9,177.95....

Organic growth 'beat' Standout performances from Don Julio, Guinness Flat sales forecast for full year 2026 Premium drinks leader Diageo (DGE) served up weak results for the year to June 2025 with operating profits down 27.8% to $4.3 billion (£3.2 billion) due to challenging spirits market conditions, unfavourable currency swings and an earnings hangover from restructuring costs. The FTSE 100...

Investors will want to learn more about the expected impact of tariffs on the business and see evidence of ongoing organic sales improvement when spirits leader Diageo (DGE) serves up full-year results on 5 August. Still nursing a post-pandemic hangover, the alcoholic drinks giant is now in the market for a new chief executive following the departure (16 July) of Debra Crew after a tough two...

Stocks in London closed mostly lower on Wednesday, pulled back amid reports that US President Donald Trump may soon remove Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell from the role. London's blue-chip index had earlier traded in the green, shrugging aside stronger-than-expected inflation data. The FTSE 100 index closed down 11.77 points, 0.1%, at 8,926.55. It had earlier traded as high as 8,972.29....

Burberry and Diageo facing tariffs Vodafone executives buy en masse AO and M&S directors lighten up Encouragingly, it seems more directors of UK firms have been buying their companies' stock than selling over the last few weeks, supporting the thesis that UK equities are undervalued on a relative basis, even if the outlook for their businesses is somewhat clouded by tariff concerns. INSIDER...

Following on the heels of AIM's 30th anniversary last month, this week marks the 90th anniversary of the FT30 index (on 1 July, to be precise). Never heard of it, you say? Founded in 1935 by the Financial News, it was originally called the Financial News 30-Share Index before changing its name to the FT30 in 1945 after the newspaper merged with the Financial Times. The index is similar to the...

London's blue chip index closed out Tuesday in positive territory as Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey indicated rates will continue on their downward trajectory, while Fed Chair Jerome Powell left his options open. The FTSE 100 index closed up 24.37 points, 0.3%, at 8,785.33. The FTSE 250 was 116.90 points higher, 0.5%, at 21,743.16, while the AIM All-Share added 2.29 points, 0.3%, at...

Full-year return of 7.5% Equity exposure increased Gold exposure reduced Capital preservation trust Personal Assets (PNL) delivered a total return in NAV (net asset value) per share of 7.5% in the year to 30 April, in line with the FTSE All-Share, despite maintaining a low equity exposure and high liquidity. The shares nudged up 0.5% to 515p and are ahead by around 6% over the last year...

Our portfolio picks for 2025 haven't fared too well in the first half of the year, returning 0.6% compared to a gain of 6.1% from the FTSE All-Share index as of 9 June. It wasn't all bad news, however, as stocks like defence technology group Cohort (CHRT:AIM), premium mixer-maker Fevertree Drinks (FEVR:AIM), airline and package holiday provider Jet2 (JET2:AIM) and infrastructure and...

The Nasdaq 100 index has been one of the best performing indices of the last 25 years, returning 8.8% since January 2000. To put that in pounds and pence, £10,000 invested in the index would now be worth £84,473, even throwing some shade on the broader US stock market in the form of the S&P 500, which is itself no slouch on the performance front. The Nasdaq 100 index is comprised of the...

Veteran stockpicker Nick Train has upped his stake (30 May) in Finsbury Growth & Income Trust (FGT) to 3.92% in a show of confidence in the well-followed fund's long-run prospects. The purchase followed results (29 May) for the half to 31 March 2025 which revealed another period of underperformance, the company's net asset value (NAV) total return of 2.1% lagging the 4.1% rise in the benchmark...

Q3 organic sales up 5.9% Full-year guidance reiterated $500 million cost-cutting programme Despite a tough market backdrop, alcoholic drinks behemoth Diageo (DGE) delivered a tasty 5.9% jump in third-quarter organic sales, albeit one partially inflated by pre-tariff order phasing. There was also relief as the Johnnie Walker-to-Smirnoff purveyor reiterated its full-year 2025 organic sales and...

Ongoing weakness in Asian demand Spirits sales especially poor -17% Diageo owns 34% of Moet-Hennessy Investors hoping for a rebound in luxury stocks faced disappointment after France's LVMH (MC:EPA) posted weaker-than-expected first-quarter sales due mainly to softer demand in Asia. LVMH shares fell €35 or 7% to a four-year low of €495, dragging with them shares in British luxury...

European banking and mining stocks bore the brunt of the selloff in morning trading on Friday (4 April) as China announced 34% retaliatory tariffs on US imports, sparking fears of a global trade war.UK banks Barclays (BARC), NatWest (NWG), Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY) were some of the biggest fallers ? down 9.12%, 8.99% and 7.32% respectively on the day and global mining companies Glencore...