15 October 2026
How AJ Bell funds performed in the third quarter and what to watch for nextThe three months leading up to the end of September were a relatively quiet time for stock markets compared to other quarters earlier in the year, but bonds experienced a much more tumultuous period driven by a selloff in government debt.
This led to muted returns across our lower risk funds but also showed that our focus on diversification was...
9 October 2026
How to make your vote count in the latest Saba investment trust battlesCrucial shareholder votes are taking place this month at Baillie Gifford US Growth and SDCL Energy Efficiency Income trust where US activist investor Saba Capital is battling with the boards for change.
Saba appeared on the UK scene in 2024, targeting seven investment trusts. Having taken large stakes in these trusts, it launched campaigns to...
9 October 2026
Why emerging market funds have suddenly lost fansThe net flow of money from AJ Bell’s DIY Investors to emerging market funds has decreased by 90% in the month to 22 September compared to the previous six months.
While the amount of money going into these funds has experienced a sharp drop-off, the number of net buys has decreased less significantly. This suggests that those removing their money...
9 October 2026
What you miss out on when you buy a global tracker fundGlobal tracker funds and ETFs (exchange-traded funds) are some of the most popular investments. But despite the name, they can leave you lacking in some areas of the market.
For example, among AJ Bell DIY investors, Fidelity Index World is one of the most-purchased funds. It is based on the MSCI World index, so investors can get cheap, simple...
3 October 2026
Growth funds face their nightmare scenario but investors don’t need to worry yetHeadlines about higher inflation and higher interest rates caused by an energy crisis are making some investors wary. The last time this happened, in 2022-23, the market's most popular stocks and funds took a major performance hit.
Many investors will own growth stocks even if they don’t realise it. Popular technology or AI companies such as Meta...
1 October 2026
What changes have been made to the Starter portfolios - September 2026We recently carried out a review of our Starter portfolios. As a result of this review we have made the following changes to the Cautious and Adventurous portfolios.
Cautious portfolio change:We’ve replaced the Waverton Sterling Bond fund with the Schroder Strategic Bond fund, believing the latter to have superior return potential due to the fund...
1 October 2026
New bond and small cap funds join AJ Bell investment ideas listsThe AJ Bell Favourite funds and Investment trust select lists are aimed at lightening your research load. There are thousands of funds and hundreds of trusts out there – so we’ve narrowed the field by selecting a high-quality shortlist of funds we believe can deliver their objectives over the long term. To make the list, each fund needs to pass our...
28 September 2026
The market risks fund managers are worrying aboutFears of an AI bubble have been replaced by an even bigger concern among global fund managers: a ‘disorderly rise in bond yields’.
This is according to the most recent Bank of America Global Fund (BofA) Manager survey, a monthly snapshot capturing an in-depth view of the things major asset allocators are nervous and excited about.
It includes many...
15 September 2026
Five funds and trusts that pay dividends monthlyIf you are in search of a monthly payment from your investments to help cover regular bills or subscriptions, funds and trusts offering a monthly dividend could be an attractive option.
While there’s a large variety of funds that offer some type of dividend, those with a monthly payment narrow down to a more select group. And although it may be...
14 September 2026
How to invest in Anthropic before everyone elseThere are currently four investment trusts which already have a stake in AI giant Anthropic: Baillie Gifford US Growth, RIT Capital Partners, Schiehallion Fund and Scottish Mortgage. This' particularly relevant to investors right now because the Claude creator is rumoured to be making its public stock market debut later this year, and is tipped in...
11 September 2026
Deep stock research across the world: meet the new trust on AJ Bell’s Investment trust select listWe keep our Investment trust select list under constant review to ensure we have the highest conviction in the trusts we have selected. Following our latest evaluation of the list, we have added the JPMorgan Global Growth & Income Trust to the list.
The trust offers investors access to a global equity strategy managed by JPMorgan’s Global Core team...
2 September 2026
Building a balanced portfolio? Watch out for these hidden risksConcentration risk has become one of the most popular conversations in investing in recent years. The dominance of US markets, and within that of a handful of large technology companies, has created concern that investors may end up with a lack of diversification with their investments.
But efforts to reduce concentration can lead portfolios into...
27 August 2026
Vanguard’s new global ETFs: how do they stack up?The launch of three new exchange-traded funds (ETFs) from Vanguard has added to the list of options available to investors looking for diversified exposure to global markets.
The trio encompasses Vanguard FTSE Global All-Cap UCITS ETF, Vanguard FTSE Global Small-Cap UCITS ETF and Vanguard FTSE All-World ex-US UCITS ETF.
But how do these new...
26 August 2026
Investors are loving these tech funds – and they might provide some unexpected diversityInvesting in a tech fund may seem like the last thing that needs more space in your portfolio, considering the sectors’ dominance in the most popular global tracker funds.
Despite this, a group of tech-heavy funds have been bestsellers among AJ Bell DIY investors, with a renewed interest over the past three months. Namely, Polar Capital Global...
22 August 2026
US ETFs head-to-head: Vanguard S&P 500 vs Invesco EQQQ NASDAQ-100The US stock market has more exchange-traded funds (ETFs) covering it than any other and among AJ Bell DIY investors, two of the most popular options are the Vanguard S&P 500 vs Invesco EQQQ NASDAQ-100.
The Vanguard fund is the most widely held ETF among AJ Bell investors, period, meanwhile the Invesco fund is the seventh most popular.
AJ Bell...
20 August 2026
Know these risks before investing in a tracker fundTracker funds and Exchange traded funds (ETFs) are some of the most popular ways to invest in stock markets, and for good reason. They're cheap, provide you with instant exposure to several stocks, and have delivered better return outcomes than most active funds across the past decade.
But like any investment choice, tracker funds are not risk free...
14 August 2026
The fund sectors consistently performing and the names leading them higherCurrent commentary and analysis will often focus on the very best, and worst, performers in stock markets. Which makes sense as people want to know what they might be missing out on or getting caught out by.
What often gets overlooked as a result, are the pockets of the market that aren’t taking that top returns spot, but they are consistently...
11 August 2026
Three funds with emerging managers to watch forStar manager culture is no longer as prominent as it once was in the fund management industry. Companies have generally become more cautious about putting too much emphasis on one individual, preferring instead to talk about the strategy and team behind an actively managed fund.
But fund management remains, at its heart, a people business...
8 August 2026
Discover the fund style that's making a breakthroughThe past decade in stock markets has been an era of growth, but the tables are turning after a resurgence for value over the last 12 months.
Since last summer, the MSCI ACWI Value index has outperformed its Growth equivalent, in a reversal of the 10-year trend.
This has started to feed through into monthly fund performance. Two of the best...
5 August 2026
The UK funds having an even better year than the record-breaking FTSE 100The FTSE 100 is currently on track for its best year since its conception in 1984, defying a downturn in other equity markets which have been burdened by a fall in tech.
Year-to-date, the UK’s premier index is beating both the MSCI All-Country World Index and the S&P 500, with an 11.5% total return versus 11.3% and 9.8%, respectively, according to...
4 August 2026
Where stock pickers are avoiding volatilityFor many investors, total returns are the top priority when it comes to choosing a fund. But this figure doesn’t always tell the whole story.
A lucky few investors might be able to view their investments purely as numbers, and ride out waves of volatility as they come without much worry. But for many of us, these market ups and downs can be a major...
31 July 2026
Inside the best performing active and tracker funds this yearAJ Bell’s latest ‘Manager vs Machine’ report found that in some markets while actively managed funds prevailed, in most sectors they’re still struggling to justify their higher fees.
In further analysis, AJ Bell has gone under the bonnet to see which active fund and passive funds have performed the best, and what pushed them ahead of their peer...
29 July 2026
Should you care if your manager has skin in the game?When you hear fund managers talking about ‘skin in the game’, it’s usually referring to the manager investing their own money in the same fund that they’re running.
It's a fairly common phenomenon. Richard Staveley of Rockwood Strategic trust and Stephen Yiu of the Blue Whale Growth fund both make it well known that they eat their own cooking. In...
28 July 2026
Who should be buying high yield bond fundsThe intense levels of geopolitical volatility have sent bond yields up to some of their highest levels since the 2007/8 crash, and investors have been moving into the space as a result to try and capture them.
Bond funds in general saw their strongest monthly inflows since June 2023, according to Calastone, a fund transaction network.
Indeed, May...
27 July 2026
Where AJ Bell’s bond fund investors are putting their moneyFunds are a helpful way to get exposure to the bond market for those that aren’t prepared to dive into understanding bonds in depth or simply don’t want to. Investing in individual bonds involves making judgements on the creditworthiness of the company or government issuing them and, with corporate debt in particular, can require putting in minimum...
