15 January 2026
How the AJ Bell funds performed in the forth quarter of 2025James Flintoft, Head of Investment Solutions, talks to Danni Hewson about market activity over the forth quarter of 2025 and how AJ Bell funds have performed.
Fund news & updates
14 January 2026
Nick Train: why I’m raising a glass to Diageo and the future of RightmoveDan Coatsworth, AJ Bell’s Head of Markets, talks to the Finsbury Growth & Income manager about not selling Diageo as its shares kept falling, and whether AI could be a help or hindrance for Rightmove.
13 January 2026
Can fund manager Nick Train fight back after five years of pain?AJ Bell’s Head of Markets Dan Coatsworth talks to the Finsbury Growth & Income manager about the root cause of underperformance, when an investor should sell, and why he is so patient.
8 January 2026
What changes have been made to the Starter portfolios - January 2026We recently carried out a review of our Starter portfolios. As a result of this review we have made the following changes to the Balanced and Adventurous portfolios.
Balanced Portfolio We have replaced the IFSL Evenlode Global Income fund with the Dodge & Cox Worldwide Global Stock fund. We believe the change improves the overall blend of...
8 January 2026
What changes have been made to the Favourite funds list - January 2026We keep our Favourite funds list under constant review to ensure we have the highest conviction in the funds we’ve selected. Following a recent review, in the Global sector we have taken the decision to add the Dodge & Cox Worldwide Global Stock fund to the list. To accommodate the fund, we have taken the decision to remove the Schroder Global...
31 December 2025
The most popular funds and trusts among retail investors in 2025Interest in passive products tracking certain parts of the market soared in 2025, judging by what’s been in favour with AJ Bell DIY investors.
Tracker funds and ETFs (exchange-traded funds) featured heavily on the list of most popular funds as investors sought out convenience and lower costs. Rather than pay more for active management in the hope...
11 December 2025
Why the AJ Bell investment team favours the UKInvesting in the UK when the economic environment feels weak might feel counterintuitive. While the perception of the UK economy is turbulent, the stock market has told a very different story.
As of 3 December, the FTSE All Share has returned 21% this year, near double the returns from the S&P 500 for UK investors. So, what is going so right for...
4 December 2025
Where can investors find value in the market?Everyone loves a bargain. But when investing, just like when you’re in a shop, it can be hard to tell if you’re snagging a great deal or if a low price is indicative of the quality on offer.
At a basic level, value investing involves having an eye for a diamond in the rough. Investors are searching for companies that they believe are worth more...
26 November 2025
How to rebalance your portfolioHaving a balanced portfolio is a widely accepted strategy for creating solid returns for your investments without taking too much risk.
The goal of balancing a portfolio is simple: create a diversified portfolio that isn’t overly exposed to any single element, so you can ride out market dips with a little less stress. But how exactly to go about...
21 November 2025
Terry Smith on market worries and Fundsmith underperformanceAJ Bell’s Head of Markets Dan Coatsworth talks the Fundsmith Equity manager about AI, whether he’s concerned about warning signs, and why he believes investors should stick with his fund.
20 November 2025
Terry Smith: what I’ve been buying this year in Fundsmith Equity FundAJ Bell’s Head of Markets Dan Coatsworth talks the Fundsmith manager about why he’s added the maker of Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, the world’s largest animal health company, and the return of a business software company to his portfolio.
12 November 2025
Terry Smith: we've listened to the activist and Smithson Investment Trust has to changeDan Coatsworth, AJ Bell’s Head of Markets, talks to Fundsmith’s Terry Smith about being on the receiving end of an activist investor and proposing major changes to his firm’s small cap fund.
7 November 2025
The most popular passive investments this yearPassive investing has grown in popularity in recent years due to its strong performance, ease in diversification and (typically) lower fees than active options.
These funds track a specific stock index, such as the FTSE 100 or S&P 500. You can usually choose to invest in passive funds either through an exchange-traded fund (ETF) or a more...
7 November 2025
What's really in your ETF? Here’s how to find outMost of the time when you buy an exchange traded fund (ETF), you're just looking to match the return from a particular part of the market. They are a type of tracker fund which, as their name suggests, trade on a stock exchange and seek to mirror the returns from a certain index.
Sounds simple and, in practice it usually is, but it’s still...
17 October 2025
How the AJ Bell funds performed in the third quarter of 2025James Flintoft, Head of Investment Solutions, talks to Danni Hewson about market activity over the third quarter of 2025 and how AJ Bell funds have performed.
15 October 2025
The growing strategy investors are using to manage US riskOver the past 12 months, AJ Bell has seen a sharp increase in its DIY investor customers buying global funds that deliberately exclude US assets, albeit from a small base.
We looked at a sample of products with this investment focus and found a notable uptick in both the number of customers holding them and the amount of money invested. The biggest...
2 October 2025
UK active fund managers bounce back in historic year for the stock marketIn the battle of the manager versus the machine, humans have been punching above their weight with UK funds so far this year. In both the UK All Companies and UK Equity Income categories, the top 10 performers were dominated by actively managed funds.
Fund managers will be jumping for joy given the active fund industry has faced growing criticism...
1 October 2025
The changes we've made to the Favourite funds list - October 2025We have added the FSSA Asia Focus fund to our Favourite funds because of its disciplined investment approach, which has been honed over the years by the fund’s experienced team head, Martin Lau. Martin began his investment career nearly three decades ago when he joined, what was then, First State Investments in 2002, learning under the tutelage of...
22 August 2025
What changes have been made to the Favourite funds list - August 2025We have removed the Stewart Investors Asia Pacific Leaders and Stewart Investors Worldwide All Cap funds from our Favourite funds list following the departure of portfolio managers David Gait and Sashi Reddy, as well as Sujaya Desai, a third member of the team. The departures deprive the team of its most experienced investors in David and Sashi...
31 July 2025
How fund managers have succeeded in beating the market againIt looks like Donald Trump has done what years of toil and sweat have failed to achieve, namely some measure of outperformance from global active funds.
In the first half of 2025, 51% of active funds in the Global sector outperformed a passive alternative. That’s according to our latest Manager versus Machine report, which analyses over 1,000 funds...
24 July 2025
Henderson Far East Income - Sat Duhra, Portfolio ManagerHear more about the Henderson Far East Income investment process and the themes they are excited about in their region.
24 July 2025
Dividend Heroes: the investment trusts with the longest track record of consistent dividend growthCertain investments have a particular advantage over cash in the bank and that’s the ability to provide a growing income stream.
Cash savings rates are often fixed which means your money won’t buy as much if the cost of living goes up. If your dividends go up each year it means you can potentially beat the rate of inflation, and your money goes...
17 July 2025
Different ways to generate an income in retirementInvestments can be someone’s main source of income once they retire, swapping a salary for dividends to pay the bills. This reliance on a pension emphasises the importance of having a good spread of income-generating investments.
There’s lots to choose from, and your selection will depend on your risk appetite and time horizon, among other factors...
17 July 2025
Who are the ‘rising stars’ in fund management?In the past few years, the ‘star’ in star fund managers has diminished somewhat. Many asset management companies have preferred to focus on the strategy and team behind an actively managed fund, rather than riding on the coattails of a standout individual. But that’s not to say there are no longer star managers, or indeed rising stars, within the...
15 July 2025
How the AJ Bell funds performed in the second quarter of 2025James Flintoft, Head of Investment Solutions, talks to Danni Hewson about market activity over the second quarter of 2025, how AJ Bell funds have performed.
