Fund news & updates

9 July 2026

US equities has been the main market to try and beat over the past decade, and some funds and themes have managed to do so, consistently.

Past performance is no guarantee of future returns, but it can be worth paying attention to what has outperformed through the recent AI-rally, Iran war and long-term volatility.

AJ Bell analysed the major equity...

6 July 2026

When you look around at your friends or family, most people will likely fall into two camps: those that are ‘hands-on’ and those that are ‘hands-off’.

Stereotypically, this the difference between those who take the lead of planning every single element of their group holiday, mapping out routes to the best bars and restaurants they made...

6 July 2026

The Fidelity Index World and HSBC FTSE All-World Index tracker funds are two of the most popular investments with AJ Bell’s DIY investors across virtually every age group.

They are the sixth and eighth most popular holdings among all AJ Bell Stocks and Shares ISA holders, coming in behind four of AJ Bell’s own Managed Funds and Scottish Mortgage...

26 June 2026

When looking at what actively managed fund is right for you a key factor is the long-term performance of the portfolio itself, and the team behind it.

‘Long-term’ is always prescribed as the ‘ideal’ investment time horizon and this usually equals at least five years, because the longer amount of time you give your money to work, the more chance you...

24 June 2026

While there is significant choice for ways to invest around the world, the number of actively managed funds that have comfortably beaten the market is much smaller.

There is no guarantee this elite group of funds will always outperform, yet it can be useful to explore which ones have shone on a long-term basis. Funds can have a good year, but to...

24 June 2026

When it comes to the most in-demand region or country with AJ Bell DIY fund investors, there’s a clear winner. Out of the top 100 most widely held funds, investment trusts and exchange-traded funds on the AJ Bell platform with a specific regional or country focus, the US dominates by some distance.

Some 17 out of the 41 products in this category...

23 June 2026

Spreading your investments around the world is a popular strategy, but many investors choose to do this solely through a global index fund. It’s not a bad start; however, it might not be offering the broad exposure you’d expect.

These funds tend to be weighted heavily towards the US, often with 60% to 70% of assets in that part of the world, and...

20 June 2026

Companies and sectors attached to the AI trade are storming ahead in returns and market narrative, but that doesn’t mean your whole portfolio should be ‘AI winners’.

Being able to attach yourself to AI in any way has become a common theme in equity markets, and companies have been rewarded for it.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 has outpaced its domestic...

19 June 2026

Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are a popular way for investors to access the market, but there is still a lot of confusion around what they really are, especially in comparison to a traditional tracker fund.

While ETFs and traditional tracker funds (an open-ended fund) play a similar role investments-wise, they are considered differently in terms of...

17 June 2026

If 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...

16 June 2026

We keep our  Favourite funds list under constant review to ensure we have the highest conviction in the funds we’ve selected. Following a review, in the infrastructure equities space we have added the FTF ClearBridge Global Infrastructure Income fund and removed the First Sentier Global Listed Infrastructure fund from the list. We believe the  FTF...

10 June 2026

AI has been arguably the largest factor shaping markets for the past few years and despite investor nerves around the price of some AI-focused companies, markets are still charging ahead. But while the first few years of the AI theme left the US with the biggest benefits, the fastest growth is now happening in emerging markets ex-China.

In the...

10 June 2026

The FTSE 100 is the flagship index of the UK stock market, and many choose to get exposure to it through an exchange-traded fund or tracker fund.

But how do the available products offering passive exposure to UK shares differ and how can investors go about choosing the right one for them?

We previously looked at trackers with a global and US focus...

6 June 2026

AI feels like it’s everywhere at the moment, penetrating our day-to-day lives more and more as industries and people are confronted with how this technology will change the way we live and work.

The asset management industry is no exception: it’s not just attempting to invest in companies benefitting from AI advancement, it’s also competing in how...

28 May 2026

Any fund manager will always be keen to chat about what they’re optimistic about, whether that’s the next AI leader they think everyone else has missed or why they’re backing the market leaders.

Which is great, you want to know why they think that investment is going to deliver sizeable returns. Yet equally as important as knowing why you want to...

26 May 2026

It’d be logical to assume that two portfolios run by the same manager, with the same process, would deliver the same level of returns and charge you the same too. But like all twins, while it might be tough to tell apart, each one has its own set of quirks.

Products which mirror in this way are colloquially referred to as ‘sister funds’ and it’s...

22 May 2026

The US is the second most popular equity market to track, bested only by global options, with the most popular passive options housing billions in investors’ money.

Having previously gone under the bonnet of the global passive funds AJ Bell customers favour most, we’re turning our attention to the US.

As our research shows, the top 10 most popular...

14 May 2026

For those investors who are still focused on growing their wealth instead of spending, an income focused fund might intuitively seem like the wrong choice. However, despite the name, income funds can act as an important diversifier for a portfolio with a main goal of growth.

In this context, we aren’t talking about the version of a fund you choose...

12 May 2026

While Warren Buffett is not strictly a fund manager, he was considered a/the key decision maker for buying and selling stocks in Berkshire Hathaway’s public markets portfolio, as well as buying private companies, and the success of that portfolio, an affiliation his retirement has not yet dampened.

Over the first weekend of May, Berkshire Hathaway...

11 May 2026

We 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 Equities sector we have taken the decision to add the WS Guinness Global Equity Income fund and the Schroder Global Sustainable Value fund to the list.

The WS Guinness Global Equity...

11 May 2026

Investing in F&C Investment Trust might notice they now hold four times as many shares as before, without having bought any more. They might also spot the share price is much lower than it was before. There is no reason to worry.

F&C has undertaken a share split. It’s a common tool used by companies to help keep the cost of one share at an...

8 May 2026

It'd be a fair assumption that portfolios invested in UK equity sectors and benchmarked to the FTSE would only be buying UK-listed companies. But in fact, many of the biggest players invest outside UK as well.

From the UK Equity Income and UK All Companies sectors, 21 portfolios had the ability to invest in non-UK assets, according to data from...

8 May 2026

Investing in the UK stock market isn’t just about broadening the pool of people to help fund UK company growth plans, it’s also about building personal wealth. The UK has been a more fruitful place to make money than its unloved reputation would suggest.

Over the past 10 years, an investment in the broader UK market would have generated nearly...

3 May 2026

Income funds are consistently popular among DIY-retail investors, and even the disruption markets saw during the first three months of the year failed to dampen investor appetite for some of the biggest income funds.

Among AJ Bell customers since the start of the year, the JPMorgan Global Growth & Income trust and Artemis Global Income funds were...

2 May 2026

If you’ve already invested in a fund or you’re looking at funds to invest in, then the regular monthly factsheets they produce can be invaluable.

Every fund or trust has a myriad of documents that sit alongside it, all of which are important. The monthly factsheet is the one that offers regular insights into the manager’s thoughts and updates on...