16 November 2023
Four steps to build a passive portfolioPassive funds have become hugely popular over the past 20 years – with people loving their low fees...
About the expert
Laith Khalaf is AJ Bell's Head of Investment Analysis. He joined the company in 2020 and continues to explore the world of personal investing, providing research and analysis to both AJ Bell customers and the media. He has a degree in Philosophy from the University of Cambridge.
Laith is a leading industry commentator with over 20 years’ experience. As well as being a regular contributor to the financial pages of the national press, he’s a frequent guest on TV and radio, and for several years provided daily business bulletins on LBC.
He started his career in 2001 on the customer helpdesk of Hargreaves Lansdown, where he gained invaluable experience understanding what DIY investors wanted, and the range of investments and tax shelters they held. This was in the early days of DIY SIPPs and ISAs, and coincided with the tech crash, the split cap investment trust scandal and the aftermath of the Equitable Life collapse. Suffice to say there was no shortage of drama!
In 2007, Laith began to focus on research and analysis, initially within the pensions market, and quickly built a reputation for providing commentary and data for everyday investors and financial journalists. He then moved on to investment analysis, looking particularly at multi-asset funds, and selecting default funds for group pension schemes. You can find his comments in the national papers most weekends, and he is a frequent guest on AJ Bell’s Money & Markets podcast.
Outside of work, he likes to eat pistachio nuts and has become addicted to padel tennis.
Latest articles from Laith Khalaf
7 November 2023
Don’t overpay for simple access to the stock marketGas is gas. Whether it comes into your home from Ovo, British Gas or Eon, the actual stuff that gets...
4 September 2023
What are alternative investments?If you’ve got to grips with the basics of investing (which our previous articles should have helped...
3 August 2023
Global markets decline for second day in a row, investors await UK rate decision and rain does not stop play at Next“Global markets extended yesterday’s declines as investors digested the prospect that US government debt is now considered lower quality following Fitch’s downgrade. The decision by the credit agency to cut the rating led to higher US government bond yields which in turn has a negative impact on equities,” says Laith Khalaf, head of investment...
2 August 2023
US debt downgrade spooks global markets and Taylor Wimpey surprises on the upside“There is a saying that when the US sneezes, the rest of the world catches a cold. That is certainly true with how the US government’s credit rating downgrade has troubled markets globally,” says Laith Khalaf, head of investment analysis at AJ Bell.
“Ratings agency Fitch lowered the rating from the top level of AAA to AA+ amid concerns about the...
1 August 2023
Share buyback news lifts HSBC and BP, Greggs down on lack of upgrades and Domino’s extends rally“A decent showing from HSBC and BP helped to prop up the FTSE 100 and make it the only major European index to be in positive territory in early trading,” says Laith Khalaf, head of investment analysis at AJ Bell.
“ HSBC’s results got the thumbs-up from investors thanks to bumper profits and news of another $2 billion share buyback, having already...
31 July 2023
Markets shrug shoulders at new BT CEO and reports suggest Dr Martens being targeted by activist investor“The outlook for economic growth is front and centre for markets this week as we get a series of data releases which should have a major influence on central bank monetary policy,” says Laith Khalaf, head of investment analysis at AJ Bell.
“There are three data points on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday covering the health of the US jobs market which...
4 May 2023
Will the Bank of England follow the Fed and raise interest rates?The US Fed has raised interest rates once again, but it is dropping hints left, right and centre that the tightening cycle may be at an end. As ever, when it comes to central bankers, it’s best to watch their feet rather than their eyes, as they are practiced in the art of selling a dummy. There are however reasons to believe that in the US, rate...
4 April 2023
Early ISA birds snaffle more worms than last minute ISA investorsIt’s that time of year when investors rush to make the most of their annual ISA allowance before the tax year ends on 5 April, with many people leaving this task right until to the last minute. After all, there’s nothing like a deadline to stir us into action. However a rarer breed of investors will be limbering up too, in anticipation not of the...
31 March 2023
Millions of small shareholders face a tax tsunami from AprilAn estimated 1.8 million more people will be caught in the dividend tax net in the next two years, according to figures released by HMRC under a Freedom of Information request made by AJ Bell. 635,000 more people will pay tax on dividends in the coming tax year, when the tax-free allowance is cut from £2,000 to £1,000, and 1,115,000 additional...
