Martin Gamble is Shares and Markets writer at AJ Bell. He was previously the Education Editor of Shares Magazine. He has been with the business since 2019.
Martin graduated from the University of Kent in 1984 with an accounting degree.
He has extensive financial markets experience gained through managing UK and European equity portfolios for institutions including Hermes Investment Management, Manulife Financial and Royal Bank of Canada.
While at Manulife Financial the funds Martin managed were consistently in the top quartile which was recognised with a ‘Stars of Excellence’ award.
Martin subsequently headed up the fund management business for Royal Bank of Canada in London.
Outside of work, Martin likes long distance hiking and playing Backgammon.
30 January 2026
Martin Gamble on US markets: Health insurance stocks plunge, data storage names surgeA topsy-turvy week for US markets saw investors digest turbulence in the health insurance space, earnings from a good chunk of the big tech contingent, as well as the latest decision on interest rates.
Health insurance names like UnitedHealth and Humana were sickly after the Trump administration proposed keeping Medicare rates flat next year which...
28 January 2026
Why are small caps beating large caps and can it continue?Since the middle of November 2025, the small cap Russell 2000 index has returned around 15%, more than double the gain of its larger brethren, the benchmark S&P 500 and the technology-focused Nasdaq Composite indices.
This is not just a US phenomenon but has an international dimension. For instance, the MSCI Global small cap index has also...
26 January 2026
What is an AGM and why should investors get involved?Annual general meetings (AGMs) are an opportunity for shareholders to have a say on company matters. Read more about AGMs and why investors should get involved.
24 January 2026
Which big UK stocks have grown their dividends the most?For many investors dividends are a good source of income, but they can also be a good source of capital growth. Long-term studies have shown that dividends have contributed more than half of the stock market’s total return.
This shows that reinvesting dividends is crucial for maximising shareholder returns and compounding wealth. Even for investors...
23 January 2026
Martin Gamble on US markets: Kraft Heinz, Netflix, Procter & GambleWhat was shaping up to be a disaster of a week for US indices, curtailed by Martin Luther King Day, turned out instead to be at worst mixed.
President Trump’s threats to impose tariffs on European countries over Greenland and hints at the use of military force to acquire the territory if it wasn’t possible to do so by other means put markets on...
21 January 2026
How short sellers may have amplified WH Smith’s recent gainsWhen a company which is being targeted by short sellers unexpectedly announces good news, it can spark a big rally in the share price as these investors scramble to ‘cover’ their positions.
This additional buying pressure can lead to a bigger share price move than otherwise expected.
This was potentially evident with WH Smith recently after a well...
18 January 2026
What to expect from big tech as AI fever subsidesSix of the so-called ‘Magnificent Seven’ are set to report their earnings between the last week of January and the first week of February. Combined these companies add up to a combined $17 trillion of market valuation – or around 30% of the entire value of the US market’s flagship S&P 500 index.
The mood music feels like it has already shifted from...
17 January 2026
How to screen for the very best companiesJust as when you’re buying a new jacket or set of kitchen knives, paying attention to quality when you are investing in a company’s shares is often a decision which can pay off in the long term. With this in mind, we are exploring how you can go about identifying some of the UK’s very highest quality companies.
While there is no generally accepted...
16 January 2026
Martin Gamble on US markets: Netflix, banks’ earningsThis week got off to an inauspicious start after the Justice Department served Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell with a subpoena, threatening a criminal indictment.
In a highly unusual turn of events Powell gave a public statement and video where he accused the administration of political pressure and putting the independence of the Fed under...
15 January 2026
Why UK bank shares have soared in recent yearsThe UK banking sector has delivered strong price returns to investors over the last five years, averaging 218% compared with a 50% gain for the blue-chip FTSE 100 index.
On a total return basis, including dividends, the sector has chalked up 279%, making it the second-best performing sector in the FTSE 350 index after the aerospace and defence...
