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.
3 March 2026
Looking for cheap stocks? These two simple formulas can helpIn the same way people love to nab a bargain in the shops, there is real appeal in investing in a company on the cheap. But how do we identify value when it comes to the stock market.
Two simple formulas offer a good starting point – the price to earnings or PE ratio and price to book ratio. The PE is calculated by dividing the stock price by...
27 February 2026
Are weight-loss drugs a threat to the restaurant industry? Are weight-loss drugs a threat to the restaurant industry?The increasing number of people on GLP-1s have worried some investors about the profitability of the restaurant industry. Those on GLP-1s tend to eat less and cut back on alcohol which pulls down spending per head. Desserts and alcohol tend to be higher margin items, which exacerbates the...
27 February 2026
Martin Gamble on US Markets: Why Nvidia’s latest results spooked investorsUS stock markets were relatively flat on the week despite a negative market reaction to results from chip giant Nvidia on 25 February.
After initially rallying in after-hours trading Nvidia shares sank as much as 5.5% when markets reopened on 26 February as investors questioned the sustainability of the AI boom and lofty valuations of technology...
27 February 2026
Discover the stocks powering the rise of the FTSE 100 indexNot so long ago the blue-chip FTSE 100 index was considered a ‘dinosaur’ benchmark, full of ‘old economy’ stocks, but in the last few months its performance has eclipsed both the S&P 500 and tech-centric Nasdaq Composite indices by a wide margin.
In a world of ‘sticky’ inflation where physical assets matter again and the valuation of so-called ‘new...
20 February 2026
Martin Gamble on US markets: Walmart shines, Palo Alto divesWall Street endured a mixed week as some of the recent AI-related selling in software and data companies eased but US-Iran tensions and minutes from the Federal Reserve’s latest meeting caused some jitters.
The Fed minutes even encompassed some talk of interest rate hikes which went down about as well with investors as they may have done in the...
18 February 2026
Out-of-favour stocks with quietly accelerating earningsStock prices can move around quite a lot in the short term, usually driven by emotional factors and popular narratives.
This is one of the reasons why stocks trend, both up and down, with strong/weak price momentum creating a positive feedback loop, leading to further gains/losses.
However, it is always worth remembering investor Terry Smith’s...
17 February 2026
Are big technology firms spending too freely?For more than a decade Alphabet, Microsoft, Amazon and Meta Platforms, the so-called hyperscalers, have been lauded for their ability to generate free cash flow, while simultaneously investing in growth.
Free cash flow is the cash a company generates after covering all its expenses and capital expenditures. It demonstrates an ability to self-fund...
13 February 2026
Martin Gamble on US markets: Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, CiscoUS stock markets took a sharp move down on 12 February led by continued weakness in technology with the Nasdaq Composite dropping nearly 2% over the week.
Investor confidence has been shaken by the threat of AI to disrupt several sectors including software, legal, insurance and financial services.
The January non-farm payrolls report, delivered a...
12 February 2026
How Google is looking to storm into the lead in the AI raceGoogle-owner Alphabet has enjoyed a renaissance over the last 12 months with the shares gaining 71%, handsomely outperforming the technology-focused Nasdaq Composite index.
The strong rally has recently pushed Alphabet’s market capitalisation through the $4 trillion mark, becoming only the fourth company in history to achieve this milestone...
7 February 2026
Are the big tech companies running out of legs?Despite another bumper earnings season from the big US technology companies, the share prices of the some of the Magnificent Seven and chip companies have started to lag the broad S&P 500 index.
This suggest investors may be actively moving or ‘rotating’ away from past market leaders into other areas of the market which offer better value with less...
