The FTSE 100 has climbed almost 20% in a straight-line since the dark days of 'Liberation Day' in early April to make new all-time highs of 9,175. The relentless rally has also seen more shares notch up highs in the wake of positive sentiment. This type of market backdrop is often a fertile hunting ground for short sellers, that is, institutions looking to make money from a subsequent fall in...

On 22 January, as Shares was preparing to go to print, the board of Herald Investment Trust (HRI) announced all of the resolutions put forward by activist investor Saba Capital had been defeated.The meeting was a first test of whether shareholders would stand by the boards of the trusts called out by US activist hedge fund Saba for underperforming. Votes against the resolutions totalled more...

A big question facing growth-oriented investors is whether the popular investment style can regain its mojo and get back to winning ways in a world of high interest rates.Despite a strong recent rally which has seen the technology heavy Nasdaq Composite rise 14% over the last six months, growth stocks have struggled relative to value over the last three years.The arrival of Pfizer?s (PFE:NYSE)...

Everyone hates small and mid-cap stocks right now. Their performance has badly lagged those of their larger counterparts in recent months.Seen as more vulnerable to the vagaries of the economy and without the scale and financial strength to withstand higher borrowing costs, investors have been abandoning them in their droves. The chart shows how the MSCI World Small Cap index has been lagging...

Investors seeking to position portfolios for a rally in small and mid cap stocks should buy BlackRock Throgmorton Trust (THRG), a fund with a strong long-run performance record trading at a 7.2% discount to net asset value (NAV), wider than the 4.7% 12-month average.The sell-off in quality growth stocks caused by rising interest rates has been a headwind for the portfolio, but Shares sees...