Investing in Equities

Investing in equities means buying stocks and shares in companies listed on the stock exchange. Historically this brings greater rewards than investing in bank accounts and bonds as you have the possibility of gaining not only a dividend - a proportion of the company's after-tax profits distributed to shareholders - but also a capital appreciation. If the price of the shares goes up after you buy them then – on paper - you have made a capital gain.

But with these increased rewards comes greater risk as the value of shares can go down as well as up, which means you risk losing your investment if the value of your shares falls.

 

 

THE VALUE OF INVESTMENTS AND THE INCOME THEY PRODUCE CAN FALL AS WELL AS RISE. YOU MAY GET BACK LESS THAN YOU INVESTED.

STOCK DATA
Value Move %
FTSE 100
9164.31 21.579 0.236
FTSE 250
21925.88 24.191 0.11
FTSE 350
5023.53 11.09 0.221
FTSE All Shares
4970.64 10.82 0.218
Dow Jones
44193.12 81.383 0.184
Nasdaq
21169.424 252.873 1.209