Most-bought FTSE 100 and AIM shares in June 2018

Most bought FTSE 100 stocks in June from interactive investor, the UK’s leading flat fee investment platform 

Richard Hunter, Head of Markets:

The FTSE100 had an anodyne month in June, losing 0.5% overall, hampered by fears of an imminent trade war between the major economic blocs, intermittent sterling strength and generally lighter trading volumes.

Perennial favourites Lloyds Banking (1^st), Glencore (2^nd) and Vodafone (3^rd) comfortably retained their places in the top ten most bought shares on the interactive investor trading platform in June.  Elsewhere, income-seeking clients continued to buy BP (dividend yield 5.2%) which came in at 9^th, and Legal & General (yield 5.9%), which returned to the top tier at number seven after a one-month absence.

After large leaps last month, BT (5^th) and Randgold Resources (10^th) retained places in the top ten as investors continued to take a positive view on their potential recovery stories, with this theme being echoed by the new appearance of Royal Bank of Scotland at number eight. The announcement in early June that the government had sold off nearly 8% of its stake for some £2.5 billion was warmly received by investors, despite the sale crystallising a loss for the government and with another 62% remaining. Even so, there is clearly an appetite to return the bank to being free of its clutches and even the possibility of a return to normality was enough to tempt buyers into the stock for the first time in quite a while.

Some weakness in Standard Life Aberdeen shares in early June, as Lloyds Banking announced it was to sell its 3.3% stake for £344 million, was also pounced upon by bargain-hunting clients as it eased into sixth place. The additional attraction of a 6.5% dividend yield also provides another incentive should these clients need to wait for the shares to climb.

*May 2018

Source: interactive investor, 3 July. Shows most bought FTSE 100 stocks by interactive investor’s customers in June 2018.

 Most bought AIM stocks in June from interactive investor, the UK’s leading flat fee investment platform

Lee Wild, Head of Equity Strategy:

Barely making the Top 20 in May, UK Oil & Gas was the most popular AIM share on the interactive investor trading platform in June. The surge in popularity coincided with the resumption of flow test operations at its part-owned oilfield a stone’s throw from Gatwick Airport.

UKOG confirmed in results a few days later that it is still losing money, but it’s the long-term potential of the field as a significant producer of oil and cash flow over many years that’s generating interest. This uptick in demand bumped the share price up by 45% in June to prices not seen since February, although they’re still way below last year’s peak at 11p.

Greatland Gold came out of nowhere last month to grab second spot in the popularity stakes. Just days into a maiden exploration programme at its Black Hills licence in Western Australia, the company struck gold. Hope here is that Black Hills can replicate some of the success of the large Telfer gold mine just 30 kilometres to the west. If it does, the trebling in value of the share price during June will be just the start. Positive drill results from the Havieronlicence, also in the Paterson region of Western Australia, have kept up the momentum.

Graphene group Versarien had a busy month. Appointed to the US National Graphene Association’s industry council, a deal signed with Arrow GreenTech in India soon after launching its Graphinks brand is potentially significant, and there’s optimism that 2D materials will generate substantial commercial demand. A range of earphones using Versarien’s graphene also paves the way for further monetising the technology.

*May 2018

Source: interactive investor, 3 July. Shows most bought AIM stocks by interactive investor’s customers in June 2018.

Most bought FTSE 100 stocks in June from interactive investor, the UK’s leading flat fee investment platform 

Richard Hunter, Head of Markets:

The FTSE100 had an anodyne month in June, losing 0.5% overall, hampered by fears of an imminent trade war between the major economic blocs, intermittent sterling strength and generally lighter trading volumes.

Perennial favourites Lloyds Banking (1^st), Glencore (2^nd) and Vodafone (3^rd) comfortably retained their places in the top ten most bought shares on the interactive investor trading platform in June.  Elsewhere, income-seeking clients continued to buy BP (dividend yield 5.2%) which came in at 9^th, and Legal & General (yield 5.9%), which returned to the top tier at number seven after a one-month absence.

After large leaps last month, BT (5^th) and Randgold Resources (10^th) retained places in the top ten as investors continued to take a positive view on their potential recovery stories, with this theme being echoed by the new appearance of Royal Bank of Scotland at number eight. The announcement in early June that the government had sold off nearly 8% of its stake for some £2.5 billion was warmly received by investors, despite the sale crystallising a loss for the government and with another 62% remaining. Even so, there is clearly an appetite to return the bank to being free of its clutches and even the possibility of a return to normality was enough to tempt buyers into the stock for the first time in quite a while.

Some weakness in Standard Life Aberdeen shares in early June, as Lloyds Banking announced it was to sell its 3.3% stake for £344 million, was also pounced upon by bargain-hunting clients as it eased into sixth place. The additional attraction of a 6.5% dividend yield also provides another incentive should these clients need to wait for the shares to climb.

*May 2018

Source: interactive investor, 3 July. Shows most bought FTSE 100 stocks by interactive investor’s customers in June 2018.

 Most bought AIM stocks in June from interactive investor, the UK’s leading flat fee investment platform

Lee Wild, Head of Equity Strategy:

Barely making the Top 20 in May, UK Oil & Gas was the most popular AIM share on the interactive investor trading platform in June. The surge in popularity coincided with the resumption of flow test operations at its part-owned oilfield a stone’s throw from Gatwick Airport.

UKOG confirmed in results a few days later that it is still losing money, but it’s the long-term potential of the field as a significant producer of oil and cash flow over many years that’s generating interest. This uptick in demand bumped the share price up by 45% in June to prices not seen since February, although they’re still way below last year’s peak at 11p.

Greatland Gold came out of nowhere last month to grab second spot in the popularity stakes. Just days into a maiden exploration programme at its Black Hills licence in Western Australia, the company struck gold. Hope here is that Black Hills can replicate some of the success of the large Telfer gold mine just 30 kilometres to the west. If it does, the trebling in value of the share price during June will be just the start. Positive drill results from the Havieronlicence, also in the Paterson region of Western Australia, have kept up the momentum.

Graphene group Versarien had a busy month. Appointed to the US National Graphene Association’s industry council, a deal signed with Arrow GreenTech in India soon after launching its Graphinks brand is potentially significant, and there’s optimism that 2D materials will generate substantial commercial demand. A range of earphones using Versarien’s graphene also paves the way for further monetising the technology.

*May 2018

Source: interactive investor, 3 July. Shows most bought AIM stocks by interactive investor’s customers in June 2018.