History tells us that smaller companies outperform larger ones and 2017’s UK stock market performance certainly backs that up. The FTSE AIM All-Share index has increased by approximately 20% in value this year, nearly twice that of the FTSE 250 and four times greater than the FTSE 100, according to SharePad.

All-in-all, the markets have been very good to investors over the past year, perhaps a surprise to many people given the political risks clouding the outlook at the start of 2017.

Shares’ annual portfolio of stocks has beaten the market this year and many of our individual stock suggestions throughout the year in the digital magazine have gone on to make significant capital gains.

Admittedly we’re not perfect and there have been some disappointments along the way, yet that comes with the territory. Many fund managers will tell you they always have something disappointing in their portfolios and they learn from their mistakes – we also do; and so should you.

Sharing mistakes and successes is paramount to helping other investors and learning from them. I’ve been very interested in the comments made by a growing community of investors on social media this year; impressed by how some people are happy to share their wisdom and not simply ramp up stocks for personal gain.

It’s healthy to be part of a community and I encourage anyone who doesn’t use Twitter to give it a go. Shares is active on social media and we’ve also recently launched a chat forum on our website, giving readers a place in which to discuss investment ideas and processes with like-minded individuals. Although still in its early days, we hope to build up this community in 2018 and we look forward to engaging with you through the forum.

I hope you enjoy this bumper edition of Shares and we’ll be back on Thursday 11 January 2018 with the next issue of the digital magazine. In the intervening period there will be plenty of new stories on our website to keep you abreast of market activity over the festive period.

Thank you for reading the digital magazine and website and I wish you the best of luck with your investments in 2018. On a final note, I would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. (DC)

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