It’s always an exciting ride when you’re an investor, and last month was definitely a roller coaster. In November, we saw lots of global news have a big impact on investment performances and valuations.
But even with challenging events dominating the world’s headlines, there were still certain investments that investors couldn’t get enough of. Here’s a complete breakdown of the most popular stocks and shares on the Saxo Markets platform in November, and what could be in store for markets as we wrap up the year.
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The most popular shares for UK investors during November
According to the latest data from Saxo Markets, these were the most popular shares listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) in November:
| Position | Company |
| 1 | BP (BP) |
| 2 | Rio Tinto (RIO) |
| 3 | Rolls-Royce Holdings (RR) |
| 4 | Royal Dutch Shell (RDSA) |
| 5 | easyJet (EZJ) |
| 6 | GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) |
| 7 | Vodafone Group (VOD) |
| 8 | British American Tobacco (BATS) |
| 9 | Lloyds Banking Group (LLOY) |
| 10 | Imperial Brands (IMB) |
What this tells us about UK investors
There are many household names in the top ten, showing confidence in some of the biggest companies within the FTSE 100.
Mike Owens, global sales trader at Saxo Markets, explains why UK investors were grabbing these particular shares: “easyJet & Rolls Royce were victims of the emergence of the Omicron Covid variant with their prices slipping 13% and 11% respectively in response to the news.
“Valuations of oil majors Royal Dutch Shell & BP also whipsawed as wholesale crude prices considered a shock to demand caused by possible new Covid travel restrictions and the prospect of new global lockdowns.
“Looking ahead, expect sectors that are sensitive to the economic reopening to be popular during December as markets react to the latest Coronavirus developments.”
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The most popular global stocks in November
It wasn’t just London-listed firms that attracted a lot of interest. Here are the most popular global stocks for UK investors in November:
| Position | Company |
| 1 | Tesla (TSLA) |
| 2 | Apple (APPL) |
| 3 | PayPal (PYPL) |
| 4 | Rivian Automotive (RIVN) |
| 5 | Amazon (AMZN) |
| 6 | Lucid Group (LCID) |
| 7 | NVIDIA (NVDA) |
| 8 | Alibaba Group Holding (BABA) |
| 9 | Microsoft (MSFT) |
| 10 | BP (BPE5) |
Where the market is likely to head next
It seems as though many UK investors are looking for good value investments on home soil. There’s plenty of investment going into energy and travel – areas that have been hit by recent coronavirus pandemic news and general supply issues.
So, investors are hoping these shares will bounce back hard once everything gets smoothed out. However, when looking abroad, UK investors don’t seem so concerned about searching for value. Instead, they’ve bought a lot of tech and EV (electric vehicle) stocks like Rivian (RIVN).
Investors may be hedging their bets. Some are betting on recovery shares, hoping things will return to normal. And others are putting their money into companies that did pretty well during the global upheaval or show good long-term prospects.
Right now, most companies cannot control their own destinies. The markets at home and abroad are moving based on wider issues rather than the performance of the firms themselves. And I expect this will continue until the end of the year.
How investors can benefit
If you think markets are going to regain strength, you can use something like an index fund to invest in whole markets without having to pick out individual shares. Another option is to use a cheap share dealing account to hand-pick stocks where you see room for growth or a big rebound.
Whatever way you decide to invest, making sure you use an account like the Saxo Markets Stocks and Shares ISA can protect any future gains from tax.
If you need to go over the basics of investing, check out our guide to share dealing. Just keep in mind that you may get out less than you put in. So invest sensibly and make sure the rest of your finances are in order.
