Investment managers Fundamental Asset Management believes that the value of the UK’s second market, AIM, grew in August and beat the FTSE 100.
Chris Boxall, co-founder of FAM says: “At the end of August 2016 there were 1,007 companies on AIM with the total market value GBP80.568 billion. This compares with 1,010 companies on AIM at the end of July 2016 when the market value was GBP77.396 billion. The FTSE AIM 100 index rose 3.44 per cent in the period which compares positively to the rather modest 0.85 per cent rise of the FTSE100.
“This is the first time AIM had breached the GBP80 billion month end market cap level since February 2014 when companies with a total market value of GBP1 billion were admitted. August 2016’s new arrivals had a market capitalisation on AIM admission of only GBP197 million highlighting the strong growth of the market as a whole.
“While AIM remains well below its high point of July 2007 when the resources sector was in full swing and the market capitalisation of the junior market hit GBP108 billion, we sense that the current newcomers are likely to be around a lot longer than the vast majority that joined back then.
“It’s interesting to note that back in July 2007 a staggering 36 companies joined AIM with a market capitalisation of a whopping GBP2.5 billion. Even August 2007 saw 27 admissions with a market capitalisation of GBP1.2 billion. While the corporate brokers may be longing for a return of the glory days of old, we think shareholders are much better off with the current status quo of ‘less is more’.”
