Valuation concerns as investors clamour for short-term certainty

Over-valuation in tech, software and consumer staples

clock • 4 min read

Investor appetite for certainty on near-term profits and strong balance sheets could be forcing some stocks to outperform “irrespective of their underlying intrinsic valuations”, portfolio managers have warned.

Technology and software firms are among the companies which are able to have a greater degree of certainty despite lockdown conditions, and investors have favoured them in the equity market recovery since mid-March. This is evident in the strong returns of the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 index, which is up 12.8% year-to-date, according to FE fundinfo. By comparison, the S&P 100 has returned just 3.9% over the same period while the MSCI World is down by 1.6%. Managing director of strategic public equity at Gresham House Richard Staveley explained that during a typical market crisis investors...

To continue reading this article...

Join Professional Adviser for free

  • Unlimited access to real-time news, industry insights and market intelligence
  • Stay ahead of the curve with spotlights on emerging trends and technologies
  • Receive breaking news stories straight to your inbox in the daily newsletters
  • Make smart business decisions with the latest developments in regulation, investing retirement and protection
  • Members-only access to the editor’s weekly Friday commentary
  • Be the first to hear about our events and awards programmes

Join

 

Already a Professional Adviser member?

Login

More on Investment

Advisers zoomed in on capital accumulation in Q4 2025

Advisers zoomed in on capital accumulation in Q4 2025

Titan Square Mile research finds

Jen Frost
clock 30 January 2026 • 3 min read
Measure for measure: How to track your tracker fund

Measure for measure: How to track your tracker fund

Tracking difference and tracking error

Terry McGivern
clock 28 January 2026 • 3 min read
SJP and AJ Bell pivot from US mega-caps in MPS as concentration woes continue

SJP and AJ Bell pivot from US mega-caps in MPS as concentration woes continue

Healthcare, energy and EM preferred

Linus Uhlig
clock 28 January 2026 • 2 min read