Martin Gamble is Shares and Markets writer at AJ Bell. He was previously the Education Editor of Shares Magazine. He has been with the business since 2019.
Martin graduated from the University of Kent in 1984 with an accounting degree.
He has extensive financial markets experience gained through managing UK and European equity portfolios for institutions including Hermes Investment Management, Manulife Financial and Royal Bank of Canada.
While at Manulife Financial the funds Martin managed were consistently in the top quartile which was recognised with a ‘Stars of Excellence’ award.
Martin subsequently headed up the fund management business for Royal Bank of Canada in London.
Outside of work, Martin likes long distance hiking and playing Backgammon.
3 April 2026
Marks & Spencer is the latest UK firm to take on the US market challengeThe story of well-known British brands looking to expand into the US is a chequered one, to say the least, which is why it is often referred to as a ‘graveyard of British dreams’.
The appeal is obvious; the US is the world’s largest economy and consumer market by a distance.
But, from Sainsbury’s New-England-based store chain Shaw’s in the late...
1 April 2026
Why have bonds not protected investors during the Middle East crisis?Bonds have historically provided shelter and ballast to portfolios during times of market uncertainty because of their stable fixed income.
That has not happened over the last month because the shock to stock markets has come from rising energy prices. Something which is likely to lead to higher inflation.
The worry is that central banks might be...
27 March 2026
Martin Gamble on US markets: $75 billion SpaceX IPO plottedMajor US indices fell for a fourth consecutive week despite attempts by the Trump administration to de-escalate Middle East tensions.
There were continued signs of market rotation towards smaller companies and economically sensitive names as seen by the Russell 2000 and Dow Jones Industrials indices eking out gains.
Brent crude oil prices remained...
25 March 2026
How could higher interest rates impact your investments?One of the striking market reactions to the US-Iranian conflict is the sharp reversal in interest rate expectations as investors anticipate the potential inflationary impacts of energy supply disruptions.
UK markets were expecting two interest rate cuts over the next 12 months from the Bank of England in late February, but just three weeks after...
20 March 2026
Martin Gamble on US markets: confusion at Nvidia with Wall Street in retreatUS stock markets fell for the third consecutive week as tensions in the Middle East escalated, while bond yields went up on inflation fears.
The Federal Reserve’s interest rate meeting saw policy makers vote 11-to-one to keep rates unchanged with Trump appointee Stephen Miran, once more, calling for a rate cut.
The central bank also revealed its...
18 March 2026
From AI winners to casualties: the UK stocks swept up in the volatilityYou may have spotted the big collapse in share prices of software and data companies in early February 2026.
This followed the release by ChatGPT rival Claude, a chatbot owned by Anthropic, of a specialised AI tool for the legal industry.
This saw many companies which were previously perceived as AI winners go into reverse; but just how much ground...
13 March 2026
Martin Gamble on US markets: Oracle shines as data storage surge continuesUS markets continued to be volatile this week, buffeted by continued tensions in the Middle East and rising oil prices.
Concerns that the conflict will last longer than expected have put upward pressure on US 10-year government bond yields which moved back above 4.2%, their highest level since mid-January.
Consumer prices remained stable in...
13 March 2026
How Games Workshop became the best performing UK share of the last two decadesWhile most investors grapple with the potential impacts of generative artificial intelligence, Games Workshop, by contrast is a refreshingly simple business.
In fact, the company recently banned employees from using AI in content or designs. Games Workshop is the world’s largest maker of hobby miniatures with two major brands, Warhammer and...
12 March 2026
Data disrupted: How AI is hitting everything from comparison sites to software and analytics firmsIn early February 2026 ChatGPT rival Claude, a large language model owned by Anthropic, released a suite of specialized AI tools which sent a shockwave through certain sectors.
The software space was already under pressure from generative AI which is increasingly writing code. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei told listeners on a recent podcast that the...
10 March 2026
How to take the temperature of the markets with the Vix indexThe Iran conflict has created considerable uncertainty in the markets for investors to navigate. But how can we take the temperature of the market and compare volatility to where it has been during other periods of turbulence for stocks.
A popular measure used by professional investors is the Vix. You may have seen this referenced in reporting...
