SIGnet Investors’ Index^®

What is the SIGnet Investors’ Index?

Many SIGnet members like to monitor the performance of their investment portfolios against a benchmark. By doing so you can determine whether your investment strategy is producing satisfactory results or whether you should reconsider and seek to improve it.

Having decided to benchmark your performance the next question is what to benchmark against? UK investors typically choose the FTSE100 or FTSE-All Share indices as benchmarks, but these indices suffer from a fatal flaw. They are market capitalisation weighted, which means that the index is heavily influenced by the performance of the largest companies (by market capitalisation). Typical UK investor portfolios are not weighted solely to the largest companies so these standard indices do not provide a very good benchmark for such portfolios.

SIGnet members (in particular, Andrew Hall) therefore devised an alternative index, designed to be more representative – the SIGnet Investors’ index (SII). This index is simply an equally weighted index of ALL UK listed and quoted companies’ share prices. It could be argued that this index offers a more representative benchmark for UK investors to measure their performance against.

The SII is recalculated weekly, by aggregating the percentage share price moves of all its constituents. That means that, in effect it is reweighted weekly. The universe of stocks used includes investment trusts so there may be an element of double counting of some stocks that also happen to be significant constituents of one or more investment trusts. We decided to include investment trusts, as these are often constituents of members’ portfolios.

Note that the SII is NOT a total return index so if you use it to benchmark your own portfolio against you need to deduct gains from dividends you have received for a fair comparison. After some analysis, we concluded that dividends did not play a big role in performance differences between the SII and conventional indexes such as the FTSE100 or FTSE All-share. That analysis also showed that performance was not overly distorted by the inclusion of “penny stocks” (which are more susceptible to large price swings), as these form only 16% of SII constituents.

In Memory of Andrew Hall
The SIGnet Investors’ Index was most recently produced by Andrew Hall, who sadly passed away. We are grateful for his contributions and dedication. ShareScope has now taken on the responsibility of producing the figures for us and you can view the figure if you are a ShareScope subscriber: Log in to ShareScope, go to Other Lists/Indices/All Indices and enter “SIG” in the ‘Find a Share’ field. You can also use ‘add SIG to a portfolio’ and use the ShareScope Settings function to see other data on the Index (e.g. annualised returns, moving averages, slope of Trend lines), and you can use the Chart function – just as you would for a share.

Group description:	As a relatively new group we have evolved into a lively discussion group with a wide variety of experience. We cover general investing topics, from value / growth investing to charting and investing for income. All are welcome, experienced and novice alike.
Meeting Type/Venue:	In person meetings at a golf club near to the centre of Taunton.
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	We meet on the first Monday of every month. Meetings start at 11am and break for lunch around 12.30 – 1pm. Meetings continue for around 1 hour after lunch, after which time members are welcome to stay on to socialise.

Group description:	Our group discuss a wide range of income generating instruments. Quoted dividend paying companies are usually the biggest topic for discussion; but we also discuss dividend paying Investment Trusts (including REITs) and ETFs, bonds (government and corporate), and preference shares.
Meeting Type/Venue:	Meetings are held online via Zoom.
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	Monthly on the 1st Tuesday of the month, from 6:30pm.

Group description:	The aim of this group is to share our investing ideas and experiences across all equity markets, brokers, websites and software to the benefit of us all. We do not discuss sums of money invested but may mention percentages gained and lost. We will rotate the chairperson who is responsible for creating, with member’s help, suitable agendas. We also rotate members to deliver a presentation, lasting between 15 and 45 minutes, on a topic of their choosing.
Meeting Type/Venue:	Meetings are held online via video conferencing.
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	Monthly on the 3rd Tuesday of the month, from 2-4pm.

Group description:	A small group whose primary interests are equity and Investment Trusts.
Meeting Type/Venue:	Meetings are online using Skype.
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	Meetings are held fortnightly on Tuesday mornings.

Group description:	We welcome anyone interested in investments regardless of their level of knowledge and experience.
Meeting Type/Venue:	Meetings are held in a function room of a pub in Beaconsfield New Town.
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	Monthly on the 1st Wednesday of each month at 6pm.

Group description:	Investors of all levels of experience are welcome to join the Farnham (Surrey) group. Convened by David Stredder, who will be known to many as the founder of Mello, organiser of in person investment conferences and virtual Mello Mondays. David is also a director at ShareSoc and has been investing in quoted shares since the 1980s, with a focus on UK small caps. He has an extensive knowledge of UK companies and network of contacts in the investing universe.
Meeting Type/Venue:	Meetings are held at a pub near to the railway station in Farnham, GU9.
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	Meetings are held monthly on the 2nd Tuesday of the month from 11am to 3pm with a break for lunch.

Group description:	Our Group considers both US Small Caps (up to $2bn Market Cap) and Mid Caps (up to $10bn market Cap). Meetings include discussions around buys / sells / watchlists, a short Macro discussion and discussions led by group members on companies or topics of their choice.
Meeting Type/Venue:	Meetings are held online.
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	Meetings are held on the 3rd Monday of the month from 7pm.

Group description:	Our group is interested in sustainable investing and our goal is to identify and evaluate businesses that will thrive through innovation and their transition to a ‘One Planet Economy’. By leveraging the skills of group members, we aim to deeply understand these businesses, particularly focusing on how they develop long-term valuable benefits for their customers. Each year, we plan to evaluate around seven businesses to identify opportunities where our valuation exceeds the market price. A successful outcome is defined as achieving a compound annual growth rate (CAGR), including dividends, of 10% over a decade.
Meeting Type/Venue:	Meetings are in-person in a pub near to Waterloo station in London.
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	Meetings are bi-monthly on a Monday from 10:45am to 4:30pm. Members are expected to also pay for their own lunch which secures the group free use of a private room in the pub. The cost is expected to be £35-40 per person, per meeting, in addition to your SIGnet membership fee.

Group description:	An online group for those who are new to investing, or have only been investing for a few years. Including topics such as: – What is a share or a bond, why and how to buy them. – Comparing funds, unit trusts, Investment trusts and exchange traded funds. – Portfolio management and diversification. – ISAs, pensions, SIPPS and how to save tax. – How terms such as PE ratio and dividend yield are used to value a share. – How to use technical analysis or charting.
Meeting Type/Venue:	Online using Zoom.
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	Meetings are usually held on the last Monday of the month at 7:00pm.

Group description:	An online group for those who already have some experience in investing. Covering topics such as finding companies to invest in, financial statements and ratios, valuation / margin of safety, analysis of companies and investment trusts and exchange traded funds.
Meeting Type/Venue:	Online using Zoom.
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	Meetings are usually held on the last Wednesday of the month at 7:00pm.

Group description:	The Equity Income Group welcomes investors of all levels of experience, from beginners to advanced. The focus of meetings is on dividend paying Investment Trusts, though there is also discussion around individual shares.
Meeting Type/Venue:	Meetings are held online.
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	Meetings are held every 6 weeks on a weekday between 7 and 8:30pm.

Group description:	The Group welcomes investors of all levels of experience, from beginners to advanced. The focus of meetings is on all types of income generating financial instruments, from stocks through Trusts and Funds and ETFs to retail bonds. Meetings involve presentations from members, who are also expected to lead discussions from time to time, as well as discussions on what has been bought and sold since the last meeting.
Meeting Type/Venue:	Meetings are in-person in a venue in Central London.
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	Meetings are usually held on the last Thursday of every other month, starting with an informal lunch around 1pm followed by discussions until around 5pm.

Group description:	Our focus is on UK listed, high dividend yield individual stocks, although high yield investment trusts/REITS which are of interest to members will also be covered. This group is suitable for members with existing fundamental investing experience (at least 2 years), with a keen interest in discussing in some detail the underlying business, financial performance and future prospects of individual income stock ideas.
Meeting Type/Venue:	Meetings are held online.
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	Meetings are held every 6 weeks from 4pm to 6pm on a Monday.

Group description:	A welcoming group open to all types of investors. Typical meeting content is to have a deep dive presentation on a topic selected by the participants and a session on buy/ sell/ key lessons learnt last month.
Meeting Type/Venue:	In person at a friendly pub close to Piccadilly Circus
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	Monthly during the evening on the first Wednesday of the month.

Group description:	Our group is a broad church that contains investors of varying experience. Our members’ backgrounds are diverse and include corporate banking, engineering, teaching and the leisure industry. We generally pick a discussion topic for every meeting, e.g. housebuilders or the defence industry, and members are invited to research and discuss different aspects or companies within that industry. We also discuss stocks and investment trusts that we have bought, sold or are interested in and the reasons behind our decisions, and try to make sense of the ever changing investment environment. Discussions are robust and challenging but we are a friendly and approachable group who welcome investors of all levels – we just ask that you contribute, at whatever level you can.
Meeting Type/Venue:	Our meetings are held in a private room at a nice pub near to South Ealing tube station (Piccadilly Line), not far from Ealing Broadway (District, Central and Elizabeth Line).
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	We meet every 2 months, usually on a Wednesday morning at 11am.

Group description:	All levels of experience welcome. A typical meeting agenda includes: – Macro Environment – Trades: Members review existing positions and identify securities with promising TA entry patterns or setups and with suitable risk/reward. Any security, long, short, futures, options may be considered. The convener takes actual positions in trades and maintains his own detailed ledger, accurately measuring performance of individual securities and cumulative activity. Members are notified by e-mail prior to the entries or exits that are decided upon. Following each meeting an updated copy of the ledger is circulated together with the next meeting agenda. Members may wish to maintain similar ledgers of their own but there is no obligation to do so. – Technical Analysis: Techniques and systems used in trades. Members can request discussion of particular aspects of TA.
Meeting Type/Venue:	Online via Zoom
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	The first Tuesday of every month from 7 to 9pm

Group description:	Group focused on active investing, primarily in small / medium cap UK equities.
Meeting Type/Venue:	Regular Zoom meetings interspersed with occasional face to face meetings and social activities in the North West.
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	Monthly on Saturdays at 10am.

Group description:	Open to all investors / people with an interest in investing. Typical meeting will involve members talking about recent purchases, successes, failures and possible future purchases. Also with occasional visiting speakers or members making presentations on a topic of interest.
Meeting Type/Venue:	We aim to meet on the last Tuesday of each month in a private room at a pub in Playhatch. Start time 7pm with members encouraged to meet up around 6pm for a bite to eat / drink before hand, if their diaries allow.
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	7pm on the last Tuesday of the month. Meetings likely to last about two hours but with informal ‘overspill’ before / after.

Group description:	This group was set up as a forum to discuss companies in detail, each company is introduced by a member and discussion may last one or two hours. Membership is by invitation only and is for experienced investors.
Meeting Type/Venue:	The group meets at a venue in Waterloo, London.
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	Meetings are on Tuesday mornings at two month intervals.

Group description:	Group of investors that meets on a bi-monthly basis to discuss all things happening in the world of investing, share each other’s knowledge and give the benefit of each other’s experience. Group primarily focuses on unit trusts, open ended investment companies and investment trusts. However, all investments are up for discussion and new members are always welcome and encouraged.
Meeting Type/Venue:	Remotely via Zoom on Saturdays on a bi-monthly basis, on dates collectively agreed by all group members.
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	Bi-monthly.

Group description:	Our group members have wide ranging investment experience and work backgrounds. Discussion topics include reviewing our recent stock or collective investment buying and selling activity, plus what we are considering buying or selling and the reasons for our decisions. We also have a wider discussion on where we think opportunities might arise in the next few months and what we think needs to be avoided. Members occasionally lead discussions on specific topics such as recent events attended, articles or books of interest and sources of investment ideas and information.
Meeting Type/Venue:	During the pandemic our meetings were held on Zoom, but we have now resumed meeting in person at a location a few miles to the west of Colchester. Most meetings will now be in person, but it is possible that occasional meetings will be held on Zoom in special circumstances.
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	We meet midweek every two months. Zoom meetings run for about two hours from 10.30am and in person meetings from 11am until about 3pm, including a break for lunch.

Group description:	This group meets to look at issues that are of interest to the group, to look at individual companies with an investors eye and collectively raise the group’s knowledge of investable companies. There is also discussion on buys and sells made by members which calls upon and builds the collective skills and understanding of the group members.
Meeting Type/Venue:	The meetings are held in Piccadilly Circus in a pub private room. The group does not meet on zoom.
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	The group meets on the second Wednesday in every month from 6.30pm to 9pm.

Group description:	The National Group is open to all members of SIGnet. It is intended primarily for new SIGnet members, who may not yet have found another suitable group to join. We aim to welcome new members and discuss their investment interests and current investment topics. Investors with all levels of experience are welcome to join.
Meeting Type/Venue:	Online
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	The National Group meets monthly, on a weekday evening. Meetings are generally from 7-8:30pm.

Group description:	This group was formed in September 2023 and meets in-person during the evening in a London pub. The group is open to all investors – a good proportion of the initial membership are experienced investors.
Meeting Type/Venue:	In-person meetings. Pub. Dinner and drinks.
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	Monthly on the third Tuesday of the month from 6-9pm.

Group description:	Our group covers a wide spectrum of mainly stock market investing and trading from equities – which include shares, ETF’s Investment and Unit Trusts. We normally rotate the meeting chairperson (responsible for creating, with member’s help, suitable agendas) and a meeting presenter (members take it in turns to provide a 15 to 45 minute presentation on a subject of their choice). Various investing topics of interest are regularly discussed such as software, brokers, investing categories and markets and any related topics of interest.
Meeting Type/Venue:	Meetings will be returning to in-person in a private room at a West London golf club, close to an underground station. In the meantime monthly video calls and an in-between meeting email group will continue.
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	In-person meetings will be held on the second Wednesday of each month in the afternoons, following a golf club one course lunch.

Group description:	The Options group has been meeting monthly for some 20+ years and new members who are either trading or interested in trading options are always welcome. Our members trade options predominately on both UK and USA shares, indices, currencies and commodities.
Meeting Type/Venue:	Meetings take place via video call.
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	Meetings are monthly, on the 4th Wednesday of each month, normally from 12:30 to 2:30 and sometimes run over.

Group description:	This group is open to all levels of investor and is particularly popular because it meets after working hours in central London. The meeting usually has a presentation or group discussion on aspects of investing and also runs a Buys & Sells session which gives everyone the chance to see what the other group members are buying or selling and why.
Meeting Type/Venue:	The venue is near Victoria Station in a pub where the group also enjoy a meal from a typical pub menu.
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	This group meets in the evening in London. It is a face to face group that meets every third Tuesday in the month from 6.30pm to 9pm.

SIGnet Investors’ Index®

SIGnet Investors’ Index^®

Group description:	This group is for those interested in investing in the USA. It is open to all investors with a special interest in this area and all levels of experience are welcome. A typical meeting will have a discussion on a particular market issue or a presentation by a member or external speaker on a subject of interest to the group. All members are expected to play a part in presenting and to take an active role in making the group of value to all its members.
Meeting Type/Venue:	As a specialist group with a wide geographic spread of members, our meetings are held on zoom.
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	Meetings are monthly and are held on the third Tuesday in the month from 11-12.30PM.

Group description:	We hold monthly in-person meetings with possible exceptions in August and December. Discussions are generally on the topic of investment strategy and potential companies of interest. Each member is expected to make an investment-related presentation approximately once a year.
Meeting Type/Venue:	We meet in a private room at a pub around 7 miles SW of Oxford. We usually each order a dish from the pub menu that is served during the meeting.
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	Meetings are in-person, monthly on the 4th Tuesday of the month at 7pm. Typical meetings last 2 to 2.5 hours.

Group description:	Meeting once a month, our group covers a variety of investment styles. We also have an active WhatsApp group and we welcome new members.
Meeting Type/Venue:	Physical meetings at a venue in Preston, Hitchin, SG4.
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	Monthly on a Saturday at 10am (usually the last Saturday of the month).

Group description:	Experienced investors who have been members many years and newer members wanting to learn about investing. Members discuss portfolio content and reasons why they have certain assets and investments. Buys and sells discussed along with interesting shares being considered along with current issues in the market of local or international influence.
Meeting Type/Venue:	Physical face to face meetings held in a central pub in Easton in Gordano.
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	Usually monthly to 6 weekly, mid week 12 noon to 2pm with lunch.

Group description:	We are a relatively small group, but have a wide range of interests so always start every meeting with a discussion about world issues and the “investing environment” generally. We always discuss individual members market activity and any interesting opportunities on their watchlists. There is currently a lot of expertise in the small cap value area of the market within the group.
Meeting Type/Venue:	Our preference is for a physical meeting and a hotel in Meriden (Coventry) is the usual location, but we do have on-line meetings when weather and/or health issues make that the most suitable option. We rotate the chair and this is agreed at the previous meeting.
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	Our preference is to meet every 4 weeks on a Thursday evening, but the exact details are agreed at the previous meeting.

Group description:	Most members are experienced investors. The main focus is on equity investments (single stocks or investment trusts). Other asset classes are discussed. Meetings involve presentations from members who are expected to lead discussions from time to time.
Meeting Type/Venue:	Meeting quarterly, physically in Central London. Other months (8 months per year) on Zoom.
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	Meetings are generally held on the 3rd Wednesday of the month. The Quarterly physical meetings are from 11am-4pm (with approximately 1 hour break for lunch), the Zoom meetings (during the other 8 months) tend to last up to 2 hours (11am – 12:45pm).

Group description:	A long-established group, however, we welcome new applications. Our meetings start at 10:15am with coffee and scones when members comment on their investment activities since the previous month. Generally, each member reports on a specific Company/IT/Fund e.t.c. This brings us to about 12:30pm when the meeting ends, and we have lunch.
Meeting Type/Venue:	In-person at a Golf Club in Belfast.
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	The group usually meets on the second Wednesday of the month, all year round, except in July and August when we have no meetings. Meetings commence at 10:15am and last 2-3 hours (including lunch).

Group description:	We are a friendly social group welcoming investors with all levels of experience. Our membership varies between those with little or no knowledge of investing to those who live off their investing or their portfolios. We do not invest as a group so there is no money on the table, and we never discuss individual worth; we simply discuss and share investing ideas, we analyse the state of the market, individual stocks, funds, trusts, bonds etc., and we invite contributions from all group members. Guest speakers and company presentations are a regular feature, as is the SIGnet competition and also our own long-term Manchester Portfolio. We invite members to volunteer presentations from time to time on particular topics of their interest / expertise. At each meeting members are asked to share their latest or potential buying and selling activity. Our face-to-face meetings are punctuated by a lunch break, and for those with the time there is socialising and drinks afterwards. Most of all we learn from each other.
Meeting Type/Venue:	The group meets through a combination of Zoom and face-to-face meetings at a central Manchester boardroom style venue.
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	Meets bi-monthly, 10am-3pm on Monday mornings, usually mid-month.

Group description:	The Leicester Square Group welcomes investors with all levels of experience, but all members are expected to contribute to our discussions. We discuss/analyse individual stocks, market trends and investment topics. Guest speakers are sometimes invited to address the group. At each meeting all members are asked to inform the group of what stocks or collective investments they’ve been buying or selling, or are considering buying or selling. A friendly and supportive discussion is encouraged. The meeting is punctuated by a lunch break, providing an opportunity to socialise. After the meeting, members may stay on for drinks and to socialise further.
Meeting Type/Venue:	Physical meetings at a central London venue
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	Meets bi-monthly, 11am-4pm on a weekday