For any income-focused investor moving from initial interest to active consideration of adding a stock to their portfolio, it is advisable to interrogate the extent to which the company’s strategy is supported by a durable and mathematically sound shareholder return framework.

Will they secure the dividend and fund buybacks?

An analysis for income-focused investors

For any major integrated energy company, the central challenge is clear: deliver competitive shareholder returns today while navigating the complexities of the global energy transition. bp has announced a "fundamental update" of its strategy—a decisive answer to this challenge that reflects decades of leadership experience and the imperative to deliver strong performance for shareholders.

Here’s the scorecard to watch

Unlocking investment opportunities in blockchain equities

Unlocking investment opportunities in blockchain equities

In this interview, we discuss with Scancell Holdings’ chief medical officer, Dr Nermeen Varawalla, the evolving immune oncology landscape and the increasingly important role of therapeutic vaccines, in particular as combination treatments with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). Nermeen also highlights the company’s two distinct vaccine platforms and the recently presented promising Phase II data from Scancell’s lead asset iSCIB1+ in advanced melanoma, which supports accelerated progression to Phase III trials in 2026. Nermeen ended the interview outlining the upcoming catalysts for the company in the next 12– 18 months.

Scancell Holdings (AIM: SCLP) is a UK-based clinical-stage biotech company developing off-the-shelf active immunotherapies against cancer using two proprietary platforms, ImmunoBody (DNA vaccines) and Moditope (peptide vaccines). Its lead candidate from the ImmunoBody platform, iSCIB1+, has reported promising Phase II data in advanced melanoma, with clear synergies when combined with ICIs. Its lead asset from the Moditope platform, Modi-1, is being tested in solid tumours.

Unlocking investment opportunities in blockchain equities

Unlocking investment opportunities in blockchain equities

Unlocking investment opportunities in blockchain equities

In this video, executive chairman Dr Stephen Parker and chief scientific officer Dr John Reader outline the strategic rationale for this expansion and Sareum’s new collaboration with Receptor.AI to identify novel, brain-penetrating TYK2 compounds. Management highlighted the potential of TYK2/JAK1 inhibition in neuroinflammation and the technical challenge of designing brain-penetrant kinase inhibitors that can cross the blood–brain barrier while maintaining isoform selectivity and optimal local bioavailability. They also discuss the competitive landscape and commercial potential for JAK inhibitors in central nervous system. The interview concludes with a recap of expected development milestones and catalysts over the next 12–18 months.

Sareum Holdings (AIM: SAR) is a UK-listed biopharma focused on the development of small-molecule kinase inhibitors. Best known for its next-generation TYK2/JAK1 inhibitors in autoimmune and oncology indications (with SDC-1801 and SDC-1802, respectively), the company has recently expanded its efforts into targeting the central nervous system, driven by the growing interest in TYK2 as a compelling target in neuroinflammatory conditions.

In this episode, our director of content, investment trusts, Milosz Papst provides a detailed overview of four portfolio holdings of HgT. He starts with IFS, a provider of cloud enterprise software and industrial AI applications across multiple sectors including enterprise resource planning, enterprise asset management, field service management and enterprise service management for asset-heavy industries, such as aerospace and defence, energy utilities and resources, construction and engineering, manufacturing and telecoms. He then covers P&I, a provider of an integrated HR cloud platform to small and medium-sized enterprises, primarily in Germany. He also delves into Ideagen, a provider of compliance software to organisations operating in highly regulated industries, such as life sciences, healthcare, banking and finance,and insurance. Milosz also covers a more recent investment made by HgT in 2024 in AuditBoard, a modern, cloud-native connected risk platform changing the way enterprises automate, collaborate and report in real time on risk, audit and compliance workflows. He concludes by discussing the key highlights of HgT’s recently published H125 results.

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About Uncovering Trusts: Uncovering Trusts is a podcast run by Edison analysts, which is released every two weeks. Subscribe to hear analyst interviews on how investment trusts maximise returns while managing risks for investors.

Ocean Wilson Holdings' investment portfolio returned 6.2% in US dollar terms in Q2.