Where are shares set to are SOAR?

President Trump’s in the White House and Brexit is on the way, so . . .

WAITING for the perfect moment to invest in the stock market is a mug’s game. Just before the Brexit referendum last year, many experts said the market would crash if Britain voted out.

But if that put you off investing, you’d have missed out on a cracking return.

After a brief dip, the FTSE 100 — a list of Britain’s 100 biggest firms — has soared, hitting a record high of 7,382 this month. So someone who had £ 10,000 invested just before the vote is now sitting on £11,700.

Your luck can just as easily turn, though — as investors who lost money on tech stocks in the dotcom crash in 2000 know all too well.

That’s why experts say the best tactic is to find top funds in regions that you think are on the up — and then drip-feed in your money over time. That way, you ride out the bumps in the market.

So, with Britain leaving the EU and reality TV star Donald Trump now President of America, where in the world should you invest now?

UNITED KINGDOM

ALWAYS try to invest inside an Isa. That means all your returns and payouts will be tax-free.

Your allowance is £15,240 this year, rising to £20,000 a year from April 6.

By opening an account with a fund supermarket such as Hargreaves lansdown, AJ Bell, Tilney or Interactive Investor, you can buy any number of investments.

Many savers stick close to home and invest in the FTSE 100. Yet these days that actually means investing all over the world.

The FTSE 100 is dominated by large international companies that generate huge profits overseas, such as mobile giant Vodafone, and mining company Anglo American.

laith Khalaf, senior analyst at Hargreaves lansdown says: ‘The pound has fallen recently and that’s helped these global giants because it means their overseas earnings are worth more when turned back into British currency.’

He says the weak pound could tempt foreign firms to make takeover offers, resulting in bumper payouts.

last month Unilever — which owns Marmite and Persil — rebuffed an approach from U.S. firm Kraft Heinz. The boost from the pound hasn’t helped smaller companies as much, though, as they tend to be more UK-focused.

However, with Britain’s economy growing, fund managers say small and medium firms in the FTSE 250 could be the big winners.

Darius McDermott, a director of broker Chelsea Financial Services, recommends Neptune UK Mid Cap and liontrust UK Smaller Companies fund. Neptune invests a large chunk in over- 50s insurer Saga, conference organiser ITE Group and online payments firm PayPoint. A £10,000 investment has grown to £20,740 in five years.

The liontrust UK Smaller Companies fund, which invests in telephone systems provider Gamma Communications, has turned £10,000 into £24,200 in five years.

For funds backing larger and smaller companies, Mr McDermott tips Axa Framlington UK Select Opportunities. Its share picks range from magazine firm Auto Trader Group, founded by Reading Football Club chairman Sir John Madejski, to ITV. £10,000 invested five years ago would now be worth £15,040.

Jason Hollands, a director of wealth managers Tilney, says one of the main advantages of investing in the UK is the culture of hefty dividends. His tip is Artemis Income, which has turned £10,000 into £16,090 in five years. Its top share is oil giant BP.

UNITED STATES

THE U.S. market is the biggest in the world, home to giants such Microsoft, Apple, Johnson & Johnson, Alphabet (owners of Google) and PepsiCo. But some experts think that after an eight-year bull run (i.e. share prices have continued to rise), share prices may be ripe for a fall. Others say the U.S. economy has been motoring ahead and will be helped by Trump’s promises to cut taxes and increase spending on roads and energy production. McDermott points out that the pay of many American company bosses is linked to share price. That means companies will use surplus cash to buy back shares — which helps drive prices up — rather than paying dividends. Something to bear in mind when investing in the U.S. is that few fund

managers ever beat the average return of the stock market. Even legendary investor Warren Bufett says tracker funds, which blindly follow the market up and down, are best. Mr Khalaf tips the L & G U.S. Tracker, which has turned £10,000 into £24,180 in five years.

EUROPE

MANY of Europe’s economies are struggling. Spain, Greece and Italy, in particular, are up to their necks in debt and unemployment is rife. There are also concerns about the impact Brexit will have on trade. But Mr Hollands, from Tilney, points out that most European funds don’t just invest in EU-based stock markets. In fact, the three largest companies in Europe — chocolate-maker Nestle and drugs giants Novartis and Roche are all based in Switzerland, a non-EU country that makes up almost 20 pc of the main European index of shares. Plagued by concern over the economy, many European shares are undervalued by investors, the experts say.

Tom Stevenson, investment director at Fidelity, says that while the unpredictable elections in France, Germany, the Netherlands and possibly Italy this year may cause share prices to wobble, they could rally if results are better than expected.

Mr McDermott, from Chelsea FS, tips T. Rowe Price European Smaller Companies fund, which has turned £10,000 into £21,970 in five years by investing in firms such as betting software provider Playtech.

Mr Stevenson tips Invesco Perpetual European Equity Income fund, which has turned £10,000 into £20,790 in five years via undervalued stocks. Its top holding is Novartis, which has been working with Google on ‘smart’ contact lenses that track blood sugar and can auto-focus.

JAPAN

JAPAN is one of the largest industrialised economies in the world, and home to global firms Nissan, Sony and Nintendo, the company behind the Wii games console.

The economy has spent decades in the doldrums — so is now the time for it to turn around?

The Japanese government has taken steps to boost economic growth by spending on infrastructure projects, and imposing negative interest rates to encourage companies to borrow to invest.

It’s also trying to stop Japanese companies stockpiling cash, and pay dividends to investors or buy back shares instead. If successful, these measures could result in better stock market returns.

But it’s a big ‘if’. Over the past ten years there have been numerous false dawns in Japan, when investment returns have picked up before stagnating again.

Mr Khalaf tips Man GLG Japan Core Alpha, which has turned £10,000 into £19,710 in five years.

He says manager Stephen Harker has a ‘good track record of sniffing out top stocks in out of favour areas’. Its top holding is Toyota.

EMERGING MARKETS

IF YOU’RE adventurous, you could try emerging market funds investing in Asia, Eastern Europe, South Africa and Latin America.

Most emerging nations have young populations — 70 pc of India’s population is aged under 35 — and a growing ‘consumer class’ eager to spend. But it’s not all good news. Mr Stevenson says Donald Trump’s presidency could damage emerging markets because he wants firms to trade within the U.S. and rely less on cheap labour in China. Emerging market countries can also have fragile or draconian political and legal systems, making it hard to predict how companies will grow. Mr McDermott also warns falls in the price of oil, gold, and other commodities hit economies such as Brazil and Russia hard, as they’re rich in natural resources. They benefit from rising demand, however. Experts also fear China’s economic boom could be fizzling out. After years of stellar growth, driven by cheap exports to the West, rising wage costs are causing a slowdown.

You can invest in Chinese companies without buying into a China fund, as some of its biggest firms such as Baidu — the ‘Chinese Google’ — and Alibaba, the world’s largest retailer, are listed in the U.S.

In the long term, emerging markets should prosper — but investors need to be patient and prepare for ups and down along the way.

A good option is the BlackRock Emerging Markets Equity Tracker fund. It spreads your money across China, Brazil, South Korea, India, Taiwan, Russia, Mexico, Indonesia and South Africa and has turned £10,000 into £12,850 in five years.