John Phelps’s portfolio

OUR share tips managed to hold steady when the stock market took a nasty knock as a result of Theresa May’s decision to call an election.

True, recommendations for overseas currency earners were hit by a sudden surge in the value of the pound on foreign exchange with Unilever, Smiths, BAE and Scotland’s Aggreko all going into reverse.

But the total valuation of our four portfolios was down just 0.5 per cent when we carried out our weekly review on Wednesday morning compared with a hefty 2.5 per cent drop in the FTSE 100 share index.

Best performance came from the 2016 selections which added nearly one per cent thanks largely to a near 10 per cent rise in Dundee-registered Low & Bonar following a strong buy recommendation from analysts at Berenberg.

This year’s 2017 list also moved against the general trend to hit another record valuation after fresh buying for technology heavyweight Micro Focus on its moves to boost profit margins following its planned acquisition of a chunk of the US Hewlett Packard group.

Further support for property group Segro and flavouring and fragrances specialist Treatt also helped although Clydesdale Bank owner CYBG went back into reverse.

Against that, the 2015 portfolio suffered from its heavy reliance on FTSE shares and shed around 0.6 per cent of its total value despite a good performance from Costa Coffee and Premier Inns group Whitbread.

The wooden spoon, though, went to the 2014 list which dropped by more than one per cent.

The overall stock-market slippage has now left six recommendations showing losses since being added to our investment portfolios.

At this stage, however, we are not too concerned although will certainly shed any recommendation which triggers a sell signal under the stop-loss system when a share falls 10 per cent from previous peaks. Glasgow-based Aggreko looks particularly vulnerable.