How to beat the Trump Slump: As tariff fears crash markets, shares guru JOANNE HART picks stocks from banking to media and retail that could make you a fortune

Tariffs, tantrums, security gaffes – Donald Trump’s second term in the White House has certainly been eventful so far. And financial markets are unimpressed. The flagship S&P 500 index has fallen almost 9 per cent since he took office, the tech-heavy Nasdaq index has fared even worse and the likes of Amazon, Alphabet and Apple look decidedly bruised.

As worried investors search for more stable places to park their assets, UK stocks could benefit, particularly those whose growth plans seem unrecognised by home-grown investors.

Arbuthnot Banking Group

Arbuthnot Banking Group has a pedigree dating back to 1833.

The firm combines old-fashioned service with entrepreneurial dynamism and tip-top technology.

The approach has been honed under Sir Henry Angest, who took the helm more than 40 years ago and holds 58 per cent of the shares to this day. Now 84, Angest remains chairman of the group and retains a watchful interest, although day-to-day business is left to his right-hand man Andrew Salmon.

Investors can be wary of companies with controlling shareholders. At Arbuthnot, however, Angest’s stake allows Salmon and his team to make decisions that will generate returns over the long term, creating a business that stands the test of time for customers and investors.

That means investing in clever technology and systems while also ensuring that every client has a relationship manager, someone who knows them, understands them and is willing to help.

Arbuthnot has traditionally focused on wealthy individuals and these 5,000 customers remain a key part of the group.

But Salmon has moved into the small business market too, offering private banking services to companies, lawyers and accountants who are big enough to be successful but still don’t register on the radar of high street lenders.

The new arm has grown rapidly, taking on around 3,000 customers in recent years, attracted by the idea of banking with a firm that picks up the phone, knows their business and offers modern financial technology to boot.

There is a fast-growing fund management business too, looking after stocks, shares and other assets for customers from entrepreneurs to family trusts.

There are three more wings to the Arbuthnot bow, independently run subsidiaries that fuel growth and add to the bottom line.

Renaissance Asset Finance works in the luxury car arena, lending money to the owners of models such as the Koenigsegg, which sell for up to £5 million a piece. Asset Alliance leases out trucks, coaches and buses, including almost 10 per cent of the London bus fleet. And there is an invoice discounting business too, helping firms with their cash flow by providing upfront payment on outstanding invoices.

Admittedly, results last week showed a fall in annual profits. But this followed an exceptional 2023 and was widely flagged by Salmon and his crew. Looking ahead, the group remains highly optimistic and so do brokers. Dividends of 53p are forecast for the current year, rising to 57p in 2026 and 61p the year after. Further gains may arise from the sale of businesses within the group.

Midas verdict: Arbuthnot keeps a low profile but Angest has created a bank with strong service, entrepreneurial spirit and attractive dividends. At £8.95, the shares should prove attractive to investors in search of stability and long-term growth.

Traded on: AimTicker: ARBB

Contact: arbuthnotlatham.co.uk/group or 020 7012 2400

Supermarket Income Reit

There was a time when supermarkets seemed to be going out of fashion. Online-only outlets were the coming thing, so we were told – traditional stores were toast. But it didn’t happen like that. Most consumers prefer to choose their groceries in store and almost half of us still opt for a big, weekly shop, even if we top up online.

Supermarket Income Reit owns supermarket sites and leases them to all the top grocers, from Tesco and Sainsbury’s, to Aldi and Waitrose. The group, known as SUPR, owns a bunch of properties in France as well, let to top local operator Carrefour.

Big food retailers are good tenants. SUPR has no vacancies and has collected 100 per cent of its rent ever since floating on the stock market in 2017. Then, there were just four properties. Today, there are 82, valued at more than £1.8 billion and earning £118 million a year in rent.

SUPR has already attracted attention from American investors. US-owned fund manager Columbia Threadneedle is a 5 per cent shareholder, buying more stock in the business only last week.

SUPR has increased payouts consistently since flotation, with 6.12p scheduled for this year. The shares have suffered, however, in line with many peers. Flirting with £1.30 in 2022, the stock has slumped to 77.5p.

Chief executive Rob Abraham is determined to deliver change. The company recently altered its management structure to lop £4 million off annual costs. A Tesco was sold at a 7 per cent premium to the value on SUPR’s books and leases have been renewed at rents far ahead of the industry average. Abraham is also looking at joint venture deals with deep-pocketed partners.

Midas verdict: UK supermarkets are the envy of the world. They have proved their resilience and SUPR owns some of the best in the country. With a yield of almost 8 per cent, the shares, at 77.5p, should appeal to investors on both sides of the Atlantic.

Traded on: Main marketTicker: SUPR

Contact: supermarketincomereit.com

Zinc Media

The US Navy’s attack on Yemen’s Houthi rebels has attracted attention for all the wrong reasons since top secret discussions were inadvertently shared with an American journalist. But the mission itself was deemed a success, highlighting naval officers’ skills and derring-do. That expertise would have been fostered at the Navy Fighter Weapons School, better known as TOPGUN.

Immortalised by Tom Cruise in 1986, Top Gun was a box-office hit from the start, with a sequel topping the charts in 2022 and a third on its way. The movies are all fiction, however. In reality, few landlubbers have been allowed into the Navy’s elite training academy – until now. London-based Zinc Media has been commissioned by Disney to produce a six-part series on TOPGUN, with exclusive access to naval bases, fighter jets and aircraft carriers at sea. Centred on student pilots within the Advanced Flight Training Programme, Top Gun: The Next Generation follows these wannabe heroes.

Competition was fierce but the US Navy chose Zinc, a group with a record of quality programmes, interviewing every president since Richard Nixon.

Zinc does not just produce documentaries. With a gaggle of production firms under his belt, chief executive Mark Browning makes programmes from Bargain-Loving Brits In The Sun to new BBC quiz show, The Inner Circle hosted by Britain’s Got Talent host Amanda Holden. Last week, Browning unveiled another commission, Race Against The Tide, where competitors try to build sandcastles as the sea rolls in.

Midas verdict: When Browning joined Zinc in 2019, he was on a mission to transform and expand the business. Those promises have been delivered but the share price has failed to respond, more than halving to 61.5p, with investors anxious about prospects for media firms and smaller companies more broadly. This seems unfair. The business is growing, profit margins are rising and exciting deals are in the pipeline.