Ask most professional investors, and they will tell you that they see volatility as an opportunity.

While volatile periods such as the one we’re currently in due to Trump’s can be unnerving and some retail investors may not be entirely comfortable wading into fresh investments, it does provide all investors the opportunity to reconsider and perform an ‘MOT’ on your investment portfolio.

“In such times, doing an investment MOT becomes even more crucial, not less. Rather than reacting emotionally or making knee-jerk decisions, use the opportunity to recentre,” explained Myron Jobson, Senior Personal Finance Analyst, interactive investor.

For those minded to use the current market gyrations to evaluate their portfolio, Jobson outlines six top tips for carrying out your own investment MOT amid the heightened volatility:

1. Check your financial goals

“Before you even look at your portfolio, take a step back. Have your financial goals changed? Are you still investing for retirement or a house deposit?

“Knowing what you’re investing for, and when you’ll need the money, helps you decide whether your current approach is still fit for purpose.”

2. Assess your asset allocation

“This is the engine room of your portfolio. Are you still happy with the balance between equities, bonds, cash and other investments? The recent bout of heightened market volatility has laid bare the perils of being overly exposed to a particular region or sector. The ‘Magnificent 7’ tech stocks (Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Alphabet, Meta, Nvidia, and Tesla) account for around 18% of the FTSE All World index. The fortunes of these stocks will deliver a greater effect on funds tracking the index than the entire allocation to the UK, which is just 3.52% of the FTSE All World index.

“Diversification is critical to good investing theory, so if you already hold a lot of US tech stocks, you need to think about how including an investment in your portfolio will affect your overall diversification and exposure to economic shocks that could affect the US’s performance.

“If you’re nearer your goal, you might want to shift to a more cautious stance to protect what you’ve built. If you’ve got time on your side, you might lean into growth.”

3. Consider rebalancing your portfolio

“Portfolio rebalancing is akin to tuning an instrument, where every component plays a crucial role in achieving harmonious results. Sometimes rebalancing can happen of its own accord because of market movements. 

“By rebalancing your portfolio, you will avoid the drift and align to your original asset mix. There is not a hard-and-fast rule on when it comes to rebalancing, but investors could benefit from making a habit to revisit their investment allocations annually or bi-annually.”

4. Review performance – but don’t obsess

“It’s tempting to focus on recent winners or losers, but don’t get too caught up in short-term noise. Look at performance over a meaningful timeframe – five plus years and compare it to an appropriate benchmark or peer group.

“Underperformance doesn’t always mean something is broken – but it’s worth digging into the ‘why’.”

5. Check fees and charges

“Platform and investing fees matter. When it comes to platform fees, percentage-based charging means the more you invest, the higher your fees. In contrast, a flat fee remains constant and predictable. For larger portfolios, the difference between flat fees and percentage-based charges can be striking.

“A lot of column inches are dedicated to the impact of compounding over time on investments and how it helps stimulate growth, which is important for investors to make the most of, but the opposite is also true when it comes to fees dragging the portfolio back. 

“While investors can’t control the returns they achieve, they can control how much they pay for investment platforms.”

6. Tax-efficiency tune-up

“Are your investments held in the most tax-efficient way? Using your ISA and pension allowances can shield your returns from the taxman. And with changes to capital gains and dividends tax thresholds, it’s more important than ever to make use of these wrappers.

“It’s worth ensuring that you are making the most out of the tax wrappers – especially if you’ve had a pay rise, changed jobs or inherited money.”

The FTSE 100 gained again on Monday with bargain hunters out in force picking up those shares heavily hit by Trump’s tariff announcement.

Further evidence that we may have passed the peak of tariff uncertainty encouraged investors to buy into names such as Melrose, Diageo, and JD Sports, among others, that were perceived to be negatively impacted by Trump’s trade policies.

London’s leading index was trading 0.3% higher at the time of writing.

“A weekend light on drama was just what the doctor ordered for financial markets and the FTSE 100 made a strong start on Monday to move closer to recovering all of its post-Liberation Day losses,” said AJ Bell investment director Russ Mould.

“Domestic focused names, including housebuilders and retailers, were among the gainers in London.

“Recent developments have been helpful from a market perspective as US President Donald Trump dialled down the rhetoric around replacing current Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell and hinted at progress on trade talks. Suggestions of a de-escalation in the tariff stand-off with China were also well received.”

However, the apparent easing in tensions between the US and China failed to inspire any meaningful bid in China-focused stocks on Monday. Miners Glencore, Anglo American and Antofagasta were all trading negatively.

Falling miners suggest the market is taking the optics of reconciliation between China and US with a pinch of salt.

“Quite a lot to unpack, there, and quite a lot of political spin to get round,” said Michael Brown Senior Research Strategist at Pepperstone.

“Again, in short, China continue to refute claims of talks between the two nations.”

Marks & Spencer was the top faller after a cyber attack over the weekend brought its online shopping service to a standstill and forced them to refund shoppers for failed delivery.

Although the actual order refunds are unlikely to have a material impact on the group, the long-term damage to its reputation will be a greater concern.

“While other retailers have not been immune to IT breaches, the depth of Marks and Spencer’s problems in resolving the issue are worrying, and it may take some time to win back some more warier shoppers,” said Susannah Streeter, head of money and markets, Hargreaves Lansdown.

Marks & Spencer shares were down 2.5% at the time of writing.

Tekcapital shares rose on Monday after its portfolio company, Innovative Eyewear, launched Reebok-branded smart eyewear targeting a market that’s expected to be worth $13 billion worldwide by 2030.

The launch expands Innovative Eyewear’s Chatgpt-enabled smart eyewear brand collaborations, which include Nautica, Eddie Bauer and now Reebok.

Tekcapital shares were 3.4% higher at the time of writing.

“We believe this launch represents a watershed moment for the entire smart eyewear category,” said Harrison Gross, CEO of Innovative Eyewear.

“We’re pioneering the smart sport eyewear segment with AI-integrated eyewear that enhances athletic performance, while fulfilling our longstanding mission to deliver smart upgrades to every major type of eyewear: sunglasses, optical, sport, and safety.”

Reebok smart eyewear features bespoke high-fidelity speakers paired with robust amplifiers and equalisers.

These components have been specifically calibrated for outdoor pursuits and sporting environments, delivering exceptional audio clarity while maintaining the wearer’s awareness of their surroundings—something Innovative Eyewear says is a crucial safety consideration for athletes and urban pedestrians alike.

Innovative Eyewear has set an ambitious global distribution strategy. The company has established its first major partnership with MTB Mexico, a leading technology distributor throughout Latin America, marking the initial phase of its planned global distribution network, which will encompass a broad range of distributors.

“We are extremely proud to partner with Innovative Eyewear to bring Reebok Smart Eyewear to the Latin American market,” said Mauricio Avelar, Director General at MTB Mexico.

“This innovative product perfectly complements our portfolio and meets growing consumer demand for smart, lifestyle-integrated technology across our distribution network, including major retailers in Mexico.”

The launch is being supported by football star and Lucyd brand ambassador Micah Richards.

“In my career, both on the pitch and now as a broadcaster, I’ve always prioritised performance and style,” said Mr. Richards.

“What impressed me most about Reebok Smart Eyewear isn’t just how good they look – it’s that I can stay connected without losing awareness of what’s happening around me. Whether I’m cycling through the city, hitting the gym, or calling a match, these glasses keep me in tune with both my surroundings and my digital life in a way that traditional headphones never could.”

London-listed Tekcapital holds a 10% stake in Innovative Eyewear, which is listed on the US NASDAQ.

Dividends distributed by UK companies dropped by 4.6% to £14.0 billion during the first quarter of 2025, according to Computershare’s latest Dividend Monitor.

The headline decrease primarily reflects the reduction of one-off special dividends, which accounted for 3.3 percentage points of the overall decline.

Regular dividends totalled £13.6 billion, representing a very marginal 0.2% year-on-year decrease when excluding special dividends and adjusting for currency fluctuations.

While there was an overall decline in UK company dividends, the reduction was concentrated among a small number of companies. Significant dividend cuts from three major companies – Vodafone, Burberry, and Bellway Homes – collectively reduced the total by five percentage points.

The pharmaceutical sector was the quarter’s strongest performer in terms of dividend growth, with companies like AstraZeneca and GSK making the strongest positive contributions.

“Although the headline dividend growth looks disappointing this was mainly due to lower one-off special dividends. These can be volatile and investors shouldn’t be too concerned given they are more discretionary than ordinary dividends,” said David Smith, Portfolio Manager at Henderson High Income Trust.

“Certainly given the uncertain economic outlook caused by President Trump’s trade policies we would expect companies to take a more conservative approach and pare back special dividends and share buybacks to preserve cash flows.

“However, it’s important to remember that UK companies are in a healthy position with strong balance sheets while ordinary dividends are well covered by profits, much more so than at the start of the Covid pandemic.

“Hence we believe ordinary dividends will be resilient going forward on an underlying basis and we are encouraged by the 3.3% dividend growth seen from the median company in the UK, which is more in line with our expectations on underlying dividend growth this year.”

Petro Matad shares rose on Monday after the Mongolia-focused energy company outlined production payment terms that will generate regular revenue from May.

Petro Matad has announced the signing of an Oil Sales Agreement with PetroChina Daqing Tamsag for Block XX crude oil production, which lays the foundations for steady cash flows that can help support additional exploration and optimisation of their Mongolian assets.

The agreement, signed today, covers the storage, processing, transport and export of crude oil from Block XX. PetroChina Daqing Tamsag operates the neighbouring Block XIX.

Petro Matad has submitted invoices for production from the Heron 1 well covering the period from October 24, 2024, to March 31, 2025. These invoices will be processed for payment during May 2025.

Going forward, Petro Matad will submit monthly invoices by the tenth day of the subsequent month. Payments will be made during the last week of each month, based on the average benchmarked price of Daqing crude oil for the production month.

Custody transfer of Block XX oil occurs at the Block XIX processing facilities. PetroChina will handle all processing, transport, and export of the crude oil to buyers in China.

“We are delighted to have signed the oil sales agreement for the commercialisation of Block XX production. This involved a number of firsts for Mongolia and whilst the process was slow, we are grateful to the Mongolian authorities and to PetroChina for their support,” said Mike Buck, CEO of Petro Matad.

“We look forward to establishing a cooperative routine in the sales process in the same way that the field crews in Blocks XIX and XX have done in the production operations over the last 6 months and to receiving payment for all the oil produced to date during the month of May.”