While there is a lot of noise in the market, for those of you who want to buy and hold their positions for a few years, here is a list of my top 10 in alphabetical order. One thing to notice is the large portion of US names, despite me investing in the UK for the majority of my holdings. The balancing item here is to be truly long term you need to have some competitive advantage(i.e scale, technology) which is very hard to do if you are a sub $100m company. So while in ideal scenario the smaller names will prove to be a winner, you need to follow the newsflow every now and again.

• Alphabet (GOOG, $315). It is hard to look past a stock which I have been holding for the past 15yrs and is currently on the right side of tech. I think it has so many avenues of growth that it is hard to see past it as the best of the MAG 7 stocks. It has all the right products(Waymo, You Tube, all the google ads, as well as cloud, TPU chips, Gemini(AI) and to throw for a good measure even 7% ownership of SpaceX). There are even more speculative things such as quantum computing etc. which who knows. The point is that they have the best research teams assembled over the past 20yrs which combined with the money they generate is a recipe for a long term success. Holding 5yrs+
• Amazon(AMZN, $226). Again another company which I have held for a long time(10-15yrs). Looking ahead I think the infrastructure they have built over the years(distribution centres etc…) could benefit substantially from the automation(i.e robots). Out of all the retailers they are the ones who will benefit the most as well as the quickest. On top of that they have AWS and I am also sure they will find their niche in the whole AI thing. Holding 5yrs+
• Charles Schwab(SCHW, $101). Dominant position in the brokerage business. While many newcomers are doing well(Robinhood etc..), the sheer scale of assets which Schwab manages($12trillion!!!) gives it such a massive economies of scale that they could wait for a trend(i.e crypto, prediction markets etc…) and enter whenever they want. Obviously a bit more dependent on what happens to the overall markets as much of its revenue is related to this. Holding 5yrs+
• GetBusy(GETB 83p). The first non US entry. Again the long term here is probably 2-3 yrs(rather than 5+ as is the case with the US behemoths). I think they have reached(or reaching) a point where they have captured as much of the market as possible and if they scale back on their sales and marketing efforts(which is the majority of their admin expenses) they can ramp up the value which accrues to the equity holders. Holding 2-3yrs
• Hermes(EUR 2090). The only luxury brand which produces good by hand at scale. There is always pent up demand and exclusivity with Hermes(as opposed to the more trend setting/going where the money is brands such as LVMH etc..). There will always be regions in the world where they can enter and grow. Also unlikely to be affected by any disruptors/competitors as it is almost impossible to achieve such artisan scale in the medium term. Holding 5yrs+
• Journeo (JNEO 500p). Journeo is a niche UK intelligent transport systems provider with strong positions in passenger information, CCTV and security for bus, rail and public infrastructure. Revenue has more than doubled since 2022, with solid cash generation and an £18m cash pile supporting further bolt‑on M&A. Management targets >£100m revenue medium term, driven by transport digitalisation, accessibility and security requirements in the UK and Nordics. There is scope to expand in the US and other locations. News flow needs to be followed however. Holding 3-5yrs
• Mitie(MTO, 160p) Mitie is the UK’s leading facilities management provider, with a blue‑chip client base, 14% market share (twice its nearest peer) and long‑duration contracts across public and private sectors. The investment case is a mix of scale, data/technology differentiation (workforce and estate analytics, AI/ML‑driven efficiency) and a strong record of earnings growth, margin expansion and free‑cash‑flow generation. A record £24bn bid pipeline and £11.4bn order book underpin medium‑term growth, while a robust balance sheet supports M&A and rising shareholder returns. Risks include wage inflation, contract execution and integration of deals such as Marlowe, but overall Mitie offers a leveraged play on outsourced FM and sustainability services. I have been adding recently post the latest results. Holding 3-5yrs
• MS International(MSI, £14.35) MS International is a specialist engineering group with four divisions (Defence & Security, Forgings, Petrol Station Superstructures, Corporate Branding) that has compounded revenue and profit strongly since 2021, now generating record £117.5m sales and £20m PBT with £40m+ net cash and a £160m+ order book. The long‑term case is leverage to structurally higher defence spending plus niche industrial leadership, underpinned by a conservative culture, strong balance sheet and rising dividends, albeit with customer concentration and defence cycle risk and limited disclosure typical of a tightly‑run family‑influenced small cap. They have new facilities(recent built factory in Norwich UK) and have won US contacts(winning against large incumbents). There is very little institutional following so the shares are trading at multiples less than comparators. Also they are likely to sell off some of their other divisions as the CEO(and largest holder) is likely to retire in the next 5-10yrs. Holding 3-5yrs
• TK Maxx(TJX, $154). Again a long term holding of mine. I am a big fan of their business model and they are the only competitor in this space. Plenty of international growth ahead. Holding 5yrs+
• Volex (VLX, 423p) Volex is a global integrated manufacturer of mission‑critical power and data connectivity products with strong positions in EV charging, data centres, medical devices and complex industrial equipment, benefiting from long‑term electrification and AI/cloud capex trends. The long‑term investment case is anchored in consistent double‑digit organic growth, >$1bn revenue, rising margins and disciplined M&A, supported by blue‑chip OEM customers and a solid balance sheet, though investors must accept manufacturing cyclicality, customer concentration and tariff/supply‑chain risks in exchange for mid‑cap compounding potential. The CEO and largest shareholder Nate Rothchild is well connected and their clients are on the cutting edge of technologies. Large international manufacturing footprint. Holding 3-5yrs