News that top brokers Schroders and Morgan Stanley were both advising clients to buy Aberdeen Asset Management and that JP Morgan Cazenove were recommending Marks & Spencer saw both shares score useful gains.

Our 2012 selections moved against the general trend to chalk up a 0.7% overall increase when we conducted our review of progress on Wednesday morning, although the other three portfolios all slipped back.

The biggest fall was recorded by the 2009 list, which dipped 1.5% from its previous record high. Most of the damage was caused by a near-10% slide in European industrial products group Brammer, which dipped below our stop-loss level. We feel the market has got it wrong in this case and will ignore the selling signal for another week.

The 2010 list put on a more resilient performance after last week's ejection of FirstGroup and the rise in AAM meant it recorded only a fractional fall.