Most threads cover speculative shares offering opportunity for substantial quick gains or equally substantial quick losses. Found over the years better to look for good long term shares, particularly for PEPs/ISAs. Characteristics:- Good management, strong balance sheet,growth prospects,pay increased dividends every year. Suggestions for own research welcome - happy to start the ball rolling with HLMA. Been around many years, last year sales 300M, pretax 45M,yield over4%. Specialist engineers with strong market positions in their chosen sectors, based on advanced technology with high barriers to entry. Ungeared. AGM suggested first quarter ahead of last year and "cautiously optimistic" for 2005/6.Modest Director buying since and Silchester International Investors (anyone ever heard of them?) also built up stake over 20%.Shares have gone sideways last couple of years and may now be due a run but always DYOR.

If this thread had been started 10 years ago, first selection would have been KIE, which I have held throughout, with some top slicing/adding three or four times. It has been very lucrative. Check it out - quality share still going strong.