August was all about the AIM for us, marking one year since the removal of stamp duty on AIM stocks. Investing in it has been on the rise over the past few years, but what do we actually know about the AIM?

At TD we were very curious, so we did some research into how much UK investors know about the AIM – the Alternative Investment Market – and why they choose it. We found that general awareness of AIM’s existence is understandably high amongst investors, at 85 per cent, but when we dug a little deeper we saw that just 13 per cent of investors feel they know a great deal about AIM and, in addition, 34 per cent could not identify the companies listed on AIM.

When we get into the detail, it’s clear that a lot of investors are keen to make the most of all these new exceptions and allowances, but perhaps access to a bit more information on the types of companies listed on the exchange is in order.

As part of our research, we tested a group of investors to get a sense of which companies they believe invest on the AIM stock exchange. We gave them a list of both companies that were indeed AIM listed – like Asos, Boohoo, Blinx, Patisserie Valerie and Quindell – and some that weren’t – including Top Shop, Ocado and BAE Systems. The results were surprising, with more than a third (34 per cent) of participants saying they did not know if any of the companies we presented were listed on AIM. To add to this, in August most investors hadn’t even heard any news about Asos’s recent profit warnings and the impact this could have on AIM.

One may assume this lack of detailed awareness would hinder the AIM exchange. However, even with the low levels of company-related AIM knowledge, 6 in 10 people are planning on investing in companies on the index over the next twelve months. And for those who have previously invested in the index? They are 87 per cent likely to continue to do so. These keen ‘AIMers’, as we like to call them, are planning on doing so because they believe the AIM presents high returns, allows high-profile IPO opportunities, supports British business and because they can receive tax-breaks. Undoubtedly some very good reasons to get involved.

With awareness, access and popularity on the rise, but knowledge levels worryingly low, now it’s our job as an industry to give out all the important information to current and future investors considering getting involved. To start this off, below is our list of top ten buys and sells for AIM listed companies during the month of August, along with the top ten trades for both UK and international trades.

Top 10 AIM TD client buys and sells for August 2014

Top 10 UK TD client buys and sells for August 2014

 Top 10 International TD client Buys and Sells for August 2014

Richard Brown is head of product at TD Direct Investing.