We’re on the cusp of getting this year’s Stocks and Shares ISA allowance, with the April 5 deadline quick approaching. Fortunately, the annual limit is £20,000 for the upcoming 2026/27 year as well.

At this point I want to see how well a typical ISA could perform so far in 2025/26. In other words, how much would someone have now from a $20,000 investment? pounds made on April 7, 2025?

Stock picker market

I should have started by saying that I would have chosen April 6, but it was Sunday, so the markets were not open. Therefore, I assume that someone may have deposited their entire £20,000 on Sunday, but only invested it the next day.

Furthermore, the stock selection will obviously vary widely, making a ‘typical’ ISA challenging to define. Some focus exclusively on blue-chip dividend stocks, others focus on US growth stocks. Many ISAs are mixed in nature, while more and more investors are buying passive index trackers.

But if some astute stock picker bought the stock Fresnillo, Airtel Africa AND Rolls-Roycethey would pat themselves on the back because last year they increased by 324%, 141% and 70% respectively.

Indeed, four separate FTSE 100 stocks delivered triple-digit returns last year, with a further 19 delivering returns ranging from 40% to 95%. Please note that none of these numbers include dividends.

I will also mention that April 7, 2025 was a fantastic time to buy shares. A few days earlier, President Trump had rocked global markets with his tariff policies, causing most stocks to drop 15-25% almost immediately.

But as Warren Buffett’s advice goes: “Be afraid when others are greedy and greedy when others are afraid“.

British investors, who voraciously devoured high-quality shares at the time, are likely to have made solid gains since then (even if a few popular shares such as Diageo AND Taylor Wimpey didn’t go well).

A devastating result

What about the investor who placed his PLN 20,000 on April 7? pounds in the FTSE 100 tracker? Well, they would do very well too, as the index has risen about 33% since then.

I calculate that if they add dividends, they would now have over 27,000. pounds. The result is surprising, although a bit accidental, considering the moment when the tariffs were introduced.

Looking to the future

I don’t predict the next 12 months like this, but I still see attractive opportunities on today’s FTSE 100 index. One is Legal and general (LSE:LGEN), which is down approximately 12.5% ​​in the past month.

Much of it came this week, when the life insurer announced results that disappointed the city. The problem appears to be that underlying operating profit of £1.62 billion and a Solvency II coverage ratio of 210% were below market expectations.

However, the 9% raise in basic operating earnings per share was the highest expected by management (6-9%). The announced massive £1.2 billion share buyback was the largest in the company’s history.

Admittedly, there was no mix in the report and there is now a risk that markets will head south due to the prolonged conflict in Iran and tight oil and gas supplies. The assets of the company under management may decline.

However, the main attraction remains its blockbuster dividend yield, which currently sits at just above 9% looking to the future. Given the level of income on offer, I think it’s worth taking a look at FTSE 100 shares for the 2026/27 ISA.