Are Standard Life Shares still worth holding?

Primrose

I put my freebie shares into my ISA last year but wonder whether they're still worth hanging onto? I've just read they're planning a big advertising programme in Canada but am unsure whether they're still worth a long term hold? Any thoughts from other SL holders? I know they've taken a hit recently but don't know how much of this is due to the market and how much is due to SL performance.

baby_boomer

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=215471&page=48

Here's the latest on MSE. I'm holding because I'm not as pessimistic about the stock market as some - but I wouldn't count that as any sort of guideline!

After a better than expected set of results recently, Standard has nearly made up the ground it lost to the FTSE in the last 12 months which means it is up about 35% from its lows.

Link to Chart of Standard Life v the FTSE 100 over the last year

phreil

Like many other people, I suppose I watched my standard life shares rise and fall. But I have plotted a graph using yahoo finance, which tells me they have done better (you might even say miles better)than the other bank shares. Use this link to look at the graph http://finance.yahoo.com/charts#chart2:symbol=sl.l;range=1y;compare=hbos.l+barc.l+bb.l+al.l;charttype=line;crosshair=on;logscale=on;source=undefined

I'm absolutely no money expert, but this makes me think that standard life shares will go up to a lot more when bank shares start to go up again. And I suppose bank shares will start to go up again -- HSBC offering mortgages in such an aggressive way -- doesn't that mean they are trying to cash in on the situation, and that mortgages will be a feature of life in the future??

So I'm hanging on, as long as I don't desperately need the money