5 shares you should have bought in July

The FTSE 100 was pretty flat again in July, ending the month on 5,635, which was just 64 points (1%) up on June's close of 5,571. That's largely a result of decent interim reports offset by swinging sentiment towards Europe.

But wherever the index is going, let's look at some of July's stock market stars. These aren't just shares whose price went up over the month, but are companies that look like they're setting themselves up for an ongoing strong performance over the longer term.