The London stock market has had a good 2025 so far overall, with the flagship FTSE 100 index of blue-chip shares hitting new all-time highs on multiple occasions. However, I am nervous that ongoing economic uncertainty in key global markets could hurt stock market sentiment as the year grinds on. On one hand, critical US economic data has been holding up better than many people expected. Set against that though, are a number of less positive factors including weakening consumer demand in many markets and an uncertain outlook for monetary policy. That could give us stock market volatility – or…
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Image source: Getty Images. Premium content from Motley Fool Share Advisor UK Investors with a more conservative desire might find the Ice style appealing. By focusing on businesses that have shown consistent financial performance and growing dividends, we seek to beat the market with a mix of income and steadily rising share prices. We consider this to be a lower-risk investing strategy than Fire, but company and industry specific risks mean diversification remains important. Ice investing can generate large, short-term gains on occasion, but we’re primarily seeking steady gains over time, and shallower declines during wider stock market falls. These…
Image source: Getty Images Investors sent the JD Sports Fashion (LSE:JD.) share price higher in early trading today (27 August) as they appeared to give a big thumbs-up to the sports retailer’s latest market update. This is despite a confused sales performance. During the 26 weeks to 2 August (H1 26), the group reported a fall in like-for-like sales of 2.5% compared to the same period last year. This measures the performance of existing stores and ignores any shop conversions or expansions. By contrast, organic sales – which excludes the impact of acquisitions, disposals and currency movements — were 2.6%…
Image source: Getty Images A penny stock is a company that has a market cap below £100m and a share price below 100p. I always keep an eye out for stocks in this category, as they can see explosive growth in the future. Yet their high-risk nature can deter some investors. Here’s one idea I recently spotted that has become a penny stock due to a sharp decline in the share price. Details worth noting I’m talking about Jubliee Metals (LSE:JLP). The company operates an interesting business model, specialising in recovering and processing metals. It takes metals such as copper,…
About Oliver Haill Oliver has been writing about companies and markets since the early 2000s, cutting his teeth as a financial journalist at Growth Company Investor with a focusing on AIM companies and small caps, before a few years later becoming a section editor and then head of research. He joined Proactive after a couple of years freelancing, where he worked for the Financial Times Group, ITV, Press Association, Reuters sports desk, the London Olympic News Service, Rugby World Cup News Service, Gracenote… Read more About the publisher Proactive financial news and online broadcast teams provide fast, accessible, informative and…
Image source: Getty Images Over in the US, a popular valuation metric is currently indicating a very high value. Some cite this as a reason for thinking an a stock market crash is imminent. Yet being forewarned is being forearmed, so there are some ways I’m able to reduce my risk to this potential event happening. Here are the details. Setting the scene I’m referring to the price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of the S&P 500, which currently sits just under 28. This marks a similar high level to what was seen just before the tech bubble crash back in 2002. It’s…
Image source: Getty Images Glencore’s (LSE: GLEN) share price has dropped over a third from its one-year traded high of £4.38. I think it is fortunate not to be down more, given its poor H1 2025 results released on 6 August. Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation fell 14% year on year to $5.430bn (£4.04bn). The net loss attributable to shareholders rose 181% to $655m. Funds from operations dropped 22% to $3.147bn. And net debt soared 30% to $14.471bn. ‘Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear,’ as one of my foreign exchange traders used to mutter when something even…
Carbon credits are gaining traction as valuable “green assets.” Yet, for Vietnamese businesses to turn this potential into tangible benefits, they need solid financial backing, technical guidance, and effective market linkage. From biomass credit to carbon opportunity Vietnam became the first country in the East Asia-Pacific region to receive a payment of USD 51.5 million from the World Bank’s Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) for verifiable carbon emissions reductions. This amount benefited 70,555 forest owners and 1,356 forest-adjacent communities across six provinces, distributed according to a transparent plan ensuring fairness and inclusive participation. This highlights how carbon credits, an intangible…
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 27 — The Federal Government will develop policies or guidelines and explore the creation of a platform for trading blue carbon credits, said Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan.Amir Hamzah, carrying out the duties and functions of the Minister of Economy, said that the Federal Government will collaborate with the Sabah Maju Jaya Secretariat (SSMJ) and the Sabah State Forestry Department to ensure the successful implementation of blue carbon credits in achieving the desired goals and targets.He elaborated that blue carbon refers to the carbon absorbed, stored, and preserved by coastal and marine ecosystems.He said…
Image source: Getty Images The most common methods used to assess whether stocks — including those on the FTSE 100 — are fairly valued are the price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio and the price-to-book (PTB) ratio. The former’s an earnings-based measure whereas the latter looks at a company’s balance sheet. Income investors will also consider the yield on offer. Some number crunching Applying these to the Footsie’s banks shows a wide variation in valuations. For example, the Lloyds Banking Group P/E ratio (trailing 12 months) is nearly twice as high as that of HSBC (LSE:HSBA). Similarly, the PTB ratio of NatWest Group‘s…