[ad_1] Interest rates have moved higher among massive economic uncertainty, widespread tariff fears and … More projected massive new deficits.getty Interest rates matter for all of those who want to borrow to invest or pay bills or refinance their existing debt. Yet, long-term interest rates have stayed high, even as economic activity has slowed. Higher interest rates make it more expensive for households to buy a house, invest in their children’s education and buy other large ticket items, such as cars. Mortgage rates, for instance, have recently climbed again to 6.86% by May 22, 2025 up from a recent low…
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[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images I prefer to invest in UK stocks, so Greggs (LSE:GRG) could be a candidate for my Stocks and Shares ISA. This week (20 May), it released a trading update for the first 20 weeks of 2025. During this period, total sales were up 7.4% to £784m. Investors liked what they saw and, on the day, the baker’s shares closed 9.1% higher. Much of this top-line growth was attributed to an increase in the number of its shops. When it floated in 1984, it had 261 of them. Now it operates 2,638. Think about that. A…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images I’m a late convert to the joys of passive income. In my early days as an investor, I mostly focused on growth. I didn’t know what I was missing. The last month has been a rewarding one, with a string of dividend stocks in my self-invested personal pension (SIPP) dishing out their half-yearly payouts. And they’ve been in a generous mood. On 9 May, M&G (LSE: MNG) kicked things off by paying me a chunky £458. That was the biggest of the lot, and unsurprisingly so, given that it has the single highest yield on…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images Lloyds Banking Group (LSE: LLOY) shares have climbed more than 40% so far in 2025, and they’re up 180% in the past five years. That’ll please a lot of shareholders, but there’s a downside. Investors looking for dividend income today would have to settle for a yield of 4.1%. It’s been higher in the recent past, which is one of the good things about a fallen share price. If dividends are maintained, the percentage return every year from an investment that’s seeing its price falling can be significantly higher. Now, that’s quite a big ‘if’.…
[ad_1] Image source: The Motley Fool In his 1977 letter to Berkshire Hathaway‘s shareholders, Warren Buffett explained how he evaluated businesses. This month, I used the four ‘rules’ to help me decide whether to buy Babcock International Group (LSE:BAB) shares. Let’s look at each in turn. Rule 1 – “One that we can understand“ To be honest, the idea that we should only invest in what we understand is the one I struggle with the most. Although I know that Babcock is an international defence company that designs and builds warships, and supports the UK nuclear submarine fleet, I have…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images The FTSE 100 currently trades at an average price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of around 16. But I think investors should take a close look at a stock that’s trading at a much higher multiple. Informa (LSE:INF) isn’t exactly a household name and its shares don’t exactly look cheap at first sight. But I think there’s a lot to like about the business from an investment perspective right now. Trade shows The largest part of Informa’s business is its events division. The company organises conferences and trade shows for various industries around the world. From an investment…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images Investors looking to build a second income stream are likely to be attracted towards the substantial dividend yields currently on offer from smaller energy players. Businesses like Ithaca Energy (LSE:ITH) and Harbour Energy (LSE:HBR) have impressive payouts this month, sitting at 12.3% and 11.2% respectively. And should these firms prove capable of maintaining or even growing their dividend in the long run, buying shares today could be immensely lucrative. So what are the chances of that happening? And should investors be considering these under-the-radar stocks for their income portfolios? Key players in the North Sea…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images Building a fortune in the stock market is a common investment goal. After all, there are plenty of success stories highlighting the tremendous wealth that can be unlocked by making the right decisions. Yet, despite the dream being shared by many, relatively few actually put their money to work. Only around a quarter of the British adult population actively invests in the stock market. And while this has increased in recent years, that’s still firmly behind the 62% of adults in the US. And one leading cause is a feeling of not having sufficient money…
[ad_1] Benzinga and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below. A viral post on X speculates that President Donald Trump might see a strategic upside in a recession. What Happened: On Thursday, popular newsletter, The Kobeissi Letter, posted on X, drawing parallels between Trump’s economic agenda and the current state of the markets and the broader macro-environment. “In a way, President Trump may actually want a recession,” the post says. “A recession achieves most of Trump’s economic goals at once,” referring to his campaign promises of low inflation, treasury yields, a reduction…
[ad_1] Image source: Sam Robson, The Motley Fool UK NIO (NYSE: NIO) stock has fallen 13.8% over the past two months. As such, a 10-grand investment made towards the end of March would now be worth about £8,620 (discounting currency moves). While that might not sound too dramatic, it continues a worrying downwards trajectory that has been going on for a long time. Indeed, since peaking at $62 in January 2021, the NIO share price has crashed 93% and now trades for less than $4! This is in complete contrast to Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA), whose shares are up more than…