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[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images The world’s stock markets are pulling back from the Trump tariff slump, so might that mean a new bull run for the FTSE 100 and FTSE 250? It’s been a while since we’ve had a lengthy mid-cap growth spell. But I see a few stocks that look like they could be set for a few years of gains. Turned a corner? I can’t see demand for health services doing anything but grow. But companies holding real estate have suffered falls in asset values. Maybe that’s why Primary Health Properties (LSE: PHP), the real estate investment…

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[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images Over the past two decades, the Stocks and Shares ISA has become one of the UK’s most powerful wealth-building tools. Offering tax-free returns on investments up to £20,000 a year, it’s no surprise that some long-term investors have used this wrapper to amass ISA portfolios worth over £1m. Please note that tax treatment depends on the individual circumstances of each client and may be subject to change in future. The content in this article is provided for information purposes only. It is not intended to be, neither does it constitute, any form of tax advice.…

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[ad_1] Image source: The Motley Fool It’s been a very odd few months in the stock market. We’ve seen the share prices of even huge well-known companies gyrate in what look like very unusual ways. So I’ve been learning from a billionaire investor who’s successfully ridden many market cycles: Warren Buffett. Here are three lessons from Buffett I’ve been applying as I navigate the stock market in 2025. 1. Think of buying bits of businesses, not shares A lot of people think about buying shares as essentially a numbers exercise. If a price has fallen by a large percentage, or…

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[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images Looking for FTSE 100 shares to deliver dependable earnings and dividend growth? Here are three to consider today. Halma Safety equipment supplier Halma (LSE:HLMA) is expected to report a 23rd straight year of record profits when trading numbers for financial 2025 come out on 12 June. What makes it so resilient, you ask? One reason is it’s great track record of acquisitions (decades of M&A mean it comprises 50 different businesses). Another is the fact that safety is one area which businesses can ill afford to skimp on, regardless of broader trading conditions. Halma’s impressive…

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[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images Tucking some spare money into blue-chip shares can be a straightforward way to earn some passive income, in the form of dividends. It can be lucrative too. In this example I will show how less than £10k today could earn close to £300 a month in passive income over the long term. Sound too good to be true? Let me walk through the details of how such a plan can work. Three factors that determine the income stream size To know how much passive income this approach might generate, we need to look at three…

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[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images Artificial intelligence is making inroads into just about everything these days, so why not use it in my search for dividend stocks? I asked ChatGPT to dig out “three UK dividend stocks I should consider for further research“. The results were really quite interesting, both in the suggested stocks and what the automated brain saw (or didn’t see) as key points. HSBC It suggested HSBC Holdings (LSE: HSBA) as the UK’s largest bank. In fact, with a market cap of £155bn it’s the second-most valuable stock in the FTSE 100, only slightly behind AstraZeneca. We’re…

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[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images According to Warren Buffett, one of the most important things when it comes to finding stocks to buy is something that has protection from disruption. And the FTSE 100 has some great examples.  One that doesn’t always get the attention it deserves is Compass Group (LSE:CPG). The contract catering firm isn’t exactly a household name, but its competitive position is incredibly strong. Economic moats If a business starts doing well, it’s only a matter of time until competitors start to think about copying it. So to be successful over the long term, a company needs…

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[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images In the UK, the number of adults invested in shares, trusts, and funds lags far behind those in the US and parts of Europe and Asia. The result is that millions of people are potentially missing a chance to retire in comfort. According to the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) latest Financial Lives survey, just 20% of Brits owned shares in 2024, while 17% hold a Stocks and Shares ISA. This equates to 10m and 9.3m people, respectively. Compare this to the 62% of US adults (according to Gallup) that invest in stocks, for example. Cash…

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[ad_1] The average rate on a 30-year mortgage in the U.S. edged above 6.8% this week, returning to where it was just three weeks ago. The rate increased to 6.81% from 6.76% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. A year ago, the rate averaged 7.02%. Borrowing costs on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages, popular with homeowners refinancing their home loans, also rose. The average rate ticked up to 5.92% from 5.89% last week. It’s down from 6.28% a year ago, Freddie Mac said. Mortgage rates are influenced by several factors, including global demand for U.S. Treasurys, the Federal Reserve’s interest…

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