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[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images The time has come to dissect some of the most interesting potential stock picks for next year. Of course, no stock is guaranteed to rise in value. But based on research, along with what happened this year and what could be in store for a company in 2026, informed decisions can be made. When looking at the S&P 500, here’s one potential share for consideration. An AI powerhouse After thinking about it for a long time, my pick for next year is Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT). The share price is up 5% in the past year. Again,…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images From time to time, the Ocado (LSE: OCDO) share price puts on a show. It flickers into life like a leftover New Year’s Eve sparkler and gives long-suffering investors a flash of hope. It staged quite a performance over the summer, spiking to almost 396p on 8 August after broker JPMorgan Cazenove surprised markets by reiterating its Overweight rating and lifting its price target from 400p to 437p. A loss-making opportunity I remember those heady days well. I bought Ocado shares in 2023 after they’d already fallen 85% from their all-time high, thinking they’d dropped enough to…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images NatWest (LSE: NWG) shares have enjoyed another smashing year, rising 55% in the last 12 months. Over five years, they’re up an incredible 265%, with dividends on top. Can this fabulous run continue into 2026? I could ask the same question about two other FTSE 100 banks: Barclays (LSE: BARC) and Lloyds Banking Group (LSE: LLOY), because they’ve been sizzling too. Red-hot FTSE 100 sector The Barclays share price is up 67% this year and 212% over five. Lloyds’ shares, which I own, have done even better, rising 72% over the last 12 months, although…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images What did ChatGPT plump for when I asked it to find some top dividend shares as options for 2026? The first two come as no shock, as it’s really just doing a data search for what’s already been written. And I’d say they’re both solid stocks well worth considering. But the third choice surprised me a little. Cash cow BP (LSE: BP.) has been a popular dividend pick for years, as it’s been a true FTSE 100 cash machine. There’s a 5.8% dividend yield on the cards for this year — and analysts see it…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images Three diverse FTSE 100 stocks have led an outstanding rally for UK stocks in 2025, with the index hitting record highs. Those three stocks are Fresnillo, up 367% year-to-date (YTD), Airtel Africa, up 178% YTD, and Babcock International, up 140%. So if an investor split £5,000 equally among these three stocks (33.3% each) at the beginning of the year, what would it be worth now?Let’s break it down. Crunching the numbers Split equally, £5,000 becomes about £1,666.67 in each stock at the start of the year. A 367% gain in Fresnillo turns that into about…
[ad_1] Momentum investing remains a cornerstone of systematic equity strategies, and our recent research shows it is one deserving of allocators’ full attention. In our latest review (forthcoming, 2026), we provide a comprehensive update on its empirical foundations and practical evolution. Drawing on more than 150 years of data and thousands of portfolio specifications, we reaffirm momentum’s resilience while highlighting its transformation into a multidimensional phenomenon. The momentum premium is not a statistical fluke or a product of data mining; rather, it is a consistent and sizable return spread that has endured across eras, geographies, and portfolio construction choices. For…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images At the start of this year, more than a few people were nervously weighing up the prospects of a stock market crash. Yet here we are in the middle of December and the FTSE 100 index of leading UK shares is 18% higher than it was at the start of the year. Stateside, the S&P 500 stock index has moved up similarly, by 16%. It has not been a smooth ride. Back in April we saw a stock market correction in the FTSE 100, while from mid-February to early April the S&P 500’s fall of…
[ad_1] What a year it has been for chip company Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA)! Its stock had already performed superbly in recent years. So far in 2025, it is up by 31%. That means that, over five years, the Nvidia stock price has soared by 1,228%. Wow! That sort of return has no doubt made many existing shareholders very happy. But might there still be sense in me buying some shares now in the hope of future gains? Lots left to like I am pretty upbeat about the outlook for the company. The recent buzz about Nvidia has understandably focused on…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images The FTSE 250 is home to some truly eye-popping dividend yields. One of the most spectacular comes courtesy of specialist emerging markets fund manager Ashmore Group (LSE: ASHM). Today, it has a trailing yield of 10.22%. At that rate, it could double an investor’s money in less than eight years, even if the shares don’t rise at all. Imagine if investors got share price growth on top! But is that likely to happen? Ashmore Group shares struggle Experienced investors know to tread carefully around ultra-high yields. I don’t think many boards aim to divvy up 10%…