[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images A lump sum investment in the FTSE 100 looks set to deliver a tasty return this year. Up 18.3% year date, a £5,000 stake on 1 January would now be worth £5,915. Can the Footsie repeat the trick in 2026, though? Fresh interest rate cuts, strong commodities prices, and sustained demand for cheap shares could keep powering UK blue-chip shares higher. Yet I’m not tempted to buy a FTSE 100 index fund for next year. Want to know what I’m doing instead? Thinking long term Guessing the short-term direction of individual share prices or tracker…
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[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images The UK economy’s in the doldrums, but the FTSE 100 has enjoyed a fantastic 2025. Britain’s blue-chip benchmark has soared 18% since January, and at one stage it almost broke the 10,000-point barrier. This may still happen before the New Year. Which stocks have been the Footsie’s standout performers this year? What’s fuelled their success? And can these companies sustain their winning streaks in the coming year? Let’s explore. The FTSE 100’s terrific 10 Here’s the leading line-up for 2025. This year’s top companies come from industries spanning mining, defence, banking, telecoms, and insurance. FTSE…
[ad_1] My name is James Beard and I own BP (LSE:BP.) shares. There, I’ve said it. But with a greater emphasis on ethical investing, should I be ashamed of myself? And with drilling for oil and gas as old as the hills, BP’s activities are as far removed from those of the US tech giants as you can probably get. Yet, there’s so much hype surrounding the ‘Magnificent 7’ and very little focus on ‘old-fashioned’ UK stocks. Is this another reason why I should be embarrassed for having the energy giant in my ISA? A moral dilemma In October 2024,…
[ad_1] Earlier this week, I got to try out the MBTA’s new CharlieCard, which is currently in a testing phase for volunteers to try them out before they become more widely available at fare machines across the region. The new CharlieCard.The new cards represent a major milestone in the T’s long-delayed, $935 million “fare transformation” contract, which dates to the administration of Gov. Charlie Baker. In spite of the delays and the high cost of the project, the new fare payment system does offer some potential benefits to riders and to the T in general. Here’s an overview of our…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images The State Pension isn’t enough for a comfortable retirement, so investors ideally need to generate a second income on top. I think a brilliant way of doing this is to invest in a portfolio of dividend-paying FTSE 100 companies through a Stocks and Shares ISA or Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP). Or both. A bumper passive income of £36,000 a year, or £3,000 a month, would transform retirement. So how big a pot do investors need to generate that kind of money? Investment tax breaks The answer depends on the dividend yield generated by the underlying…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images Up 95% year to date and 860% over five years, it seems Rolls-Royce Holdings (LSE: RR.) shares can do no wrong. But nothing can keep growing at this breakneck pace for ever. Some investors thought the run would come to an end in 2024, and they were wrong. They’ve been wrong again in 2025. But with the Rolls share price around 1,100p by mid-December, the cracks just might be starting to show. Slipping back Since a 52-week high in September, Rolls-Royce shares have declined nearly 8%. That’s not exactly a panic. And profit taking will…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images I’ve loaded up on FTSE 100 dividend stocks over the last two or three years, and haven’t regretted it for a moment. Now I think events this could make them look even more tempting than they already are. As well as dividend income, I’ve been getting bags of growth too. Shares in one of my favourites, Lloyds Banking Group, are up 70% in the last year and 105% over two. As a result, the yield’s fallen to 3.35%, but that should recover, and I’m also collecting stellar rates of income elsewhere. High-income FTSE 100 shares One of my…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images Although the FTSE 100‘s risen by 16% since December 2024, it hasn’t been a great year for three members of its index. Over the same period, WPP (LSE:WPP), Bunzl (LSE:BNZL), and Diageo (LSE:DGE) have seen their share prices fall 62%, 39%, and 35% respectively. A £10,000 equal investment in all three a year ago, would now be worth just £5,500. But could each of them be a buying opportunity? Let’s take a closer look. 1. WPP Advertising and marketing agency WPP appears to be suffering from the impact of artificial intelligence (AI). Although it’s investing…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images Lloyds Banking Group (LSE:LLOY) shares have soared over 70% since the start of 2025. Today (15 December), they’re changing hands for around 95p and all eyes appear to be focused on whether they can break the 100p barrier. Based on forecast earnings for 2025, they’re now the most expensive of the FTSE 100’s five banks. But this doesn’t necessarily mean they’re over-priced. Let’s use the helping hand of artificial intelligence (AI) to try and find out. Quick maths One of the most common techniques employed to assess a company’s valuation is a discounted cash flow…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images There’s no way around it, the Aston Martin (LSE: AML) share price has been a disaster! Down 40% in the past 12 months, it’s crashed a whopping 98.6% since that fateful market launch in 2018. It hasn’t been the growth stock that early investors hoped for. Still, every time the luxury car maker seemed like it was on its last, it found the cash to keep it going. Someone seems to think the future’s rosy — though how far that extends beyond billionaire investor Lawrence Stroll, who took a big stake in 2020, remains to…