Image source: Getty Images The incomes of those holding shares in Burberry Group (LSE:BRBY) have taken a bit of a hit lately. That’s because the luxury fashion house suspended its dividend in July 2024 to help preserve cash following a period of falling sales. Squeezed incomes and increased global uncertainty have caused a drop in demand for the more expensive things in life. However, the luxury sector received a bit of a boost last week (14 October) when LVMH, owner of many ultra-pricey brands including Louis Vuitton and Moet & Chandon, announced its sales rose by 1% year-on-year in…
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Image source: Getty Images I recently wrote about Fresnillo (LSE:FRES) and talked through how the strong gains over the past year were being driven in a large part by the move in gold and silver. Precious metal prices have rocketed in 2025 for many reasons, with a miner like Fresnillo reaping the benefits. However, the Fresnillo share price is down 22% since last Friday (17 October). Here’s what’s going on and why I don’t think investors should panic. Over the course of this week, we’ve seen both gold and silver prices correct lower. For example, gold’s gone from almost $4,400…
Image source: Getty Images Many FTSE investment trusts continue to trade at a discount. This means the share price is lower than the net value of the assets they hold (known as discount to NAV per share). Essentially then, an investor can buy £1 worth of investments for, say, 90p. If that gap later closes, this can boost returns. Of course, it can also widen, so there’s risk as well as opportunity. In other words, no free lunch! Here are three investment trusts trading at a discount that I think are worth a closer look today. Asia growth First up,…
Image source: Getty Images Shares of Beyond Meat (NASDAQ:BYND) have been sizzling in the Nasdaq Composite index lately. They soared 146% yesterday (21 October) and have now gained over 600% in just four trading days. In this time, Beyond Meat has gone from a $0.52 penny stock to almost $4, giving the plant-based meat firm a $1.4bn market cap. What’s going on? And can this red-hot rally keep going? Why Beyond Meat is on fire For those who don’t know, Beyond Meat produces plant-based meat alternatives (burgers, sausages, meatballs, etc). And there appear to be three main reasons behind the massive…
Image source: Getty Images I regularly buy UK shares, and the decision is always mine. I’d never dream of letting a computer to choose them for me. Playing around with ChatGPT and other generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools can be fun, but I don’t take the results too seriously. Picking FTSE 100 stocks That said, I thought I’d give it a whirl, and asked ChatGPT to list ‘five of the best UK shares to consider buying today’. Here’s what it came up with, and it’s reasoning. London Stock Exchange Group. Its share price is down about 20% in the past…
Image source: Getty Images There’s increasing chatter that some sectors, such as artificial intelligence (AI), are pushing stocks into a bubble. Bubbles always pop at some point, although it’s hard to tell if the market’s overvalued or simply benefiting from huge growth rates. When it comes to trying to figure it out, advice from legendary investor Warren Buffett can be very helpful. Thoughts from the great man Buffett was quoted as saying to be “fearful when others are greedy and greedy when others are fearful”. When everyone around you is euphoric and prices are skyrocketing, it often signals a bubble.…
Image source: Getty Images The Hochschild (LSE: HOC) share price has had a stunning run. The FTSE 250 stock is up 52% over the last 12 months and a staggering 523% over three years. Given that Hochschild Mining is a Latin America-focused precious metals company specialising in silver and gold exploration, the reasons are obvious. Gold stock on a silver streak The gold price has skyrocketed thanks to geopolitical anxiety, central bank buying, a slightly weaker dollar and its own breakneck momentum, hitting one record high after another. The yellow metal has itself jumped 50% in the last year and 145% over three. Silver…
Image source: Getty Images FTSE 100 stocks are sorely underestimated, in my view. Many investors see UK blue-chips as solid but sluggish, and easily outpaced by the US tech giants. We certainly don’t have anything quite like the Magnificent Seven high fliers such as Amazon, Nvidia or Tesla. Only the US has the deep capital markets required to fund their breakneck growth. I invest in the US mega-caps myself, via the Vanguard S&P 500 UCITS ETF, the Legal & General Global Technology Index Trust and Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust. FTSE 100 star performers The rest of my portfolio is made…
Image source: Getty Images Playtech (LSE:PTEC), a member of the FTSE 250 share index, lost over a fifth of its market cap yesterday (21 October). This was after the provider of technology solutions to the gambling industry was accused by one of its rivals of engaging in a “defamatory smear campaign”. Evolution, the Swedish “provider and innovator” of online casino games, commenced legal action in December 2021 against a US law firm alleging defamation and trade libel. After an exchange of legal documents, it now says it’s “unmasked” Playtech as engaging a third-party investigator to “prepare and disseminate a 2021…
Image source: Getty Images Building a second income is one of the smartest things an investor can do. For me, it’s not about chasing get-rich-quick schemes, but steadily compounding returns inside an Stocks and Shares ISA or Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP) to eventually live off the dividends. Imagine earning an extra £2,000 a month, or £24,000 a year, without working longer hours or taking on side gigs. It might sound like fantasy, but with time, patience and discipline, it can be done. How much capital’s needed To generate £24,000 of annual income, I’d need a portfolio of roughly £480,000 delivering a 5%…