Image source: BT Group plc The BT (LSE: BT.A) share price has slipped around 5% over the past month after analysts at New Street Research cut their rating from Buy to Neutral, joining a wave of recent downgrades. This followed Citigroup’s Sell call in early September and a recent Underperform rating from BNP Paribas Exane. The cautious mood begs the question: with a 4.5% yield on offer, is BT still worth a look? The 5G game plan BT’s ambitious network plans grabbed headlines at the recent Connected Britain 2025 event. The company, through its EE brand, announced that it aims…
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Image source: Getty Images The Aviva (LSE: AV.) share price is up 39% in 2025, making it one of the best performers in the FTSE 100. But with the Direct Line integration now in full swing, and with a large chunk of its business pivoting to a capital-light model, I remain optimistic on its prospects. Diversified business model Most individuals associate the Aviva brand with general insurance. As the UK’s largest motor and home insurance provider, that fact is unsurprising. However, its core brand can be seen across both wealth and retirement. Its Wealth division is capital-light and growing fast.…
This article was originally published in the Vision Zero Cities Journal, released as part of Transportation Alternatives’ 2025 Vision Zero Cities conference, which will take place October 28-30 in New York City. As cities worldwide face challenges in promoting cycling and electrification to tackle congestion and climate change, China is leading the way in integrating e-bikes into urban mobility through robust regulations and extensive infrastructure. With over 420 million e-bikes across the country and cities like Shanghai boasting an e-bike for every two residents, the sheer prevalence of e-bikes in China showcases the scale of this transformation.China’s e-bike revolution traces back to the…
Image source: Getty Images Investing in real estate investment trusts (REITs) over the last few years has been a bit challenging. Higher interest rates have dragged down property prices, negatively impacting these corporate landlords. But for investors today, that’s also potentially created a ginormous passive income opportunity! Why? Because with valuations tumbling, not only are these stocks looking dirt cheap, they’re also offering chunky dividend yields. With that in mind, here are three REITs investors may want to take a closer look at – two of which I already own. Please note that tax treatment depends on the individual circumstances…
Image source: Getty Images In the face of falling oil prices, the BP (LSE: BP.) share price has remained remarkably resilient. With energy stocks often viewed as inflation hedges, could the market be signalling that BP’s valuation already reflects the worst? Oil prices The price of a barrel of crude oil today is trading at lower levels than it was after President Trump unleashed a barrage of tariffs, back in April. Yet the oil major is trading 17% higher than back then. Such anomalies in the market are something that many smart investors pick up on. Admittedly, earlier in the…
Image source: Getty Images Back in 2022, Rolls-Royce shares were deeply out of favour with investors. And for good reason – the company was really struggling. Rolls-Royce has been able to turn things around, though. And as a result, anyone who was brave enough to buy the shares when they were down in the dumps has done incredibly well (the shares have risen more than 10-fold since the start of 2023). Are there any turnaround opportunities like this in the market today? Absolutely. Here’s a look at an S&P 500 stock that reminds me a little of Rolls-Royce in 2022.…
Image source: Getty Images UK dividend shares are a great way to help supercharge a retirement portfolio — and they aren’t just for the rich. There’s a wealth of cheap UK shares available even to those with only a small amount of money to invest. Smiths News The first share to consider is Smiths News (LSE: SNWS), a small (£140m) outfit that generated around £1.1bn in revenue over the past 12 months. The company provides services in the sale, marketing and distribution of newspapers and magazines. The shares look cheap at just 59.4p, backed by a forward price-to-earnings (P/E) of…
Image source: Getty Images My Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP) has performed incredibly well recently. Over the last two years, it’s more than doubled in value thanks to regular contributions and good performance from my stocks and funds. Interested to know what my largest individual stock holdings are today? Read on… The Big Tech stock offering value My largest stock holding right now is Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOG), the owner of Google, YouTube, and Waymo. This stock has come under a fair bit of pressure in recent years due to concerns that AI could hurt its business model (this remains a risk).…
Image source: Getty Images The news is full of dire warnings about an upcoming stock market crash, enough to make investors sell everything and head for the hills. Parallels with the dotcom collapse of 2000 and the Wall Street Crash of 1929 abound. Some point to an artificial intelligence (AI) bubble and the huge valuations of tech titans such as Nvidia. The march of big tech has pushed the S&P 500 price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio past 40 for only the second time in history. Worryingly, the first was 1999, during the dotcom boom. Throw in fears over the $4.5trn US shadow-banking system,…
Image source: Getty Images Investors just starting out often underestimate the power of FTSE 100 income stocks. Too many focus on share price growth, but over time, companies with a habit of regularly increasing their dividends offer real wealth building potential. Share price growth can be volatile, but companies that pay long-term shareholders consistent income year after year can smooth out the ups and downs. Especially if they lift payouts every single year, giving investors a rising income too. By reinvesting those dividends year after year, investors’ build up their stake in the company, so each future dividend payment is…