[ad_1] Image source: BT Group plc One of the star performers in the FTSE 100 index over the past year has been BT (LSE: BT.A). In just 12 months, the BT share price has soared 47%. Sure, it has been a good year for the FTSE 100. The flagship blue-chip index has moved up 14% during that time. But with a performance over three times as strong, the BT share price has left it in the dust. What has been going on – and might it make sense for me to buy some BT shares for my ISA even at…
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[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images If an investor had put £10,000 into Lloyds (LSE: LLOY) shares at the start of this year, they’d be justified in breaking out the bubbly. The FTSE 100 bank has bounced back nicely after being outgunned by rivals Barclays and NatWest last year. A key factor in its underperformance was the motor finance mis-selling scandal. Lloyds is far more exposed than Barclays and NatWest via its Black Horse car loans division. The board set aside £450m for potential impairments. Some analysts reckon it could be on the hook for billions. In its full-year 2024 results,…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images Some investors might think HSBC’s (LSE: HSBA) share price has increased so much this year it cannot keep rising. Others may believe the bullish momentum developed from its 11 March one-year traded low of £5.72 cannot be derailed. As a former senior investment bank trader and longtime private investor I know neither view helps in optimising investment returns. I am only interested in whether there is any value left in the stock. If there is, I will add to my existing stake in the bank. Otherwise, I will keep my position as is. How does…
[ad_1] NS&I said it was cutting the Premium Bond prize rate from 4% to 3.80% from April – but the odds of winning stay at 22,000 to 1.The drop is the second this year as in January NS&I cut the win rate from 4.15% to 4%.Premium Bonds do not pay monthly interest. Instead anyone holding them is entered into a monthly draw where they have the chance to win prizes of between £25 to £1 million and the prize rate is the average amount someone might expect to win.Although that average takes into account two main winners a month who…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images UK stock market investors love to make the best of their Stocks and Shares ISA allowance. This is because the rules provide for up to £20,000 a year invested with no tax levied on the capital gains. That can amount to some serious savings later in life. For instance, with 10% average returns on a portfolio, an ISA could save £2,000 a year! 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.…
[ad_1] Adecco CFO says dividend cut difficult but necessary after drop in profitRecruitment giant Adecco reported a 14% annual drop in full-year operating income on Wednesday, while net income fell 7% from a year earlier to 303 million euros ($318 million) in 2024.The Swiss company said it would update its dividend policy, leading to a proposed dividend payout of 1 Swiss franc ($1.12) per share. A year earlier, dividends had been 2.50 Swiss francs per share.Chief Financial Officer Coram Williams told CNBC’s “Squawk Box Europe” on Wednesday that the firm was “pretty pleased” with its 2024 earnings, before discussing the…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images The US stock market has been hit with a triple-whammy of trade tariffs, AI threats and inflation fears, leading to prices dropping across the board. Popular indices like the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 are down 3% to 4% since last week. While there’s been some growth in healthcare and retail, major tech and finance stocks have suffered the most. So far this year, Microsoft and Amazon are down by around 5.7%. Meanwhile, Google and Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) have seen losses closer to 7% each. Some of the worst hit include Tesla and Axon, both…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images BAE Systems (LSE: BA) shares should be soaring right now, if you ask me. The FTSE 100 company is Europe’s largest defence contractor and the continent is feeling jumpier than it has done in years. Europe had grown accustomed to US military protection, but under President Donald Trump it can no longer take that for granted. NATO members are going to have to step up their spending as the US pulls back, which should be good news for BAE. Can this FTSE 100 stock fight back? Yet, over the past year, BAE’s share price has…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images Healthcare giant Smith & Nephew‘s (LSE:SN) shares continue to rise sharply from last autumn’s lows. At £11, the FTSE 100 share has risen 9.9% since the start of 2025. The company — which builds artificial joints and limbs, surgical robotics, and sports medicine and woundcare products — has been troubled in recent years by soaring costs and sales weakness in China. But fresh financials on Tuesday (25 February) have boosted hopes that Smith & Nephew’s turnaround is gaining momentum. News of soaring sales, margins, and profits in 2024 have given the share price an extra…
[ad_1] NTPC Green Energy Limited (NGEL), a subsidiary of NTPC Ltd., has invited Stage-II (Price) bids for the sale of 1,00,000 carbon credits from its wind and solar renewable energy projects registered under the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) Program. The bidding process follows a two-stage format, with Stage-I (Techno-Commercial) bids already submitted and opened on November 13, 2024. Interested bidders are required to submit their Stage-II (Price) bids online through the GePNIC e-tender portal by March 5, 2025, at 15:00 hours. The bids will be opened on the same day at 15:30 hours. The sale is open to domestic companies…