[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images The FTSE 100’s always full of surprises. Who could have imagined a year ago that gold miner Fresnillo would rocket more than 250%? Or telecoms specialist Airtel Africa would soar 215%? Not me. Both stocks had largely passed my radar, until they suddenly went gangbusters. But another big success story was on my watchlist, so I’m kicking myself for missing out. It’s up a blistering 65% over 12 months so can it continue to soar? The stock in question is Asia-focused insurer Prudential (LSE: PRU), which I actually owed a couple of decades ago. I banked a…
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[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images This has been a brilliant year for Britain’s flagship index of leading companies. The FTSE 100 index has grown 15% so far in 2025, meaning it is now 50% higher than five years ago. That strong performance has included the index repeatedly setting new all-time highs this year. Could it go even higher in 2026? Potential for further growth I think the short answer is yes. I do see the potential for the index to move higher next year. After all, 2025 has seen a sluggish UK economy and a number of risks to financial…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images A high dividend yield can make a share an attractive passive income idea for some investors. But high yields can also be a red flag for other investors. Simply looking at yield alone however, tells us nothing about what may happen in future. After all, no dividend is ever guaranteed to last. A dividend yield is a snapshot of what a company is paying now, not necessarily what it will do in future. Still, some high-yield shares have indeed kept on paying or even growing their dividend per share annually in recent years. Phoenix Group…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images Rumours are swirling that ISA reforms are on the way. According to ‘those in the know’, annual allowances for the Cash ISA are about to receive a substantial haircut. Experts at interactive investor have said that “the chancellor [is] believed to be eyeing up a reduction to either £10,000 or £12,000, akin to the pre-2014 ISA landscape when the cash limit was never more than half the overall allowance.“ That would mark a significant reduction from the current limit of £20,000. But I’m not panicking. In fact, any changes to the ISA allowance won’t change…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images Last week’s highly-anticipated Nvidia results gave a brief respite from market fears. However, it seems they’ve failed to shore up the market as much as many hoped. Lately, I’ve written extensively about the benefits of defensive shares during periods of market instability. However, there are a few growth stocks that could also benefit. Naturally, gold and precious metal miners are well-positioned, as these commodities are seen as safe havens when markets wobble. We’ve already seen this effect drive up the price of Fresnillo this year. However, with the price now 47.5 times earnings, it might…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images Wizz Air’s (LSE: WIZZ) share price is down 37% from its 18 March one-year traded high of £18.17. This could mean it is significantly undervalued right now. All depends on how its current price lines up compared to its ‘fair value’. This represents the true worth of a share based on the underlying business fundamentals. Price is just whatever the market will pay, derived from stock demand and supply dynamics at any given point. So, how does the underlying business look and the stock’s fair value with it? Solid business fundamentals? The key driver of…
[ad_1] Safety first — and McGreevey last.Former New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey, who left office two decades ago in extramarital and national security disgrace, has made his opposition to a street safety measure a central part of his campaign to be mayor of Jersey City, which heads to an increasingly bitter Dec. 2 runoff.Supporters of front-runner James Solomon are accusing the former Garden State chief executive of waging a culture war to “politicize street safety” by first highlighting StreetsPAC NJ’s support for Solomon and also lying about Solomon’s position on a contested street revamp in a predominantly Black neighborhood.”It’s just…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images Imagine investing in Nvidia stock in the early days, when today’s AI revolution was just a twinkle in CEO Jensen Huang’s eye. The chipmaker’s stock market gains — up roughly 22,700% in a decade — are legendary. And this has understandably sparked a lot of interest in finding the next Nvidia-type hidden gem. That seems to be the hope of people on investing platform AJ Bell anyway. Because according to company-complied data, the most popular stock bought there in the past day (24 November) was ITM Power (LSE:ITM). Trading at 72p and sporting a modest…
[ad_1] Last week (19 November), Nvidia’s (NASDAQ:NVDA) much-anticipated Q3 earnings briefly quelled fears of an imminent stock market crash. Sales of its highly sought-after Blackwell GPU chips were “off the charts“, according to CEO Jensen Huang, while other cloud GPUs had sold out completely. However, during the announcement, CFO Colette Kress noted geopolitical issues affecting sales of its H20 chip in China. Despite being granted the necessary licenses early this year, the company only recorded $50m in sales to the country. While no Chinese company competes with Nvidia’s leading products, some match or exceed its export-restricted H20 chips. Huawei and…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images I’ve built a portfolio of mostly FTSE 100 stocks inside a Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP) and, mostly, I’m happy with it. But now I’m wondering whether it’s fit for purpose. So I asked ChatGPT to produce the ‘perfect’ blend of mostly dividend income-paying stocks for someone retiring within a decade. I’ve learned to approach artificial intelligence (AI) carefully. No investor should use it to select stocks, often the information it comes up with is out of date, with potential risks omitted. Human intelligence is essential. AI picked Legal & General shares ChatGPT assured me I’d…