[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images This has been a brutal year for shareholders of high-street food chain Greggs (LSE: GRG). The Greggs share price has crashed hard in 2025, leaving its owners — including my family portfolio — feeling pretty queasy. With this stock lying far below the highs of 2021/22, what might stop the rot and get this share surging again? Gruesome Greggs In many ways, Greggs is a great British success story, serving ‘food on the go’ — including sausage rolls, sandwiches and hot drinks — to millions of customers every day from over 2,650 outlets. The group…
Author: user
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images The S&P 500 is trading at a valuation that usually leads to weak returns for 10 years, but I don’t think investors should stop buying stocks. In fact, I think this would be a big mistake. Source: JP Morgan Q4 Guide to the Markets I don’t have any argument with the data and I’m half expecting a difficult year for the stock market in 2026. So why do I think investors should keep investing? Cost averaging A lot of investors follow a strategy known as cost averaging. This involves buying shares with a fixed amount…
[ad_1] The development of digital financial assets has fundamentally changed the financial ecosystem, challenging traditional valuation methodologies and introducing new complexities for both analysts and investors. Digital assets — which include cryptocurrencies, stablecoins, non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and tokenized securities — are now used in business transactions, investment portfolios, and capital formation. Even with their growing use, valuation remains clouded with uncertainty due to the absence of standardized valuation frameworks and methods, a market infrastructure that is often fragmented, and limited technological transparency. For financial analysts, this evolution presents both an opportunity and a challenge. Traditional valuation concepts still apply, but…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images Dividend stocks are a great way to build long-term wealth and these three all have one special attribute. So what makes them so special? Only a dozen FTSE 100 companies have increased their dividends for at least 25 consecutive years, and sometimes longer. It’s a hugely impressive achievement, as it means generating the cash to fund shareholder payouts through thick and thin, decade after decade. These three really jumped out at me. Halma is an income hero Halma (LSE: HLMA) is the first. Many investors wouldn’t even spot it as a dividend stock because the…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images A lot of so-called passive income strategies actually involve a lot of work, but dividend shares are a rare exception. They really are a way of earning money while you sleep. The average long-term return from the FTSE 100 is around 6.8% a year. And this means the amount you need to invest to target a £1,000 monthly income might be less than you think. How much do you need? The biggest thing when trying to figure out how much is needed to target £12,000 a year is how long do you have? It’s a…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images What’s a good passive income target? One gov.uk estimate (from January 2025) puts the average post-tax salary of British workers at £23,184 a year or £1,932 a month. An amount that high would create a second income, the sort that could replace a normal wage and open up the possibilities that come with true financial freedom – early retirement, cutting back on hours or simply a comforting rainy day fund. One way to build such an income stream is through a Stocks and Shares ISA. The tax benefits in these accounts are generous (you don’t…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images Rolls-Royce (LSE: RR.) shares have surged — up 1,556% — in the last three years. An investor who put £10,000 in at the low point has seen the stake balloon to over £150,000 in double quick time. How on earth did a FTSE 100 stalwart achieve such rapid gains? And could the stock do it again? The first element to such a rapid rise is timing. The share price didn’t sink to a 67p low by accident, it came after the mini-Budget under a certain Ms Truss. I remember it well. No one could believe…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images The FTSE 100 is packed with generous income stocks, and some yield as much as 8% or 9%. The trick is finding dividends that look sturdy enough to hold up over time. I was flicking through AJ Bell’s latest dividend dashboard this morning and three names jumped out because they all offered the same special thing. So what is it? Legal & General for income The first is Legal & General Group (LSE: LGEN), which has the highest trailing yield on the blue-chip index at 9%. High yields can be hard to sustain and this…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images The FTSE 250 remains packed with brilliant discounts as we move into the festive season. The stock market volatility we’ve experienced in recent weeks has seen even more top companies move into bargain basement territory. Take the following FTSE 250 shares: QinetiQ (LSE:QQ.), Softcat (LSE:SCT), and TBC Bank (LSE:TBCG). Each now trades on a rock-bottom earnings multiple following heavy price falls. Could they rebound in December? Defence bargain UK defence shares like QinetiQ have fallen sharply in recent days. The prospect of peace in Ukraine would be welcome after years of bloodshed. But it could…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images My portfolio is packed with high-performing exchange-traded funds (ETFs). They help me diversify my portfolio, but they haven’t compromised the returns I’ve made. Many UK funds regularly deliver spectacular returns that smash the broader stock market average. Take the following ETFs: L&G Gold Mining ETF (LSE:AUCP) and iShares Digital Security ETF (LSE:LOCK). These funds have enjoyed an excellent average annual return of 16.2% during the last five years. The question is, can these popular products continue delivering excellent returns? Striking gold Gold’s stunning price surge has grabbed significant media attention in 2025. But the yellow…