[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images It’s funny to think Barclays (LSE: BARC) shares were changing hands for just 80p a few years ago. During the panic of the pandemic, one of the FTSE 100‘s leading banks briefly dropped into the realm of penny shares. Crazy stuff. Since then, it’s been win after win for the Blue Eagle bank. The share price is up 496% since 2020 and is threatening to surpass the £5 mark for the first time since that awkward financial thing that happened in 2008. And the stars might be aligning for that mark to be left in…
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[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images Those looking for exciting growth stocks would do well to pay attention to what’s happening in London this year. By the end of 2026, driverless taxis will be on the roads, picking up passengers and taking fares. The idea of computers driving cars safely would’ve been science fiction only a few years ago. It is now not only happening, but threatening to be rolled out worldwide and bringing in the kind of productivity increases only seen in once-in-a-generation inventions like the internet, the steam engine, or the printing press. And it might mean certain stocks…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images The ability to invest up to £20,000 in a Stocks and Shares ISA and not pay tax on any gains surely provides one of the best encouragements UK investors have. And there’s less than two months to go before time runs out to use up as much of our 2025-26 limit as we can. In the early weeks of 2026, private investors are still piling their spare cash into UK shares. And more than any recent month I can remember, it looks like January was characterised by diversification. So what are the most popular stocks?…
[ad_1] With more than $4.6 trillion of capital committed across private markets (30 June 2025),[1] fund managers face growing pressure to deploy capital while maintaining discipline in due diligence. Buyouts and growth capital, in particular, are highly competitive, with approximately $2 trillion of dry powder chasing a limited pool of suitable targets. Although the largest proportion of private equity (PE) performance is delivered thanks to the mechanical benefits of leverage,[2] experienced fund managers know that it pays to be selective when making investment decisions. Slow and Steady Wins the Race Leveraged buyouts (LBOs) with the best odds of success share…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images You would be forgiven for thinking Rolls-Royce (LSE: RR.) shares are about to run out of steam. After an incredible surge of 1,209% in the last five years – supported by win after win in aeroplanes, defence, nuclear power, and even powering data systems for artificial intelligence, the share price must be due for a pull back, mustn’t it? Rolls-Royce CEO Tufan Erginbilgiç probably would disagree. He has just confirmed big plans for the company to take on perhaps its biggest market yet. He called it a “massive 50-year growth opportunity”. What’s the news? Rolls-Royce…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images It has been a great 12 months for shareholders in Lloyds (LSE: LLOY). Over the past 12 months, Lloyds shares have moved up by 65%. That period also saw earnings per share grow 11% and the ordinary dividend per share increase 15%. Clearly, the City has warmed to the investment case. Having sold for pennies for well over a decade, Lloyds shares have now breached the psychologically powerful pound level. They are up 180% over the past five years. But have they gone too far too fast – or could there be more fuel in…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images Is a stock market crash good or bad for an investor who is trying to build up a retirement pot and even hoping to retire early? The obvious answer may seem to be ‘bad’. A crash can wipe four, five, or even six figures off the valuation of a retirement fund in a short time, depending on how big it is. But, while seeing a valuation plummet is understandably concerning, that is only a paper loss. Given the long-term nature of investing for retirement, it is possible (though certainly not guaranteed) those losses will be…
[ad_1] Had you heard of Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) back in 2021? I had, and eyed up Nvidia stock, but did not buy any, Boy did I miss out! Better than a 10-bagger! Over the past five years alone, the Nvidia stock price has soared 1,171%. That is enough to have turned a £20,000 investment back in February 2021 into a shareholding worth around £254,200 today. In other words, a £20,000 investment five years ago would now be worth over a cool quarter of a million pounds! Long-term value creation Is that exceptional? Nvidia stock was selling for less than a…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images In recent weeks, some of my favourite stocks including Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) and Uber (NYSE: UBER) have taken big hits. Currently, these two names are trading between 10% and 25% below their recent highs. Should I capitalise on the share price weakness and buy more stock for my portfolio? Let’s discuss. Amazon has many ways to win Amazon had a relatively strong run into its Q4 earnings. However, it then got hit after the company announced in its earnings that it plans to spend a whopping $200bn on AI and data centres this year. That’s…
[ad_1] Image source: The Motley Fool Famous investor Warren Buffett is no longer running the show at Berkshire Hathaway (though he remains chair). But I think there is still lots to be learned by a small private investor from the billionaire Sage of Omaha’s wisdom when hunting for shares to buy. Here is a trio of UK shares I think demonstrate the sorts of characteristics Warren Buffett has often mentioned looking for in shares to buy. Diageo To start with, a share that Warren Buffett did actually buy (and later sold) in the distant past, when it traded under the…