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Image source: Getty Images The Aviva (LSE: AV.) share price has been gunning it lately, climbing 35% over the past year and a staggering 136% over five. That hasn’t happened by accident. CEO Amanda Blanc has streamlined the business since joining in July 2020, stripping away underperforming overseas units and refocusing on the UK market. This year’s £3.7bn acquisition of Direct Line should further beef up its market dominance. Big operating profit jump Today’s (14 August) half-year results show Aviva keeping up the momentum. Operating profit jumped 22% to £1.07bn, with 66% now coming from capital-light operations such as wealth,…
The U.S. government could intervene to improve the credibility of a major global carbon market system, but experts disagree on whether it’s necessary and if more resources and authority are needed, a new federal oversight report says. A Government Accountability Office report released Wednesday analyzed the voluntary carbon market, a series of polluter-funded projects around the world that are supposed to address climate change but are of widely varying quality. The U.S. government provides minimal oversight and guidance, raising questions about whether agencies could and should become more involved. The unregulated voluntary market links developers of climate change related projects…
Image source: Getty Images Over the past five years, Barclays’ (LSE: BARC) share price has more than trebled, comfortably outperforming the 50% gains seen in the FTSE 100. With the bank recently posting another excellent set of numbers, can the momentum continue? Investment bank The standout performer for the first six months of 2025 was its Investment Bank. The division reported a 14% year on year increase in income and return on tangible equity (RoTE) improved by 3.4 percentage points to 14.2%. But there were contrasting fortunes across its two main business units within this division. As market volatility surged…
Image source: Getty Images Brokers have a 12-month price target for Rolls-Royce shares of 1,075p. With a current (13 August) price of 1,098p, this suggests there’s no room for further growth. But given its post-pandemic performance – the group’s now worth around £90bn more than when it announced its life-saving rights issue and debt restructuring in October 2020 – this probably shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. Having said that, the most optimistic broker reckons the shares are worth around 31% more. Something else However, there’s another FTSE 100 company that the ‘experts’ believe offers better value. Unlike Rolls-Royce,…
So far in 2025, the BP (LSE:BP.) share price has underperformed the FTSE 100. The energy producer has seen its stock increase in value by 3.5% compared to 10.8% for the wider index. Uncertain energy prices Unsurprisingly, the biggest influence on the group’s results (and consequently its market-cap) is the price of energy, in particular oil. The price of Brent crude has fallen 14% since the start of the year. At around $65, it’s now back to where it was before Russia invaded Ukraine. Due to its unpredictable nature, where it goes next is anyone’s guess. The US Energy Information…
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Asian shares were mixed on Thursday after days of gains driven by hopes for lower U.S. interest rates, while U.S. futures slipped. Bitcoin rose more than 3% to a new record of over $123,000, according to CoinDesk. In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 fell 1.3% to 42,705.36 as investors sold to lock in recent gains that have taken the benchmark to all-time records. The Japanese yen rose against the dollar after U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in an interview with Bloomberg that Japan was “behind the curve” in monetary tightening. He was referring to the slow…
Image source: Getty Images I’m always mulling over new ways to build a steady and reliable passive income stream. Whether it’s sitting pretty on the sofa, walking the dog or simply sipping a pint, extra cash means more free time to do as I please. One popular and increasingly accessible way to do this is via small, consistent investments in dividend-paying shares. By cutting out just one or two small expenses a day and saving £5 to invest, the journey towards financial freedom could be within reach. Plus, by slowly reinvesting the dividends over time, the investment could rapidly compound,…
Image source: Getty Images I first bought FTSE 250 money manager aberdeen group (LSE: ABDN) after its demotion from the FTSE 100 in September 2023. It seemed to me that the automatic wave of selling that this triggered was unjustified by business fundamentals. These sales came from FTSE 100 tracker funds no longer able to hold the stock. Funds not mandated to invest in anything other than top credit-rated shares had to do the same. My purchase at that time turned out to be a very good move. The share price has jumped 24%, and the firm has paid me…
Image source: NatWest Group plc This week, the NatWest Group (LSE:NWG) share price set a 52-week high. The bank’s stock is now (13 August) changing hands for nearly 60% more than it was a year ago. This puts it in the top 10 of FTSE 100 performers. Some of this rally appears to be due to the sector as a whole coming back in favour with investors. Lloyds Banking Group and Standard Chartered also recorded new one-year highs in August. Barclays did the same in July. Also last month, HSBC briefly became the UK’s most valuable listed company. But NatWest’s…