Image source: Getty Images The lingering effects of the pandemic continue to hurt UK shares, particularly high interest rates. Despite the Bank of England making several rate cuts this year, rates remain higher than expected due to stubborn inflation. This puts pressure on borrowers and reduces consumer spending, which naturally has a knock-on effect for businesses. But not all UK shares suffer under higher rates. Among those sectors that benefit are banking, insurance and certain consumer staples. For investors looking to benefit from high interest rates, I’ve uncovered two examples of strong dividend shares worth considering. Lloyds Banking Group When…
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The $1.6 trillion student loan market has been in a state of flux since the onset of the pandemic in 2020, with numerous payment pauses, interest waivers and failed forgiveness schemes. Many of the previous administration’s attempts to forgive loan balances have been halted by the courts, and most of the temporary deferments have ended or are ending soon.The recently passed budget reconciliation bill also includes changes, of which borrowers should be aware. One program in particular, the Saving on a Valuable Education plan (Save) could cause loan balances to balloon if participants fail to act.Former President Joe Biden made…
Image source: Getty Images Baillie Gifford US Growth Trust (LSE:USA) is a FTSE 250 company that’s pretty self-explanatory. It’s an investment trust that focuses on US-listed growth stocks. On the other hand, it’s quite unique because it has the ability to invest in private companies. Indeed, two of its top three holdings aren’t listed on the stock market. Namely SpaceX and internet payments giant Stripe. Today (12 August), we found out another thing that makes it somewhat different. It has been massively outperforming the S&P 500 index recently, unlike many other investment funds. Let’s take a closer look at this…
Forests are vital for our planet. They help fight climate change by absorbing a lot of carbon dioxide from the air, acting as major carbon sinks. They store large amounts of carbon in biomass and soil, estimated to absorb about 30% of human-caused CO2 emissions annually worldwide. However, scientists and project managers must track forest health. They need to know how much carbon forests store. This helps ensure that efforts to protect or grow forests are effective. This is called measuring, monitoring, reporting, and verifying forest carbon, often shortened to MMRV. Eyes in the Sky: How Remote Sensing Sees Forests Differently…
Image source: Getty Images For investors wanting to build up some long-term passive income, we have a couple of formidable tools at our disposal. They’re the Stocks and Shares ISA and the Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP). Both offer tax benefits, and can be used in combination depending on individual goals. Saving tax isn’t much good if the investment performance is poor, like the puny long-term returns from Cash ISAs. They can be great for short-term cash — but as long-term passive income vehicles, I rule them out of my plans. Please note that tax treatment depends on the individual circumstances…
Image source: Getty Images The Melrose Industries (LSE:MRO) share price is up 11% over the past month. It may not be the loudest name in the aerospace sector, but its recent momentum is getting harder to ignore. Despite a strong first-half 2025 performance, analysts have been relatively slow to adjust their outlook. The median 12-month price target from 13 analysts stands at 645p — around 11% above the last close at 581.4p — with a high of 825p and a low of 405p. That spread suggests lingering uncertainty, however I believe positive analyst revisions are on the way. On 1…
J.P. Morgan has led project financing for Chestnut Carbon in a landmark transaction. Learn more about this pioneering deal for carbon removal. Source link
Image source: Getty Images Will we see a stock market crash in August? Plenty of experts are warning about one. Analysts at Morgan Stanley see a 10% correction as possible, while Evercore thinks it could be nearer 15%. Deutsche Bank is also uneasy. Hedge fund manager Owen Lamont has dubbed August “panic season” and suggested investors should brace for a potential “epic financial disaster” over the next three months. The Buffett indicator, a long-term valuation gauge, has soared to 207%, well above its historical comfort zone of 90% to 135%. That doesn’t guarantee a crash, but it does hint that…
By Stella Qiu and Wayne Cole SYDNEY (Reuters) -Australia’s central bank cut interest rates on Tuesday for a third time this year and signaled further policy easing might be needed to meet its inflation and employment goals as the economy lost some momentum. Wrapping up a two-day policy meeting, the Reserve Bank of Australia board cut the main cash rate by a quarter point to 3.6%, saying that data suggested core inflation would moderate to around the middle of its 2% to 3% target band, assuming a gradual easing in policy. Markets had been fully priced for a cut, having…
Image source: Getty Images FTSE 250 housebuilder Bellway (LSE: BWY) has seen its share price move sideways over the past five years. And a full-year trading update Tuesday (12 August) only gave it a modest 2% morning boost — even though home completions and the average selling price both beat guidance. Completions in the year grew 14.3% to 8,749 homes, with the average selling price rising 2.6% to £316,000. And this is over a year with interest rates still high. If this is what we see now, how might things take off when mortgage costs come down further? That’s what…