[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images Greggs (LSE: GRG) shares are having an odd month. The share price was one of the FTSE 250‘s biggest losers on 8 January, falling 7% in a single day. This followed the company’s Q4 trading update with sales up yet again to over the £2bn mark. The nation’s well-loved purveyor of steak bakes and vegan sausage rolls is still growing too. Around 120 new bakeries are set to open up and down the country in the year ahead. So what seems to be the problem? The answer could lie in a curious comment from the…
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[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images With nearly 2,000 UK stocks to choose from, finding the best ones to buy can be difficult. However, thanks to Trading212’s Hotlist at 20 January, it’s easy to know which stocks other investors are snapping up. Armed with this information, could the three most popular be no-brainer buys? Let’s take a look. Flying high Although it’s never a good strategy to follow the crowd, it can be heartening to know that one of the stocks you own is popular with others. And despite its meteoric post-pandemic rally, Rolls-Royce Holdings (LSE:RR.) has been the 16th-most popular…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images I’m a massive fan of passive income, but what it is? Passive income is earnings that come from outside of paid work. For younger adults, this might be from a side hustle. For older folk, it might come from of savings interest or pension payments. Billionaire philanthropist Warren Buffett has this to say about unearned income: “If you don’t find a way to make money while you sleep, you will work until you die.” That’s why my wife and I aim to maximise our passive income before we retire. Sadly, many British adults fail to…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images Even though the FTSE 100 is made up of the largest companies by market-cap, it doesn’t mean that all are so mature and large that big share price gains can’t be achieved. In fact, one undervalued stock in the index received a Buy recommendation from a leading bank last week with significant potential to rally. Getting ready to fly I’m talking about easyJet (LSE:EZJ). The stock’s down a modest 4% over the past year. The latest full-year results for the period ended September 2025 showed strong performance with revenue up 9% to £10.1bn and pre-tax profit…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images The FTSE 250 is off to a good start in 2026, climbing by over 3%, with many of its constituent dividend shares similarly enjoying a nice boost. Nevertheless, there remain plenty of high-yield opportunities left to explore. In fact, here’s a basket of five stocks that offer an 8.8% overall average cash payout. Ashmore Group (LSE:ASHM) – 8%. Sequoia Economic Infrastructure – 8.6%. Victrex – 8.7%. Pagegroup – 8.2%. Ithaca Energy – 10.7%. So are these income opportunities no-brainer buys in 2026? Inspecting yields While the prospect of earning a 10.7% yield from stocks like…
[ad_1] Image source: M&S Group plc With thousands of growth shares in the world to choose from, it can be difficult for time-poor investors to know which ones to pick. But institutional investors spend their working days looking for lucrative opportunities. Here are two that City professionals have flagged for 2026. Simply M&S Analysts at Berenberg bank rate Marks & Spencer (LSE:MKS) as a Buy. Also, Hargreaves Lansdown has put the retailer on its Five Shares to Watch list for 2026. The group’s finances took a major hit in April 2025, when it suffered a cyber attack. Some estimates reckon…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images Tax rules mean real estate investment trusts (REITs) must return 90% of their relevant profit to shareholders in dividends each year. This means many are offering double-digit yields. And with interest rates expected to fall in 2026, REITs could be well placed to increase their payouts further. Here are two interesting opportunities I believe are worth considering. Please note that tax treatment depends on the individual circumstances of each client and may be subject to change in future. The content in this article is provided for information purposes only. It is not intended to be,…
[ad_1] Sensationalist news outlets love to jump on any opportunity to sow fear about a potential stock market crash. But far from the doom and gloom crowd, real market experts expect a rather more rational, boring outcome. Let’s see what the most prominent voices have to say. Subdued enthusiasm While industry insiders are generally cautious, few expect a crash. Morgan Stanley notes “continued equity gains in 2026” with modest growth, as a lot of good news is already priced in. Fidelity’s 2026 outlook is that it “could be another positive year” for the market — but investors shouldn’t ignore risks.…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images In the UK, penny stocks typically means shares trading under £1, often on AIM, with low market-caps and limited liquidity. These companies can grow much faster than FTSE 100 blue‑chips because it’s easier to go from, say, a £95m valuation to £950m than it is for a £50bn giant to become a £500bn titan. That potential to turn a small stake into a life‑changing gain is the core appeal. A move from 7p to 70p is ‘only’ a 63p share price rise, but it’s a 10x return for the early investor. This type of 10-fold…
[ad_1] Defined contribution (DC) plans sit at the center of the US retirement system. As of the second quarter of 20251, US DC plans held $12.6 trillion, representing approximately 26% of all US retirement assets2. That concentration of capital places a significant fiduciary burden on plan sponsors, who must balance participant outcomes, regulatory expectations, cost pressures, and a rapidly evolving investment and technology landscape. Looking ahead to 2026 and beyond, incremental tweaks are unlikely to be enough. Technology is reshaping how participants engage with their plans. Education is shifting from generic communication to personalized, life-stage–based support. Investment lineups are being…