Finance is fundamentally concerned with the future. For risk officers, strategists, and investment professionals, every decision — pricing assets, setting limits, allocating capital — rests on assumptions about how the world might evolve. Traditionally, those assumptions have drawn heavily on the past. But in an environment reshaped by technology, climate policy, geopolitics and social expectations, yesterday’s patterns no longer suffice. The most resilient institutions are learning not only about the future, but from multiple plausible futures. Learning from the futures means deliberately developing multiple, contrasting images of how the environment could plausibly unfold, and using them to illuminate the present.…
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Image source: Rolls-Royce plc Rolls-Royce (LSE:RR.) shares have risen more than 1,000% during the last five years. Up almost 87% so far in 2025, too, the FTSE 100 firm’s spectacular bull run is showing no signs of slowing. I can’t help but feel, though, that Rolls shares are now looking unreasonably expensive. At £10.98 per share, the engine builder trades on a forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 38.2 times. At these levels, there’s a chance the company’s shares could struggle to rise further. Furthermore, a chunky valuation like this may prompt a sharp price correction if the broader stock market…
Image source: Getty Images Many UK investors are interested in generating passive income from the stock market. Typically, this is focused on UK stocks, which I get. However, with growing interest in diversifying portfolios and putting money to work in the S&P 500, it’s worth remembering that this can be useful for income and not just high-flying tech stocks. Here’s what the numbers could look like for a US dividend portfolio. Why the US has income potential In contrast to building a portfolio using FTSE 100 companies, the S&P 500 offers a much more comprehensive choice given the large number…
Image source: Getty Images There are many household names in the FTSE 250. However, there can be a disconnect between our perception of how well the company is doing and how the stock is performing. For example, I was amazed to see that Domino’s Pizza Group (LSE:DOM) is down 49% over the past year. Here’s what’s going on. Reasons for the fall After further research, the share price has struggled for several reasons. Part of it is simply down to weaker consumer demand. It referenced this back in the late summer, with CEO Andrew Rennie noting, “there’s no getting away…
Image source: Getty Images When it comes to hunting big dividend yields, the FTSE 100 gets more attention than the FTSE 250. That should come as no surprise. London’s leading index holds significantly chunkier dividends than most of the world’s other leading stock exchanges. But the UK’s smaller index also has plenty of stocks to choose from for those looking to top up their portfolios. As I write, the FTSE 250 boasts 46 stocks with at least a 6% yield, 28 stocks with a 7% yield, and 12 stocks with a a 9% yield. These might not all be household…
Image source: Britvic (copyright Evan Doherty) It is something of a mystery to me. JD Sports (LSE: JD) is a rare British global retail success story. It is consistently profitable and has thousands of shops spanning the globe. Yet the JD Sports share price has fallen by 52% over the past five years and stands in pennies. Clearly, not all investors share my enthusiasm for the business. I see it as a share to consider – but what might it take for the price to rise rather than fall further? Turning sales growth into profit growth I think a key…
Image source: Getty Images Games Workshop (LSE:GAW) is my favourite FTSE 100 share. Though if Wise was also in the blue-chip index, it would be a very strong contender. But it’s not and probably never will be after announcing plans to move its primary listing to the US. Some people may be surprised by my choice. After all, on the surface, this is just a niche British retailer selling board games and plastic toy soldiers. Its high street stores aren’t exactly flashy, while cost-of-living pressures linger on. Yet, Games Workshop’s share price has soared nearly 3,000% over the past decade. That’s…
Image source: Getty Images The Lloyds Banking Group (LSE: LLOY) share price is edging towards £1. And investors are asking how the Budget — due 26 November — might affect it. The idea of an extra tax on bank profits has been circulating for some time. In August, the Institute for Public Policy Research suggested it could raise as much as £8bn. Shelved, or not? It did look like the possibility had been rejected. The Financial Times reported that Chancellor Rachel Reeves didn’t want to damage financial sector competitiveness and risk slowing our economic recovery. And big banks already pay…
Image source: Getty Images JD Sports Fashion‘s (LSE:JD.) share price has collapsed back into pennies over the last month. At 77.8p per share, it’s down again on Thursday (20 November) after another troubling trading update. The self-styled ‘King of Trainers’ is suffering as consumers cut back on expensive tracksuits and those trainers. It’s also being battered by trade tariffs that are driving costs sharply higher. JD’s shares are now down 31.1% over the last year. Yet as a long-term investor, could now be a good time to consider opening a position? Fresh sales fall Today the FTSE 100 retailer said…
Image source: Getty Images Games Workshop‘s (LSE:GAW) share price is ripping higher right now. At £181 per share, the FTSE 100 company’s soared another 12.5% on Thursday (20 November) after releasing first-half trading numbers that trumped forecasts. The tabletop gaming colossus is now up a whopping 36% since 1 January. Games Workshop’s one of the FTSE‘s greatest success stories — with capital gains and dividends combined, its shares have delivered an average annual return of 31.7% since 2015. What can we expect next from the niche retailer? Estimates topped In a brief market update, Games Workshop said it expects “core…