[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images When hunting down the best shares to buy, often a good place to start is among the biggest losers. That’s because it’s the place most other investors aren’t looking. And as a result, it’s possible to stumble across some terrific hidden gems. Over the last 12 months, two of the worst-performing shares across the FTSE 350 are Hilton Foods Group (LSE:HFG) and PayPoint (LSE:PAY), both falling 42% and 36% respectively. So what’s behind the decline? And has a lucrative buying opportunity potentially emerged here? Investigating the problems These businesses are quite different. Hilton Foods is…
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[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images A lot of people dream about becoming a millionaire, yet not many realise that by investing early in FTSE shares, even a modest investor can make this dream a reality. By leveraging the compounding returns of the stock market, staying focused through short-term volatility, and being patient, enormous wealth can be accumulated. And best of all, it can even be enjoyed entirely tax-free when using tools like a Stocks and Shares ISA. Here’s how. Please note that tax treatment depends on the individual circumstances of each client and may be subject to change in future.…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images With the S&P 500 reaching a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.5 and the closely-followed Buffett Indicator all the way up at 230%, there are serious concerns of extreme stock market valuations in 2026. So does that make buying US stocks a crazy idea? Well, the answer’s a little complicated… Lots of uncertainty Institutional analysts are forecasting ambitious corporate earnings growth for 2026. This follows after both 2024 and 2025 outperformed expectations. And with substantial tax cuts scheduled for the first half of 2026 courtesy of President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), consumer spending could…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images The Diageo (LSE:DGE) share price has collapsed in recent years. From heights above £40 a share in 2021, the stock now trades under £17. What pushed the shares so high in the first place? Well, investors were bullish on long-term trends towards branded alcohol consumption and opportunities for continued penetration in developing countries. Coincidentally, weakness in developing markets has actually been part of the company’s downfall. Latin America and parts of Africa, which had been expected to deliver years of premium spirits growth, saw consumers trade down or cut discretionary spending as inflation and interest…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images The Rolls-Royce (LSE:RR) share price is up 1,752% from its lowest point in the last five years. That would mean £10,000 invested then would be worth a phenomenal £185,200 today. There’s almost no asset in the world that has outperformed Rolls-Royce. Of course, there were risks of investing in Rolls at the time. I was incredibly concerned about its debt position. But eventually I realised all the commentary was simply incorrect. If my memory serves me well, it was a Credit Suisse analyst that highlight the stock could be undervalued by a magnitude of five…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images Greggs‘ (LSE:GRG) share price has fallen another 4% since the turn of the year. Nothing huge, but it compounds sizeable losses in 2025. Personally, I’m not surprised. Greggs’ shares have traded phenomenally high for a company that makes baked goods. Remember, this stock was trading around 25 times forward earnings 18 months ago. I can get Nvidia cheaper than that today. Expectations were clearly sky high, and delivery has been a lot weaker than investors expected. Earnings expected to be flat Greggs has flagged that earnings for fiscal 2026 are expected to be broadly flat. The…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images Shares in FTSE 250 housebuilder Vistry (LSE:VTY) fell 8% on Wednesday (14 January) after the firm’s latest update. I can see why, but I’m still optimistic about this one. Recent trading has been disappointing, but the company’s long-term competitive position is still intact. So I took the opportunity to add to my investment. What’s going on? At first sight, Vistry’s results for the 12 months leading up to 31 December 2025 look pretty uninspiring. But beneath the surface, I think there are reasons to be positive. The company recorded £4.2bn in revenues, which was largely…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images ISAs remain one of the most powerful tools for building passive income, because every penny of interest, dividends, and capital gains is completely tax free. But with cash rates drifting lower, relying on a Cash ISA alone makes it increasingly difficult to generate meaningful income. 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, neither does it constitute, any form of tax advice. Readers are responsible…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images With a Stocks and Shares ISA, it’s not hard to generate income for retirement. These accounts typically provide access to a vast range of dividend stocks and income funds. But how much money do you need to build up in this type of ISA to generate enough income for a comfortable retirement? Let’s crunch the numbers. What does a comfortable retirement look like? Everyone has their own version of what a ‘comfortable’ retirement might be. However, according to Retirement Living Standards, it’s one in which someone can have a degree of financial freedom and some…
[ad_1] As our esteemed colleagues on the East Coast have documented, the once-controversial plan for congestion pricing in New York, now a year old, is an unqualified success. From Streetsblog’s NYC:New research from the Regional Plan Association shows that the $9 peak toll to drive into Manhattan below 59th Street has created cascading benefits across the metropolitan area — a change from when drivers were sitting on the road going nowhere.“Contrary to pessimistic expectations, the congestion pricing program is not causing traffic to be diverted outside the Congestion Relief Zone,” said Rachel Weinberger, an RPA vice president. “Instead, as more people choose…