[ad_1] Shares in Tesco (LSE:TSCO) fell 7% on Thursday (8 January) after the company reported weak Christmas sales. The big issue for investors is why this has been happening. GLP-1s Tesco reported like-for-like sales growth of 2.4% over the Christmas period. That’s below the level of inflation and represents a disappointing result. One potential reason for this is the increased use of GLP1s – anti-obesity drugs that actually work. And this might be changing the way consumers shop and eat. This could be a long-term issue for the company and its shareholders. But I’m sceptical of the idea that this…
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[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images After its mind-bendingly fabulous run, I thought the Rolls-Royce (LSE: RR) share price must surely run out of juice. I’ve even been toying with banking my profits and hunting for the next big FTSE 100 recovery story. Now I’ve thrown my crystal ball away. The engineering giant is still on fire, climbing 10.65% in the last week alone. So now I’m sitting on an even bigger paper profit. Rolls-Royce shares are now up 120% over the last year, and a scarcely believable 1,136% over three. I can barely get my head around that. So what’s…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images As the FTSE 100 Index continues to climb at the start of the year, I’ve turned my mind to potential high dividend stocks. UK grocery giant J Sainsbury (LSE: SBRY) is one I’ve got my eye on. I think the company is worth a closer look given its strong recent trading and tasty dividend. With supermarket margins squeezed and competition fierce, the Sainsbury’s story is one I’d like to unpack a little further to see if it’s one for income investors to consider in 2026. What’s happening at Sainsbury’s? The company remains the UK’s second-largest…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images Different investors have different objectives. While some people like the idea of buying dividend shares to generate passive income, one concern can be that dividend growth will not keep up with inflation. That helps explain why National Grid (LSE: NG) aims to grow its dividend per share each year in line with a key measure of inflation. The idea is that, over time, the National Grid dividend will hold its value in real terms, no matter what is going on with inflation. As an investor, that idea grabs my attention. But is it realistic –…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images. My Stocks and Shares ISA and Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP) portfolios have started 2026 strongly. Some holdings are up by double digits, which is a pleasant surprise. Let’s take a closer look at what’s going on, and why one FTSE 100 stock has started to make me uneasy. Big portfolio moves One strong stock market trade at the start of 2026 has been artificial intelligence (AI). Rising AI-led demand is creating a shortage in memory chips, pushing up prices. I don’t own any of these memory chip stocks, but my SIPP holding in leading chipmaker…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images I’m looking to invest around £3,000 in a Stocks and Shares ISA. With retirement roughly a decade, away, I’m looking to build a passive income on top of what I’ll get from the State Pension and Self-Invested Personal Pension. So I decided to call in ChatGPT. I’d never allow artificial intelligence (AI) to pick stocks, because it struggles with facts and doesn’t have opinions of its own. But it can throw up a few ideas. I was hoping for some surprise picks or insights, but it started by naming the two most obvious FTSE 100…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images Is calling Barclays (LSE: BARC) shares sensational going too far? Investing is a serious business. Best to avoid tabloid hyperbole. Yet the description fits. The shares are up 83% over the past year and an eye-popping 215% over two years. If Barclays was a whizzy penny stock, growth investors would be falling over themselves to grab some of that momentum. But it isn’t. It’s a mighty UK blue-chip with a market capitalisation of £67bn. Common sense suggests the Barclays share price must top out eventually. So how long can it keep this up? FTSE 100 growth star…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images My investment resolution for 2026 is to build the maximum passive income I can inside a Stocks and Shares ISA. Thinking about it, that’s the same resolution as last year. So why is that so important to me? Generating a second income on top of my State Pension and personal pensions is the best way I know to secure a comfortable retirement. It’s that simple. But it takes time. It can’t be done in a year. Some investors will be starting from scratch. Others will be well under way. But how much will they need…
[ad_1] The phenomenon of “induced demand” doesn’t just apply to new highway lanes, a new study confirms — and if cities can pair great multimodal infrastructure with other actions that support people using it, it can be powerful force to decarbonize the transportation sector.In what may be a global first, a team of researchers at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom finally put hard, country-wide data behind the intuitive idea that building multimodal infrastructure like bike lanes and rail lines will — surprise! — get more people biking, taking transit, and leaving their cars at home, at least in…
[ad_1] Image source: Getty Images When I think of a FTSE 250 turnaround story, WPP (LSE: WPP) immediately springs to mind. Once a heavyweight in the FTSE 100 Index, the global advertising group has suffered a sharp fall from grace. But after a punishing year, there are early signs that it could be gearing up for a comeback. What’s happening to the share price? There’s no doubt the company’s shares have taken a battering. Over the past 12 months, the stock has slumped by around 53.1% as I write on 9 January as investors lost confidence in the firm’s outlook.…