Image source: Getty Images The S&P 500 remains a focal point for investors hoping to navigate a confusing mishmash of political developments and tumultuous markets in 2025. To get a grip on what’s happening, I’ve looked at the advice of finance gurus from Reuters, Moody’s and the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG), plus various brokers. They offer a complex and often contrasting view of the market’s potential direction. Conflicting figures As Reuters notes, the US economy presents a paradoxical scenario. Despite forecasts of a slowdown in growth for 2025, Wall Street analysts project record-high corporate profits. According to the LSEG,…
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Image source: Getty Images Everything’s relative, so while my Lloyds (LSE: LLOY) shares put on a solid show last year, I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of disappointment. FTSE rivals Barclays (LSE: BARC) and NatWest did an awful lot better, doubling in value. Barclays’ impressive surge following a strategic overhaul which included cutting £2bn of costs to boost shareholder payouts by £10bn within three years. Snapping up Tesco Bank further boosted its domestic retail banking presence. At the same time, Lloyds got bogged down in the motor finance mis-selling scandal. This, according to some estimates, could cost it £3bn in…
A Volkswagen (VW) Passat R car (L) and a Golf GTI car are pictured in the tower storage facility of German carmaker Volkswagen at the company’s headquarters in Wolfsburg, central Germany, on March 11, 2025.Ronny Hartmann | Afp | Getty ImagesGermany’s economy minister and auto industry lambasted U.S. President Donald Trump’s plans to impose sweeping 25% tariffs on U.S. car imports, saying the move sends a “fatal signal” to free and rules-based trade.Trump on Wednesday said he would implement tariffs on all vehicles and foreign-made auto parts imported into the U.S., as part of measures set to come into force…
Vu Trung Kien, director Climate Change Resilience Centre Countries like the US and the European Union are implementing stringent carbon regulations, such as the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism and increasing scrutiny on supply chain emissions. Vietnamese businesses that fail to adopt carbon labelling risk losing access to lucrative markets. However, those that proactively integrate carbon footprint transparency into their products can gain a competitive advantage, enhance brand reputation, and secure long-term profitability. Across the world, forward-thinking countries have embraced carbon labelling as a strategic tool for trade success. These efforts have not only helped businesses comply with regulations but…
Image source: Getty Images Despite the heightened interest in renewables, since March 2020, the FTSE 250’s three solar energy funds have under-performed the wider market. As a result, they now trade at a significant discount to their net asset values. And their yields are all close to — or in excess of — double figures. Difficult times The directors of Foresight Solar Fund (LSE:FSFL) are particularly frustrated at the failure (as they would see it) of investors to recognise the underlying value of its assets. They are now considering various strategic options and recently said: “The Board is of the…
Image source: Getty Images A £20k inheritance could be used to build a decent second income stream. Here, I provide an example of how a beginner investor could try to put £20,000 to good use. Getting started Opening an investment account is the first port of call on this journey. I think the best plan is to go with a Stocks and Shares ISA. This enables investments in a diverse selection of assets, allowing for decent risk protection. It also means up to £20k can be invested a year with no tax levied on the capital gains. Please note that…
Getting big returns from financial portfolios, whether through stocks, bonds, ETFs, other securities, or a combination of all, is an investor’s dream. However, when you’re an income investor, your primary focus is generating consistent cash flow from each of your liquid investments. While cash flow can come from bond interest or interest from other types of investments, income investors hone in on dividends. A dividend is the distribution of a company’s earnings paid out to shareholders; it’s often viewed by its dividend yield, a metric that measures a dividend as a percent of the current stock price. Many academic studies…
Image source: Getty Images Just before Rachel Reeves delivered her spring statement yesterday (26 March), the FTSE 100 was at 8,684. That was 2.5% off its record high. Thirty-three minutes later, after she sat down, it was barely unmoved at 8,681. Given there was little new in what the Chancellor said, this isn’t surprising. Having said that, I thought there would have been more of a market reaction to the halving of Britain’s growth forecast for 2025. But the movement in the overall value of the index hides some individual winners and losers. During the course of the Chancellor’s speech,…
Image source: Getty Images Taylor Wimpey’s (LSE: TW) share price has slumped 33% from its 20 September 12-month traded high of £1.69. I think this has been driven almost entirely by two factors. The first was the dismal state of the housing sector for much of the past five years. This began with the spread of Covid from the beginning of 2020, which paralysed housing demand. The invasion of Ukraine by major oil and gas supplier Russia pushed energy prices sky-high, fuelling inflation. This caused interest rates to surge and mortgage rates to hit 16-year highs. The resultant cost-of-living crisis…
Dollar Tree on Wednesday said it is selling Family Dollar for $1 billion to a pair of private equity firms, a decade after it bought the discount chain for more than $8 billion.In a statement, Dollar Tree said private equity firms Brigade Capital Management and Macellum Capital Management will purchase Family Dollar, with the discount chain slated to remain headquartered in Chesapeake, Virginia. Although both Dollar Tree and Family Dollar cater to low-income shoppers, Family Dollar locations struggled to gain traction, prompting the parent company last year to announce plans to shutter about 1,000 locations. Family Dollar also faces fierce competition from…