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Alan Oscroft

Alan is a freelance writer who began writing for The Motley Fool in the late 1990s. He has been a private investor for more 30 years, and has explored a number of strategies, settling on high-yielding blue-chip shares.

Recent Articles

Close-up image depicting a woman in her 70s taking British bank notes from her colourful leather wallet.
Investing Articles

Here’s what Stocks and Shares ISA investors are buying in 2025 to build a second income

| Alan Oscroft

Which shares are investors buying right now in the hope of eventually retiring on a healthy second income? Quite a…

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A graph made of neon tubes in a room
Investing Articles

Here’s why the Standard Chartered share price jumped 5% on FY results

| Alan Oscroft

Investors have pushed the Standard Chartered share price higher in the past 12 months. Judging by these results, it seems…

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Finger pressing a car ignition button with the text 2025 start.
Investing Articles

As Lloyds launches a £1.7bn buyback, is the share price too cheap to ignore?

| Alan Oscroft

Car loan mis-selling and a full-year profit miss combine to push the Lloyds share price up after FY results. It…

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Happy woman commuting on a train and checking her mobile phone while using headphones
Investing Articles

Here’s what £10,000 invested in BT shares a year ago would be worth today

| Alan Oscroft

BT shares might have gone off the boil a bit in 2025, but looking back 12 months we see a…

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UK financial background: share prices and stock graph overlaid on an image of the Union Jack
Investing Articles

£10,000 invested in BP shares at the end of 2024 is now worth…

| Alan Oscroft

BP shares have been underperforming for a few years now, but a recent uptick reflects growing interest in a revamped…

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Silhouette of a bull standing on top of a landscape with the sun setting behind it
Investing Articles

This FTSE 100 stock is down 25% from its 52-week high. Should I buy?

| Alan Oscroft

Analysts think the price-to-earnings ratio of this FTSE 100 stock could fall by half in the next two years if…

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Santa Clara offices of NVIDIA
Investing Articles

£10,000 invested in Nvidia stock just two weeks ago is already worth…

| Alan Oscroft

Nvidia stock's been making big losses and big gains so far in 2025, at least on paper. But long-term valuation…

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Stack of British pound coins falling on list of share prices
Investing Articles

Here’s why Lloyds shares have dipped sharply

| Alan Oscroft

Lloyds shares got a boost recently when the Treasury petitoned the Supreme Court to go easy on the car loan…

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Close-up of British bank notes
Investing Articles

Here’s how compounding is the key to Stocks and Shares ISA growth

| Alan Oscroft

Should we take out our Stocks and Shares ISA income each year, or reinvest it in more shares? The difference…

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British coins and bank notes scattered on a surface
Investing Articles

How much would someone need in UK shares to earn £5,000 in passive income each month?

| Alan Oscroft

Thousands of Stocks and Shares ISA investors have built up more than a million pounds and can sit back and…

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Workers at Whiting refinery, US
Investing Articles

Would Warren Buffett buy BP shares, as oil excitement grows?

| Alan Oscroft

Warren Buffett is a big investor in the oil business, and BP's performance has been attracting investor attention in results…

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Branch of NatWest bank
Investing Articles

The NatWest share price has doubled in 12 months. These FY results show us why

| Alan Oscroft

NatWest solidly beat 2024 full-year expectations, but the share price fell! Welcome to another typical day on the stock market.

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Senior couple crossing the road on a city street. They are walking with shopping bags while Christmas shopping.
Investing Articles

Here’s how I’m trying to build a second income using a Stocks and Shares ISA

| Alan Oscroft

To target a second income from the stock market, it's surely best for us to look for high dividends, isn't…

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BUY AND HOLD spelled in letters on top of a pile of books. Alongside is a piggy bank in glasses. Buy and hold is a popular long term stock and shares strategy.
Investing Articles

£20,000 invested in Barclays shares a year ago is now worth…

| Alan Oscroft

An ISA allowance invested in Barclays shares a year ago could be showing cracking results today. But it's the long…

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Black woman using smartphone at home, watching stock charts.
Investing Articles

This Q3 revenue boost could be just what the Vodafone share price needs

| Alan Oscroft

Vodafone reported a rise in Q3 revenue and plans more shareholder returns, but the share price hasn't reacted well so…

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Young Asian woman with head in hands at her desk
Investing Articles

Is the Nvidia share price now trapped in a bursting bubble?

| Alan Oscroft

The Nvidia share price is down 20% in little more than a week. Technically, some would describe a fall of…

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Exterior of BT head office - One Braham, London
Investing Articles

As the BT share price falls after the Q3 update, is it just a pause before it soars?

| Alan Oscroft

Shareholders weren't happy with the latest trading update from BT and the share price dipped sharply. I think they might…

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DIVIDEND YIELD text written on a notebook with chart
Investing Articles

Here are some of my top FTSE 100 dividend stocks to consider buying in 2025

| Alan Oscroft

Forecasts suggest the payout from Footsie dividend stocks in 2025 could be very close to the all-time record set back…

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Man putting his card into an ATM machine while his son sits in a stroller beside him.
Investing Articles

What does the latest analysts’ take on the Lloyds share price mean for investors?

| Alan Oscroft

City brokers have been bullish about the Lloyds Banking Group share price for the past few years. But that might…

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Three signposts pointing in different directions, with 'Buy' 'Sell' and 'Hold' on
Investing Articles

Dividend rise and buyback help keep the Shell share price up. Time to buy?

| Alan Oscroft

As Shell lifts its annual dividend beyond inflation and posts yet another quarterly share buyback, is the share price too…

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Black woman using smartphone at home, watching stock charts.
Investing Articles

I’m considering buying these passive income stocks in 2025

| Alan Oscroft

Getting well into 2025, I'm seeing some passive income stock opportunities that might just have passed under market's radar.

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Mother and Daughter Blowing Bubbles
Investing Articles

Is the Rolls-Royce share price in a bubble just waiting to burst?

| Alan Oscroft

With the Rolls-Royce share price skyrocketing to undreamed of highs, will it crash in 2025? Or maybe just keep going…

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UK supporters with flag
Investing Articles

Here are 2 FTSE 100 companies Warren Buffett could afford to buy right now

| Alan Oscroft

When I'm on a search for good UK value stocks to buy, I often stop and wonder what billionaire investor…

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Concept of two young professional men looking at a screen in a technological data centre
Investing Articles

As the Scottish Mortgage share price falls, should I panic and sell, or buy more?

| Alan Oscroft

A Scottish Mortgage share price fall could mean a nice cheap buying opportunity. What a shame the latest drop has…

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Investor looking at stock graph on a tablet with their finger hovering over the Buy button
Investing Articles

Prediction: these FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 trusts can beat the market in 5 years

| Alan Oscroft

Right now could be a great time to buy investment trusts. The FTSE 250 has many options, and there's a…

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Road 2025 to 2032 new year direction concept
Investing Articles

Prediction: the Burberry share price could climb in 2025

| Alan Oscroft

Market sentiment is getting behind Burberry, as a Q3 update has helped the share price double since the lows of…

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Investor looking at stock graph on a tablet with their finger hovering over the Buy button
Investing Articles

Should I buy National Grid after its share price fall pushes the dividend to 5.7%?

| Alan Oscroft

The National Grid share price has been sliding since September, giving up some of its earlier recovery. Is this a…

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Road 2025 to 2032 new year direction concept
Investing Articles

2 penny stocks with growth potential to consider buying in 2025

| Alan Oscroft

Positive stock market sentiment in 2025 could help push up prices across the board, including some penny stocks that I…

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Businessman hand stacking up arrow on wooden block cubes
Investing Articles

I think 2025 could be the year these low-P/E FTSE 100 shares come good

| Alan Oscroft

Some of our FTSE 100 stocks have been on very low P/E valuations for years. If the economy brightens, might…

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A front-view shot of a multi-ethnic family with two children walking down a city street on a cold December night.
Investing Articles

The Associated British Foods (ABF) share price dips after guidance cut. Time to buy?

| Alan Oscroft

Even the country's cut-price clothing stores are feeling the pinch, as the Associated British Foods' share price weakness shows.

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Businessman hand flipping wooden block cube from 2024 to 2025 on coins
Investing Articles

Is the Lloyds share price recovery finally kicking off thanks to the Treasury?

| Alan Oscroft

The Lloyds Bank share price has gained almost as much so far in 2025 as it did over the whole…

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Electric cars charging in station
Investing Articles

Has a 2025 Tesla stock crash already started?

| Alan Oscroft

Tesla stock has been on a big climb in the past few months. But are investors being a bit over-ambitious…

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Businessman hand stacking money coins with virtual percentage icons
Investing Articles

Here’s what I’d need in an ISA to earn £1,000 of passive income a month

| Alan Oscroft

When we aim to generate a passive income stream using our ISA allowance, we need to pick and choose our…

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A pastel colored growing graph with rising rocket.
Investing Articles

Why has the FTSE 100 just reached a new daytime high?

| Alan Oscroft

We're just a few weeks into 2025, and the FTSE 100 is already setting new records in spite of our…

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piggy bank, searching with binoculars
Investing Articles

Prediction: these FTSE 250 stocks could be among 2025’s big winners

| Alan Oscroft

Finding the coming year's FTSE 250 winners isn't an easy task, but we're thinking about it at this time of…

Read more »

ISA Individual Savings Account
Investing Articles

Are Lloyds shares the best no-brainer buy for a 2025 Stocks and Shares ISA?

| Alan Oscroft

Picking Stocks and Shares ISA buys can be hard on the little grey cells. Might a few relatively simple rules…

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Middle-aged black male working at home desk
Investing Articles

Here’s how I’m trying to build up my ISA to earn £10,000 passive income each year

| Alan Oscroft

I've been working to build some passive income for my retirement for years. Here's how I'm using the stock market…

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Pink 3D image of the numbers '2025' growing in size
Investing Articles

Could 2025 be the year of the great Lloyds share price recovery?

| Alan Oscroft

Analyst sentiment towards the Lloyds Bank share price is improving as we head into 2025, despite the short-term risks it…

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Businessman using pen drawing line for increasing arrow from 2024 to 2025
Investing Articles

Prediction: these FTSE 100 stocks could be among 2025’s big winners

| Alan Oscroft

Picking the coming year's FTSE 100 winners isn't an easy task, but we're all thinking about it at this time…

Read more »

Black woman using smartphone at home, watching stock charts.
Investing Articles

Here’s why I’m still holding out for a Rolls-Royce share price dip

| Alan Oscroft

The Rolls-Royce share price shows no sign of falling yet, but I'm still hoping it's one I can buy on…

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