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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

Aviva logo on glass meeting room door
Investing Articles

Here’s what dividend forecasts could do for the Aviva share price

| Alan Oscroft

Even after the turnaround of the past few years, the Aviva share price doesn't seem to want to move very…

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Workers at Whiting refinery, US
Investing Articles

Here’s what dividend forecasts could do for the BP share price in the next three years

| Alan Oscroft

I can understand why the BP share price is low, as oil's increasingly seen as evil. But BP's a cash…

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Close-up of a woman holding modern polymer ten, twenty and fifty pound notes.
Investing Articles

Here’s what dividend forecasts could do for the BT share price in the next 3 years

| Alan Oscroft

With the BT share price down so low, the dividend looks very nice indeed. The company's debt is off-putting, though.…

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Young mixed-race woman jumping for joy in a park with confetti falling around her
Investing Articles

Forecasts are down, but I see a bright future for FTSE 100 dividend stocks

| Alan Oscroft

Cash forecasts for UK dividend stocks are falling... time to panic! Actually, no. I reckon the future has never looked…

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

As the Rentokil share price dips on Q1 news, I ask if it’s time to buy

| Alan Oscroft

The Rentokil Initial share price has disappointed investors in the past 12 months. Could this be the year we get…

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

Down 50% in 5 years, this is the FTSE 250 stock I want to buy now

| Alan Oscroft

Think the FTSE 100 is the only place to find top value dividend stocks? I think this FTSE 250 stock…

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Finger clicking a button marked 'Buy' on a keyboard
Investing Articles

Does a 30% price drop make YouGov one of the best AIM shares to buy now?

| Alan Oscroft

The YouGov share price has fallen by nearly a third in two months. So, does it now make it on…

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Middle-aged black male working at home desk
Investing Articles

Is this news just what the Entain share price needs for a fresh boost?

| Alan Oscroft

The Entain share price has fallen in the past few years. But the latest Q1 update suggests the future is…

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Affectionate Asian senior mother and daughter using smartphone together at home, smiling joyfully
Investing Articles

Here’s why the Vodafone share price could be a big FTSE 100 winner in 2024

| Alan Oscroft

What's the best thing about the Vodafone share price being down so low? When pessimism is at its worst, it…

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Businessman use electronic pen writing rising colorful graph from 2023 to 2024 year of business planning and stock investment growth concept.
Investing Articles

Could the FTSE 100 be set to soar in 2024?

| Alan Oscroft

The FTSE 100 keeps threatening to go off on a growth spree. And weak sentiment keeps holding it back. But…

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Group of four young adults toasting with Flying Horse cans in Brazil
Investing Articles

£8,000 in savings? I’d use it as a start to aim for £30k a year in passive income

| Alan Oscroft

Here's how regular investing in the UK stock market, over the long term, could help us build up some nice…

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Electric cars charging in station
Investing Articles

Here’s why I wouldn’t touch Tesla stock with a bargepole

| Alan Oscroft

I think Tesla stock could be a good long-term investment right now, especially in this tough year. But here's why…

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One English pound placed on a graph to represent an economic down turn
Investing Articles

Here’s why the FTSE 100 is still my top choice for dividend income

| Alan Oscroft

If we invest for long-term dividend income, we surely want to buy stocks on markets with lower values and higher…

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

NIO stock has crashed! Here’s why I still wouldn’t touch it with a bargepole

| Alan Oscroft

I've been watching NIO stock falling heavily, and wondering when might be a good time to get in cheaply. Here's…

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Young mixed-race woman jumping for joy in a park with confetti falling around her
Investing Articles

Here’s what dividend forecasts could do for the Lloyds share price in the next three years

| Alan Oscroft

The Lloyds Bank share price is picking up, but banking still look like the sick sector of the stock market,…

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Rolls-Royce engineer working on an engine
Investing Articles

Is the Rolls-Royce share price heading for a fall?

| Alan Oscroft

I love seeing the Rolls-Royce share price keep on climbing up and up... until it stops. Here, I’m examining valuations…

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Finger clicking a button marked 'Buy' on a keyboard
Investing Articles

The Helium One share price: is the only way up?

| Alan Oscroft

The Helium One share price has had a bit of a boost from news in 2024. But it's barely started…

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

After rising 11% in March, where will the Barclays share price go in April and beyond?

| Alan Oscroft

Is a new bull run for UK bank stocks finally under way, after a good month? And is the Barclays…

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ISA coins
Investing Articles

Cheap FTSE 250 stocks to consider for a new Stocks and Shares ISA

| Alan Oscroft

Millions of UK investors will be thinking about their 2024 ISAs right now. Here are a few FTSE 250 stocks…

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ISA Individual Savings Account
Investing Articles

I’d invest my 2024 Stocks and Shares ISA in these overlooked FTSE 100 stocks

| Alan Oscroft

I'm searching for long-term ISA investments for 2024, and I've been digging through some unloved FTSE 100 shares.

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'2024' art concept overlaid on a stock screener
Investing Articles

Is Premier African Minerals the best penny stock to buy for 2024?

| Alan Oscroft

Premier African Minerals stock saw a boom and bust in 2023. But it looks like cash generation could be tantalizingly…

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Finger clicking a button marked 'Buy' on a keyboard
Investing Articles

I’d target £1,000 a month in passive income, from this FTSE 100 value stock

| Alan Oscroft

I aim for passive income through buying good value dividend stocks in my Stocks and Shares ISA. Here's one to…

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Jumbo jet preparing to take off on a runway at sunset
Investing Articles

After climbing 20% in March, what next for the IAG share price?

| Alan Oscroft

Warren Buffett has bought airline stocks and sold them too. Looking at the IAG share price, should investors consider buying…

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Aviva logo on glass meeting room door
Investing Articles

Here’s why the Aviva share price climbed 10% in March

| Alan Oscroft

The Aviva share price is off to a good 2024 so far, after posting some upbeat 2023 results. I think…

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Workers at Whiting refinery, US
Investing Articles

ISA millionaires think the share price makes BP a buy. Are they right?

| Alan Oscroft

A few years ago, most investors seemed to think the BP share price was heading for the floor. And they've…

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

Which is better for our wealth, the BT or Vodafone share price?

| Alan Oscroft

The BT Group share price has moved neck-and-neck with Vodafone in the past five years. But which might make more…

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Nottingham Giltbrook Exterior
Investing Articles

If I’d put £10k into Marks & Spencer shares in October 2022, here’s what I’d have now

| Alan Oscroft

It took a long time for the Marks & Spencer recovery to happen, but the shares have soared in the…

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Finger clicking a button marked 'Buy' on a keyboard
Investing Articles

I think these 3 cheap FTSE 250 stocks could start climbing in April

| Alan Oscroft

If 2024 is the year the FTSE 250 storms ahead, can these three stocks lead the way? There's news from…

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Calendar showing the date of 5th April on desk in a house
Investing Articles

Don’t make these last-minute Stocks and Shares ISA mistakes!

| Alan Oscroft

The Stocks and Shares ISA deadline is almost upon us again. Hands up all those who haven't got round to…

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

Here’s why I think the Vodafone share price could double in five years

| Alan Oscroft

The Vodafone share price has lost half its value in the past five years. I think it might be on…

Read more »

Person holding magnifying glass over important document, reading the small print
Investing Articles

3 cheap FTSE 100 dividend stocks to consider buying in April

| Alan Oscroft

I'm after dividend stocks for my Stocks and Shares ISA. These three are on my radar, and there's a fourth…

Read more »

Diverse group of friends cheering sport at bar together
Investing Articles

No savings in the bank? Here’s how I’d aim for £10k annual passive income as quick as I can

| Alan Oscroft

The sooner we start investing for passive income the better, but what if we've already left it a bit late?…

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Affectionate Asian senior mother and daughter using smartphone together at home, smiling joyfully
Investing Articles

How I’d invest my first £20k ISA to target £4,900 a year from dividend shares

| Alan Oscroft

Looking for dividend shares in a new Stocks and Shares ISA, and want diversification too? Here's how I'd go about…

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Smiling young man sitting in cafe and checking messages, with his laptop in front of him.
Investing Articles

3 things that could push the Lloyds share price to 60p and beyond

| Alan Oscroft

The Lloyds share price has broken through 50p. Next step 60p? And then what? Here are some thoughts on what…

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Young female business analyst looking at a graph chart while working from home
Investing Articles

£1,000 in Rolls-Royce shares a year ago would be worth this much now

| Alan Oscroft

Rolls-Royce shares have posted one of the best stock market gains of the past 12 months. But what might the…

Read more »

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

Just how high can the Phoenix Group share price go now?

| Alan Oscroft

After a big confidence boost for the dividend, can the Phoenix Group Holdings share price get started on the recovery…

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Smart young brown businesswoman working from home on a laptop
Investing Articles

3 things that could send the Rolls-Royce share price higher in 2024, and why I worry about them

| Alan Oscroft

Who'd have thought, a year ago, that the Rolls-Royce share price would turn into a quick six-bagger? What might another…

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Percy Pig Ocado van outside distribution centre
Investing Articles

As strong trading pushes the Ocado share price up, is it now time to buy?

| Alan Oscroft

An early 8% rise in the Ocado share price after the latest news? Could forward-looking shareholders finally be set to…

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Arrow symbol glowing amid black arrow symbols on black background.
Investing Articles

Here’s why strong investor sentiment could send the FTSE 100 soaring past 8,000 points

| Alan Oscroft

Upbeat FTSE 100 results have been coming in, and interest rates must surely fall this year. Investors could be smiling…

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Young Caucasian woman with pink her studying from her laptop screen
Investing Articles

After FY results, the Kingfisher share price might mean a cheap passive income buy

| Alan Oscroft

We have a good dividend yield, and a new share buyback, even in a down year. It make me think…

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