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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

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Investing Articles

Here’s why the HSBC share price rose 23% in 2023

| Alan Oscroft

What a surprise to see the HSBC share price among the top FTSE 100 performers in 2023! I reckon there…

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Black father and two young daughters dancing at home
Investing Articles

Here’s why the Taylor Wimpey share price rose 42% in 2023!

| Alan Oscroft

The Taylor Wimpey share price recovered brilliantly in late 2023. But it's still down over five years, and offers a…

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Close-up of British bank notes
Investing Articles

Here’s why the Lloyds share price rose 5% in 2023

| Alan Oscroft

The Lloyds share price gained in 2023, yay! But it was only a bit, and the bank sector still looks…

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Passive income text with pin graph chart on business table
Investing Articles

These are the highest yield income stocks on the whole FTSE 100

| Alan Oscroft

There are lots of FTSE income stocks with high yields at the moment. There's more to it than that, but…

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Hand of person putting wood cube block with word VALUE on wooden table
Investing Articles

These are the lowest P/E value stocks on the whole FTSE 100

| Alan Oscroft

On this measure, it looks like the big FTSE banks could be the best value stocks to buy now. But…

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

Here are 3 Warren Buffett guidelines I’m using to help me buy cheap FTSE 100 shares

| Alan Oscroft

Heading into 2024, I see so many FTSE 100 shares that I think are good value and it's hard to…

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Stack of one pound coins falling over
Investing Articles

Could buying Barclays shares be like swapping 50p coins for pounds?

| Alan Oscroft

The price of Barclays shares makes it look like the bank is in serious long-term trouble, at a time when…

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Girl buying groceries in the supermarket with her father.
Investing Articles

If I’d put £10k into Tesco shares a year ago, here’s what I’d have now

| Alan Oscroft

Tesco shares might not be the most exciting picks on the London stock market. But over the very long term,…

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Diverse group of friends cheering sport at bar together
Investing Articles

£10,000 in savings? Here’s how I’d aim to turn it into a £500 monthly passive income

| Alan Oscroft

Could I turn a pot of £10,000 into a nice bit of passive income each month? I think so, and…

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

These might just be today’s 5 best FTSE 100 dividend forecasts

| Alan Oscroft

I see so many tempting Footsie dividend forecasts for 2024 and beyond. Here, I try to narrow them down to…

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Petrochemical engineer working at night with digital tablet inside oil and gas refinery plant
Investing Articles

Here’s why I think the dividend forecast could send the BP share price climbing

| Alan Oscroft

The BP share price has fallen back again in the past few months, as oil prices dipped. But dividend forecasts…

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Abstract bull climbing indicators on stock chart
Investing Articles

I’d buy these FTSE 250 stocks for the next bull market

| Alan Oscroft

A great year for FTSE 250 stocks? I wonder if that might be exactly what 2024 will bring? Here are…

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

Can these big dividend forecasts send the BT share price climbing?

| Alan Oscroft

The BT share price has had a tough few years, as investors have turned away from this once-favoured dividend stock.…

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Young female analyst working at her desk in the office
Investing Articles

Here are 5 ways to find cheap shares to consider buying for the year ahead

| Alan Oscroft

It looks like there are a lot of cheap shares out there right now. But if we use a bad…

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

Here are two key stock market lessons from 2023

| Alan Oscroft

Well, it's almost another year, and another time to think about what we should have learned from the stock market…

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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 Barclays and Lloyds shares are my 2 top FTSE 100 buys for 2024

| Alan Oscroft

Will I take too much risk if I buy Barclays stock, and then also top up on my Lloyds shares?…

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

A 9% dividend yield could make this the best FTSE 100 stock for me to buy now

| Alan Oscroft

Is there a best stock to buy today, as we head towards the New Year? That's a tough question, but…

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Middle-aged white man pulling an aggrieved face while looking at a screen
Investing Articles

(Nearly) 5 reasons NOT to get a Stocks and Shares ISA in 2024

| Alan Oscroft

I think a Stocks and Shares ISA is a great thing, and everyone should get one. Oh, hang on, maybe…

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Close-up of British bank notes
Investing Articles

3 penny stocks I think could turn into pounds in 2024

| Alan Oscroft

A lot of penny stocks have fallen further than the bigger ones in 2023. I'm wondering which of them might…

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Bus waiting in front of the London Stock Exchange on a sunny day.
Investing Articles

How will the FTSE 100 perform in 2024? Here’s what the experts say

| Alan Oscroft

Fancy having a guess at where the FTSE 100 might end 2024? I often get it wrong so I wonder…

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

3 cheap FTSE shares to consider buying in January

| Alan Oscroft

Are we prepared for updates coming from all our favourite FTSE shares after Christmas? Here are three big names I'm…

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

Which are the best FTSE 100 shares to buy in 2024? Here’s what the experts say

| Alan Oscroft

Yes, it's that time of year when we look back on how 2023 went, and start to think about the…

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Two employees sat at desk welcoming customer to a Tesla car showroom
Investing Articles

If I’d put £10k in Scottish Mortgage shares 5 years ago, I’d have this much now

| Alan Oscroft

Growth stocks up, growth stocks down, and then back up again... How much are Scottish Mortgage shares worth after all…

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Rolls-Royce Hydrogen Test Rig at Loughborough University
Investing Articles

Where will the Rolls-Royce share price go in 2024?

| Alan Oscroft

After seeing the Rolls-Royce share price soar 200% in 2023, I can't be the only one scratching my head and…

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Passive income text with pin graph chart on business table
Investing Articles

5 reasons I think stocks and shares are truly the best for passive income

| Alan Oscroft

There are several things I want from a passive income-focused investment. And stocks and shares really do tick every single…

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Abstract 3d arrows with rocket
Investing Articles

Can these big dividend forecasts send the Vodafone share price climbing in 2024?

| Alan Oscroft

High dividend forecasts, but a big slump in the share price? It sure looks like folks aren't too confident of…

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Hand of person putting wood cube block with word VALUE on wooden table
Investing Articles

Which are the best value stocks to buy for 2024? Here’s what the experts say

| Alan Oscroft

Many FTSE share prices are down in the dumps right now. But separating the best value stocks from the merely…

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Storytelling image of a multiethnic senior couple in love - Elderly married couple dating outdoors, love emotions and feelings
Investing Articles

I’d put £500 a month into a Stocks and Shares ISA to target a £33,000 second income

| Alan Oscroft

Not got a pile of cash? Here's how regular investments in the UK stock market could build up over time,…

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A pastel colored growing graph with rising rocket.
Investing Articles

Can these things help the Lloyds share price double in 2024?

| Alan Oscroft

Will I be forever wrong about the Lloyds share price? I don't care really, not if I can keep buying…

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Surprised Black girl holding teddy bear toy on Christmas
Investing Articles

What’s happening with the boohoo share price?

| Alan Oscroft

I still like a good growth stock story, even if the boohoo share price collapse lost me some money. Are…

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

If I started a £20k Stocks and Shares ISA in 2024, here’s what I’d do

| Alan Oscroft

Wouldn't it be great to be able to go back and start our Stocks and Shares ISA all over again?…

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

Why is the UK stock market so cheap, and what should we do about it?

| Alan Oscroft

Compared to the US stock market, a lot of UK shares look seriously undervalued to me. I think that's good…

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Female analyst sat at desk looking at pie charts on paper
Investing Articles

Here are 3 of my top FTSE 250 dividend forecasts for 2024

| Alan Oscroft

Which is the best index to find income stocks? I wouldn't rule out any, and today I'm looking for some…

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Young black colleagues high-fiving each other at work
Investing Articles

These are my top 10 FTSE 100 shares for dividends in 2024

| Alan Oscroft

I reckon 2023 has been a cracking year for dividends from FTSE 100 shares. And I don't see that ending…

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Businesswoman analyses profitability of working company with digital virtual screen
Investing Articles

The FTSE 100 is rising: will we see 8,000 points by new year?

| Alan Oscroft

The FTSE 100 has been on the rise. Whatever next? I'm seeing signs that we really might be in for…

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Businesswoman calculating finances in an office
Investing Articles

These are my 3 top FTSE 100 dividend forecasts for 2024

| Alan Oscroft

FTSE dividend forecasts have slowed a bit, but we could still be heading for an all-time record next year. So…

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Rolls-Royce's Pearl 10X engine series
Investing Articles

Here are 3 reasons why investors should consider selling Rolls-Royce shares

| Alan Oscroft

Knowing when to sell a stock has always been one of the hardest decisions for me. So what would I…

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Close-up of British bank notes
Investing Articles

£5,000 in savings? Here’s how I’d aim to build it into an £8,500 second income

| Alan Oscroft

To generate a second income, do we need a big sum in savings? Even with a modest start, it can…

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Passive income text with pin graph chart on business table
Investing Articles

How quickly could we build a £10k passive income from a Stocks and Shares ISA?

| Alan Oscroft

Doesn't it take a lifetime to build a decent passive income by buying shares on the UK stock market? Potential…

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Young black woman in a wheelchair working online from home
Investing Articles

If I put £5k in boohoo shares today, what might I have in a year?

| Alan Oscroft

Should I buy more boohoo shares after already losing a packet? I can't help wondering if the next 12 months…

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