Hold Your Nerve As The FTSE 100 Wavers! Lloyds Banking Group Plc, BP Plc And Royal Dutch Shell Plc In Our Highlights This Week

Analyst Mark Rogers highlights his favourite Foolish share insight articles this week, including Lloyds Banking Group PLC (LON: LLOY), BP plc (LON: BP) and Royal Dutch Shell plc (LON: RDSB).

| More on:

The content of this article was relevant at the time of publishing. Circumstances change continuously and caution should therefore be exercised when relying upon any content contained within this article.

When investing, your capital is at risk. The value of your investments can go down as well as up and you may get back less than you put in.

Read More

The content of this article is provided for information purposes only and is not intended to be, nor does it constitute, any form of personal advice. Investments in a currency other than sterling are exposed to currency exchange risk. Currency exchange rates are constantly changing, which may affect the value of the investment in sterling terms. You could lose money in sterling even if the stock price rises in the currency of origin. Stocks listed on overseas exchanges may be subject to additional dealing and exchange rate charges, and may have other tax implications, and may not provide the same, or any, regulatory protection as in the UK.

You’re reading a free article with opinions that may differ from The Motley Fool’s Premium Investing Services. Become a Motley Fool member today to get instant access to our top analyst recommendations, in-depth research, investing resources, and more. Learn More.

It’s time for me to highlight three articles from Fool.co.uk that I’ve found particularly insightful over the past week. If you’ve missed them, I think they’re well worth reading, so don’t miss out!

First up this week, some wise words on the FTSE 100 (FTSEINDICES: ^FTSE) in this video by our senior analyst Nate Weisshaar and Jill Ralph. I think they’re right to encourage long-term investors to hold their nerve amid recent market volatility. We know that share prices can be volatile from one week to the next, but if we buy shares to own for several years, we shouldn’t really worried about the market’s short-term mood swings.

It was a busy week for Nate, who also penned this opinion piece on whether Lloyds Banking Group‘s (LSE: LLOY) (NYSE: LYG.US) shares could be expected to double again. Focusing on the underlying business is a speciality of our Global Investment Team, but this can be exceptionally difficult to normalise in the case of an unwieldy government-backed banking group. I personally worry that too many moving parts and speculative factors make Lloyds too difficult to realistically value as it undergoes its transition — but that is something of a matter of preference!

Meanwhile, Fool veteran Alan Oscroft analysed the state of the oil industry, and its two biggest London-listed players, BP (LSE: BP) and Royal Dutch Shell (LSE: RDSB). He declared both companies as “way too cheap”, with the potential to deliver handsome rewards for shareholders over time. While I think he could be right, I’ve never been tempted to invest in the oil giants myself. The economics of ‘Big Oil’ can be less than ideal over the long-term — capital intensity and overheads are proportionately high, while important depleting assets need to constantly be replaced, and even the oil giants cannot influence the price for their commodity-type produce. Returns from both companies could be satisfactory, but I’d prefer to invest elsewhere.

So which UK shares would we recommend looking at instead? If you have an interest in big-hitting FTSE 100 blue-chip shares to invest in for the long term, you should really check out the Motley Fool’s exclusive wealth report, 5 Shares You Can Retire On.

If you want to find out which companies make it into our exclusive research report, and why we think they could be ideal “shares to retire on”, why not download it for free?

Just click here to download our free stock research report!

> Mark does not own any shares in this article.

Should you invest, the value of your investment may rise or fall and your capital is at risk. Before investing, your individual circumstances should be assessed. Consider taking independent financial advice.

More on Company Comment

Hand of person putting wood cube block with word VALUE on wooden table
Company Comment

Value has been building behind the Diageo share price

Despite the business growing, the Diageo share price first reached its current level just over 19 months ago and hasn't…

Read more »

Older couple walking in park
Investing Articles

5 stocks to buy for high and rising dividend income

I can see a host of shares to buy on the FTSE 100 offering me exceptional levels of income. Here…

Read more »

Young mixed-race woman looking out of the window with a look of consternation on her face
Investing Articles

I don’t care if FTSE 100 shares fall further, I’m buying them today

I'm happy to go shopping for FTSE 100 shares today, even though I accept that they could have further to…

Read more »

Happy young female stock-picker in a cafe
Investing Articles

Rolls-Royce shares are down 18% in a month and I’m finally going to buy them

Investors who bought Rolls-Royce shares have been repeatedly disappointed, but I'm willing to take a chance on them before they…

Read more »

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

How I’d invest £10k in a Stocks and Shares ISA today

Now looks like a good time to buy cheap FTSE 100 shares inside a Stocks and Shares ISA. These are…

Read more »

Black father holding daughter in a field of cows
Investing Articles

Today’s financial crisis is the perfect moment to buy cheap shares

I'm building a portfolio of FTSE 100 stocks by purchasing cheap shares whenever I see an opportunity. There's a good…

Read more »

Long-term vs short-term investing concept on a staircase
Investing Articles

I’d buy Tesco shares in October to bag their 5.4% yield 

Tesco shares have fallen lately but I think this makes them attractively valued for a dividend stock I would aim…

Read more »

Young mixed-race woman looking out of the window with a look of consternation on her face
Investing Articles

I would do anything to hold Diageo in my portfolio (but I won’t do that)

Diageo is one of my favourite stocks on the entire FTSE 100 and I'd love to hold it, but one…

Read more »