With the new year rapidly approaching, many investors will be thinking about what brilliant investment ideas they can come up with. While a lot of attention gets paid to large blue-chip companies, there is more to stock market life than the FTSE 100! Here are three FTSE 250 shares I think investors ought to consider, each reflecting a different investing focus.
Income: Victrex
For years, polymer specialist Victrex (LSE: VCT) had a reasonable but unremarkable dividend yield.
But a stumbling share price has pushed up the yield.
After a 39% fall so far this year alone (and 72% over five years) in the Victrex share price, the yield has reached 9.2%. That puts the FTSE 250 share firmly into the high-yield category.
The share price slump points to problems. The mix of products sold has changed unfavourably, hurting profitability. Ongoing weak demand in the lucrative medical market is a risk.
A new chief executive is due to take charge this week, and his inbox will already be overflowing. If business performance does not improve, a dividend cut could certainly be on the cards.
However, Victrex has proprietary polymers and a well-developed customer base willing to pay for quality when it comes to mission-critical applications.
For now, at least, the company has maintained its dividend.
Growth: Fidelity China Special Situations
Where might growth on the global economic stage come from next year?
China continues to grow at a solid pace, even if that is slower than it once was.
That may explain why the investment trust Fidelity China Special Situations (LSE: FCSS) is up 37% in value so far this year. It has a 2.6% dividend yield to boot.
Can the growth continue?
The trust trades at a discount to net asset value of 8%. Its four top holdings by size right now are all players in the Chinese digital platform space and they include the owner of TikTok.
With over 60% of the trust’s investments in consumer and communication services, I do see a concentration risk, especially if there is a tech market rout in 2026.
But I see ongoing growth potential for this strategically focused 2025 investment trust.
Value: Greggs
Greggs (LSE: GRG) might know how to put tasty stuffings in its sausage rolls, but its own share price has had the stuffing knocked out of it in 2025.
So far this year, the Greggs share price is down by two-fifths.
What looks like good value in the stock market can sometimes be a value trap. The tumbling Greggs share price reflects concerns about growth rates.
Poor demand forecasting over the summer disappointed the City, raising questions about management competence. Based on that, I regard bad planning as an ongoing risk for the FTSE 250 business
Still, Greggs shares have rallied almost 20% since the last week of last month.
On a price-to-earnings ratio of 12, they still look like tasty value to me given the company’s large shop network, competitive product pricing, and loyal customer following.
