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Cliff D'Arcy

My first loves were Maths and Physics. After studying Maths, Stats and Computer Science in the late 80s, I worked in the financial sector from 1987 to 2002. I then joined The Motley Fool's writing team in January 2003 and left in November 2005. Since then, I have been a freelance financial writer. My primary goal is to help people manage their money better by making sensible financial decisions!

Recent Articles

Wall Street sign in New York City
Investing Articles

Something wild just happened to the S&P 500 and FTSE 100

| Cliff D'Arcy

After years, even decades, of dominating global markets, something strange just happened to the S&P 500 index. But what was…

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

Down 31% in a year, the BT share price is due a rebound

| Cliff D'Arcy

The BT share price has dived almost a third in 12 months. It's also lost more than half of its…

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Middle-aged white man wearing glasses, staring into space over the top of his laptop in a coffee shop
Investing Articles

What next for Lloyds shares? 40p or 60p?

| Cliff D'Arcy

After bottoming out before Valentine's Day, Lloyds shares are among the FTSE 100's best performers in the past two months.…

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

Collapsing by up to 64% in a year, here are the FTSE 100’s dogs!

| Cliff D'Arcy

These five FTSE 100 firms have had a terrible 12 months, with their share prices crashing by as much as…

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Young woman working at modern office. Technical price graph and indicator, red and green candlestick chart and stock trading computer screen background.
Investing Articles

Best FTSE buy for April: Diageo or Unilever?

| Cliff D'Arcy

These two FTSE giants have seen their share prices hit by slowing sales growth since late 2022. But which stock…

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Surprised Black girl holding teddy bear toy on Christmas
Investing Articles

£27bn of passive income from just 5 shares? Wow!

| Cliff D'Arcy

I'm looking to build a passive income of £100k a year and have spotted these five UK shares, which pay…

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White female supervisor working at an oil rig
Investing Articles

With the oil price rising, the BP share price is gushing again

| Cliff D'Arcy

Though the BP share price has surged since January, this FTSE 100 stock has lost value over one and five…

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Playful senior couple in aprons dancing and smiling while preparing healthy dinner at home
Investing Articles

Up 20% in 11 weeks, the Shell share price is motoring

| Cliff D'Arcy

The Shell share price has leapt by almost a fifth in under three months. Despite this surge, shares in the…

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Portrait of pensive bearded senior looking on screen of laptop sitting at table with coffee cup.
Investing Articles

Back below 70p, can the Vodafone share price clear £1?

| Cliff D'Arcy

The Vodafone share price has dropped below 70p again and hasn't been near £1 for over a year. But recent…

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A pastel colored growing graph with rising rocket.
Investing Articles

Next stop £6 for the Aviva share price?

| Cliff D'Arcy

After hitting its 2023 low in September, the Aviva share price has leapt 34% in six months. It hasn't hit…

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Modern suburban family houses with car on driveway
Investing Articles

Down 22% from its 2024 high, what next for the Direct Line Insurance Group share price?

| Cliff D'Arcy

The Direct Line Insurance Group share price exploded in February due to a takeover bid from a Belgian rival. With…

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

Down 46% from its 2023 high, is this my best chance to buy Tesla stock?

| Cliff D'Arcy

Tesla stock has crashed 46% since the highs of July 2023. It's also lost 61% of its value since the…

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Fireworks display in the shape of willow at Newcastle, Co. Down , Northern Ireland at Halloween.
Investing Articles

Up 38% since 13 February, the Barclays share price is flying!

| Cliff D'Arcy

The Barclays share price has beaten the FTSE 100 index over periods ranging from one month to five years. Yet…

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British flag, Big Ben, Houses of Parliament and British flag composition
Investing Articles

The FTSE 100 is dirt cheap, but so what? Who cares?

| Cliff D'Arcy

The FTSE 100 has lagged behind the US S&P 500 and other major market indexes for far too long. But…

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Asian man looking concerned while studying paperwork at his desk in an office
Investing Articles

Down 60% from its 2023 high, the Ocado share price is on my radar

| Cliff D'Arcy

The Ocado share price has almost halved in 2024 so far. It has also crashed almost three-fifths from its 2023…

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Illustration of flames over a black background
Investing Articles

Up 31% since 13 February, Lloyds shares are on fire

| Cliff D'Arcy

To my surprise, Lloyds shares have beaten the FTSE 100 over periods ranging from one month to one year. But…

Read more »

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

Up 37% in 6 months, this is my favourite FTSE 100 share

| Cliff D'Arcy

This 'secret' FTSE 100 share has beaten the market over one month, six months, a year and five years. But…

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A handsome mature bald bearded black man in a sunglasses and a fashionable blue or teal costume with a tie is standing in front of a wall made of striped wooden timbers and fastening a suit button
Investing Articles

Which should I buy, the FTSE 250 or the FTSE 100?

| Cliff D'Arcy

Both the mid-cap FTSE 250 and the blue-chip FTSE 100 have lagged far behind the US stock market in recent…

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

The 6 big problems with dividend shares

| Cliff D'Arcy

In theory, buying high-yielding dividend shares can deliver superior investment returns over time. In practice, these six issues can get…

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Playful senior couple in aprons dancing and smiling while preparing healthy dinner at home
Investing Articles

How we’re building passive income of £100k a year

| Cliff D'Arcy

In my search for passive income, I'm always on the lookout for high-yielding shares. Even after rising 16.4% in a…

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Dominos delivery man on skateboard holding pizza boxes
Investing Articles

These 3 FTSE 100 shares pay 9.6%+ a year in cash!

| Cliff D'Arcy

These high-yielding FTSE 100 shares offer dividend yields as high as 11.6% a year. However, such hefty cash yields can…

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Young brown woman delighted with what she sees on her screen
Investing Articles

Up 23% in a month, this FTSE 250 share is flying

| Cliff D'Arcy

Since 28 February, this FTSE 250 share has soared by more than 30%. But even after this comeback, it still…

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Illustration of flames over a black background
Investing Articles

The Barclays share price soars 23% in a month. What next?

| Cliff D'Arcy

The Barclays share price has leapt by more than a fifth in the last month. It's trading 38% above its…

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

This FTSE 100 super-share keeps on thrashing the stock market!

| Cliff D'Arcy

This little-known FTSE 100 share has absolutely trounced major stock markets in the past 12 months and over five years.…

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Entrepreneur on the phone.
Investing Articles

These 3 stocks pay me huge passive income. But is there a catch?

| Cliff D'Arcy

I own these three cheap UK shares for their powerful passive income. Together, they pay out 9.9% a year. But…

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

Up 23% in a week, this FTSE 250 stock looks cheap to me

| Cliff D'Arcy

After two pieces of good news, this FTSE 250 has soared by almost a quarter since 28 February. Yet I…

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Happy parents playing with little kids riding in box
Investing Articles

I asked an AI about the Lloyds share price. Oh dear!

| Cliff D'Arcy

After leaping by almost 15% in a month, the Lloyds share price is showing strength. But check out the madness…

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Fireworks spelling out the numbers '2024'
Investing Articles

These were the FTSE 100’s dogs and stars in February

| Cliff D'Arcy

The FTSE 100 limped along last month, but some Footsie shares soared while others slumped. Here are February's winners and…

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

This £43bn of passive income is up for grabs today!

| Cliff D'Arcy

As a lover of passive income, I'm always on the lookout for extra cash. The good news is that these…

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A pastel colored growing graph with rising rocket.
Investing Articles

Direct Line shares soar 25% on takeover bid!

| Cliff D'Arcy

Direct Line shares surged by a quarter on Wednesday, after receiving a takeover bid from a Belgian rival. But the…

Read more »

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

Could this FTSE 250 firm’s earnings fall by 70%?

| Cliff D'Arcy

This FTSE 250 stock has had a tough few years, falling by 10.3% over one year and 56.2% over five…

Read more »

Photo of a man going through financial problems
Investing Articles

These are the FTSE’s biggest dogs over the last year!

| Cliff D'Arcy

The FTSE 100 has fallen far behind other major market indices over the past 12 months. However, these three sliding…

Read more »

Young brown woman delighted with what she sees on her screen
Investing Articles

These 3 FTSE 100 stocks deliver massive dividend yields

| Cliff D'Arcy

These three FTSE 100 firms offer dividend yields of up to 11.6% a year. And while some high yields may…

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

These super shares pay passive income of £27bn a year!

| Cliff D'Arcy

In my relentless search for growing passive income, I've found five stocks paying bumper dividends. For example, one sends over…

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

2 FTSE 100 powerhouses for passive income

| Cliff D'Arcy

In my search to replace all of my earnings with passive income, I've found two FTSE 100 firms that are…

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Fireworks spelling out the numbers '2024'
Investing Articles

This unloved FTSE 250 stock is set to soar!

| Cliff D'Arcy

This FTSE 250 company's share price has fallen by almost two-thirds in the past five years. The firm is now…

Read more »

Mindful young woman breathing out with closed eyes, calming down in stressful situation, working on computer in modern kitchen.
Investing Articles

Barclays shares have been a disaster, but I’m not selling

| Cliff D'Arcy

Barclays shares have been a rubbish investment, losing almost 18% of their value in the past 12 months. But maybe…

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

2 FTSE dividends that could be cut

| Cliff D'Arcy

While most FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 companies are in good shape, some struggle with falling profits. Hence, these two…

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

Which should I buy, the S&P 500 or the FTSE 100?

| Cliff D'Arcy

Since the global financial crisis of 2007-09, the S&P 500 index has blown away the FTSE 100. So why do…

Read more »

Investing Articles

2 cheap shares paying huge passive income

| Cliff D'Arcy

For lovers of powerful passive income, these two FTSE 100 shares pay out cash of 9% and 10.4% a year.…

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