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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

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Investing Articles

Down 20% in a year, is the Lloyds share price a value trap?

| Cliff D'Arcy

The Lloyds share price is down a fifth in 12 months and 26% over five years. So am I a…

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Investing Articles

Down 46% in 12 months, could this FTSE 100 share be a steal?

| Cliff D'Arcy

While the FTSE 100 has dropped 2.5% over the past year, this Footsie stock has crashed by 46%. But is…

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Investing Articles

2 shares for powerful passive income

| Cliff D'Arcy

In my ongoing plan for plenty of passive income, I keep buying high-yielding shares. For example, these two stocks pay…

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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

Could these 4 events crash the stock market?

| Cliff D'Arcy

After a great start to this year, global stock markets are looking rosy. But I worry that investors may be…

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

3 easy ways I find cheap stocks to buy

| Cliff D'Arcy

Finding attractive stocks to buy is as much of an art as it is a science. That said, I do…

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Investing Articles

These 5 stocks are wrecking the whole FTSE 100!

| Cliff D'Arcy

The FTSE 100 is down nearly 3% in 2024 to date and around the same over the past year. What's…

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

If I’d invested £5k in Lloyds shares 5 years ago, here’s what I’d have now

| Cliff D'Arcy

Lloyds shares have had a tough start to 2024, losing 13.4% since 29 December. They are also down 18.3% over…

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Investing Articles

These 5 cheap shares are boosting my second income!

| Cliff D'Arcy

In my search for a substantial second income, I need high levels of regular cash. The delightful dividends from these…

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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

After diving 25%, this FTSE 250 share’s dividend yield is 11%

| Cliff D'Arcy

This FTSE 250 stock has crashed by almost a quarter since the turn of the year. Its shares now offer…

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Investing Articles

Down 36% in 11 months, is the Vodafone share price set to soar?

| Cliff D'Arcy

The Vodafone share price has crashed by more than a third in under a year. But after a brutal 2023,…

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Portrait of elderly man wearing white denim shirt and glasses looking up with hand on chin. Thoughtful senior entrepreneur, studio shot against grey background.
Investing Articles

These are the dogs of the FTSE 100 this week!

| Cliff D'Arcy

The FTSE 100 has dropped 1.6% over the last five days, continuing earlier weakness. Meanwhile, these five Footsie stocks have…

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Investing Articles

2 FTSE 100 stocks with dividend yields above 10% a year!

| Cliff D'Arcy

After steep price falls in 2023, these two FTSE 100 shares now offer double-digit dividend yields. While one may be…

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

My 2 FTSE 100 stocks to consider buying in 2024

| Cliff D'Arcy

Shares in these two FTSE 100 giants had a tough 2023, driven lower by the cost-of-living crisis. Still, I'm expecting…

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Investing Articles

This FTSE 100 share keeps on thrashing the market!

| Cliff D'Arcy

The FTSE 100 has lagged behind the American market for many years. But this Footsie stock has easily thrashed both…

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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

Lloyds shares are my bargain buy for 2024

| Cliff D'Arcy

After a bumpy 2023, Lloyds shares are down 1.7% over the past 12 months. But big news may arrive on…

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Investing Articles

FTSE shares: a lifetime’s chance to get rich?

| Cliff D'Arcy

FTSE shares have underperformed their US counterparts for many years. However, that pattern has changed since early 2022, yet UK…

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Three signposts pointing in different directions, with 'Buy' 'Sell' and 'Hold' on
Value Shares

I sold this FTSE 250 share to buy this fallen angel!

| Cliff D'Arcy

I bought this FTSE 250 share, only to see it crash within months. Though it has now bounced back, I've…

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

These 4 FTSE 100 shares pay out heaps of cash!

| Cliff D'Arcy

While the FTSE 100 offers a dividend yield of 4% a year, these four Footsie firms pay up to 11%…

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Investing Articles

These FTSE 100 shares could smash the market in 2024

| Cliff D'Arcy

The FTSE 100 had a weak 2023, rising by only 3%. However, I see these two Footsie stocks as poised…

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Investing Articles

The FTSE 100 looks a bargain for 2024

| Cliff D'Arcy

The UK's blue-chip FTSE 100 index turned 40 this week. Alas, it has underperformed the US S&P 500 for too…

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BUY AND HOLD spelled in letters on top of a pile of books. Alongside is a piggy bank in glasses. Buy and hold is a popular long term stock and shares strategy.
Investing Articles

I see Barclays shares as buying £1 coins for 49p!

| Cliff D'Arcy

Barclays shares have gone nowhere over the past five years and are down 5% over 12 months. But I'm hoping…

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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

What next for the Vodafone share price in 2024?

| Cliff D'Arcy

The Vodafone share price has dived by 19% over one year. And it's been rubbish over five and 10 years.…

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2024 year number handwritten on a sandy beach at sunrise
Investing Articles

My plan for powerful passive income in 2024

| Cliff D'Arcy

I'm very keen to boost my passive income for 2024 above last year's total. Hence, here are two ways I'm…

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

Here’s why I see stock markets struggling in 2024, but would still buy

| Cliff D'Arcy

The UK stock market had a weak 2023, with the FTSE 100 only 3% higher. Meanwhile, the US S&P 500…

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Photo of a man going through financial problems
Investing Articles

These were the FTSE 100’s biggest fallers in 2023

| Cliff D'Arcy

With the final trading session over, the FTSE 100 is up by under 3% in 2023. However, these Footsie stocks…

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

Could the Barclays share price hit £2 in 2024?

| Cliff D'Arcy

The Barclays share price has leapt by 20% since slumping to its 2023 low in October. I'm optimistic that shareholders…

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

Here’s why I see the FTSE 100 as a screaming buy today

| Cliff D'Arcy

The FTSE 100 has been a poor performer over the past five years, gaining just 3% annually. But I have…

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Group of friends celebrating together the end of 2022 and the new beginning in 2023.
Investing Articles

These are the FTSE 100’s best-performing shares in 2023

| Cliff D'Arcy

The FTSE 100 index is up less than 3% in the last 12 months. Meanwhile, these star stocks have thrashed…

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2024 year number handwritten on a sandy beach at sunrise
Investing Articles

Is the Lloyds share price a big recovery play for 2024?

| Cliff D'Arcy

The Lloyds share price price has gone nowhere since the end of 2018, losing 6% in five years. But I…

Read more »

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

1 FTSE 100 share to help ride out the next recession!

| Cliff D'Arcy

The price of this FTSE 100 share has gone nowhere over the past 12 months. But its near-8% cash yield…

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

This FTSE 250 stock looks wildly mispriced to me

| Cliff D'Arcy

Her's a FTSE 250 share that has almost halved over five years. However, with a cash yield of nearly 8%…

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British Airways cabin crew with mobile device
Investing Articles

Could I get £50k a year from a second income?

| Cliff D'Arcy

With many households hit by the rising cost of living, lots of us are looking for a second income. Here's…

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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

I’ve grabbed my share of this £83.7bn of passive income!

| Cliff D'Arcy

I love passive income -- the 'free' earnings I get outside of work. That's why I'm keen to grab an…

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Man writing 'now' having crossed out 'later', 'tomorrow' and 'next week'
Investing Articles

This share could crush the FTSE 100 in 2024

| Cliff D'Arcy

At the very end of 2021, this FTSE 100 share was hitting record highs. But after a tough 2023, this…

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Portrait of elderly man wearing white denim shirt and glasses looking up with hand on chin. Thoughtful senior entrepreneur, studio shot against grey background.
Investing Articles

Do I sell if the Lloyds share price hits £1 in 2024?

| Cliff D'Arcy

After peaking in February, the Lloyds share price has had a weak 10 months. But what if it surged to…

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Group of young friends toasting each other with beers in a pub
Investing Articles

These are the FTSE 100’s 5 biggest stars in a month

| Cliff D'Arcy

The FTSE 100 is up 2.2% in the last 30 days. Meanwhile, the share prices of these five Footsie stars…

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Investing Articles

How I’m building passive income of £100k a year

| Cliff D'Arcy

By creating two powerful, self-sustaining money machines, I'm closing in on a passive income of £2,000 a week. Here's how…

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

2 growth stocks that are booming right now

| Cliff D'Arcy

These two star growth stocks have both soared since I bought them in November 2022. But after such steep gains,…

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

2 FTSE dividend shares paying cash of up to 11.6% a year

| Cliff D'Arcy

While the FTSE 100 offers a cash yield of 4% a year, these two dividend shares both offer double-digit yields.…

Read more »

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

These are the FTSE 100’s 5 biggest flops in a month

| Cliff D'Arcy

The FTSE 100 is up 1.6% over the past month. Meanwhile, the share prices of these five Footsie flops have…

Read more »