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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

Close-up of British bank notes
Investing Articles

This UK penny stock is tipped to double by City analysts!

| Alan Oscroft

What should we do when a favourite penny stock falls due to short-term pressures? Consider buying for the long term,…

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Calendar showing the date of 5th April on desk in a house
Investing Articles

Time’s running out for our 2025/26 Stocks and Shares ISA plans!

| Alan Oscroft

Never mind the stock market wobble, it's time to turn our attention to our Stocks and Shares ISA investments for…

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UK financial background: share prices and stock graph overlaid on an image of the Union Jack
Investing Articles

What might Warren Buffett think about today’s stock market?

| Alan Oscroft

Middle East conflict has given the UK stock market a bit of a hammering. But in the long-term scheme of…

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Hand flipping wooden cubes for change wording" Panic" to " Calm".
Investing Articles

Is it time to dump my shares ahead of an almighty stock market crash? Nah!

| Alan Oscroft

How should we cope with growing fears of a stock market crash? 'Keep Calm and Carry On' worked in 1939,…

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

Down 15%, are Lloyds shares simply too cheap to miss now?

| Alan Oscroft

Have the wheels come off the long-term growth story for Lloyds Bank shares, or are they dipping into bargain territory…

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British coins and bank notes scattered on a surface
Investing Articles

How much might £10,000 in Rolls-Royce shares soon be worth? Let’s ask the experts

| Alan Oscroft

Do Rolls-Royce shares look like a good buy after recent price falls? City analysts still appear bullish, but global events…

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Close-up of British bank notes
Investing Articles

How much passive income could £20,000 in an ISA grow to? It could be quite a bit

| Alan Oscroft

An ISA can be a great tool for building passive income, although according to Alan Oscroft, some strategies have much…

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Finger clicking a button marked 'Buy' on a keyboard
Investing Articles

Down 25%, are Barclays shares too cheap to miss?

| Alan Oscroft

Nobody expected Barclays' shares to fall so hard after their big multi-year gains. So the dip does make the valuation…

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

What’s gone wrong with Lloyds shares to trigger a shock 15% slump?

| Alan Oscroft

Lloyds Bank shares have seen the wheels come off their steady upwards ride as conflict in the Middle East rages.…

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Finger clicking a button marked 'Buy' on a keyboard
Investing Articles

Is it time to buy BP and Shell shares as oil breaks through $100 per barrel?

| Alan Oscroft

Shell and BP shares have made cracking starts to 2026, with soaring oil giving them extra boosts as conflict threatens…

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Departure & Arrival sign, representing selling and buying in a portfolio
Investing Articles

What next for Rolls-Royce shares after $100 oil price shock?

| Alan Oscroft

Rolls-Royce shares were buoyant after its full-year results in February once again beat expectations. But then came the Iran conflict.

Read more »

UK financial background: share prices and stock graph overlaid on an image of the Union Jack
Investing Articles

What next for Aviva shares after a cracking set of 2025 results?

| Alan Oscroft

Aviva achieving its 2026 financial goals a year ahead of schedule has got to be good for the shares... oh,…

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

Has a 2026 stock market crash just come a whole lot closer?

| Alan Oscroft

If we're in for a stock market crash, what's the best way for us to prepare, and what kinds of…

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ISA Individual Savings Account
Investing Articles

Hands up, who’s dreaming of a million in a Stocks and Shares ISA?

| Alan Oscroft

How to make a million in a Stocks and Shares ISA, that's what headlines keep banging on about. Let's look…

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British Pennies on a Pound Note
Investing Articles

OK, who’s dreaming of making a million from red-hot penny shares?

| Alan Oscroft

Investors in penny shares can sound like the most upbeat optimists there are. It can work, but hopes need to…

Read more »

Black woman using smartphone at home, watching stock charts.
Investing Articles

What next for the Greggs share price after 2025 sales growth?

| Alan Oscroft

Investors got a bit ahead of themselves with enthusiasm for the Greggs share price in recent years. How does it…

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Investing Articles

What next for Barclays shares, after this shock 15% slump?

| Alan Oscroft

What a tangled web we encounter when we look too deeply into the workings of the global banking sector. Barclays…

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Finger clicking a button marked 'Buy' on a keyboard
Investing Articles

Is it time to snap up Nvidia stock, after it fell 9% on Q4 results?

| Alan Oscroft

Nvidia makes a laughing stock of naysayers and their doom-and-gloom moods yet again, but the stock responds with a hefty…

Read more »

Bearded man writing on notepad in front of computer
Investing Articles

Hot dates for dividend investors to mark in their March diaries

| Alan Oscroft

The year's stock market gains might be taking some edge off high yields, but UK dividend investors still have plenty…

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Investing Articles

Why 3 March could be a crucial date for Greggs shares

| Alan Oscroft

Greggs shares have been on a ride nobody could foresee just five years ago. Alan Oscroft is hoping March might…

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

Urgent! there’s not much ISA time left to boost our passive income plans

| Alan Oscroft

It's never too early to make sure we're not missing out on the chance to build the best passive income…

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Mixed-race female couple enjoying themselves on a walk
Investing Articles

Is £5,000 invested in Rolls-Royce shares 5 years ago really worth this much? Wow!

| Alan Oscroft

What's still in store for Rolls-Royce shares after the company smashed it out of the park yet again? Let's see…

Read more »

British pound data
Investing Articles

Attention: hot FTSE 100 dates to mark in our March investing diaries

| Alan Oscroft

Companies in two of my favourite FTSE 100 sectors will report full-year results in March, and I reckon they're ones…

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DIVIDEND YIELD text written on a notebook with chart
Investing Articles

Mark your March diaries with these key dates for red-hot UK dividend shares

| Alan Oscroft

Never mind those high-flying AI stocks making investors nervous, I'm eyeing these dividend shares as long-term cash cows.

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Investing Articles

Forget Lloyds shares, this bank’s earnings could treble by 2027!

| Alan Oscroft

Lloyds shares have rewarded patient shareholders well in the past few years, so is it now time for challenger banks…

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Departure & Arrival sign, representing selling and buying in a portfolio
Investing Articles

What next for International Consolidated Airlines (IAG) shares after record 2025 results?

| Alan Oscroft

A strong set of 2025 figures has helped cement an impressive recovery for IAG shares. But we had a worrying…

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DIVIDEND YIELD text written on a notebook with chart
Investing Articles

A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to snap up this 11% UK dividend yield?

| Alan Oscroft

Like the idea of a double-digit dividend? Reliable ones don't show up too often, but this one comes with a…

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British pound data
Investing Articles

Falling further on results day, surely WPP shares can’t go much lower?

| Alan Oscroft

It was once the world's biggest advertising agency, but WPP has since been kicked out of the FTSE 100 after…

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

The Rolls-Royce share price has just done it again on results day

| Alan Oscroft

Rolls-Royce has a habit of under-promising and over-delivering on results, and the share price has skyrocketed over five years.

Read more »

UK financial background: share prices and stock graph overlaid on an image of the Union Jack
Investing Articles

Could this really be the turning point for Aston Martin shares?

| Alan Oscroft

Investors holding Aston Martin shares have been waiting for a key financial goal. It's only a modest one, and it…

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Close-up of British bank notes
Investing Articles

What next for HSBC shares after expectations-busting results?

| Alan Oscroft

Investors have piled into HSBC shares over the past few years, and the bank has rewarded them with growing profits.…

Read more »

Calendar showing the date of 5th April on desk in a house
Investing Articles

Attention! these FTSE 100 shares are growing in Stocks and Shares ISA popularity

| Alan Oscroft

Is AI the friend or enemy of the UK's Stocks and Shares ISA favourites? Here are two that have suffered,…

Read more »

Businessman hand stacking money coins with virtual percentage icons
Investing Articles

Standard Chartered shares are tops in FTSE 100 bank growth. These results show why

| Alan Oscroft

After a storming five-year performance, is there still any long-term value left in Standard Chartered shares? Here's why I think…

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Investing Articles

Is the mother of all stock market crashes coming in 2026?

| Alan Oscroft

The headlines are focusing on stock market crash fears again, and after a few years of huge gains some analysts…

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Investing Articles

Why 26 February could be crucial for this UK share trading near 10-year lows

| Alan Oscroft

After a decade of underperformance from this UK share, the company has grasped the painful task and is working hard…

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piggy bank, searching with binoculars
Investing Articles

Why 26 February could be critical for Rolls-Royce shares

| Alan Oscroft

Rolls-Royce shares have certainly not disappointed investors bold enough to buy when they were down. But what does the future…

Read more »

Finger clicking a button marked 'Buy' on a keyboard
Investing Articles

Is this one of the hottest UK stocks to buy for an ISA in March?

| Alan Oscroft

Looking for good-value stocks to buy, this favourite -- with results due in early March -- looks like it could…

Read more »

Close-up of children holding a planet at the beach
Investing Articles

Is the only way up for Anglo American shares, after potentially pivotal results?

| Alan Oscroft

Anglo American shares have had a storming 12 months, in anticipation of transformation plans bearing fruit. So what do FY…

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ISA Individual Savings Account
Investing Articles

How much do I need in an ISA for a £1,000 monthly passive income?

| Alan Oscroft

Investing in dividend-paying UK shares can help investors build up a healthy passive income stream in less time than we…

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Array of piggy banks in saturated colours on high colour contrast background
Investing Articles

Here’s how much £5,000 invested in Lloyds shares two years ago is now worth

| Alan Oscroft

Lloyds' shares got a lift from profit gains in 2025, boosted by healthy net interest income. And forecasts suggest there's…

Read more »