Stock market crash: 3 cheap UK shares I’d buy today to make a million!

Looking to get rich from UK shares? Royston Wild explains why savvy investors are using the stock market crash as a great buying opportunity.

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You and I shouldn’t be scared by stock market crashes. History shows us that UK share prices always come roaring back as economic conditions improve and corporate profits trend higher.

There’s no reason to expect things to be any different this time around either. The Covid-19 crisis has created the most difficult period for the global economy in living memory. But whether we see a V, a U, or a W-shaped recovery, past evidence shows us that long-term share investors can still expect to make big returns.

Taking the time to identify top quality shares and then build a well-balanced stocks portfolio is only one part of a successful investing strategy. Timing your trades effectively can also prove critical in putting you on the road to make a million.

This includes buying UK shares at a time when everyone else is selling them like crazy. By giving investors the chance to buy stocks at rock-bottom prices, the 2020 stock market crash gives you and I the chance to maximise our returns over the long run.

Image of person checking their shares portfolio on mobile phone and computer

3 of the best

I, for one, don’t plan to pull up the drawbridge and stop investing. There are too many terrific UK shares trading at next-to-nothing that shouldn’t be ignored right now. Let me give you some examples of some of the companies on my own personal watchlist.

  • Bank of Georgia Group looks a terrific value buy right now. Covid-19 will dent economic growth in the emerging market in the near term, but the long-term outlook remains robust. Georgian GDP per capita grew at a meaty average of 4.8% between 2010 and 2019, according to the World Bank. At current prices, Bank of Georgia trades on a low forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio below 6 times.
  • Tate & Lyle combines the beauty of small earnings ratios and big dividend yields. For 2020, the former sits at 14 times, while the latter rocks up at a plump 4.4%. Producers of foods and ingredients like this should prove to be more resilient than most other UK shares during the global economic downturn. Its significant geographical footprint should allow it to ride the recovery effectively too.
  • I own shares in DS Smith, but I’m thinking of adding more to my portfolio after the market crash. Like Tate & Lyle, this FTSE 100 stock has some excellent defensive qualities. It supplies packaging solutions to robust fast-moving consumer goods companies all over the globe. Its great track record of providing innovative and environmentally-friendly products means it’s winning share from its competitors too. This UK share trades on a forward P/E ratio of 12 times and also carries a chubby 3.7% dividend yield.

Get rich by buying UK shares

This article provides only a brief taster of the great UK shares I’m considering snapping up today. The list of too-cheap-to-miss shares is vast, and investors can get a fuller flavour of what’s out there by browsing The Motley Fool’s huge library of articles and special reports.

They could give you an investing edge and help you get rich following the stock market crash.

Royston Wild owns shares of DS Smith. The Motley Fool UK has recommended DS Smith. Views expressed on the companies mentioned in this article are those of the writer and therefore may differ from the official recommendations we make in our subscription services such as Share Advisor, Hidden Winners and Pro. Here at The Motley Fool we believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors.

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