There’s a big difference between investor appetite for UK and US shares today. While the S&P has just marched to fresh record highs, and the Dow Jones nudges back towards February’s record peaks, appetite for British blue-chips remains rather insipid. Consequently the FTSE 100 is still languishing around the 6,000-point marker and is nudging close to fresh five-month lows.
This smacks of a wasted opportunity in my book. History shows us that UK shares always surge in the years following a stock market crash. And those who pick up dirt-cheap stocks after a correction consequently give themselves a great chance to make a boatload of cash.
Supermarket strains
The FTSE 100 is packed with top value stocks that I think could help one get rich despite tough economic conditions. There are plenty of blue-chip UK shares that are on my personal ISA watchlist at current prices.
I wouldn’t be happy to buy shares in Tesco though. Profitability at Britain’s largest supermarket has been hit by the surging popularity of Aldi and Lidl over the past decade and the subsequent price wars. Things threaten to get even worse with Waitrose and the Co-op embarking on further rounds of price slashing in recent days.
Future revenues growth is threatened by the impact of Covid-19 and a bumpy Brexit process on broader consumer spending too. And Tesco faces the prospect of severe supply problems on the back of these two issues. This UK share trades on a low price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 13 times for the upcoming financial year (to February 2022). But it’s not cheap enough to encourage me to invest.
A defensive star
BAE Systems is in much better shape to help UK share investors get rich and retire early, I think. Not only this, its P/E multiple of 10 times for 2021 suggests it’s much better value than Tesco. And the defence giant carries a chubby 5.2% dividend yield for next year too. We know that human conflict is unfortunately ever-present. According to a New York Times book published in 2003 there were just 268 years of peace in 3,400 years of recorded history.
And the worsening geopolitical landscape today suggests that nations will want to keep on building their arsenals, as recent news flow suggests. So it looks like BAE Systems should remain a reliable deliverer of meaty shareholder returns, despite the uncertain macroeconomic environment.
I want to make a fortune with more UK shares
BAE Systems is just one white-hot UK shares that should thrive despite the risk of a painful economic downturn. But it’s not the only top stock I’d buy for my own Stocks and Shares ISA today. The Motley Fool’s huge library of exclusive reports is packed with great shares like the FTSE 100 defence giant. And they can sent free of charge to any inbox in a matter of seconds.