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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

Investing Articles

Why National Grid plc Is A Great Share For Novice Investors

| Alan Oscroft

It's safe, it's dependable, it pays well, it's National Grid plc (LON: NG).

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Investing Articles

Why Lloyds Banking Group PLC, Anglo American plc and XP Power Ltd Should Beat The FTSE 100 Today

| Alan Oscroft

Lloyds Banking Group PLC (LON: LLOY), Anglo American plc (LON: AAL) and XP Power Ltd (LON: XPP) all rise.

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Investing Articles

3 FTSE Dividends Lifted This Week: Direct Line Insurance Group PLC, N Brown Group plc and WH Smith Plc

| Alan Oscroft

Direct Line Insurance Group PLC (LON: DLG), N Brown Group plc (LON: BWNG) and WH Smith Plc (LON: SMWH) pay…

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Investing Articles

3 FTSE Shares Crashing To New Lows: Tullow Oil plc, Carnival plc And Esure Group PLC

| Alan Oscroft

Tullow Oil plc (LON: TLW), Carnival plc (LON: CCL) and Esure Group PLC (LON: ESUR) are in a slump.

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Investing Articles

Why SSE PLC, Gulf Keystone Petroleum Limited And WH Smith Plc Should Beat The FTSE 100 Today

| Alan Oscroft

SSE PLC (LON: SSE), Gulf Keystone Petroleum Limited (LON: GKP) and WH Smith Plc (LON: SMWH) are all on the…

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Investing Articles

The Beginners’ Portfolio: What If We’d Bought AstraZenenca plc?

| Alan Oscroft

Did we do well to choose GlaxoSmithKline plc (LON: GSK) ahead of AstraZeneca plc (LON: AZN)?

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Investing Articles

Why BG Group plc Is A Great Share For Novice Investors

| Alan Oscroft

If you want some oil exploration, BG Group plc (LON: BG) is worth a look.

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Investing Articles

Why John Wood Group PLC, Marston’s PLC and Greggs plc Should Beat The FTSE 100 Today

| Alan Oscroft

It's a good morning for John Wood Group PLC (LON: WG), Marston's PLC (LON: MARS) and Greggs plc (LON: GRG).

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Investing Articles

Why Vedanta Resources plc, N Brown Group plc and Keller Group plc Should Lag The FTSE 100 Today

| Alan Oscroft

Vedanta Resources plc (LON: VED), N Brown Group plc (LON: BWNG) and Keller Group plc (LON: KLR) all slide.

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Investing Articles

Why BAE Systems plc Is A Great Share For Novice Investors

| Alan Oscroft

BAE Systems plc (LON: BA) could be good for a beginner's portfolio.

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Investing Articles

3 FTSE Shares Hitting New Highs: Aviva plc, Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc and Ocado Group PLC

| Alan Oscroft

Aviva plc (LON: AV), Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc (LON: VOD) and Ocado Group PLC (LON: OCDO) are soaring.

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Investing Articles

Why Victrex plc, WS Atkins PLC and Telecom plus PLC Should Beat The FTSE 100 Today

| Alan Oscroft

Victrex plc (LON: VCT), WS Atkins PLC (LON: ATK) and Telecom plus PLC (LON: TEP) are on the up.

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Investing Articles

Why Wm. Morrison Supermarkets plc Is A Bad Share For Novice Investors

| Alan Oscroft

Wm. Morrison Supermarkets plc (LON: MRW) might not be a beginner's best bet.

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Investing Articles

Why Rolls-Royce Holdings PLC, Inmarsat Plc and Petra Diamonds Limited Should Beat The FTSE 100 Today

| Alan Oscroft

Rolls-Royce Holdings PLC (LON: RR), Inmarsat Plc (LON: ISAT) and Petra Diamonds Limited (LON: PDL) make gains.

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Investing Articles

3 FTSE Shares You Should Have Bought Last Week: Aviva plc, Travis Perkins plc, and Ocado Group PLC

| Alan Oscroft

Aviva plc (LON: AV), Travis Perkins plc (LSE: TPK), and Ocado Group PLC (LON: OCDO) all picked up.

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Investing Articles

Why HSBC Holdings plc Is A Bad Share For Novice Investors

| Alan Oscroft

Steer clear of HSBC Holdings plc (LON: HSBA)? It might make sense.

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Investing Articles

3 FTSE Dividends Lifted This Week: Wolseley plc, James Halstead PLC and St. Ives plc

| Alan Oscroft

Wolseley plc (LON: WOS), James Halstead PLC (LON: JHD) and St. Ives plc (LON: SIV) flash the cash.

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Investing Articles

3 FTSE Shares Hitting New Highs: Vodafone Group plc, Close Brothers Group plc and Go-Ahead Group plc

| Alan Oscroft

Vodafone Group plc (LON: VOD), Close Brothers Group plc (LON: CBG) and Go-Ahead Group plc (LON: GOG) have a good…

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Investing Articles

Why SSE PLC Is A Great Share For Novice Investors

| Alan Oscroft

If you're starting out, you should consider SSE PLC (LON: SSE).

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Investing Articles

Why Intertek Group plc, William Hill plc and Falkland Oil and Gas Limited Should Lag The FTSE 100 Today

| Alan Oscroft

Intertek Group plc (LON: ITRK), William Hill plc (LON: WMH) and Falkland Oil and Gas Limited (LON: FOGL) are slipping.

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Investing Articles

Why BP plc, Aviva plc And BTG plc Should Beat The FTSE 100 Today

| Alan Oscroft

It's a good day for BP plc (LON: BP), Aviva plc (LON: AV) and BTG plc (LON: BTG).

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Investing Articles

Why Marks and Spencer Group Plc Is A Bad Share For Novice Investors

| Alan Oscroft

Here's why novices should steer clear of Marks and Spencer Group plc (LON:MKS) shares.

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Investing Articles

3 FTSE 100 Shares Going Ex-Dividend Next Week: Aviva plc, Kingfisher plc and WPP PLC

| Alan Oscroft

The key date arrives for Aviva plc (LON: AV), Kingfisher plc (LON: KGF) and WPP PLC (LON: WPP).

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Investing Articles

Why SOCO International plc, Electrocomponents plc and Domino’s Pizza Group PLC Should Beat The FTSE 100 Today

| Alan Oscroft

SOCO International plc (LON: SIA), Electrocomponents plc (LON: ECM) and Domino's Pizza Group PLC (LON: DOM) shine in the gloom.

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Investing Articles

Why Rio Tinto plc Is A Great Share For Novice Investors

| Alan Oscroft

Here's why novices should consider Rio Tinto plc (LON:RIO) shares.

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Investing Articles

3 FTSE Shares Hitting New Highs: International Consolidated Airlines Grp, DS Smith plc and Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

| Alan Oscroft

International Consolidated Airlines Grp (LON: IAG), DS Smith plc (LON: SMDS) and Bloomsbury Publishing Plc (LON: BMY) are on the…

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Investing Articles

Why Wolseley plc, Experian plc and St. Modwen Properties plc Should Beat The FTSE 100 Today

| Alan Oscroft

Wolseley plc (LON: WOS), Experian plc (LON: EXPN) and St. Modwen Properties plc (LON: SMP) buck the trend.

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Investing Articles

Why BT Group plc Is A Bad Share For Novice Investors

| Alan Oscroft

Here's why novices should be wary of BT Group plc (LON: BT.A)

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Investing Articles

Why Standard Life Plc, Gulf Keystone Petroleum Limited and Salamander Energy Plc Should Lag The FTSE 100 Today

| Alan Oscroft

Standard Life Plc (LON: SL), Gulf Keystone Petroleum Limited (LON: GKP) and Salamander Energy Plc (LON: SMDR) all slide.

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Investing Articles

3 FTSE Shares You Should Have Bought Last Week: BAE Systems plc, G4S plc, and Balfour Beatty

| Alan Oscroft

BAE Systems plc (LON: BA), G4S plc (LSE: GFS), and Balfour Beatty plc (LON: BBY) had a positive week.

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Investing Articles

Why Royal Dutch Shell Plc Is A Great Share For Novice Investors

| Alan Oscroft

We tell you what's so good about Royal Dutch Shell plc (LON: RDSB) shares.

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Investing Articles

3 FTSE Shares Hitting New Highs: BAE Systems plc, Rentokil Initial plc and Hays plc

| Alan Oscroft

BAE Systems plc (LON: BA), Rentokil Initial plc (LON: RTO) and Hays plc (LON: HAS) are all climbing.

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Investing Articles

Why IMI plc, Dixons Retail PLC and QinetiQ Group plc Should Beat The FTSE 100 Today

| Alan Oscroft

IMI plc (LON: IMI), Dixons Retail PLC (LON: DXNS) and QinetiQ Group plc (LON: QQ) show gains.

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Investing Articles

Why Gulf Keystone Petroleum Limited Is A Bad Share For Novice Investors

| Alan Oscroft

If you're just starting out, here's why you should avoid Gulf Keystone Petroleum Limited (LON: GKP).

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Investing Articles

Why London Stock Exchange Group Plc, Ladbrokes PLC And Thomas Cook Group plc Should Lag The FTSE 100 Today

| Alan Oscroft

London Stock Exchange Group Plc (LON: LSE), Ladbrokes PLC (LON: LAD) and Thomas Cook Group plc (LON: TCG) are falling.

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Investing Articles

Why TUI Travel PLC, Tullow Oil plc And Compass Group plc Should Beat The FTSE 100 Today

| Alan Oscroft

TUI Travel PLC (LON: TT), Tullow Oil plc (LON: TLW) and Compass Group plc (LON: CPG) respond to good news.

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Investing Articles

Why Tesco PLC Is A Great Share For Novice Investors

| Alan Oscroft

Just starting out? Here's why you should consider buying Tesco PLC (LON: TSCO).

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Investing Articles

3 FTSE 100 Shares Going Ex-Dividend Next Week: The British Land Company plc, Intertek Group plc and The Weir Group PLC

| Alan Oscroft

Ex-dividend day is here for The British Land Company plc (LON: BLND), Intertek Group plc (LON: ITRK) and The Weir…

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Investing Articles

3 FTSE 100 Shares Hitting New Highs: Vodafone Group plc, Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc and International Consolidated Airlines Grp

| Alan Oscroft

Vodafone Group plc (LON: VOD), Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc (LON: RBS) and International Consolidated Airlines Grp (LON: IAG)…

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Investing Articles

Why Barclays PLC Is A Bad Share For Novice Investors

| Alan Oscroft

Here's why novices might want to avoid Barclays PLC (LON: BARC).

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