Russ Mould

Questor is The Telegraph's stockpicking column, helping you decode the markets and offering insights on where to invest.

We are still sitting on a paper loss on housebuilder Springfield Properties, but a lowly valuation should protect our downside while a prime land bank, Scotland’s focus on affordable housing and lower interest rates all still offer upside potential.

This year has been sobering for Questor as momentum and growth trumped value stocks

Elon Musk and Donald Trump combination picture Questor is The Telegraph's stockpicking column, helping you decode the markets and offering insights on where to invest.

Investors should look out for these five signs of change that could alter the stock market’s roll

The power of C&C’s brands has been well and truly tested this year – it’s still a buy

The FTSE 100 was up by almost 6% in 2024 and is offering a forecast dividend yield of some 3.6% on top of that, to provide a steady double-digit percentage return.

Whether investors think the UK is returning to the 1970s and its old stagflationary and fiscally incontinent ways or not is a matter of personal opinion, and the pound’s weakness may yet function as a valuable pressure valve by attracting overseas buyers to UK assets and boosting exports.

As we enter 2025, it can be useful for investors to look at what analysts think will happen in markets in the year. At present, 59% of all analysts' recommendations for companies in the FTSE 100 are buys and just 7% are sells - the highest and lowest scores respectively over the past 11 years.

The Tuesday portion of the Questor portfolio is proving very sensitive to interest rates and gilt yields, thanks to our exposure to financials and real estate plays such as OSB and Town Centre Securities, not to mention certain housebuilders and downtrodden, cyclical recovery plays, including Bellway and Marshalls.