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After a positive Q4 update, is the Vistry share price set to bounce back?

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Image source: Getty Images

After falling 57% in the last three months of 2024, the Vistry (LSE:VTY) share price is up 5% after the company’s first trading update of 2025 on 15 January. And the news is generally positive.

Management is confident last year’s issues are in the past and the outlook for sales is relatively positive. But there was something missing from the report that caught my attention. 

Results and outlook

Vistry’s share price has been falling recently because of cost issues in its South Division. Partly – though not entirely – as a result of this, the firm’s pre-tax profits in 2024 fell from £419m to £250m.

Elsewhere, the business looks to be in decent shape. The company completed 7% more units in 2024 than the previous year, with adjusted revenues up 9% and it’s expectign further growth in 2025.

Inflation is set to increase build costs and Employer National Insurance Contributions are set to increase by £5m. But both look relatively modest in the context of the overall business.

That’s why the stock is climbing. But I think Vistry’s real strength is its business model, which is what differentiates it from the rest of the FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 housebuilders. That could boost the share price.

Partnerships

Vistry has less exposure to the open market than other UK housebuilders. Instead, it prefers to partner with investment firms and local authorities to build directly to order. 

This has two big benefits for the business. The first is that it reduces the amount of cash the company requires, with partners financing some of the up-front build costs. 

The second is that it provides guaranteed offtake for completed projects. With sales already agreed, Vistry doesn’t have to worry in the same way about weak demand in the housing market.

The company’s top priority for 2025 is continuing to invest in this – and I think it’s a really attractive business model. But there was something else in the latest update that caught my attention. 

Capital allocation

In its update from 8 November (which was essentially a profit warning), Vistry said the following:

[The firm] remains committed to its medium-term targets including the distribution of £1bn of capital to its shareholders. In light of the recent issues in the South  Division, the group is reviewing the timeframe in which these are expected to be achieved.

With the company’s market cap currently £1.8bn, the prospect of getting over 50% of that back over the medium term looks attractive to me. But the latest update was quiet on this. 

Also in its report, Vistry stated its intention to return £130m to investors through share buybacks. That’s part of the story, but it’s not all of it and this is an important part of why the stock is attractive to me. 

I’m waiting

Like the other major UK housebuilders, Vistry is being investigated by the Competition and Markets Authority. That makes the stock risky, but I think a £1bn capital return might be enough to offset this.

As a result, I’ll be looking carefully for details about this when the company’s full results come out in March. The latest update looks very encouraging, but I’m just waiting for the last piece of the jigsaw before I decide whether or not to buy.



This story originally appeared on Motley Fool

Here’s how investors could aim for a £6,531 annual passive income from £11,000 of Aviva shares

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Image source: Getty Images

I have reconciled myself to the possibility that Aviva (LSE: AV) shares may never again decisively break the £5 price barrier. The last time it did so was in the second half of 2018.

However, I am reassured in continuing to hold my stake in the insurance, savings and investment firm by two key factors.

The first is that I bought it primarily as a stock to generate passive income. This is money made with minimal effort, most appositely in my view from dividends paid by shares. Such income can make life a lot better in the short term and can allow for an early retirement. Crucially in this context, the yield that generates passive income rises if a stock’s price falls.

The second is there is every reason for me to think Aviva’s share price might also rise at some point. A risk here is the intense competition in its sector that may squeeze its profits. However, it remains technically very undervalued, and its planned acquisition of Direct Line should add value. Anyway, hope is a wonderful thing.

Passive income generation

In 2023, Aviva paid a total dividend of 33.4p, yielding 7.1% on the current £4.68 share price.

£11,000 is the average UK savings amount and investors considering taking such a stake in Aviva would make £781 in first year dividends.

Provided the yield averaged the same, this would increase to £7,810 after 10 years and to £23,430 after 30 years.

Yields change frequently along with a firm’s share price and annual dividend payments, as mentioned. For Aviva, analysts forecast its dividend will increase to 34.2p in 2024, 37.5p in 2025, 40.1p in 2026 and 41.9p in 2027.

These would give respective yields of 7.2%, 7.9%, 8.5% and 8.9%.

Turbocharging that passive income

I always use the dividends paid by a stock to buy more of it – a standard investment practice known as ‘dividend compounding’.

Doing this on the current 7.1% yield, would generate £11,327 in dividends over 10 years, not £7,810. And after 30 years on the same basis, the dividends would be £80,984 rather than £23,430.

Including the £11,000 initial investment and the Aviva holding would be paying £6,531 a year in passive income from dividends!

Making something from nothing in the bank

I find a common misconception is that a lot of money is needed before any big returns can be made. This is simply not true.

For example, just foregoing that extra fancy coffee or pint of lager nowadays can save someone £5 a day.

Continuing to invest only that saving (£150 a month) in Aviva shares can generate £8,415 in dividends after 10 years. This is on the same twin bases as before – a 7.1% average yield and using dividend compounding.

After 30 years on the same basis, the dividends paid would have swelled to £134,856. By that point, this would be paying £9,575 a year in passive income from dividends.

None of that is guaranteed, and anyway, inflation would diminish the buying power of that money somewhat by then, of course. However, it underlines that big returns can be made from much smaller initial investments, especially using dividend compounding.

Indeed, the Aviva holding could be paying for a lot of coffees and lagers – both icy cold – on a beach somewhere beautiful by 2055.



This story originally appeared on Motley Fool

Liu Wen Strikes a Pose for Prada Spring 2025 Ad

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Liu Wen poses for Prada’s spring-summer 2025 campaign. Photo: Steven Meisel / Prada

Liu Wen commands attention in Prada’s spring-summer 2025 campaign, posing in powerful fashion. After the label’s recent ad with Carey Mulligan, Liu steps into the spotlight in a series of studio portraits by renowned photographer Steven Meisel.

Prada Spring 2025 Womenswear Campaign

Striking a pose in a crop top, Liu Wen fronts Prada spring 2025 campaign.
Striking a pose in a crop top, Liu Wen fronts Prada spring 2025 campaign. Photo: Steven Meisel / Prada

The Asian supermodel’s gaze is unflinching, radiating confidence, while shadows hint at the layers of complexity within. The collection features a dynamic range of styles, from structured bralette tops to tailored skirts, paired with Prada’s signature handbags.

Prada taps Liu Wen as the face of its spring-summer 2025 womenswear campaign.
Prada taps Liu Wen as the face of its spring-summer 2025 womenswear campaign. Photo: Steven Meisel / Prada

Minimalist settings allow the vibrant colors—orange, plum, and green—to pop alongside understated neutrals. Accessories like oversized bags and sleek belts add to the transformative power of the looks.

Liu Wen models new season bags in Prada's spring 2025 ad.
Liu Wen models new season bags in Prada’s spring 2025 ad. Photo: Steven Meisel / Prada

Prada evokes the idea of fashion as a tool to reinvent identity. In the accompanying campaign film, intriguing beats play as Liu strikes pose after pose to the camera.



This story originally appeared on FashionGoneRogue

Europe takes a second look at Apple’s DMA compliance – Computerworld

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At the very least, the review does buy Apple time to improve its business systems to better match what it now knows regulators want, without decimating its business. When dealing with any form of change, time is an advantage.

But change remains inevitable

That’s not to say Apple can stand still. The company’s senior executives are expected be in London this week, facing a class action lawsuit that argues it has, in effect, overcharged consumers for sales via the App Store. It remains unclear how Apple’s justifiable argument — that the vast majority of apps are distributed at no, or low, fees — will be understood as it argues that case. Apple faces similar action globally, and the litigation means it will have to change, even if only reluctantly.

Eager to force that change, Europe’s regulators are unlikely to slow their investigations into tech companies, but will be waiting on political direction before they decide the extent to which they will attempt enforcement.



This story originally appeared on Computerworld

Sonos’ chief product officer is also leaving the company

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Sonos is continuing to clean house as the company recovers from the hits it took following a mobile app redesign last year. Just a day after CEO Patrick Spence the company, chief product officer Maxime Bouvat-Merlin is also leaving. He will act as an advisor to interim CEO Tom Conrad during the leadership transition before fully exiting Sonos.

Conrad Sonos employees about the latest leadership change in a company-wide email today. The CPO role is being made redundant, with Sonos’ product team reporting directly to Conrad for the time being.

Sonos has been in a tailspin since releasing a mobile app update in May that contained many bugs and was missing key features. The company’s financial results took a dive, and it laid off about in August. Sonos has made several efforts to keep customers of its to recover from the app launch, and the decision to replace top leadership seems like the latest move to win back public trust in the business.



This story originally appeared on Engadget

The House In Chaos As Nancy Mace Challenges Jasmine Crockett To A Fight

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At a House hearing, this was the exchange between Reps. Jasmine Crockett and Nancy Mace occurred.

Crockett, “ Somebody’s campaign coffers really are struggling right now. So she gonna keep saying trans, trans, trans, so that people will feel threatened and child listen, I, I want y’all to tell me whether or not…”

Mace, “Don’t  call me a child. I am no child.”

Crockett, “ I want to find out which of those emails actually have, you know what I mean, I’m reclaiming my time.”

Mace, “ You will not do that. I am not a child. I am not a child. If you want to take it outside. “

Video:

Crockett was correct. Mace has been laying the attacks on trans people on heavy because this is her new attention getting fundraising gimmick. Mace showed how thin-skinned she is by trying to start a fight.

Nancy Mace’s act has worn thin with many House Democrats. Mace is constantly on the hunt for attention and a camera, but the interaction between Crockett and Mace illustrates the tone of the current Congress.

The mainstream media continually places the burden on Democrats to get along with and give into Republicans while the behavior of Reps. like Nancy Mace largely gets ignored.

The House is in a state of perpetual chaos under Republican leadership. They are a conference with zero interest in governing that only exist to fuel chaos and get attention for themselves.

On the same day that Speaker Johnson admitted that he will need Democratic votes to raise the debt limit, Nancy Mace is trying to take it outside with Jasmine Crockett.

It is not surprising that House Republicans are dysfunctional and do nothing but fail.

What do you think about Nancy Mace and Jasmine Crockett? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Leave a comment



This story originally appeared on Politicususa

Megyn Kelly Now Expects Pete Hegseth to be Confirmed, Slams Democrat Women Senators as ‘Hysterical Fools’ (VIDEO) | The Gateway Pundit

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Megyn Kelly was at the Pete Hegseth hearings on Monday and praised Pete’s performance in the face of unhinged Democrats.

Kelly said that she now fully expects that Hegseth will be confirmed as Defense Secretary. She also slammed the Democrat women senators in the hearing for behaving like ‘hysterical fools’ and claimed she was embarrassed for her sex.

It’s impossible to disagree with Kelly’s take here.

Transcript via Real Clear Politics:

MEGYN KELLY: No one laid a glove on him. He’s good. He’s got this. I have zero doubts now that he will be confirmed. Joni Ernst was the big question mark, and she was great today. She was very nice in her questioning of him, very respectful. That’s not a no vote, no way. And this is just the Senate Armed Services Committee he has got to he’ll get out of committee. And but like she was the big pivotal vote, even if Trump is going to lose, potentially McConnell, potentially Murkowski and Collins, which now they’re saying he might not. I don’t think Pete Hegseth has trouble. I think he’s going to get confirmed, and I don’t think anybody touched him. And really, to me, the story of the day was how some of these Democrat senators embarrassed themselves trying to…

Why do the women always have to be so sh*tty? Why do the women have to be like these hysterical fools? Why can’t they be more dignified? Tim Kaine was the worst, I should say that up front. The worst, the most disgusting, I should say. But he wasn’t like an hysteric. Mazie Hirono is so dumb. I can’t believe she’s a US senator. Kirsten Gillibrand… Oh my God, you are undermining the very cause that I know you so desperately want to promote right now. So I was embarrassed for them. I was embarrassed for my sex and how they were behaving today.

Here’s a quick clip:

You can watch a longer clip below:

Hegseth turned in a very strong performance. He should be confirmed.




This story originally appeared on TheGateWayPundit

Hamas accepts draft Gaze ceasefire agreement and release of some Israeli hostages | World News

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Hamas has accepted a draft ceasefire agreement and the release of dozens of hostages, with an Israeli official saying the details are being finalised.

Hamas said negotiations had reached their “final stage” and it hoped this round of negotiations would lead to a deal.

An Israeli official said: “We are close, we are not there yet.”

“I believe we will get a ceasefire,” US secretary of state Antony Blinken said. “It’s right on the brink. It’s closer than it’s ever been before.”

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Gaza ceasefire could be ‘hours away’

Negotiators have been working on the ceasefire during more than eight hours of talks in Qatar’s capital Doha.

The deal is expected to halt the most deadly and destructive war between Israel and Hamas.

It would bring respite to the Gaza Strip, where 90% of the population of 2.3 million have been displaced during nearly a year and a half of war and many are at risk of famine.

Read more: What’s in the proposed deal?

Nearly 100 Israeli hostages are still being held captive inside Gaza, with the military believing at least a third of those are dead.

The agreement would see the hostages released in exchange for Palestinians and militants imprisoned by Israel.

Israeli forces would withdraw from cities and towns in the Gaza Strip, allowing Palestinians to return to what remains of their homes, and there would be a surge in humanitarian aid.

Analysis: Deal might be close, but there are many unanswered questions

More than 46,000 Palestinians have been killed during Israel’s war on Hamas in Gaza, more than half of them women and children, according to the enclave’s Hamas-run health ministry.

The war began after Hamas militants rampaged into Israel and killed around 1,200 people and abducted another 250 on 7 October 2023. Around half of the hostages were freed during a brief ceasefire in November that year.

Any deal – if reached – would not go into effect immediately and would need approval from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet and then his full cabinet.

The Islamic Jihad militant group, which is separate from Hamas and also has hostages in Gaza, said it was sending a senior delegation to Doha to take part in the final arrangements for a ceasefire deal.

Thousands of Israelis rallied in Tel Aviv on Tuesday night in support of the proposals, but in Jerusalem hundreds of hard-liners marched against the deal.



This story originally appeared on Skynews

Dozens of survivors and dead pulled from abandoned South African mine : NPR

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A miner is transported on a stretcher by rescue workers after he was rescued from below ground in an abandoned gold mine in Stilfontein, South Africa on Tuesday.

Themba Hadebe/AP


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Themba Hadebe/AP

STILFONTEIN, South Africa — Months after South African authorities initially cut off supplies to miners working illegally in an abandoned gold mine, rescuers brought dozens of bodies and emaciated survivors to the surface Tuesday with hundreds more still believed to be underground, many of them dead and others too weak to come out on their own.

At least 60 bodies and 92 survivors had been pulled from one of South Africa’s deepest mines since Monday in a red cagelike device lowered thousands of feet underground, police said. Police are uncertain how many miners remain inside but said it is likely in the hundreds. Another nine bodies were brought out Friday in a community-led rescue effort, according to a group representing the miners.

The mine has been the scene of a tense standoff between police, miners and members of the local community since authorities launched an operation in November to force the miners out by cutting off food and water from the surface for a period of time. At the time, a Cabinet minister said the aim was to “smoke them out” and the government would not send help because they were “criminals.”

But that tactic has been fiercely criticized by civic groups and the community, and the South African government is under scrutiny for the way it has dealt with the issue at the Buffelsfontein Gold Mine, where more than 100 miners are believed to have died underground of starvation or dehydration, according to the group representing them.

Police officers and private security personnel stand by the opening of a reformed gold mineshaft where illegal miners are trapped in Stilfontein, South Africa in November, 2024.

Police officers and private security personnel stand by the opening of a reformed gold mineshaft where illegal miners are trapped in Stilfontein, South Africa in November, 2024.

Denis Farrell/AP


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Denis Farrell/AP

Authorities, who removed the ropes and pulley system miners used to enter and to lower supplies, say the survivors are able to come out but refuse to because of fear of arrest. That has been disputed by the civic groups, which won a court case to force authorities to allow food, water and medicine to be sent down to the miners. But they say the supplies aren’t enough and many of the miners are dying of starvation and unable to climb out because the shaft is too steep.

Residents desperate

ly waiting for news of family members gathered at the mine Tuesday near the town of Stilfontein, southwest of Johannesburg, some holding placards criticizing authorities for their response. One sign said there had been a “Sacrifice at Stilfontein” while some handcuffed survivors were led away in a line by police.

The community organized its own rescue operation on Friday before the official effort by authorities began Monday. They say a proper rescue operation should have been launched months ago.

“We are happy that this operation is happening, even though we believe that if it was done earlier, we wouldn’t even have one dead person,” said Mzukisi Jam, the regional chairperson of the South African National Civics Organization, an umbrella for civic and rights groups.

Relatives and friends protest near a reformed gold mineshaft where illegal miners are trapped in Stilfontein, South Africa in November, 2024.

Relatives and friends protest near a reformed gold mineshaft where illegal miners are trapped in Stilfontein, South Africa in November, 2024.

Denis Farrell/AP


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Denis Farrell/AP

Authorities have grappled with informal mining for years

Illegal mining is common in parts of gold-rich South Africa where companies close down mines that are no longer profitable, leaving groups of informal miners to enter them illegally in a search for leftover deposits.

Large groups of miners often go underground for months to maximize their profits, taking food, water, generators and other equipment with them, but also relying on others in their group on the surface to send down more supplies.

Mineral Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe visited the site Tuesday and said that more than 1,500 miners who resurfaced from the Buffelsfontein mine have been arrested since authorities began a larger crackdown on illegal mining in late 2023. He said the vast majority were foreign nationals from neighboring countries.

Police have also doubled down on their assertion that the miners who are still underground aren’t coming out because they are afraid of being arrested.

Rescuers work to retrieve miners from ground in an abandoned gold mine for months, in Stilfontein, South Africa on Tuesday.

Rescuers work to retrieve miners from ground in an abandoned gold mine for months, in Stilfontein, South Africa on Tuesday.

Themba Hadebe/AP


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Themba Hadebe/AP

Activists said the only way out is for miners to make a dangerous trek to another shaft, which can take days, and crawl out there, but many are too weak or ill to climb out. The mine is 2.5 kilometers (1.5 miles) deep with multiple shafts, many levels and a maze of tunnels. The group representing the miners said there are numerous groups in various parts of the mine.

“The last time I spoke to my brother was in July, when he told us that he is going underground,” said Zinzi Tom, a sister of one of the miners who remained underground. “We had not heard anything from him, but yesterday one of the miners who surfaced said he saw him about two weeks ago. Apparently he is very sick and he is struggling to survive.”

Cellphone videos emerge from underground

The Mining Affected Communities United in Action group, which took authorities to court in December to force them to allow supplies to be sent down to the miners, released two cellphone videos that they said were from underground and showed dozens of dead bodies of miners wrapped in plastic. A spokesman for the group said “a minimum” of 100 miners had died.

The cellphone videos purportedly from the depths of the mine are filmed by a man who can be heard saying, “This is hunger. People are dying because of hunger,” as he records emaciated-looking men sitting on the damp floor of the mine. He adds: “Please help us. Bring us food or take us out.”

The rescue operation will go on for 10 days and authorities would then reassess, Police Minister Senzo Mchunu said. Police also said that the survivors who had been brought to the surface will be arrested and charged with illegal mining and trespassing after receiving medical attention.

Authorities made clear their approach when South African Cabinet Minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni told reporters in November that the government would not help the miners, who they consider criminals.

“We are not sending help to criminals,” she said. “We are going to smoke them out. They will come out.”

She added: “Criminals are not to be helped. Criminals are to be persecuted.”



This story originally appeared on NPR

Long stretch of Laguna Beach closed after 465,000-gallon sewage spill

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The coastal waters off Laguna Beach between Treasure Island and Table Rock at Aliso Beach have been closed due to a sewage spill, Orange County health authorities confirmed Tuesday evening.

Roughly 465,000 gallons of sewage spilled due to a break in a main sewer line near Laguna Niguel Regional Park, the Orange County Health Care Agency and the Environmental Health Services said. An undetermined portion of that sewage seeped into nearby beaches.

Although the sewer line breach has since been patched, area beaches remained closed to activities that include swimming, surfing and diving. The waters will remain closed until conditions improve, according to Orange County officials.

“I urge OC residents, visitors, and tourists to heed public health experts’ warnings and avoid the closed beaches in Laguna while the @ochealth tests water quality,” Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley posted on X.

The spill is the second to hit the county in as many months.

In December, the coastal area around Salt Creek in Dana Point was closed after 3,375 gallons of sewage spilled into the sea.

Then, too, a sewage line break was the culprit.



This story originally appeared on LA Times