Stock markets continue to tumble as fears over fresh US trade tariffs grow. Despite its high concentration of UK-focused shares, the FTSE 250 index is now — at 19,786 points — down around 600 points over the past week.
It’s gloomy out there, as worries about economic stagnation and reignited inflation gather pace. I wouldn’t be surprised if share indexes keep falling in the near term.
Yet I’m not planning to stop buying UK shares, trusts, and funds for my portfolio. In fact, I’m keeping my eye out for bargains as spooked investors sell up. Purchasing quality shares at knock-down prices today can supercharge my returns when the market eventually recovers.
Should you invest £1,000 in Ibstock Plc right now?
When investing expert Mark Rogers has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for nearly a decade has provided thousands of paying members with top stock recommendations from the UK and US markets. And right now, Mark thinks there are 6 standout stocks that investors should consider buying. Want to see if Ibstock Plc made the list?
Here are two from the FTSE 250 that I’m currently considering buying for my Stocks and Shares ISA.
TBC Bank
TBC Bank (LSE:TBCG) — like any financial services company — is vulnerable to a sharp slowdown in the global economy. But I believe this is more than reflected in the rock-bottom valuation of its shares.
For 2025, it trades on a price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 5.5 times. And its P/E-to-growth (PEG) ratio is 0.3, created by City predictions of a 20% bottom-line rise. Any reading below one indicates that a share is undervalued.
Meanwhile, TBC’s forward dividend yield is 6.4%, adding a sweetenener for value investors.
This FTSE 250 share offers banking services in Eurasia. It generates the lion’s share from Georgia, and following recent expansion also has operations in Uzbekistan.
Financial product penetration in these territories is low. And with both economies growing strongly, demand for banking services is similarly soaring.
TBC’s loan book and deposits grew 14.2% and 8.1% respectively in 2024 (at constant currencies). As a consequence, net profit rose 14.7% year on year to 1.3bn Georgian lari.
Given its huge addressable markets — and the strong progress it’s making to digitalise its operations — I think TBC could be one of the best bank shares to consider today.
Ibstock
I already own Ibstock (LSE:IBST) shares on my portfolio. And I’m considering upping my stake given how cheap it looks relative to predicted earnings growth.
The brickmaker is tipped to enjoy earnings growth of 27% in 2025. This leaves it trading on a forward PEG ratio of 0.6.
Though they’ve perked up in recent days, Ibstock shares are down heavily over the last four months. This reflects fears that interest rates may not fall as sharply as hoped, denting homebuyer affordability and consequently construction rates.
While this is a substantial risk, I think that — on balance — the outlook is pretty bright for the FTSE 250 company. It said last week that sales volumes so far in 2025 were up year on year, and predicted “momentum building through the year.”
This perhaps isn’t surprising given the resilience of the housing market. Fresh financials from Persimmon on Tuesday (11 March) showed net private weekly sales per outlet up 14% in the first nine weeks of the year.
While interest rate risks remain, I’m expecting conditions to remain supportive in Ibstock’s end markets as inflation moves broadly lower.
