August was a disappointing month for the FTSE 100 however there’s an upside as a result of it means there are nonetheless loads of low-cost shares that I’d love to purchase. I didn’t have the money to purchase them in August. Now I’ve acquired a second probability in September.

I haven’t used any of this 12 months’s Shares and Shares ISA contribution restrict however would like to max it out by the top of the tax 12 months. By buying FTSE blue-chip shares once they’re low-cost, and leaving them to develop in an ISA for years, I’d hope to generate outsized positive factors over time.

But I’ll have to select my targets with care. There’s a world of distinction between a inventory being low-cost, and being good worth.

FTSE 100 worth

If a inventory price falls, there’s at all times a cause. It could spotlight an underlying downside with the corporate itself. For instance, its services or products could have did not maintain up with altering tastes and traits, or an aggressive rival could also be grabbing market share.

Alternatively, it could possibly be down to a wider sector challenge. For instance, if the world ideas into recession, commodity shares will sometimes fall, as demand for the metals and minerals will nearly definitely drop.

Vitality large BP (LSE: BP) is an efficient instance of the latter. Its fortunes are inextricably tied to the oil price. Revenues rocketed in 2022 because the power disaster drove up costs, however fell as oil and fuel costs eased. Let’s see what the charts say.

Chart by TradingView

The BP share price has fallen 12.22% within the final 12 months. Personally, I believe it is a shopping for alternative. BP remains to be the identical well-run firm it was, however occasions have turned towards it. Sooner or later, they need to swing again in its favour — particularly if the US avoids a recession.

As we speak, BP’s shares look grime low-cost buying and selling at simply 6.51 instances earnings. The dividend was rebased just a few years in the past however now the inventory yields 5.23%, comfortably above the FTSE 100 common of round 3.7%.

Revenue and progress inventory

As a fossil fuels producer, BP faces a significant problem shifting from fossil fuels to renewables. It’s acquired a protracted technique to go, and political strain is more likely to construct if it drags its ft. The power transition received’t come low-cost and should squeeze earnings within the longer run. No inventory is with out danger although. I’m nonetheless eager so as to add BP to my portfolio at as we speak’s lowered valuation.

Let’s say I make investments £20k in an expansion of low-cost shares like BP and my portfolio delivers a median whole return of seven% a 12 months with all dividends reinvested. That’s roughly consistent with the long-term common return on the FTSE 100. After 30 years, I’d have £152,245, which might go a good manner in the direction of funding my retirement.

If I invested one other £5,000 yearly, I’d have a thumping £657,610. Now that’s higher. I’d like to take a position much more if attainable. However for now, I’ll begin by mopping up as a lot of this 12 months’s ISA allowance as I can afford.