# Three stocks built for the long haul

> A FTSE 100 trust manager names three companies riding structural shifts in payments, power and live music.
- Title: Three stocks built for the long haul · MoneyWeek | Shortify
- Summary: A FTSE 100 trust manager names three companies riding structural shifts in payments, power and live music. Pick businesses with a defensible position inside…
- Keywords: investing, stocks, payments, semiconductors, live entertainment, Three, built, long, haul, MoneyWeek
- Source: MoneyWeek — https://moneyweek.com/investments/stocks-and-shares/three-stocks-for-long-term-growth
- Published: 2026-09-14T06:00:00+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: investing, stocks, payments, semiconductors, live entertainment
## The oldest trust in Britain
F&C Investment Trust holds more than £7 billion, sits in the FTSE 100, and has raised its dividend 55 years running. It buys listed equities and private equity, globally spread and run conservatively.

> 55 consecutive years of rising dividends
## Who is picking the stocks
Paul Niven has run the trust since mid-2014, pairing it with specialist stock-pickers at Columbia Threadneedle and beyond. The point is exposure across geographies, styles and sectors rather than one house view.
## Mastercard takes a toll
It earns fees on transaction volumes and values without carrying credit risk. That makes it asset-light, with exceptional capital returns as spending moves from cash to cards and digital.
## A network rivals cannot copy
Shoppers want cards accepted everywhere, retailers want the cards shoppers already carry. That loop locks in scale and makes Mastercard's network close to impossible for a newcomer to rebuild.

> making Mastercard's network difficult for new competitors to replicate
## Room left to grow
Developed markets are still shedding cash, and emerging markets have barely started. On top of that, Mastercard is selling cybersecurity, data analytics and open-banking services.
## Infineon powers the switch
It is the global leader in power semiconductors, the parts that manage electricity in electric vehicles, renewables and grid upgrades. Decades of work built that position.
## AI needs efficient power
Data centres training and running big models burn enormous electricity, so power management matters more than ever. That market barely existed a few years ago, and the shares look cheaper than the potential.

> the current valuation does not fully reflect the potential
## Live Nation owns the night
Revenues have grown 15% a year on average since the pandemic as spending shifts from goods to experiences. Ticketmaster, the promotion arm and the venues mean it collects at every step of one night out.
## Key takeaway

Pick businesses with a defensible position inside a shift that will outlast the next market cycle.