Decomposing the Variance Risk Premium, Part 2
The paper extends earlier work on the variance risk premium (VRP) by using recent S&P 500 data to split the premium into upside and downside components. It finds that the downside variance risk premium is markedly larger than the aggregate VRP and that both downside variance and skewness premiums forecast future equity returns. Predictive strength for variance‑related premiums peaks at a three‑to‑five‑month horizon, while skewness‑related premiums are more powerful over longer horizons. Additionally, the term structure of the skewness risk premium provides extra return‑forecasting information.
Your Adult Child Has a Chronic Health Condition and Needs Your Help. What Retirees Should Know
A couple with $2.1 million in assets faces a six‑year, $36,000‑per‑year caregiving obligation for their adult daughter, pushing their withdrawal rate to roughly 5.7%—well above the traditional 4% safe‑draw rule. By treating the daughter as a qualifying relative, opening an ABLE...
Is UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (UNH) A Good Stock To Buy Now?
UnitedHealth Group posted a Q1 2026 earnings beat with EPS of $7.23 versus the $6.59 consensus and revenue of $111.7 billion, surpassing forecasts. The Medical Care Ratio improved to 83.9%, a 90‑basis‑point drop, indicating stronger cost discipline. Management lifted FY 2026 EPS guidance...
Dave Ramsey’s Debt‑snowball Advice Meets Math‑driven Rebuttal on His Radio Show
Dave Ramsey declared “We don’t do debt anymore” on a recent Ramsey Show episode, only to be countered by a 24/7 Wall St. analysis that argues the optimal strategy depends on loan interest versus potential investment returns. Financial experts cite...
Berkshire Hathaway Pays $8.5 B for Taylor Morrison, Marking Biggest Homebuilder Deal
Berkshire Hathaway, under CEO Greg Abel, agreed to buy homebuilder Taylor Morrison for $8.5 billion including debt. The deal, valued at $72.50 per share, expands Berkshire’s residential‑construction platform and underscores a bullish view on the U.S. housing market.
Short‑Selling Tactics and Options Strategies Spotlighted in Motley Fool Podcast
Motley Fool’s Hidden Gems Investing podcast dissected recent court action against Citron Research while exploring how short sellers use options to hedge and magnify bets. Hosts Tyler Crowe, Lou Whiteman and Matt Frankel highlighted the legal fallout for Andrew Left...
Navitas Semiconductor Shares Swing Wildly as Nvidia AI Power Tie-Up Fuels Volatility
Navitas Semiconductor Corp. saw its shares surge to a $33 high before sliding back to around $25 after announcing an 800‑volt power‑board partnership with Nvidia's AI Factory MGX. The swing underscores the high stakes of AI data‑center power‑chip exposure and...
India and Venezuela Explore Energy Ties as Oil Markets Shift
Venezuela has signaled interest in involving India in its energy sector, and New Delhi is closely monitoring Latin American markets amid global oil price volatility. The outreach could open new supply channels for India and provide Venezuela with investment and...
JPMorgan Shifts to Neutral on Turkish Assets Amid Election Risk and Dollarisation Fears
JPMorgan Chase & Co. closed its overweight position on Turkish assets and adopted a neutral stance, warning that the probability of a snap election before 2026 has risen. The bank highlighted inflation pressures and the risk of renewed dollarisation, as...
BlackRock's AI Infrastructure Outlook Spurs Thematic ETF Surge
BlackRock’s U.S. head of equity ETFs, Jay Jacobs, said token consumption for AI workloads grew 17 times last year, prompting the firm’s new 2026 thematic outlook that champions AI‑infrastructure ETFs. The outlook warns that many companies may be under‑investing in...
Bursa Malaysia Eyes 1,700 Mark as Risk Appetite Improves, Foreign Funds May Return
Bursa Malaysia’s benchmark KLCI is set to retest the 1,700 level, consolidating around 1,710‑1,715 as risk appetite strengthens. The index rose 10.36 points to 1,693.43 last week, signaling a potential technical rebound and renewed foreign interest.
Bond Traders Bet on a CPI Surge That Bolsters Case for Fed Pivot
Bond traders are betting that this week’s CPI will reveal the strongest inflation pressure in years, pushing the Federal Reserve toward more rate hikes. Ten‑year Treasury yields rose to 4.55% and two‑year yields hit 4.18%, their highest since early 2025....
Wealthfront: This Earnings Sell-Off Opens A Great Entry Point (Rating Upgrade)
Wealthfront earned a Strong Buy upgrade as its valuation remains deeply discounted despite solid fundamentals. Q1 2027 revenue rose 7% year‑over‑year to $90.5 million, while platform assets grew 19% and funded clients increased 15%. Management is actively repurchasing shares, signaling confidence in...
'Making in Russia for India' Eyes Fertilisers, Critical Mineral Mining JVs
India’s ambassador to Moscow unveiled a "Making in Russia for India" strategy that seeks joint‑venture projects in fertilizers, critical minerals and mining. A flagship urea plant in Russia will churn out 2 million tonnes a year, earmarked entirely for export to...
Forget SCHD: DGRO’s Looser Quality Filter Has Quietly Delivered Higher Total Returns Over the Last Decade
DGRO’s Morningstar U.S. Dividend Growth Index fund has delivered a 250% total return over the past decade, edging out the Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 tracker SCHD’s 233% return. The advantage stems from DGRO’s looser five‑year dividend‑growth screen, which captured...
Is HIVE Digital Technologies Ltd. (HIVE) a Top Penny Stock to Buy on Robust Diversified Core Business?
HIVE Digital Technologies Ltd., the first publicly traded Bitcoin miner to branch into GPU cloud computing and AI infrastructure, reported a dramatic surge in operational scale in fiscal 2026. Its mining hashrate climbed from 6.5 EH/s to 25.1 EH/s, while contracted high‑performance...
ITA Vs. ARKX: Proven Defense Contractors Against an Active Bet on the Space Economy
iShares U.S. Aerospace & Defense ETF (ITA) and ARK Space & Defense Innovation ETF (ARKX) offer contrasting ways to tap the defense‑aerospace market. ITA is a low‑cost, passive fund with $13.6 billion AUM, concentrated in legacy U.S. contractors such as GE...
Parsons Corporation (PSN): A Debt-Free IT Stock Backed by $99 Million Air Force Contract
Parsons Corporation (NYSE:PSN) landed a $99 million task order from the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory on June 6, marking a significant win for its defense‑focused IT portfolio. The five‑year, two‑month contract will fund research, development, engineering, and demonstration of command‑and‑control, space...
MLPX Vs. EMLP: Does Active Management in Energy Infrastructure Justify the Extra Fee Cost?
The Global X MLP & Energy Infrastructure ETF (MLPX) and First Trust North American Energy Infrastructure Fund (EMLP) are compared on cost, performance, and portfolio composition. MLPX charges a 0.45% expense ratio, delivers a 22.9% 1‑year return and a 4.2% dividend yield,...
If You Invested $10,000 in Meta Platforms Stock 10 Years Ago, Here's How Much You'd Have Today
Meta Platforms delivered a 434% total return over the past decade, turning a $10,000 investment in 2016 into about $53,380 today and outpacing the S&P 500. The stock is down roughly 8% year‑to‑date and sits 23% below its August 2025 peak,...
Stocks‑
Tinder Box Awaiting a Spark? TLT vs. USO Reversion The lowest level of US public debt vs. stock-market capitalization in about 20 years, and the highest measure of crude oil vs. Treasury bonds in roughly a decade, may suggest elevated reversion...
SOX Plunges 10%—Record Shorting on SOXX ETF
Not only was the $SOX's -10.3% drop on Friday the largest single-day loss for the semis index since March 2020, it also drove the highest short volume on the SOXX ETF since it began trading. That kind of reaction is...
Berkshire Hathaway Sells Major Apple Stake, Five Stocks Now Hold 61% of Assets
Greg Abel, Warren Buffett's successor, cut Berkshire's Apple holding to $71.1 billion, driving the conglomerate's top five stocks to represent 61% of its $330 billion portfolio. The move follows a broader purge of 16 positions, raising fresh questions about concentration risk for...
Anderson Township $1.2 M Sale Signals Rising Luxury Home Prices in Hamilton County
Douglas Jim sold his Anderson Township residence at 2631 Newtown Rd to Alex and Melissa Hyppolite for $1.2 million, making it one of the week’s biggest home transactions in Hamilton County. The sale joins a string of high‑value deals that suggest...
U.S. Consumers Keep Spending as Savings Shrink Amid Higher Gas and Food Prices
U.S. shoppers are still buying, but higher fuel, grocery and utility bills are forcing many to dip into savings. Retailers report subtle cutbacks, while 80 million Americans struggle to pay their utility bills, signaling growing financial strain.
ECOWAS and AGRA Push for $‑Billion Rice Investment to Boost West Africa’s Food Security
At a roundtable in Accra, ECOWAS and the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) called for large‑scale private investment and new financing tools to modernise West Africa’s rice sector, a move they say could create jobs, raise farmer...
How Retirees Turn Savings Into Income Without Running Out
Retirees can turn their nest egg into a steady income stream by blending Social Security, any pension benefits, and a disciplined investment mix. Delaying Social Security payouts raises monthly benefits, while dividend‑paying stocks, bond ladders and annuities generate cash without...
ECB Reports Money Supply Cooling to 2.7% as Euro‑Area Household Borrowing Holds Steady
The European Central Bank said the broad monetary aggregate M3 grew 2.7% year‑on‑year in April, down from 3.2% in March, while the narrower M1 slowed to 3.8% from 4.7%. Household loan growth held at 3.0%, indicating steady consumer borrowing despite...
Vanguard’s Intermediate-Term Treasury ETF Emerges as Core Long-Term Bond Holding
Vanguard’s Intermediate-Term Treasury ETF (VGIT) is being positioned as a core, long‑term holding for diversified portfolios. With a razor‑thin 0.03% expense ratio, pure U.S. Treasury exposure and a modest 3.8% yield, it offers safety and cost efficiency that many investors...
Cramer Spots Liquidity Lifeline as Alphabet’s $80 B Share Sale Defies AI Funding Crunch
Jim Cramer highlighted Alphabet’s $80 billion stock sale, executed by Goldman Sachs, as concrete evidence that liquidity remains abundant despite a looming $500 billion AI funding gap. The deal, called the “largest follow‑on equity raise ever,” offers traders a tangible counterpoint to...
FIIs Outflows and Weak Global Cues Drag Indian Markets Lower
Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) continued to sell Indian equities while global market cues stayed weak, sending the Sensex down 117 points to 74,243 and the Nifty 50 off 50 points to 23,367. Analysts cite five macro‑factors that could keep the...
Daqo New Energy: A Desperate Pivot To AI As The Core Business Worsens
Daqo New Energy (DQ) remains a sell as persistent polysilicon oversupply squeezes margins and drives operating losses. The company announced a RMB 6 billion (~$840 million) AI energy solutions deal, which analysts view as a desperate pivot lacking clear revenue or operational synergy....
Newsquawk Week in Focus: US CPI, OPEC, AAPL WWDC, BoC, ECB, UK GDP and Chinese Inflation
The week’s outlook centers on Apple’s WWDC 2026, where the company is expected to unveil a standalone Siri app and broader AI integration, marking CEO Tim Cook’s likely final keynote. Central banks dominate the calendar, with the Bank of Canada...
Sunday Scaries: June 7, 2026
The agricultural commodity market has swung dramatically over the past three months, spiking on heightened geopolitical tension from the Iran war before plunging in an early‑season correction. Cash‑market farmers seized the rally, liquidating most of their remaining old‑crop corn and...
Worries Grow That Hedge Fund Crowding May Amplify Risk in Crisis
A sudden equity rout has revived worries that crowded trades among multi‑strategy hedge funds could magnify market losses. Hedge funds are now shouldering a larger share of risk traditionally held by banks, especially through back‑to‑back transfers of structured‑product exposure such...
MSFT Needs to Stay Above 20‑Week MA to Remain Bullish
$MSFT - The week ended with a big bearish reversal around the yearly pivot at 461. Despite that the weekly trend is still bullish as long as it trades above the 20 week MA(currently at 408). A weekly close below...
Brent Oil Holds Sideways Range Amid Bearish Signals
#BrentOil Comp small Down Candle but still in bigger Sideways Range. Support $86.1, $83.2, $80. Resistance $99, $105.2, $112.7. RSI 43 bit off Neutral. 13/21 day EMAs Bearish. Big Down Candle on Wkly but inside Sideways Range. Top Bollger Band...
Four Retirement Risks: Portfolio vs Advisory Solutions
4 risks to retirement security, including those that can be mitigated through portfolio-based strategies (e.g., longevity and market risk) as well as those (including mortality and decision risk) that require different types of solutions from the advisory toolkit https://t.co/1ntd8BY5TS #WeekendReading...
SEC Eliminates 25‑Year‑Old Pattern Day Trader Rule, Opening Day Trading to $2,000 Accounts
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has officially eliminated the decades‑old pattern day trader (PDT) rule, dropping the $25,000 equity minimum and allowing traders to day‑trade with as little as $2,000. The change, announced this week, is expected to lift...
Cautious Retirement Rules May Extend Work Lives, Experts Warn
Motley Fool retirement analyst Robert Brokamp warned that overly cautious investing rules may force savers to stay in the workforce longer. A study cited by NPR’s Planet Money links financial errors to early dementia, underscoring the personal finance stakes of...
SpaceX IPO Delays S&P 500 Entry, Prompting Massive ETF Rebalancing
S&P Dow Jones Indices refused to shorten the 12‑month seasoning rule for SpaceX, meaning the $75 billion IPO won’t join the S&P 500 until mid‑2027. The decision forces large market‑cap ETFs to postpone massive rebalancing, while Nasdaq and Russell fast‑track rules still...
Iranian Missile Strikes on Kuwait and Bahrain Heighten Energy Risks for Emerging Markets
Iran launched ballistic missiles at U.S. facilities in Kuwait and Bahrain, prompting Pakistan’s interior minister to travel to Tehran for mediation and spurring calls for a diplomatic solution. The conflict has already disrupted oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz,...
EU Commits $107M to OceanEye, Aiming for 35% of Global Ocean Monitoring by 2035
The European Commission announced the OceanEye programme, allocating €92 million (about $99 million) from Horizon Europe and a total $107 million investment to create a European digital twin of the ocean by 2030. The plan targets 35% of global ocean observation capacity by...
Here’s How to Finance Unexpected Expenses Without Panic
Unexpected expenses—from car repairs to medical bills—can quickly destabilize personal finances if handled impulsively. The article advises a disciplined first step: calculate the exact amount needed, review savings, and compare financing options. It recommends tapping emergency funds before resorting to...
Azerbaijan Manat Holds Steady at 1.70 per USD Amid Regional Currency Shifts
The Central Bank of Azerbaijan reported that the manat's weighted average exchange rate against the U.S. dollar held at 1.7000 this week, unchanged from the prior period. Minor declines were noted against the euro, Russian ruble and Turkish lira, underscoring...
Oil‑Price Shock Pushes Asian Emerging‑Market Sovereigns Toward Stress
Rising oil prices and petrochemical shortages are straining oil‑poor Asian economies, with currencies down 5‑6% and sovereign bond markets facing heightened default risk. The stress stems from weak reserves, high foreign‑currency debt and slowing capital inflows.
Oil Holds Below $100 as Red Sea Shock Fades, Avoiding $200 Spike
Brent crude settled around $100 a barrel on June 7, 2026, despite a Red Sea supply shock that briefly drove futures toward $200. Analysts cite alternative routes, strategic reserves and limited Iranian output as reasons the market avoided a historic...
Indonesia's Central Bank, Finance Ministry Raise Asset Yields to Support Rupiah
Bank Indonesia Governor Perry Warjiyo and Finance Minister Zulkifli Hasan Purbaya announced a joint plan to boost yields on Indonesian assets, aiming to draw portfolio inflows and shore up the rupiah after weeks of record lows. The move comes as...
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The Fastest College Degree for Paying Off Student Loans, Ranked by Early-Career Salary and Debt
Investopedia ranked bachelor’s majors by early‑career earnings versus average student‑loan debt, finding computer‑science graduates can clear loans fastest with a median salary of $80,000 against $23,184 in debt. Economics and chemical engineering follow, offering strong pay and lower debt loads,...
Brookfield Corp Completes $1 Billion Share Buyback, Sparking Valuation Debate
Brookfield Corp bought back $1 billion of its own shares and those of its asset‑management arm in Q1 2026, paying an average $41 per share – a 40% discount to its $60 intrinsic value estimate. The move has reignited discussion over...