Dividends Are Found in the Tried & True
No, thanks. I absolutely do not want to start banking with a social media company. Elon Musk has been touting the idea of X Money since he took over Twitter back in 2022 and it is finally a reality… k…
ETFs & Funds
Labor Shortage Is Forcing a Robot Revolution in U.S. Manufacturing
The U.S. manufacturing sector is larger than most people realize, with 17% of world manufacturing value added – more than Japan, Germany, Korea, Italy, and France combined.
US health agencies report 55 cases of E. coli and salmonella infections tied to alfalfa sprouts
An outbreak of E. coli and salmonella that has sickened dozens of people across 15 states has been linked to an alfalfa grower in Minnesota, federal health officials said Friday.
What’s Driving the 2026 Industrials Sector Rally?
If one were to take a trip to Wall Street and ask investors which sector of the S&P 500 is offering the most attractive opportunities beyond the tech sector, would they be surprised to hear industrial…
S&P 500 Snapshot: Stocks End Lower to Snap 3-Week Win Streak
The S&P 500 wrapped up the week with a loss of 1.4%, snapping a three-week winning streak.
Why International Stocks Are Outpacing the U.S. Again
For 11 of the 12 years following the 2008 financial crisis, U.S. stocks beat international markets. But that trend has flipped: Over the past four years, international equities have taken the lead.
Rates, Not Crypto: Reading This Week’s Bitcoin Move
Advisors hunting for a crypto specific catalyst behind this week’s Bitcoin move will not find one. The driver sits in the rates complex. The minutes of the last FOMC meeting showed a committee more di…
Looking at International Stocks? Lean Into Emerging Markets, Instead
U.S. investors are facing quite a bit of concentration risk, even as markets seem to be broadening. Entering 2026, prior to all the geopolitical volatility, investors were clamoring for ex-U.S. equiti…
What Advisors Can Learn From the Investor Return Gap
Over the 10 years ended December 31, 2025, investors in U.S. mutual funds and ETFs earned an average annual return of 8.7%, compared with 9.9% for the funds themselves. According to Morningstar’s late…
The Price of Being Right.
The comparison is understandable. Technological breakthroughs have a long history of attracting capital, capturing investors’ imaginations, and creating expectations that eventually prove difficult to…
Why PSI is Outperforming Traditional Semiconductor ETFs in 2026
The fund tracks the Dynamic Semiconductor Intellidex Index. The rules-based index selects about 30 U.S. semiconductor companies.
White House Bitcoin Support Sparks This ETF
On the back of the White House’s cryptocurrency confab, which brought together policymakers and leaders of the digital asset community, Bitcoin notched a double-digit gain over August 19-20 — a rally …
How AI & Tariffs Have Helped Drive Copper’s Summer Rally
To start with, copper itself had a fairly strong performance in July. As Jacob White, CFA, director, ETF product management, Sprott Asset Management noted, the price of spot copper was up 3.65% over t…
Japan factory activity accelerates in Aug as chip, AI demand boosts orders
SINGAPORE - Singapore’s manufacturing output picked up in January as demand for products and applications powered by artificial intelligence (AI) drove the orders of advanced semiconductors.
Japan manufacturing expands as orders rise fastest since 2018, PMI shows
The acceleration in output growth, combined with near record selling price inflation and a sustained rise in employment, strengthens the case for the Bank of Japan to proceed with a rate hike at its S…
Corporate Bond ETF KORP Nearing $1 Billion AUM Milestone
The ETF landscape includes a growing roster of actively managed strategies that can invigorate portfolios. This particularly includes the fixed income space, where the active ETF wrapper can offer som…
Why Investors Are Turning to Sector-Balanced Dividend Strategies
Investors are looking at sector-balanced dividend strategies to protect gains and establish durable yield. Speaking during a recent SS&C ALPS Advisors due diligence session, Danny Schwab and Kyle Klec…
T. Rowe Price Acquires $19 Billion F/m Investments
Leading asset managers T. Rowe Price announced the acquisition of $19 billion F/m Investments in a press release Thursday afternoon. The deal brings F/m’s suite of leading fixed income strategies and …
Goldman Sachs Confirms ETFs On Track to Cross $2 Trillion Milestone
It’s been another year of record-breaking feats for ETFs. Various firms are pegging this year’s inflows to cross the $2 trillion milestone, and Goldman Sachs added its stamp of approval to that foreca…
WGMI Bitcoin Mining ETF Expands Into AI Power Race
Bitcoin mining facilities were built to crunch numbers for cryptocurrency. Now they’re some of the most sought-after real estate in the artificial intelligence boom.
Cryptocurrencies: Bitcoin Up 9% This Week
This weekly update tracks some of the largest cryptocurrencies by market share: Bitcoin and Ether. While both are considered high-risk assets, they possess foundational differences that investors shou…
South Korea Volatility Builds Case for BCEM
Recent market turbulence across South Korea’s benchmark technology leaders underscores the importance of active management in emerging markets (EM) investing. As companies like SK Hynix and Samsung El…
ETF of the Week: Schwab Fundamental U.S. Large Company ETF (FNDX)
On this episode of the “ETF of the Week” podcast, VettaFi’s Head of Research, Todd Rosenbluth, discussed the Schwab Fundamental U.S. Large Company ETF (FNDX) with Chuck Jaffe of Money Life.
China’s Threat to the AI Investment Boom
Confluence Investment Management offers various asset allocation products which are managed based on “top down,” or macro, analysis. We publish asset allocation thoughts on a bi-weekly basis, updating…