The Motley Fool

JANUARY 22, 2025

The S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) delivered a return of 23% in 2024, which was more than double its average annual gain dating back to when it was established in 1957. However, had you invested in the Vanguard Information Technology ETF (NYSEMKT: VGT) instead, you would have earned a return of 32% for the year. This exchange-traded fund (ETF) holds 316 different technology stocks, including some of the trillion-dollar giants that are powering the S&P 500 higher thanks to emerging trends like

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Private Equity Insights

JANUARY 22, 2025

The New York State Common Retirement Fund, one of the largest public pension funds in the US, allocated over $3bn in November 2024. More than $2.7bn went to private equity. Over the past six months, NYSCRF has committed a total of $5.4bn to private equity. Among the private equity investments, NYSCRF allocated $2bn across four tranches to Neuberger Bermans NB Co-Investment Fund III.

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Pension Funds Private Equity Firms Private Equity Firms Private Companies 162

The Motley Fool

JANUARY 22, 2025

U.S. benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil prices topped $80 per barrel on Jan. 15 after closing out 2024 closer to $70 per barrel. Geopolitical policy is driving higher prices. On Jan. 10, the U.S. hit Russia with strict sanctions, driving up prices. To quote a press release by the U.S. Department of State: "The United States is imposing sanctions today on more than 200 entities and individuals involved in Russia's energy sector and identifying more than 180 vessels as blocked prope

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Private Equity Insights

JANUARY 22, 2025

The Los Angeles Fire & Police Pension System approved $382.2m in commitments across six private equity funds and one private credit fund. These investments, finalised between November and December 2024, reflect the pensions continued focus on diversifying its $32.5bn portfolio. The pension committed $155m to growth-focused private equity funds, including $50m to Bansk Fund II, $30m to GTCR Strategic Growth Fund II, and $75m to TPG Growth VI.

Private Equity Firms 147

Private Equity Firms Private Equity Firms Buyout Funds 147

The Motley Fool

JANUARY 22, 2025

The weeks leading up to retirement can be exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time. On one hand, you're getting ready to enjoy some newfound freedom. On the other, you're making a big change, which is a scary thing by itself. But you're also giving up the security of a steady paycheck, and you're venturing into a phase of life with a lot of unknowns.

Investing 246

Investing 246

Private Equity Insights

JANUARY 22, 2025

Blackstone is exploring options to divest Hotel Investment Partners, a Spain-based hospitality group valued at 6.5bn ($6.77bn). The private equity giant is weighing either a sale of its 65% stake in HIP or an initial public offering, according to reports from Cinco Dias. HIP owns 73 hotels, comprising 22,000 rooms, located in prime destinations across Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Greece.

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Initial Public Offering Private Equity Firms Private Equity Firms Investing 130

The Motley Fool

JANUARY 22, 2025

One of the more interesting turnaround stories in the market is that of Sirius XM Holdings. As the stock plunged by more than 58% in 2024, none other than Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.A) (NYSE: BRK.B) scooped up even more shares. Berkshire now owns about 33.2% of Sirius, even though the news got worse for the satellite radio leader as it closed out the year.

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The Motley Fool

JANUARY 22, 2025

The path to building lasting wealth through dividend investing requires identifying companies that combine sustainable payout ratios with consistent dividend growth. This strategy allows investors to benefit from both rising income streams and the potential for capital appreciation over time. Studies indicate that stocks with specific dividend characteristics tend to generate superior total returns over extended holding periods, compared to most other asset classes.

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Private Equity Insights

JANUARY 22, 2025

Bridgepoint has completed its acquisition of Eckoh, a global leader in Customer Engagement Data Security Solutions, at 54 pence per share. The deal delisted Eckoh from the AIM market on the London Stock Exchange on 21 January 2025. This acquisition represents the first deployment of capital from Bridgepoint Development Capitals latest fund, BDC V, which focuses on investing in high-growth businesses with enterprise values of up to 300m.

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The Motley Fool

JANUARY 22, 2025

Jeff Bezos has finally done it. He's finally reached space with an honest-to-goodness orbital-class rocket. Ten years ago, Bezos ignited a feud with SpaceX founder Elon Musk when his Blue Origin rocket company launched a suborbital New Shepard rocket to the edge of space and then landed it back on Earth. SpaceX was still trying to get its Falcon 9 rockets to land on a barge at sea back then.

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Returns Portfolios Investors Companies 246

Private Equity Insights

JANUARY 22, 2025

Stonepeak, a global investment firm managing $72bn in assets, has acquired Boundary Street Capital, a specialist private credit manager. The acquisition enhances Stonepeaks focus on digital infrastructure, enterprise infrastructure software, and technology services in the lower middle market. Boundary Streets integration will allow Stonepeak to expand its offerings to limited partners and borrowers, strengthening its presence in the private credit and infrastructure sectors.

Capital 130

Capital Private Equity Firms Private Equity Firms Legal 130

The Motley Fool

JANUARY 22, 2025

SoundHound AI (NASDAQ: SOUN) is one of the more popular ways to invest in AI. Because it's a pure play on AI technology, it stands to benefit more from a general technological shift to AI than some of the more established big tech players. But AI isn't just a trend that'll be over in a year or two. It will play out over multiple years, so investors need to consider what a company may be doing a few years down the road to be successful in this space.

Prospects 246

Prospects Banks Companies Investors 246

Private Equity Insights

JANUARY 22, 2025

MorganFranklin Cyber completed a private equity-backed management buyout, becoming an independent cybersecurity firm with majority ownership held by Boston-based MC Partners. The firm will remain under the leadership of its founding teamPete Schile, Keith Hollender, and Jonah Dimeoand will continue to focus on delivering cutting-edge cybersecurity solutions.

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The Motley Fool

JANUARY 22, 2025

We're less than a month into the new year, and already one of the 30 components of the Dow Jones Industrial Average separated itself from the pack in a bad way. Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now. See the 10 stocks That stock is Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) , which is down 8.2% in 2025, at the time of this writing.

Prospects 246

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FinSMEs

JANUARY 22, 2025

Glue, a Seattle, WA-based test planning and automation company, raised $2M in Pre-Seed funding. The round was led by Fortive Corp. (NYSE:FTV), with participation from Pioneer Square Ventures and the AIStudio Fund, a collaboration by PSL and Mayfield. The company intends to use the funds to: Led by CEO David Sulpy, and CTO Will Blaschko, […] The post Glue Raises $2M in Pre-Seed Funding appeared first on FinSMEs.

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Funds Companies 111

The Motley Fool

JANUARY 22, 2025

Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) stock has been an absolute powerhouse over the past three years, gaining 431%. It's come onto many investors' radar only recently, but it's been a powerhouse stock for years. After some earlier gains, many investors had probably been tempted to cash in on its success, and some surely did. Those who held out are now reaping wild rewards, and might have become millionaires many times over.

Investing 245

Investing Banks Investors Companies 245

AltAssets

JANUARY 22, 2025

Software investment major Thoma Bravo has another $3.6bn of credit-focused firepower after closing its third vehicle dedicated to the strategy. The post Thoma Bravo seals $3.6bn of firepower for its biggest software-focused credit fund yet appeared first on AltAssets Private Equity News.

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Funds Debt Investing Buyout 105

The Motley Fool

JANUARY 22, 2025

About 10 years ago, I was in my early 20s and wanted to learn as much as I could about investing. Conveniently, a library down the street from my apartment hosted a weekly meetup on Saturday mornings where people could drop in and talk about their portfolios. I have a vivid memory from one of these meetings during which multiple members of the stock club started touting the potential of blockchain technology.

Investing 245

Investing Investors Companies Portfolios 245

Private Equity Wire

JANUARY 22, 2025

Private credit has delivered the best returns for Abu Dhabis Mubadala Investment over the past three years, according to a report by Bloomberg citing the sovereign wealth funds deputy group Chief Executive Officer, Waleed Al Mokarrab. Speaking in a Bloomberg Television interview at Davos, Al Mokarrab highlighted the fund’s ability to generate strong returns in private credit without taking excessive risk.

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The Motley Fool

JANUARY 22, 2025

When investors think about high-flying artificial intelligence (AI) stocks, Nvidia or Palantir Technologies probably come immediately to mind. While both of those AI stocks indeed delivered huge returns in 2024, they lagged well behind an even bigger winner. Soundhound AI 's (NASDAQ: SOUN) share price skyrocketed 836% higher last year. However, the stock has pulled back more than 40% from its high with Soundhound's market cap hovering around $5 billion.

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Amortization Depreciation Earnings Before Interest Taxes 243

AltAssets

JANUARY 22, 2025

Bain Capital-backed marketing data business Kantar Group has agreed to sell its media measurement and analytics unit to HIG Capital in a deal worth about $1bn. The deal comes about six years after Bain bought a 60% stake in Kantar from advertising and PR business WWP for $3.1bn. Kantar Media, which operates in more than […] The post Deal Roundup: Bain Capital agrees $1bn Kantar Media buyout from HIG, LLCP picks up Synergy HomeCare from NexPhase Capital appeared first on AltAssets Private E

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The Motley Fool

JANUARY 22, 2025

Every year, the Social Security Administration, or SSA, examines inflation data and adjusts Social Security benefits accordingly. In short, the annual cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, is designed to help retirees keep up with the rising cost of goods and services. While most retirees and soon-to-be retirees know what the COLA is, there is a lot about the Social Security COLA that isn't understood by many retirees.

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Private Equity Wire

JANUARY 22, 2025

UK-based European private equity firm TDR Capital has made a majority investment in CorpAcq, a business acquisition compounder based in Altrincham, UK, which specialises in investment in UK SMEs with a focus on industrial products and services. Founded in 2006 by Simon Orange, CorpAcq’s current portfolio consists of a diversified group of 43 companies.

Private Equity Firms 97

Private Equity Firms Private Equity Firms Capital Stakes 97

The Motley Fool

JANUARY 22, 2025

Quantum computing has been a popular topic on Wall Street in recent weeks due to updates from several companies. In December, Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOGL) (NASDAQ: GOOG) reached an important technical milestone with its Willow chips. In January, Microsoft launched its Quantum Ready program to help businesses better understand the technology. As those events unfolded, quantum computing stocks D-Wave , IonQ , and Rigetti Computing initially soared, then declined sharply when the CEOs at Nvidia and Cis

Financial Services 243

Financial Services Companies Investors Investing 243

Private Equity Wire

JANUARY 22, 2025

The relationship between insurers and private credit is expected to strengthen further this year, potentially drawing increased regulatory scrutiny, according to a report by Bloomberg citing new research by Moodys Ratings. As insurers continue their search for higher yields, many are turning to private credit investments, particularly in asset-based finance opportunities.

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Finance Financing Debt Assets 90

The Motley Fool

JANUARY 22, 2025

The semiconductor industry has always been cyclical, because whether it's computers, smartphones, or even data centers, consumers and businesses only upgrade their physical hardware once every few years. That means revenue comes in big waves, followed by lengthy troughs. Artificial intelligence (AI) recently changed that. Since 2023, spending on data center chips and components appears to be growing exponentially, as some of the world's biggest technology companies race to develop the most power

Companies 241

Companies Enterprise Values Accounting Capital 241

AltAssets

JANUARY 22, 2025

Investcorp has been picked by Malaysian pension major Kumpulan Wang Persaraan to run a private equity separate account of more than $110m. The post Investcorp triumphs after ‘highly competitive process’ from Malaysian pension major to run $110m PE managed account appeared first on AltAssets Private Equity News.

Accounting 98

Accounting Pension Funds Buyout Funds 98

The Motley Fool

JANUARY 22, 2025

We are only a few weeks into the new year, but one sector is separating itself from the pack. That sector is energy, which is up 9.7% year to date compared to just a 2% return for the S&P 500 at the time of this writing. The Vanguard Energy ETF (NYSEMKT: VDE) mirrors the sector's performance. So far this year, it is the best-performing exchange-traded fund (ETF) offered by investment management firm Vanguard.

Exchange-Traded Funds 240

Exchange-Traded Funds Passive Investors Debt Shareholders 240

AltAssets

JANUARY 22, 2025

The $33.4bn-managing institutional investor Los Angeles Fire & Police Pensions has unveiled more than $230m of new alternative assets fund commitments. The post New Bansk fund, GTCR growth vehicle among latest LA Fire & Police commitments appeared first on AltAssets Private Equity News.

Funds 98

Funds Assets Investors Debt 98

The Motley Fool

JANUARY 22, 2025

Palantir Technologies (NASDAQ: PLTR) went public with a direct listing on the stock market in September 2020, and shares of the software platforms and data analytics provider delivered healthy gains since then. Palantir stock is up 655% since making its stock market debut. However, all of Palantir's stellar gains have arrived in the past couple of years, driven by the company's move into the artificial intelligence (AI) software platforms market.

Stock Market 189

Stock Market Stock Market Investors Companies 189

FinSMEs

JANUARY 22, 2025

Music AI, a Salt Lake City, UT-based player in the field of AI for audio and music, raised $40M in Series A Funding. The round was led by Connect Ventures and monashees, with participation from Kickstart, Samsung Next, Toba Capital, Valutia, and Pelion along with music industry professionals including Freddy Wexler, 3LAU, and Alexander23. The […] The post Music AI Raises $40M in Series A Funding appeared first on FinSMEs.

Funds 78

Funds Capital 78

The Motley Fool

JANUARY 22, 2025

Investing in early-stage companies can be risky, especially when they don't even generate revenue. But sometimes, a high-risk stock can reward investors who time things right. Archer Aviation (NYSE: ACHR) has progressed in developing eVTOLs, electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft designed to travel short distances. It's among a few companies rushing to capture what some experts believe could be a $24 billion market by 2031.

Debt 186

Debt Investors Companies Funds 186

FinSMEs

JANUARY 22, 2025

DryRun Security, an Austin, TX-based AI-native company delivering application security (AppSec) for development and security teams, raised $8.7M in Seed funding. Backers included LiveOak Ventures and Work-Bench with participation from Cannage Capital. The company intends to use the funds to expand operations and its development efforts. Co-founded in 2023 by James WickettandKen Johnson, DryRun Security […] The post DryRun Security Raises $8.7M in Seed Funding appeared first on FinSMEs.

Funds 64

Funds Capital Companies 64

The Motley Fool

JANUARY 22, 2025

Finally, Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) investors have some good news to celebrate. After a year that included massive losses from its electric vehicle (EV) division, struggles in China, and high warranty costs weighing down earnings, Ford finally snapped its streak of leading the U.S. auto industry in recalls -- and it's a bigger deal than you might think.

Capital 182

Capital Investors Companies Investing 182

FinSMEs

JANUARY 22, 2025

Sonocharge Energy, a Mountain View, CA-based company developing a platform for battery performance, raised US$23.5M in funding. The round was led by Cycle Capital, with participation of Honda, current investors Khosla Ventures, Temasek, and non-dilutive funding partners. The company intends to use the funds to grow its team in its new location in Silicon Valley […] The post Sonocharge Energy Raises US$23.5M in Funding appeared first on FinSMEs.

Funds 64

Funds Capital Investors Companies 64

The Motley Fool

JANUARY 22, 2025

In this Rule Breaker Investing episode, Motley Fool co-founder David Gardner welcomes back game designer and publisher Jamey Stegmaier for a lively conversation about scaling a creative venture, building a mission-driven culture, and fostering community in a niche that's far bigger than most people realize. Discover how Jamey's focus on crafting delight, coupled with a transparent approach to both fans and collaborators, has fueled Stonemaier Games' growth and influence.

Crowdfunding 130

Crowdfunding Stakes Companies Education 130

FinSMEs

JANUARY 22, 2025

Musaffa, a NYC-based provider of a comprehensive platform for ethical investing, raised over $4M in funding. Since its launch, Musaffa has raised over $3 million from 23 investors, including accredited investors. The company also raised nearly $1 million through equity crowdfunding ($987,011) from 502 investors across 50 countries, bringing its total seed funding to over […] The post Musaffa Raises Over $4M in Funding appeared first on FinSMEs.

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Crowdfunding Accredited Investors Funds Investors 64