The Motley Fool

MAY 6, 2024

The Federal Reserve may have just given retirees the biggest indication yet that their 2025 cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) may be quite substantial. The Fed is tasked with a dual mandate: to maximize employment while maintaining stable prices. Over the past three years, it's been in a battle with ongoing inflation. Its biggest goal right now is to push inflation below 2%.

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Taxes Portfolios Returns Investors 246

A Wealth of Common Sense

APRIL 23, 2024

There was a recent poll about my home state of Michigan where they asked people for their thoughts on the state of the nation’s economy today. Just 35% of people described the economy as excellent (6%) or good (29%) while 65% described it as either not so good (28%) or poor (37%). But when asked how they would describe their own personal financial situation these days, a majority of people (61%) described their circ.

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The Big Picture

APRIL 11, 2024

Confused about where we are today? A favorite exercise is to go back to first principles to consider how we got to where we are. (That is a favorite way to find fresh insights). On the equity side, you have to go back a century or so. Equities were considered speculative endeavors, best suited for gamblers and punters. The exceptions? A handful of “Widows & Orphan” stocks, like Ma Bell, some railroads, utilities and the rare bank that was not suffering regular runs.

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Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Mutual Funds Hedge Funds Taxes 140

Fortune Financial

MARCH 7, 2024

Signed into law in 1956 by then President Dwight Eisenhower, the Federal Highway Act created the Interstate Highway System , which would become the largest and costliest public works project in history. Measuring almost 48,000 miles in total distance, the Interstate Highway System was completed only in 1992, more than three decades after work began, and for a total cost in today’s dollars of more than $500 billion. ( source: Wikipedia Commons ) Inspired in large part by the German Autoba

Returns 141

Returns Companies 141

FinSMEs

MAY 6, 2024

Stella Automative AI, a Tampa, FL-based provider of automotive artificial intelligence technology, raised $19.7M in Series A funding. The raise included both newly invested capital and outstanding convertible notes that converted into this Series A issuance. Backers included Reynolds and Reynolds, Qvale Auto Group, OREMOR Automotive Group, Mills Automotive Group, Bowers Automotive Group, MileOne Autogroup, […] The post Stella Automotive AI Raises $19.7M in Series A Funding appeared first o

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Funds Capital Investing 116

American Investment Council

MAY 6, 2024

Washington, D.C. – The American Investment Council (AIC) released a report today, authored by PitchBook , highlighting the growing role of private credit in serving small and middle-market businesses. “Private credit is playing a crucial role in supporting businesses and delivering impressive returns for investors, especially in uncertain times,” said Drew Maloney, President & CEO of the American Investment Council. “The industry’s resilience and flexibility are filli

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Financing Finance Leveraged Buyouts Mergers and Acquisitions 114

Mr. Money Mustache

FEBRUARY 3, 2024

– The other day, an MMM reader stopped by and left the following comment on one of my older posts about the principles of FIRE: “While I still find some of MMM’s advice relevant, it seems like every FI blogger out there worked in tech 20 years ago, pulled down a 6 figure salary and bought a house for a bag of potatoes before 2019. I wasn’t smart enough to find FI when I was young so I sometimes feel like a lot of their advice is not going to help me or others who don’t already own a home a

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Stock Market Stock Market Returns 127

Top 1000 Funds

APRIL 23, 2024

CalPERS may tie the incentive pay of its staff to meeting climate KPIs in the near future. The fund's executive pay consultants also discussed other ways the fund should tweak incentive pay like adding an asset class investment performance weighting to the annual incentive formula.

Consultants 115

Consultants Consulting Assets Funds 115

Blackstone

FEBRUARY 8, 2024

2023 ended with a burst of deal activity at Blackstone – a sign of renewed optimism after the Fed’s extended rate-hiking campaign. Our president, Jon Gray, unpacks why we believe this is a particularly opportune moment for investing and outlines our three focus areas for the year. He also shares his view on where the real estate market is headed as the cost of capital declines.

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Capital Companies Investing 122

Wealthfront

JANUARY 25, 2024

In planning your investment strategy for 2024 and beyond, there are wise principles to keep in mind: While no one can predict how market prices will move in any particular period, there are time-tested general rules that can put the odds of success squarely in your favor. In this letter we will offer some simple […] The post Burt Malkiel & Alex Michalka’s Insights for Investors in 2024 appeared first on Wealthfront Blog.

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Investors Investing 122

The Motley Fool

MAY 6, 2024

Social Security payments get an annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) to protect the buying power of benefits from inflation. COLAs depend on how the CPI-W (a subset of the Consumer Price Index ) changes in the third quarter, meaning the three-month period running from July through September. For example, the CPI-W rose 3.2% in the third quarter of 2023, which led to a 3.2% COLA for Social Security benefits in 2024.

Portfolios 246

Portfolios Returns Investors Investing 246

A Wealth of Common Sense

APRIL 28, 2024

A colleague recently asked me to run the 30 year annual returns for U.S. stocks, bonds and cash. He just wanted the returns. I couldn’t help but slice and dice the numbers and overanalyze the data because that’s what we do here. Let’s dig in. First the annual return numbers for the S&P 500, 10 year treasuries and 3 month T-bills over the 30 years ending in 2023: Some thoughts about these numbers: St.

Returns 137

Returns 137

The Big Picture

MARCH 28, 2024

“Our comforting conviction that the world makes sense rests on a secure foundation: Our almost unlimited ability to ignore our ignorance.” – Daniel Kahneman The loss of Danny Kahneman is a reminder that we should review some of his work and apply them to the current market. I am fascinated by the idea of Narrative Fallacy (the term was actually coined by Nassim Taleb in “ The Black Swan “) and how it applies to pretty much ewverything.

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Portfolios Financing Finance 135

Investment Writing

APRIL 29, 2024

Can you spot what’s wrong in the image below? Please post your answer as a comment. This example has more than one mistake. I post these challenges to raise awareness of the importance of proofreading. The post MISTAKE MONDAY for April 29: Can YOU spot what’s wrong? appeared first on Susan Weiner Investment Writing.

Investing 105

Investing 105

FinSMEs

APRIL 30, 2024

Jigsaw, a London, UK-based entity management platform focused on corporate infrastructure management, raised $15M in Series A funding. The round was led by Exor Ventures with angels from KKR, Morgan Stanley and Linklaters. The company intends to us the funds to expand operations, its development efforts, and continue to grow its global presence. Founded by […] The post Jigsaw Raises $15M in Series A Funding appeared first on FinSMEs.

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Funds Companies 117

Private Equity Wire

MARCH 21, 2024

Private equity major Apollo Global Management has made an $11bn offer to acquire Paramount Global’s Hollywood studio, Paramount Pictures, according to a report by Reuters citing an unnamed person with knowledge of the matter. Apollo’s offer comes as as an independent committee of the company’s board of directors is reviewing a bid from Skydance Media for all of Paramount Global, which also owns CBS, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon and the Paramount+ streaming service, through the acquisition o

Bidding 121

Bidding Conglomerates Stakes Shareholders 121

Financial Times M&A

JANUARY 16, 2024

Buyers return after secondary market for private shares was hit by higher interest rates

Stakes 143

Stakes Investors Returns 143

Financial Times: Moral Money

JANUARY 9, 2024

Fink and Kapito say headcount will increase this year as firm invests in technology and new offerings

Asset Management 138

Asset Management Assets Investing 138

Top 1000 Funds

APRIL 17, 2024

Two of the biggest pension funds in the world, the Dutch APG and Japan’s GPIF, have joined forces to invest in large scale infrastructure deals. The move comes as APG Asia head Thijs Aaten says he envisages more than half of the fund’s real assets will be in Asia.

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Pension Funds Assets Funds Investing 116

Financial Times - Banking

FEBRUARY 25, 2024

About $10bn of loans have been refinanced in public markets as conditions improve due to rate cuts being on the horizon

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Banks 117

The Motley Fool

MAY 6, 2024

Tellurian (NYSEMKT: TELL) has been going through a brutal stretch. Surging interest rates and tumbling natural gas prices have caused its stock price to crater. Shares of the natural gas company are down more than 90% from their peak a couple of years ago. However, a couple of catalysts could be just over the horizon. Here's a look at whether investors should buy shares of the liquefied natural gas (LNG) project developer ahead of these looming catalysts.

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Bidding Assets Funds Returns 246

The Motley Fool

MAY 5, 2024

Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) started out as a software enterprise in 1975. Its flagship Windows operating system is still used by billions of people globally, despite launching way back in 1985. But the company has expanded far beyond its roots, and it now has a large presence in industries like cloud computing, gaming, and artificial intelligence (AI).

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Companies Investors Capital Investing 246

The Motley Fool

MAY 6, 2024

Climbing 467% over the past three years, Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) stock has skyrocketed as investors have raced to gain artificial intelligence (AI) exposure. Those looking to add AI exposure to their portfolios may feel they've missed the boat on Nvidia stock. Plus, they may feel overwhelmed by the variety of other choices to consider. But the Roundhill Generative AI & Technology ETF (NYSEMKT: CHAT) has all those bases covered.

Exchange-Traded Funds 246

Exchange-Traded Funds Portfolios Funds Returns 246

The Motley Fool

MAY 6, 2024

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META) and Snap (NYSE: SNAP) went in opposite directions after their latest earnings reports. Meta's stock tumbled after the company followed up its first-quarter earnings beat with a light revenue forecast for the second quarter and a commitment to higher spending on its new AI initiatives. Snap saw its stock soar after it posted a strong first-quarter report and stable guidance for the second quarter.

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Earnings Before Interest Amortization Depreciation Taxes 244

A Wealth of Common Sense

MARCH 10, 2024

I entered the workforce in 2005. That means I’ve been working in the investment business for 20 years now. The longer I’m in the money management business the more there is to learn but these are some of the things I’ve learned thus far: 1. Experiences shape your perception of risk. Your ability and need to take risk should be based on your stage in life, time horizon, financial circumstances and goals.

Investing 141

Investing 141

A Wealth of Common Sense

FEBRUARY 27, 2024

Despite 5% short-term interest rates and stickier inflation than some people would like and the Fed potentially pushing back interest rate cuts for a few months and the new True Detective seasons being a massive disappointment…the S&P 500 continues to take out new all-time highs. By my count there have already been a baker’s dozen in 2024 alone.1 Here are the new highs by year since 2015: 2015: 10 2016: 1.

Investing 141

Investing 141

The Big Picture

FEBRUARY 22, 2024

A quick note to answer this question: What happens after markets make a new all-time high (after a year w/o one)? Check out the table above, via Warren Pies. He spoke with Batnick and Josh earlier this month. Going back to 1954, markets are always higher one year later – the only exception was 2007. That was after housing had peaked, subprime mortgages were defaulting, and the great financial crisis was about to start.

Stock Market 139

Stock Market Stock Market Returns Investing 139

A Wealth of Common Sense

APRIL 2, 2024

Millennials around my age group graduated into the teeth of the Great Financial Crisis. The labor market stunk and not just for a short while. The unemployment rate in America averaged nearly 7% from 2006 through the end of 2015: It was hard for young people to find work. And if you did find a job it probably wasn’t something you actually wanted to do.

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A Wealth of Common Sense

JANUARY 26, 2024

As millennials reach middle age (hand up), prepare yourself for a wave of 1990s nostalgia. Remember MTV? Remember life before smartphones and social media? Remember rap groups? Remember life before everyone was forced to care about politics? Remember Saved by the Bell? Remember going to Blockbuster on a Friday night to pick out a movie? Finance people also have an affinity for the 1990s economy.

Financing 140

Financing Finance 140

A Wealth of Common Sense

MARCH 31, 2024

I’m really late on this one, but I finally got around to reading Andre Agassi’s autobiography.1 He writes about what it was like to finally win his first Grand Slam tournament at Wimbledon. Everyone’s perception of Agassi changed from choke artist to the real deal. Winning, however, didn’t change how he felt about himself: But I don’t feel that Wimbledon has changed me.

Financing 133

Financing Finance 133

A Wealth of Common Sense

FEBRUARY 4, 2024

Coming out of the Great Financial Crisis there was this running narrative that the United States economy was the cleanest dirty shirt in the laundry hamper. Yes, our economic recovery was tepid but the rest of the world was a mess. The European Union was falling apart. Emerging markets were in disarray. China seemed like it wanted to put up a fight for our economic seat on the throne but never made a serious attempt to di.

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A Wealth of Common Sense

APRIL 16, 2024

I was perusing the BLS data following the inflation release last week and one number sticks out like Victor Wembanyana standing next to a group of kindergartners. Auto insurance was up 22% over the previous 12 months versus an overall inflation rate of 3.5%. Look at the change in auto insurance rates these past few years: It’s like a meme stock.

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A Wealth of Common Sense

MARCH 26, 2024

In March 2020, at the height of uncertainty at the outset of the pandemic, I wrote about what it took to get to the roaring 1920s. This chart sums it up nicely: Here’s what I wrote at the time: How many people at the time would have predicted during the war/pandemic/recession/depression years that the 1920s would be one of the most innovative, prosperous periods our country had ever seen?

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A Wealth of Common Sense

APRIL 21, 2024

In the early-1980s, Robert Shiller set out to answer the question: Do stock prices move too much to be justified by subsequent changes in dividends? The idea was to figure out how well the stock market tracks the present value of future cash flows in the short-term. Shiller concluded that, no, stock prices do not neatly track fundamentals. He updated that data in his book Irrational Exuberance: The cash flows move very l.

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Stock Market Stock Market 124