Retirement investors have thousands of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) to choose from. That can make building a portfolio feel daunting, but it doesn't have to be. By narrowing down the list to a handful of major issuers offering ultra-low-cost diversified funds, you can find a list of ideal ETFs pretty quickly. Vanguard is my personal favorite ETF provider. Its lineup includes the broad market, sect...
Retirement investors have thousands of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) to choose from. That can make building a portfolio feel daunting, but it doesn't have to be. By narrowing down the list to a handful of major issuers offering ultra-low-cost diversified funds, you can find a list of ideal ETFs pretty quickly. Vanguard is my personal favorite ETF provider. Its lineup includes the broad market, sectors, regions, and thematic funds, giving most retail investors everything they need to construct a well-rounded retirement portfolio, whether you're just starting out or nearing the finish line. The current environment is creating a lot of short-term noise. If you can cut through that and focus on long-term wealth creation, a handful of high-quality ETFs make ideal choices when saving for retirement . Continue reading
Ex-CIA Analyst Warns Hegseth's Claim Of "Ironclad" Hormuz Blockade Deeply Misleading Authored by former CIA officer Larry Johnson Pete Hegseth is lying about the US blockade of Iranian ports. On April 12, after JD Vance announced that talks with Iran had failed, Trump declared a naval blockade of Iranian ports and coastal areas. CENTCOM clarified that the blockade would be enforced against vessels...
Ex-CIA Analyst Warns Hegseth's Claim Of "Ironclad" Hormuz Blockade Deeply Misleading Authored by former CIA officer Larry Johnson Pete Hegseth is lying about the US blockade of Iranian ports. On April 12, after JD Vance announced that talks with Iran had failed, Trump declared a naval blockade of Iranian ports and coastal areas. CENTCOM clarified that the blockade would be enforced against vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports, but would not impede freedom of navigation for vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz to and from non-Iranian ports. Now, after more than two weeks, Pete Hegseth has been saying the US blockade is working and getting stronger, describing it as “ironclad,” “tightening by the hour,” and even “going global.” He said the Navy had turned back 34 ships, that transit through the Strait of Hormuz is now “much more limited,” and that the blockade will last “as long as it takes.” He also framed the blockade as coercive leverage on Iran, saying it is meant to cut off shipping pressure until Tehran abandons its nuclear ambitions. In the same remarks, he warned the US would “shoot to destroy” any Iranian boats laying mines or otherwise threatening commercial shipping. Here’s what the available data tells us about Strait of Hormuz transits since April 15: Daily volumes (around April 15): On April 15 alone, there were 19 transits — 5 inbound and 14 outbound — according to Windward. Around that same period, April 11 saw 17 transits, April 12 saw 21, and April 13 saw 17. United Against Nuclear Iran Windward Overall picture since April 15: A precise cumulative total from April 15 through today (April 30) isn’t publicly available in a single figure, but based on the data points above, daily transits have been running roughly in the range of 6–21 ships per day . Recent data from Windward and AIS trackers confirm persistent low volumes of 6–13 vessels daily. That would put a rough estimate somewhere in the ballpark of 100–200 total transits ...
whitemay/iStock Unreleased via Getty Images These are interesting times for British banks. On the one hand, the war in the Middle East has sparked fears that higher energy prices will lead to rising inflation and, ultimately, higher credit losses. On the other hand, higher inflation also raises the prospect of higher-for-longer interest rates. Given the ongoing repricing of their hedging programs,...
whitemay/iStock Unreleased via Getty Images These are interesting times for British banks. On the one hand, the war in the Middle East has sparked fears that higher energy prices will lead to rising inflation and, ultimately, higher credit losses. On the other hand, higher inflation also raises the prospect of higher-for-longer interest rates. Given the ongoing repricing of their hedging programs, that should be a tailwind to British banks' interest income. Those dynamics were on display at NatWest Group ( NWG ) last quarter. Despite booking a 50% rise in loan impairment charges, NWG's bottom line still expanded by over 10% year-on-year, driven by similar growth in net interest income. I last covered NWG in February. Upgrading it to "Strong Buy", the stock had fallen around 15% from the multi-year high it reached earlier that month, even as the bank's operating performance remained strong. Given the growth baked into its balance sheet, I thought this dip was a good buying opportunity. NWG's ADSs haven't done much since then, and with another quarter of results to digest, now seems like a good idea to see if this rating remains appropriate. Data by YCharts Q1 2026 Review: Higher Revenue Offsets Rising Credit Costs In the first quarter, NatWest's earnings per share grew by roughly 15% year-on-year to 17.9 pence (around $0.49 per ADS at today's exchange rate). The impact of buybacks chipped in a little (shares outstanding fell 1.2% over the period), but this growth mainly reflects higher pre-provision operating income, which rose roughly 16% to £2.32 billion. This was more than enough to offset higher credit costs, which increased 50% year-on-year to £283 million. While the latter was right in line with the pre-results consensus print, it was around 20% higher than analysts had initially expected in the post-Q4 2025 poll of estimates . Given the war in Iran began in the interim period, this uptick probably won't be surprising to readers. Before going further, it is imp...
In April 2026, Broadcom and Google Cloud expanded their partnership with the launch of Cloud Network Insights, a first-party Google Cloud service powered by Broadcom’s AppNeta technology that provides end-to-end observability across multi‑cloud, hybrid and agent‑based environments. This move embeds Broadcom’s network intelligence directly inside Google Cloud, deepening its role in how enterprises ...
In April 2026, Broadcom and Google Cloud expanded their partnership with the launch of Cloud Network Insights, a first-party Google Cloud service powered by Broadcom’s AppNeta technology that provides end-to-end observability across multi‑cloud, hybrid and agent‑based environments. This move embeds Broadcom’s network intelligence directly inside Google Cloud, deepening its role in how enterprises monitor performance for complex AI and cloud applications. We’ll now examine how embedding...
Most US investors hold bonds priced in dollars, which means their fixed-income returns rise and fall almost entirely on what the Federal Reserve does next. VanEck J.P. Morgan EM Local Currency Bond ETF (NYSEARCA:EMLC) is built for the investor who wants the opposite: yield sourced from sovereign bonds issued by emerging market governments in their ... This High-Yield ETF Combines Bond Investing Wi...
Most US investors hold bonds priced in dollars, which means their fixed-income returns rise and fall almost entirely on what the Federal Reserve does next. VanEck J.P. Morgan EM Local Currency Bond ETF (NYSEARCA:EMLC) is built for the investor who wants the opposite: yield sourced from sovereign bonds issued by emerging market governments in their ... This High-Yield ETF Combines Bond Investing With Emerging Market Currencies
Southeast Asian growers can now ship durians to China faster than before using a new cold-storage rail service linking Thailand, Laos and southwest China’s Yunnan province, slashing prices for the pungent fruit. The first goods train laden with durians from Thailand – China’s biggest source of the fruit – began winding its way north through Laos to China over the weekend, state broadcaster CCTV re...
Southeast Asian growers can now ship durians to China faster than before using a new cold-storage rail service linking Thailand, Laos and southwest China’s Yunnan province, slashing prices for the pungent fruit. The first goods train laden with durians from Thailand – China’s biggest source of the fruit – began winding its way north through Laos to China over the weekend, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Tuesday. More than 90 per cent of the world’s durian exports – worth about US$7.5 billion...
Taiyou Nomachi/DigitalVision via Getty Images West Fraser Timber Co. ( WFG ) reported Q1-26 results. The results showed an important read-through for the wood products cycle in the US and North America. Things are sequentially better, but still very weak YoY. The company presented the quarter positively, focusing on the improvement from Q4-25. That is true, but also somewhat misleading. Q1 is seas...
Taiyou Nomachi/DigitalVision via Getty Images West Fraser Timber Co. ( WFG ) reported Q1-26 results. The results showed an important read-through for the wood products cycle in the US and North America. Things are sequentially better, but still very weak YoY. The company presented the quarter positively, focusing on the improvement from Q4-25. That is true, but also somewhat misleading. Q1 is seasonally stronger than Q4, and the YoY comparison shows a business still in deep cyclical trouble. West Fraser has large exposure to less competitive Canadian lumber assets, continues to face tariffs and fiber constraints, and is still returning cash through dividends despite operating losses. The upside of the company's earnings in a normalized cycle exists, but the path to get there is dangerous because the company's balance sheet is not strong. For these reasons, I initiate coverage on WFG with a Hold. A Giant In A Bad Cycle West Fraser is one of the largest wood products companies in North America. It is the continent’s largest lumber producer, with roughly 6.5 billion board feet of annual capacity, or around 10% of North American capacity. The problem is that close to half of that capacity is in Canada ( investor presentation ). This is relevant because Canadian lumber faces a structurally worse competitive position in the US market, which is the largest consumer of wood by far in North America. Canadian lumber is exposed to duties and tariffs and also to fiber constraints in British Columbia and Alberta (forests have been less productive because of pests and climatic reasons). The company is also a large OSB and engineered wood products producer in North America, with large positions in the US and Canada, probably around 20/30% of the capacity of each of the countries. This segment is in a better position than lumber today, but not by much. North American EWP is still profitable on an adjusted EBITDA basis, but profitability has collapsed from last year. The company als...