franckreporter/iStock via Getty Images With the U.S. tax deadline this week, investors should brace for potential market turbulence unrelated to earnings reports or geopolitical tensions, Liz Thomas, head of Investment Strategy at SoFi, said on Thursday. Thomas explained that the influx of tax payments to the Treasury typically creates a temporary squeeze on market liquidity. As tax receipts flow ...
franckreporter/iStock via Getty Images With the U.S. tax deadline this week, investors should brace for potential market turbulence unrelated to earnings reports or geopolitical tensions, Liz Thomas, head of Investment Strategy at SoFi, said on Thursday. Thomas explained that the influx of tax payments to the Treasury typically creates a temporary squeeze on market liquidity. As tax receipts flow into the Treasury General Account (TGA) at the Federal Reserve, bank reserves decline correspondingly, putting pressure on funding markets in the near term. “This is usually expected by the Fed and institutional investors and is not something to fear, per se, but it can cause some wonky moves for a couple weeks,” Thomas noted. The 2026 national federal tax deadline for individuals to file returns and pay owed taxes was Wednesday. The timing coincides with the Federal Reserve’s recent decision to reduce its monthly bond purchases from $40B to $25B, a move that further reduces liquidity support in the market. While the reduction was well-telegraphed, Thomas acknowledged it compounds the tax-season dynamics. However, the strategist stopped short of issuing any warnings, suggesting markets should be able to absorb both forces. Should liquidity conditions become uncomfortable, Thomas expects the Fed to adjust its stance accordingly, even with the upcoming leadership change at the central bank. Liz Thomas | SoFi More on the Markets AAII Sentiment Survey: Neutral Sentiment Rises The Growing Disconnect Between Wall Street And Main Street The Most Hated V-Shaped Rally Is Back As S&P 500 Hits New Highs Markets flip the switch from fear to FOMO, Citadel’s Rubner says Kolanovic warns CTA buying frenzy is fueling the market’s 10% surge
Enterprise AI is entering a new phase — one where the central question is no longer what can be built, but how to make the most of our AI investment. At VentureBeat’s latest AI Impact Tour session, Brian Gracely, director of portfolio strategy at Red Hat, described the operational reality inside large organizations: AI sprawl, rising inference costs, and limited visibility into what those investme...
Enterprise AI is entering a new phase — one where the central question is no longer what can be built, but how to make the most of our AI investment. At VentureBeat’s latest AI Impact Tour session, Brian Gracely, director of portfolio strategy at Red Hat, described the operational reality inside large organizations: AI sprawl, rising inference costs, and limited visibility into what those investments are actually returning. It’s the “Day 2” moment — when pilots give way to production, and cost, governance, and sustainability become harder than building the system in the first place. "We've seen customers who say, 'I have 50,000 licenses of Copilot. I don't really know what people are getting out of that. But I do know that I'm paying for the most expensive computing in the world, because it's GPUs,'" Gracely said. "'How am I going to get that under control?'" Why enterprise AI costs are now a board-level problem For much of the past two years, cost was not the primary concern for organizations evaluating generative AI. The experimental phase gave teams cover to spend freely, and the promise of productivity gains justified aggressive investment, but that dynamic is shifting as enterprises enter their second and third budget cycles with AI. The focus has moved from "can we build something?" to "are we getting what we paid for?" Enterprises that made large, early bets on managed AI services are conducting hard reviews of whether those investments are delivering measurable value. The issue isn’t just that GPU computing is expensive. It is that many organizations lack the instrumentation to connect spending to outcomes, making it nearly impossible to justify renewals or scale responsibly. The strategic shift from token consumer to token producer The dominant AI procurement model of the past few years has been straightforward: pay a vendor per token, per seat, or per API call, and let someone else manage the infrastructure. That model made sense as a starting point but is...
Noko LTD/E+ via Getty Images The Schwab International Equity ETF ( SCHF ) has had a quiet year of outperformance over broader US markets. Importantly, SCHF tracked SPY closely through the rebound from the tariff-induced lows in April 2025, before some rotation may have helped outperformance in 2026, at a time when the US market started cooling. Data by YCharts This is not the norm, though. Even th...
Noko LTD/E+ via Getty Images The Schwab International Equity ETF ( SCHF ) has had a quiet year of outperformance over broader US markets. Importantly, SCHF tracked SPY closely through the rebound from the tariff-induced lows in April 2025, before some rotation may have helped outperformance in 2026, at a time when the US market started cooling. Data by YCharts This is not the norm, though. Even the last 5-year charts show superior returns in the US markets compared to SCHF—data beyond 5 years is even more starkly in favor of the US. That makes the past year one of the rare years of sustained international (mostly developed markets in SCHF) outperformance. Data by YCharts The critical question ahead is whether this rotation will be sustained or not. And there, my analysis finds no structural currency tailwinds to fall back on. Valuations are cheaper in developed markets, but that gap is narrowing. In fact, the rally so far seems to be more rerating-driven in international markets than true earnings growth. The fact that US markets have now cooled meaningfully while retaining a higher earnings growth expectation in 2026 makes the SCHF trade less likely to retain similar outperformance in 2026. I therefore advise not chasing SCHF at these levels. It was a trade that made sense and was somewhat expected looking at the valuation gaps in the 2025 bull run, but the easiest part of the SCHF outperformance thesis is already realized in my view. SCHF as diversification, while yielding decent dividends, is a use case that still stays valid. Portfolio Structure and Implications Analyzing SCHF's top holdings is not relevant, relatively speaking, compared to the S&P 500. In the US markets and market cap-weighted ETFs, a stock-level analysis can sometimes explain and predict returns. SCHF is broadly diversified across almost 1500 holdings , where the top 10 account for only ~12% of the portfolio. SCHF is not an ETF where the top stocks matter as much, which also means the explanat...
While the Nasdaq 100 (^NDX) is filled with cutting-edge technology and consumer companies, not all are on solid footing. Some are dealing with declining demand, high costs, or regulatory pressures that could limit future upside.
While the Nasdaq 100 (^NDX) is filled with cutting-edge technology and consumer companies, not all are on solid footing. Some are dealing with declining demand, high costs, or regulatory pressures that could limit future upside.
Thomas Roell/iStock via Getty Images DraftKings ( DKNG ) announced on Thursday that it plans to launch its online sports betting and casino products in Alberta, Canada, if it lands the required licensing and regulatory approvals. If granted approval, DraftKings Sportsbook and Casino intends to open on the province’s anticipated universal launch date of July 13/ Alberta would represent the second p...
Thomas Roell/iStock via Getty Images DraftKings ( DKNG ) announced on Thursday that it plans to launch its online sports betting and casino products in Alberta, Canada, if it lands the required licensing and regulatory approvals. If granted approval, DraftKings Sportsbook and Casino intends to open on the province’s anticipated universal launch date of July 13/ Alberta would represent the second province in Canada where DraftKings ( DKNG ) operates mobile sports betting and casino products after Ontario. It would also mark the 34th jurisdiction in North America where DraftKings ( DKNG ) offers online sports betting and the seventh with online casino action. Of note, Alberta has a population of just over 5M, which makes it a larger market than the city of Los Angeles and close to the size of Colorado. "We’re excited about the opportunity to expand DraftKings’ footprint in Canada and bring our online sportsbook and casino experiences to customers in Alberta," stated DraftKings ( DKNG ) VP Greg Karamitis. "With the anticipated launch aligning with the World Cup—hosted right here in North America—it's a particularly exciting moment for sports fans in the province to engage with our platform," he added. More on DraftKings DraftKings: Predictions About The Predictions Market And Other More Important Predictions DraftKings' Big Break Through Super App Growth And Prediction Platform Clarity DraftKings: A Better Bet As The 'Super App' Launches (Upgrade) The Kentucky Derby throws a spotlight on if prediction markets should be legal Prediction markets are driving up the cost of acquiring new sports betting customers
The post Rethinking Diversification: Where Blue-Chip Art Fits in Modern Portfolio by Benzinga Contributors appeared first on Benzinga . Visit Benzinga to get more great content like this. Investors face a dilemma. Most portfolios appear diversified on the surface. Stocks, bonds, real estate, and alternatives each play a role. But during periods of stress, these assets often move together at differ...
The post Rethinking Diversification: Where Blue-Chip Art Fits in Modern Portfolio by Benzinga Contributors appeared first on Benzinga . Visit Benzinga to get more great content like this. Investors face a dilemma. Most portfolios appear diversified on the surface. Stocks, bonds, real estate, and alternatives each play a role. But during periods of stress, these assets often move together at different rates because they share common exposures: interest rates, currency risk, and policy decisions. That is why sophisticated investors increasingly look for assets that: Are not tied solely to corporate earnings or cash flows Are not directly dependent on monetary policy outcomes Trade in global markets rather than a single domestic system Are structurally scarce There’s one asset class that has typically been exclusive to institutions and the ultra-wealthy that now over everyday investors have added to their portfolios via fractional investing. Blue-chip art. Art’s Role in Wealth Preservation and Growth Blue-chip art has functioned as a store of value for centuries. It is supply constrained, its demand is global, and its pricing is not largely dictated by financial markets. Historically, art has demonstrated: Low correlation to public equities, bonds, and other popular markets Resilience across certain inflationary and deflationary periods The ability to preserve real purchasing power over long horizons The post-war war and contemporary segment has even outpaced the S&P 500 overall from 1995 to 2025. For these reasons, art has long been held by families, institutions, and sovereign capital, targeted as a complement to their financial assets. The limitation was never the asset itself. It was access, liquidity management, and professional execution. How Masterworks Makes Art Investable Masterworks aims to address those challenges by structuring art as an investable asset class. The platform acquires museum-quality artworks by established, blue-chip artists with a documented...
Nike stock has hit a 12-year low, in part because of an identity crisis: Some investors say it has strayed too far from performance sneakers into fashion. Meanwhile, the fashion sneaker company Allbirds announced this week it’s leaving the feet business altogether for “AI compute infrastructure,” and that stock popped 582% in a day. If you haven’t heard of Allbirds picture the first time you learn...
Nike stock has hit a 12-year low, in part because of an identity crisis: Some investors say it has strayed too far from performance sneakers into fashion. Meanwhile, the fashion sneaker company Allbirds announced this week it’s leaving the feet business altogether for “AI compute infrastructure,” and that stock popped 582% in a day. If you haven’t heard of Allbirds picture the first time you learned that merino wool is surprisingly soft and breathable for socks.
Yahoo Finance Markets and Data Editor Jared Blikre goes over Thursday's intraday market action, including a check-in on the S&P 500 (^GSPC). Watch the video above to learn more.
Yahoo Finance Markets and Data Editor Jared Blikre goes over Thursday's intraday market action, including a check-in on the S&P 500 (^GSPC). Watch the video above to learn more.
Earnings Call Insights: Prologis (PLD) Q1 2026 Management View "We entered 2026 with solid momentum, and we saw that continue in our first quarter results." (CEO & Director Dan Letter) "We delivered another quarter of record leasing with 64 million square feet of signings supported by both strong retention and healthy new leasing activity." (CEO & Director Letter) "Occupancy exceeded our expectati...
Earnings Call Insights: Prologis (PLD) Q1 2026 Management View "We entered 2026 with solid momentum, and we saw that continue in our first quarter results." (CEO & Director Dan Letter) "We delivered another quarter of record leasing with 64 million square feet of signings supported by both strong retention and healthy new leasing activity." (CEO & Director Letter) "Occupancy exceeded our expectations, and we are raising our full year outlook." (CEO & Director Letter) "We are putting our land bank to work across logistics and data centers with $2.1 billion of starts in the quarter, of which $1.3 billion was data center build-to-suits." (CEO & Director Letter) "We announced a $1.6 billion joint venture with GIC and subsequent to quarter end, a $1.2 billion joint venture with La Caisse." (CEO & Director Letter) "First quarter Core FFO was $1.50 per share, including Net Promote Expense and $1.52 per share, excluding this Expense, each ahead of our expectations." (Chief Financial Officer Timothy Arndt) Outlook "We are increasing our forecast for average occupancy to a range of 95% to 95.75%." (Chief Financial Officer Arndt) "This increase, together with our first quarter outperformance drives our expectations for net effective same-store growth to 4.75% to 5.5% and cash growth to 6.25% to 7%." (Chief Financial Officer Arndt) "As for deployment, we are increasing development starts to $4.5 billion to $5.5 billion, this on an owned and managed basis with approximately 40% allocated to data center build-to-suits." (Chief Financial Officer Arndt) "Putting it together, our strong start has us increasing our outlook on earnings." (Chief Financial Officer Arndt) "Core FFO, including Net Promote Expense will range between $6.07 and $6.23 per share, while Core FFO, excluding Net Promote Expense will range between $6.12 and $6.28 per share an 80 basis point increase from our prior midpoint." (Chief Financial Officer Arndt) Financial Results "We ended the quarter with occupancy of ...
CHUYN/iStock Unreleased via Getty Images The Procter & Gamble Company ( PG ) stock has had a wild ride to start the year. After melting up with the risk shift into defensives where the XLP was bid, the stock and the consumer staples sector broadly have come under pressure in recent weeks. The company is due to report earnings on April 24, and with the CAGNY update having provided confirmation that...
CHUYN/iStock Unreleased via Getty Images The Procter & Gamble Company ( PG ) stock has had a wild ride to start the year. After melting up with the risk shift into defensives where the XLP was bid, the stock and the consumer staples sector broadly have come under pressure in recent weeks. The company is due to report earnings on April 24, and with the CAGNY update having provided confirmation that things have slowed, with 1H FY '26 growth at just 1%, the company needs to deliver a solid fiscal third quarter in order to get investors excited here. Business Analysis P&G is a heavily diversified HPC giant across skin & personal care, hair care, grooming, and baby and family care. The portfolio has started to see weakness in the fabric care and family care subsegments, while baby and feminine care can't seem to get off the ground after a flat first half. Fabric and Family Care were both negative in 1H of FY26, down 1% and 5%, respectively. For context, Fabric and Home Care are approximately 35% of the business, with Baby, Feminine, and Family Care comprising 25%. The second-largest division cannot be under pressure to this extent, or results will simply suffer. Beauty makes up 18%, Health Care makes up 14%, and Grooming is the balance at around 8%. Investor Presentation Source: Investor Presentation To better understand why this is happening and to examine how this might change going forward, let's see what Q2 unpacked in this segment. For the combined Baby, Feminine, and Family Care segment, pricing and mix were flat, while organic volume was down nearly 5%. While the company gained share in Baby Care, it lost share in feminine care and family care as private label continues to increase its foothold in the space. The company had category mix issues as well as higher tariff costs being passed through that are making private label products only more attractive versus the branded products from PG in a time of financial stress for the consumer. It's also worth noting, howe...