Michele Ricucci/iStock via Getty Images U.S. markets are successfully separating geopolitical noise from actual economic impact, with investors gravitating toward mega-cap tech stocks ( VGT ), ( XLK ), ( IYW ) as growth slows elsewhere, according to Robert Teeter, chief investment strategist at Silvercrest Asset Management. In an interview with CNBC, Teeter noted that while the U.S. may be sending...
Michele Ricucci/iStock via Getty Images U.S. markets are successfully separating geopolitical noise from actual economic impact, with investors gravitating toward mega-cap tech stocks ( VGT ), ( XLK ), ( IYW ) as growth slows elsewhere, according to Robert Teeter, chief investment strategist at Silvercrest Asset Management. In an interview with CNBC, Teeter noted that while the U.S. may be sending additional troops to the Middle East and geopolitical tensions remain elevated, markets have learned to quantify the economic risks they can measure while acknowledging the uncertainty they cannot. “The market’s gotten comfortable with it; it can quantify the risk from an economic and market standpoint, but of course not from a full geopolitical standpoint,” Teeter said. He explained that investors are focusing on the “pass-through effect” of oil supply disruptions, which directly impacts gas prices and consumer spending—factors that can be modeled and assessed. The dominance of mega-cap tech companies in the current market rebound makes sense given the broader economic picture, Teeter argued. Tech stocks have delivered two quarters of strong growth without corresponding price appreciation, creating what he described as a “coiled spring” effect that is now releasing as investors seek out reliable growth amid consumer spending concerns. Early earnings reports from major banks have provided an encouraging signal about the health of the economy. Teeter views bank earnings as “the first hurdle to be cleared” each quarter, and so far, the large financial institutions have not expressed significant concern about the state of the consumer. For investors navigating the current volatility, Teeter recommends returning to fundamentals. “Stay risk neutral, diversify, ride through the conflict, and see what happens on the other side,” he advised, calling the current environment a good time to get back to basics. Looking ahead, Teeter expressed optimism about the second half of 2026, ci...
Madmaxer/iStock via Getty Images Economic warfare The US-Iran war is transitioning to the next phase, and that's economic warfare. This unsuspected escalation could lead to a global depression. Specifically, the US is now administrating a blockade of Iranian ports, with inbound and outbound traffic, and threatening other countries doing business with Iran with sanctions and secondary tariffs. Iran...
Madmaxer/iStock via Getty Images Economic warfare The US-Iran war is transitioning to the next phase, and that's economic warfare. This unsuspected escalation could lead to a global depression. Specifically, the US is now administrating a blockade of Iranian ports, with inbound and outbound traffic, and threatening other countries doing business with Iran with sanctions and secondary tariffs. Iran is still blocking the Strait of Hormuz, which is causing a global energy supply shock. If this economic warfare continues, a global economy will face an inflationary shock as price of crude oil spikes, and then a depression as demand collapses. Depression means a very deep and prolonged negative economic growth. How did we get here? The main problem is that Israel does not want a nuclear Iran - that's an existential threat to Isreal. We need to understand what exactly the nuclear issue is with Iran. Iran currently does not have a nuclear weapon. But there are key three terms to understand: A threshold state A threshold state is one that does not have a nuclear weapon, but it has all the technical capabilities to build one. Iran is currently a threshold state: 1) enriches uranium to 60%, 2) has hundreds of kilograms of enriched uranium stockpiled, 3) operates advanced centrifuges, 4) has advanced facilities like Fordow, 5) has the scientific and industrial base, and 5) IAEA access is restricted, reducing transparency. Breakout time Breakout time measures the minimum time needed to produce enough weapons‑grade uranium (25 kg at 90%) for one nuclear weapon. Current estimate Iran’s nuclear breakout time is 1–3 months under current conditions , and potentially as short as 2 weeks in a "sprint" scenario , and it was 9–12 months under JCPOA‑style constraints. Irreversible immunity A country has a nuclear weapon, second-strike capability, and no feasible pre-emptive strike can neutralize it. Iran does not have irreversible immunity - and this is exactly what Israel wants to preven...
cmannphoto/iStock via Getty Images Broadcom Inc. ( AVGO ) is up around 3% in premarket trading after the company got back in bed with Meta Platforms ( META ), in a three-year partnership to help the latter develop its
cmannphoto/iStock via Getty Images Broadcom Inc. ( AVGO ) is up around 3% in premarket trading after the company got back in bed with Meta Platforms ( META ), in a three-year partnership to help the latter develop its
cmannphoto/iStock via Getty Images Broadcom Inc. ( AVGO ) is up around 3% in premarket trading after the company got back in bed with Meta Platforms ( META ), in a three-year partnership to help the latter develop its AI chips. Meta was flat on the announcement. Webull The deal is built around Meta's Training and Inference Accelerator, MTIA, with Broadcom co-developing next generations of the chip...
cmannphoto/iStock via Getty Images Broadcom Inc. ( AVGO ) is up around 3% in premarket trading after the company got back in bed with Meta Platforms ( META ), in a three-year partnership to help the latter develop its AI chips. Meta was flat on the announcement. Webull The deal is built around Meta's Training and Inference Accelerator, MTIA, with Broadcom co-developing next generations of the chip across multiple silicon generations through 2029. Interestingly, MTIA will be the first AI silicon to use a 2-nanometer process, which is a meaningful process node milestone, as TSMC's ( TSM ) 2nm capacity doesn't get allocated to just anyone. According to the press release, The initial commitment exceeds 1GW and is the first phase of a sustained, multi-gigawatt rollout. This reinforces a shared roadmap to co-design and scale the hardware required to bring real-time generative AI features and “personal superintelligence” to billions of people globally across apps like WhatsApp, Instagram, and Threads. Central to this expanding infrastructure footprint is the rapid deployment of Meta’s MTIA silicon, made possible by deep engineering co-design through Broadcom's foundational XPU (Custom Accelerator) platform. This platform approach allows Broadcom and Meta to tightly couple logic, memory, and high-speed I/O for current deployments, while establishing a highly adaptable, multi-generation blueprint to co-develop future iterations of the MTIA portfolio over the coming years. To put all this into perspective, Meta has already committed to spending around $135 billion in capex for FY26, and the MTIA ramp is one of several custom silicon bets running in parallel, as the company also struck deals with Nvidia ( NVDA ), Advanced Micro Devices ( AMD ), and Arm Holdings ( ARM ) this year. And Broadcom's scope here goes well beyond chip design, as the deal covers its advanced Ethernet networking solutions for scale-up, scale-out, and scale-across requirements, which means that Broadcom ...
If you're entering retirement with a nice sum of money saved up, give yourself a pat on the back. Many seniors end up having to mostly live on Social Security because they don't manage to bring savings with them into retirement. But after working hard to build up a sizable IRA or 401(k) balance, the last thing you want is to gradually watch your retirement savings run out. Here are some key steps ...
If you're entering retirement with a nice sum of money saved up, give yourself a pat on the back. Many seniors end up having to mostly live on Social Security because they don't manage to bring savings with them into retirement. But after working hard to build up a sizable IRA or 401(k) balance, the last thing you want is to gradually watch your retirement savings run out. Here are some key steps you can do to reduce that risk substantially. Image source: Getty Images. Continue reading
Oakmark Select Fund (Investor Class) underperformed the benchmark, the S&P 500 Index, for the quarter, but outperformed since inception. The fund added Gartner ( IT ) and Marsh & McLennan ( MRSH ); exited APA ( APA ) and Molina Healthcare ( MOH ). The fund sees equity markets as increasingly influenced by short-term noise and crowd behavior rather than fundamentals, amid elevated volatility, geopo...
Oakmark Select Fund (Investor Class) underperformed the benchmark, the S&P 500 Index, for the quarter, but outperformed since inception. The fund added Gartner ( IT ) and Marsh & McLennan ( MRSH ); exited APA ( APA ) and Molina Healthcare ( MOH ). The fund sees equity markets as increasingly influenced by short-term noise and crowd behavior rather than fundamentals, amid elevated volatility, geopolitical headlines, and wide stock dispersion. More on Oakmark Select Fund Investor, Gartner, etc. Oakmark Select Fund Q1 2026 Commentary Marsh & McLennan Remains An Attractive Growth Play In The Insurance Sector Gartner, Inc. (IT) Presents at BofA Securities 2026 Information & Business Services Conference Transcript Oakmark Fund (Investor Class) adds ADBE, NFLX; exits DE, APA among Q1 moves Leadership shift at Marsh: Mark McGivney appointed as EVP & COO
Looking at the universe of stocks we cover at Dividend Channel, on 4/16/26, McGrath RentCorp (Symbol: MGRC) will trade ex-dividend, for its quarterly dividend of $0.495, payable on 4/30/26. As a percentage of MGRC's recent stock price of $113.81, this dividend works out to appr
Looking at the universe of stocks we cover at Dividend Channel, on 4/16/26, McGrath RentCorp (Symbol: MGRC) will trade ex-dividend, for its quarterly dividend of $0.495, payable on 4/30/26. As a percentage of MGRC's recent stock price of $113.81, this dividend works out to appr
mnbb/iStock via Getty Images Growth With Discipline Fortive Corporation ( FTV ) has transformed and strengthened its strategies since my last article, which warrants a rating upgrade. Its recurring revenue base provides not only earnings visibility but also downside protection. Fluke, a part of the Intelligent Operating Solutions segment, remains a growth engine due to its exposure to the software...
mnbb/iStock via Getty Images Growth With Discipline Fortive Corporation ( FTV ) has transformed and strengthened its strategies since my last article, which warrants a rating upgrade. Its recurring revenue base provides not only earnings visibility but also downside protection. Fluke, a part of the Intelligent Operating Solutions segment, remains a growth engine due to its exposure to the software and data center business. I also think the company’s strategy of capital allocation, including buybacks and portfolio optimization, supports earnings growth in the medium term. But it is also important to understand the challenges. Fortive’s near-term growth may decelerate due to weak capital equipment demand. The healthcare policy flip-flop can adversely affect the AHS segment EBITDA margin. Also, demand remains uneven across regions as geopolitical risks grow. I think the company’s robust liquidity will provide the balance sheet with a sufficient cushion from any adverse shocks. It can also finance growth-related reinvestments. The relative valuation multiples have overstretched in recent months. Still, I think the stock’s long-term fundamentals have shifted well enough to call for a re-rating to a “Buy” from a previous “ Hold .” Key Drivers: Geographic and Emerging Businesses I see three key drivers for FTV in the coming quarters. These include growth in data centers, expansion in the EMEA (Europe, the Middle East, and Africa) region, and increased sales coverage in India. Its strategy is focused on high-growth markets and regions. To capture the rapid growth in the data center business, it has introduced products like Fluke’s CertiFiber MAX (a fiber-optic testing and certification tool). This improves testing speed and accuracy for data center applications. Fluke provides instruments, software, and services. In data centers, demand is relatively resilient across industries, including manufacturing and utilities. Multiple reports suggest strong growth in the data center...
Looking at the universe of stocks we cover at Dividend Channel, on 4/16/26, GAMCO Natural Resources, Gold & Income Trust (Symbol: GNT) will trade ex-dividend, for its monthly dividend of $0.06, payable on 4/23/26. As a percentage of GNT's recent stock price of $8.87, this d
Looking at the universe of stocks we cover at Dividend Channel, on 4/16/26, GAMCO Natural Resources, Gold & Income Trust (Symbol: GNT) will trade ex-dividend, for its monthly dividend of $0.06, payable on 4/23/26. As a percentage of GNT's recent stock price of $8.87, this d