AGNC Investment (NASDAQ: AGNC) has an eye-popping dividend yield. The real estate investment trust (REIT) pays a monthly dividend that currently yields over 14%. That's more than ten times higher than the S&P 500 's 1.2% yield. At that rate, a $5,000 investment in the REIT could generate thousands of dollars in dividend income over the next five years. Image source: Getty Images. Continue reading
AGNC Investment (NASDAQ: AGNC) has an eye-popping dividend yield. The real estate investment trust (REIT) pays a monthly dividend that currently yields over 14%. That's more than ten times higher than the S&P 500 's 1.2% yield. At that rate, a $5,000 investment in the REIT could generate thousands of dollars in dividend income over the next five years. Image source: Getty Images. Continue reading
China warned Mexico on Thursday it could impose retaliatory measures after concluding a formal investigation into tariffs Mexico imposed on more than 1,400 categories of Asian goods, in a dispute that threatens to complicate Mexico City’s parallel negotiations to renew its trade agreement with the United States. China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) said the tariffs, which range from 5 to 50 per c...
China warned Mexico on Thursday it could impose retaliatory measures after concluding a formal investigation into tariffs Mexico imposed on more than 1,400 categories of Asian goods, in a dispute that threatens to complicate Mexico City’s parallel negotiations to renew its trade agreement with the United States. China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) said the tariffs, which range from 5 to 50 per cent on 1,463 product categories in force since January 1, restrict the entry of Chinese goods,...
Just_Super/iStock via Getty Images Introduction To The VanEck Fabless Semiconductor ETF The VanEck Fabless Semiconductor ETF ( SMHX ), which is backed by the New York-based investment management corporation VanEck, got listed on the 27 th of August 2024 and has amassed total AUM of $150 million by the time of writing. SMHX has an expense ratio of 0.35% and makes distributions on an annual basis (e...
Just_Super/iStock via Getty Images Introduction To The VanEck Fabless Semiconductor ETF The VanEck Fabless Semiconductor ETF ( SMHX ), which is backed by the New York-based investment management corporation VanEck, got listed on the 27 th of August 2024 and has amassed total AUM of $150 million by the time of writing. SMHX has an expense ratio of 0.35% and makes distributions on an annual basis (every December), with the yield amounting to 0.02%. What Does SMHX Do? SMHX seeks to offer coverage of a narrow subset of US-listed semiconductor stocks that operate as fabless companies and does so by tracking the MarketVector US Listed Fabless Semiconductor Index (MULFSI). Fabless semiconductors differ from the rest of the semiconductor pack in the following ways: SMHX The broad semiconductor universe can be broken up into four different pockets (foundries, IDMs, equipment manufacturers, and fabless entities), and the fabless cohort stands out because they have the most capital-light business model of all the four pockets. These fabless semis devote most of their resources towards the research, development, and design of semiconductor chips, without worrying about the operational and logistical hassles and the financial burden of dealing with in-house production. The production of chip designs is outsourced and carried out by the foundries and the Integrated Device Manufacturers, or IDMs, who typically leverage the capital equipment of the semiconductor equipment manufacturers. What Are The Main Features Of SMHX's Portfolio? The first thing to be said is that SMHX consists of a very narrow pool of semiconductor stocks (just 22 in total), so you’re bound to face some concentration effects. While SMHX’s tracking index looks to rebalance and cap its individual stock weights to 20% four times in a year (March, June, September, and December), we still have quite a top-heavy portfolio where just two stocks—NVIDIA Corporation ( NVDA ) and Broadcom, Inc. ( AVGO )—jointly account f...
In trading on Thursday, shares of Global Net Lease Inc's 7.25% Series A Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock (Symbol: GNL.PRA) were yielding above the 8% mark based on its quarterly dividend (annualized to $1.8125), with shares changing hands as low as $22.41 on the day. Thi
In trading on Thursday, shares of Global Net Lease Inc's 7.25% Series A Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock (Symbol: GNL.PRA) were yielding above the 8% mark based on its quarterly dividend (annualized to $1.8125), with shares changing hands as low as $22.41 on the day. Thi
In trading on Thursday, shares of Goldman Sachs Group Inc's Floating Rate Non-Cumulative Preferred Stock, Series A (Symbol: GS.PRA) were yielding above the 6.5% mark based on its quarterly dividend (annualized to $1.2462), with shares changing hands as low as $19.10 on the day.
In trading on Thursday, shares of Goldman Sachs Group Inc's Floating Rate Non-Cumulative Preferred Stock, Series A (Symbol: GS.PRA) were yielding above the 6.5% mark based on its quarterly dividend (annualized to $1.2462), with shares changing hands as low as $19.10 on the day.
Welcome back to Soundbite. The music industry has always revolved around one specific nucleus – the album. But as the industry as a whole shifts toward one-off songs, the popularity of which is increasingly driven by the unpredictable cadences of social media, a long simmering question is growing harder to ignore. Do album-centric record deals make sense anymore? We’ll dig into it. If you apprecia...
Welcome back to Soundbite. The music industry has always revolved around one specific nucleus – the album. But as the industry as a whole shifts toward one-off songs, the popularity of which is increasingly driven by the unpredictable cadences of social media, a long simmering question is growing harder to ignore. Do album-centric record deals make sense anymore? We’ll dig into it. If you appreciate this kind of work, please support it and subscribe . Reach me through email . Up first, here’s what I’m reading and writing this week. The Wall Street Journal says podcasters are quitting because celebrities are flooding the industry and making it harder for normies to book top guests (at the same time, celebrity hosts often all end up interviewing the same big guests). Spotify Technology SA is testing a new safeguard to help musicians protect their artist profiles. People have been able to upload songs under their names and tag them as collaborators, basically allowing these randos to draft off of famous performers’ fans. We wrote about this phenomenon in 2023. Apple Inc. rolled out iOS 26.4, which includes support for the company’s revamped video offering in Apple Podcasts. Rolling Stone wrote a really great piece about how prediction markets are affecting music. One fan has paid off his car and student loans through music-related gambles. I spent more time at the courthouse for the Live Nation trial this past week, and one of the more interesting exchanges came down to lawn chairs. Chief Executive Officer Michael Rapino testified last Thursday, which we wrote about here , and I also made a short video about those lawn chairs. The long road to an album For a generation, the record deal has been the pinnacle of an artist’s career – an opportunity to get paid big money upfront for committing to release a certain number of albums with a label. But as social media became an ever-increasing form of entertainment, fueled by song snippets and random dance crazes, speculation ...
designer491/iStock via Getty Images Highlights Weakness in the labor market and two interest-rate cuts by the Fed contributed to a modest U.S. bond market rally in the fourth quarter. High-yield corporate bonds and residential mortgage-backed securities were the best performers, while investment-grade corporate bonds underperformed. The fund trailed the return of its benchmark, the Bloomberg U.S. ...
designer491/iStock via Getty Images Highlights Weakness in the labor market and two interest-rate cuts by the Fed contributed to a modest U.S. bond market rally in the fourth quarter. High-yield corporate bonds and residential mortgage-backed securities were the best performers, while investment-grade corporate bonds underperformed. The fund trailed the return of its benchmark, the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index, due primarily to country allocation and foreign currency positioning. Market review and outlook The U.S. bond market posted positive returns in the fourth quarter, capping a solid year of performance. Despite strong third-quarter economic growth, the U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed) lowered short-term interest rates twice during the fourth quarter due to continued weakness in the labor market, including a four-year high in the unemployment rate. The Fed's decision-making was complicated by an extended federal government shutdown, which caused delays in economic data collection and reporting. For the quarter, short-term bond yields declined, reflecting the Fed rate cuts, while intermediate-term bond yields were largely unchanged, and long-term bond yields rose slightly. From a sector perspective, high-yield corporate bonds and residential mortgage-backed securities led the market's advance, while investment-grade corporate bonds and U.S. Treasury securities lagged. As we move into 2026, we expect global economic activity to moderate in the coming year. Uncertainty about future interest rate policy decisions and U.S. tariff policy are likely to weigh on consumer spending, the housing market, and job growth. As a result, we expect market volatility to remain elevated as market participants navigate the economic and geopolitical uncertainty. In this environment, we continue to focus on striking a balance between yield and risk while emphasizing quality, stability, and liquidity. Contributors and detractors The fund posted a gain for the quarter but trailed its b...