beast01/iStock via Getty Images The Simplify Volatility Premium ETF ( SVOL ) is an actively managed exchange-traded fund designed to provide investors with income through inverse exposure to the Cboe Market Volatility Index ( VIX ) while protecting returns through the use of a call options strategy. SVOL can be best utilized following periods of increased volatility like the present market environ...
beast01/iStock via Getty Images The Simplify Volatility Premium ETF ( SVOL ) is an actively managed exchange-traded fund designed to provide investors with income through inverse exposure to the Cboe Market Volatility Index ( VIX ) while protecting returns through the use of a call options strategy. SVOL can be best utilized following periods of increased volatility like the present market environment. While timing volatility increases can be challenging given the exogenous effects on the market, particularly in today’s high-risk geopolitical environment, taking a short position in volatility may achieve net returns under the assumption that volatility typically remediates down to an average rate. Given the heightened levels of volatility and the earnings potential for SVOL, I recommend SVOL with a "Buy" rating. As a result of the futures derivatives used to capture exposure, SVOL can only target daily exposure in terms of its target performance profile; holding SVOL longer than a single trading day may provide deviation from the -0.2x to -0.3x target range and may compound over time. Trading chart (TradingView) Investment Rationale for SVOL SVOL was designed to capture inverse exposure to VIX while offering protection from losses through the use of a strategic options overlay, limiting total losses by the fund. The strategy was designed to provide -0.2x to -0.3x the performance of short-term VIX futures, which may reduce the volatility of the price of the actual fund, providing a certain degree of stability for investors. Volatility has become a growing risk in recent weeks following the start of the war in Iran. The S&P 500 Index ( SPX ) has returned roughly -4% since the start of the military escalation of the war on February 28, 2026 , exhibiting days of sharp volatility throughout. While the market has made attempts to recover on signs of abating oil prices or an end to combat, positive news has been relatively short-lived, with the market falling back into dec...
The president who yearned for a Nobel Peace Prize and once revelled in the appearance of solving conflicts turned to the language of annihilation as he struggled to find a resolution to his war of choice in Iran. US President Donald Trump’s latest threat over the Iran war hit a new extreme on Tuesday as he warned “A whole civilisation will die tonight, never to be brought back again”, if Iran fail...
The president who yearned for a Nobel Peace Prize and once revelled in the appearance of solving conflicts turned to the language of annihilation as he struggled to find a resolution to his war of choice in Iran. US President Donald Trump’s latest threat over the Iran war hit a new extreme on Tuesday as he warned “A whole civilisation will die tonight, never to be brought back again”, if Iran failed to make a deal that included reopening the vital Strait of Hormuz. The Republican president’s...
Twenty years is a long time. In 2006, nobody had an iPhone. Streaming wasn't a verb. AI meant Allen Iverson. And a lot of the companies that dominate retail investors' portfolios today were either tiny, private, or barely public. The investors who have won in the past two decades haven't always done so by picking the flashiest stocks. Many were picking businesses with durable models and growing ma...
Twenty years is a long time. In 2006, nobody had an iPhone. Streaming wasn't a verb. AI meant Allen Iverson. And a lot of the companies that dominate retail investors' portfolios today were either tiny, private, or barely public. The investors who have won in the past two decades haven't always done so by picking the flashiest stocks. Many were picking businesses with durable models and growing markets, and using patience to let years of compound growth do its work. Here are two tickers I'd recommend considering for 20-year holding periods. Continue reading
Up to 80 per cent of Hong Kong’s fishing vessels have suspended operations nearly a month ahead of a planned moratorium, according to a sector representative, as the doubling of “red oil” prices caused by the war in the Middle East has made going out to sea untenable for operators. Representatives for local transport and maritime sectors welcomed the two-week ceasefire announced by the US and Iran...
Up to 80 per cent of Hong Kong’s fishing vessels have suspended operations nearly a month ahead of a planned moratorium, according to a sector representative, as the doubling of “red oil” prices caused by the war in the Middle East has made going out to sea untenable for operators. Representatives for local transport and maritime sectors welcomed the two-week ceasefire announced by the US and Iran and the subsequent reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, but called for targeted, temporary government...
North Korea fired several ballistic missiles towards the sea off its east coast on Wednesday, South Korea’s military said, following a separate launch detected a day earlier as Pyongyang doused Seoul’s hopes of an easing in tensions. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said the unidentified short-range missiles were launched at around 8.50am from near Wonsan on the North’s east coast. The mi...
North Korea fired several ballistic missiles towards the sea off its east coast on Wednesday, South Korea’s military said, following a separate launch detected a day earlier as Pyongyang doused Seoul’s hopes of an easing in tensions. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said the unidentified short-range missiles were launched at around 8.50am from near Wonsan on the North’s east coast. The missiles flew 240km (150 miles), the JCS said, adding that South Korean and US authorities were...
Larger than any dog, let alone a house cat, the beast swaggered through the Dartmoor mist. My schoolfriends and I were entranced – until the adults who had slept through everything told us we were lying I was 11, with a handful of friends on a school trip to Dartmoor. We’d set up our tents near the edge of a camp, which was mostly empty. The first morning, our tent woke before the teachers. We sto...
Larger than any dog, let alone a house cat, the beast swaggered through the Dartmoor mist. My schoolfriends and I were entranced – until the adults who had slept through everything told us we were lying I was 11, with a handful of friends on a school trip to Dartmoor. We’d set up our tents near the edge of a camp, which was mostly empty. The first morning, our tent woke before the teachers. We stole out to find another group of boys already on the dewy grass, standing hands in pockets, together in nature. The sun was just coming up. The last of the night-time mist was peeling away. Continue reading...
(RTTNews) - European stocks look set to open with a gap up on Wednesday after the U.S. and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire to ensure stability in the region's critical energy corridor.
(RTTNews) - European stocks look set to open with a gap up on Wednesday after the U.S. and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire to ensure stability in the region's critical energy corridor.
Dennis MacDonald/iStock via Getty Images This article serves as an update to my previous analysis of Capital City Bank Group ( CCBG ). I first wrote about the company on October 27 of last year, calling its stock a buy. My opinion was based on a number of factors, including the company's track record of strong performance, reasonable valuation at that time, and dividend growth. Since that article ...
Dennis MacDonald/iStock via Getty Images This article serves as an update to my previous analysis of Capital City Bank Group ( CCBG ). I first wrote about the company on October 27 of last year, calling its stock a buy. My opinion was based on a number of factors, including the company's track record of strong performance, reasonable valuation at that time, and dividend growth. Since that article was published, CCBG has produced a total return of just over 11%. The State Street SPDR S&P Regional Banking ETF has gained only 9.2% during this same time period, while the S&P 500 has lost 4.25%, as shown in the graph below. Performance Since October 27, 2025 (Seeking Alpha) With Capital City's first earnings report for 2026 less than three weeks away, I thought it was time to revisit my earlier analysis and see what, if anything, has changed in the company's performance. The share price for CCBG has held up quite well this year, especially during the last two months when most of its peers have pulled back. However, there are a few areas where the company has started trending downward since my last article was published. Loan growth for its banking operations has been absent now for two straight years, and a few other performance ratios took a step back in the last quarter of 2025. All of these concerns will be discussed in more detail in this analysis, as I move my assessment of CCBG to a Hold. Company Overview Capital City Bank Group is the holding company for Capital City Bank, named because its founding is tied to Tallahassee, the capital of Florida. With a history that dates back to 1895, Capital City is considered one of the oldest banking institutions in the US. Today, the bank has 70 branches, with 53 of those in its home state. An additional 15 are located in Georgia and two in Alabama, right on the border with the Peach State. As I mentioned in my first analysis, Capital City specializes in operating in smaller, less densely populated areas. Only two of its Geor...