fcafotodigital/iStock via Getty Images Overview When I previously covered the Invesco KBW Premium Yield Equity REIT ETF ( KBWY ), I issued a sell rating due to the vulnerability to interest rates and limited upside growth. However, the market has shifted since then, and capital rotated out of high-growth industries like technology and into more value-oriented sectors like real estate. This shift p...
fcafotodigital/iStock via Getty Images Overview When I previously covered the Invesco KBW Premium Yield Equity REIT ETF ( KBWY ), I issued a sell rating due to the vulnerability to interest rates and limited upside growth. However, the market has shifted since then, and capital rotated out of high-growth industries like technology and into more value-oriented sectors like real estate. This shift provided a short-lived boost to the real estate sector, but I believe that KBWY's structural flaws still remain. Therefore, I believe that the fund is still unattractive for long-term investors that want a sustainable stream of income and attractive total returns from the real estate sector. Looking at the performance over the last twelve months, we can see that KBWY's share price has declined by about 0.7%. Although the fund has failed to provide any upside growth over the last year, this is just a weakness of the overall REIT market. When including all distributions that were paid out to shareholders, the total return jumps up to nearly 9.3% over the same time frame. KBWY now offers investors a starting dividend yield of 9.8%, but I am still concerned about the overall sustainability of the payouts going forward. Data by YCharts The high rate of distributions is negatively impacting the underlying NAV of the fund. The most up-to-date reporting indicates that earnings are not supporting the distributions, meaning that KBWY is actively paying out more than it earns. Furthermore, the fund's structure means that it is likely to include REITs that have a high yield due to a pullback in share price. So let's start by taking a look at the underlying strategy that KBWY implements to generate its earnings. Fund Strategy According to the latest fund overview , KBWY has total assets under management of $253M that are spread across 31 different positions. KBWY is unique because it aims to invest at least 90% of its assets into small- or mid-cap REITs that have competitive dividend yie...
China issues new supply chain security rules Chinese Premier Li Qiang signed a State Council decree to publish new regulations on the security of industrial and supply chains, which took effect immediately, according to a Tuesday government statement. The 18-article document outlines working principles, systemic measures, countermeasures, and extraterritorial applications aimed at mitigating secur...
China issues new supply chain security rules Chinese Premier Li Qiang signed a State Council decree to publish new regulations on the security of industrial and supply chains, which took effect immediately, according to a Tuesday government statement. The 18-article document outlines working principles, systemic measures, countermeasures, and extraterritorial applications aimed at mitigating security risks, enhancing supply chain resilience, and safeguarding national security and economic stability.
Getty Images Update since 2Q25 Li Auto ( LI ) has performed poorly since my last thesis in mid-2025 . At the time, auto sales in China have been facing headwinds amidst a broader curb of price competition. There were firms that suffered from this, most notably BYD, given its leadership on both the cost and tech fronts. CN Auto stocks have broadly been sluggish since 2H25. Peers Seeking Alpha At th...
Getty Images Update since 2Q25 Li Auto ( LI ) has performed poorly since my last thesis in mid-2025 . At the time, auto sales in China have been facing headwinds amidst a broader curb of price competition. There were firms that suffered from this, most notably BYD, given its leadership on both the cost and tech fronts. CN Auto stocks have broadly been sluggish since 2H25. Peers Seeking Alpha At the time of my writing, Li Auto was already faced with some slowdown ( see 2Q25 transcript ). But I've been more optimistic than the market has on the basis of its niche and higher-end marketing strategy, providing decent protections against sales headwinds as threats were made to lower subsidies in order to disincentivize further "rat race" among peers. That has been proven wrong, namely that competition between peers is much more fierce and dynamic. The logic of higher-end SUV segmentation is also more nuanced, with most of its revenues actually generated from the mid-tiered L6 models. Focusing on this segment was a great idea. SUVs are naturally great sellers, targeted at larger families with greater willingness to pay. In light of that, many manufacturers have been playing catch-up—players like BYD ( BYDDF ), Geely ( GELYF ), XPeng ( XPEV ), NIO ( NIO ), etc. Battery techs have also been improving, with BEVs imposing more pressure on EREVs. FY25 results Unit sales had dropped by 19% to 400k units for FY25, while revenue had dropped to CNY110 million, down by 23%. Margins were squeezed significantly, with the company operating at a loss in 2H25 amid some phase-outs of subsidies and elevated competition by peers. L6 models were gradually losing their sales momentum . Higher-end models, including L8 and L9, have been experiencing more volatile declines. During the same year, Li Auto's close competitor Aito has been much more resilient, with consumers buying into the AI ecosystem offered by Huawei, ranging from its level of intelligent driving to connectivity with mobile devi...
Pakorn Supajitsoontorn/iStock via Getty Images Greece will ban social media for children under the age of 15 from next year, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced on Wednesday, making it the latest country to follow Australia's landmark move. In a video message posted on TikTok, Mitsotakis said the ban was necessary to protect children's mental health. "The addictive design of some apps, th...
Pakorn Supajitsoontorn/iStock via Getty Images Greece will ban social media for children under the age of 15 from next year, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced on Wednesday, making it the latest country to follow Australia's landmark move. In a video message posted on TikTok, Mitsotakis said the ban was necessary to protect children's mental health. "The addictive design of some apps, the profit model that's based on how long you spend in front of your mobile phone screen and takes away some of your innocence and freedom, must end at some point," he said. "Science is clear: when a child is in front of screens for hours, their brain does not rest." The Parliament needs to clear the ban, after which it is expected to become effective on Jan. 1, 2027. "Our goal is to push the European Union in this direction as well," Mitsotakis added. The Greek government has already banned the use of mobile phones in schools. It also set up the "Kids Wallet" app to enable parents to manage and supervise their children's online presence. Australia was the first country to enact a social media ban for children, followed by Indonesia. Countries including the UK, Spain, France, Denmark and Austria are weighing similar bans/restrictions. According to the EU-funded Greek Safer Internet Center, 75% of children using social media in Greece are of primary‑school age. More on social media restrictions Australia mulls legal action against Meta, others over teen ban breaches Meta found guilty by N.M. jury in child safety trial; receives $375M penalty Indonesia to ban social media for children under 16 Czech prime minister backs social media ban for kids under 15 France’s National Assembly OKs social media ban for under-15s
DNY59/E+ via Getty Images This analysis serves as an update to my previous analysis of Beacon Financial Corporation ( BBT ) that was published on September 4 . While Seeking Alpha shows that article as the first one written for the company on Seeking Alpha, it was actually my second, as I had previously covered the company four months earlier when it was operating under another name, Berkshire Hil...
DNY59/E+ via Getty Images This analysis serves as an update to my previous analysis of Beacon Financial Corporation ( BBT ) that was published on September 4 . While Seeking Alpha shows that article as the first one written for the company on Seeking Alpha, it was actually my second, as I had previously covered the company four months earlier when it was operating under another name, Berkshire Hills Bancorp . Berkshire Hills completed a merger with Brookline Bancorp on September 1 of last year in what it referred to as a “ merger of equals. ” A change in name to Beacon Financial was a result of the merger. In my first analysis of Berkshire Hills, I rated the stock as a buy based on its valuation at the time as well as the growth prospects that the merger would bring. In September, I downgraded BBT to a Hold, citing a few concerns with its operations after the addition of Brookline. We are just under three weeks away from seeing Beacon's Q1 2026 financial results, and I thought it was a good time to revisit the company's prospects for the year ahead. As is the case following most M&A activity, the first quarter of the new version of Beacon was clouded with a number of charges and one-time expenses. In the case of BBT, many of those costs may extend into the first quarter of this year. Because of the continued lack of visibility for the potential of Beacon Financial and its continued lackluster performance metrics, I am maintaining my Hold rating moving into what could be a very important earnings season. About Beacon Financial Headquartered in Boston, MA, Beacon Financial is the holding company for Beacon Bank, a full-service regional bank that operates in five states —Massachusetts, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Beacon Bank was ranked as the 87th largest bank in the US at the end of 2025 by the Federal Reserve , with $23.2 billion in total assets. It serves its customers through a total of 149 branch locations. Readers who are eager to learn more...
While the calendar has long-since flipped over to 2026, you still have a few more days to contribute to an IRA for 2025. The deadline for 2025 contributions is April 15, the same day taxes are due. A Roth IRA can be a great way to supercharge your retirement savings. You'll benefit from tax-free growth from your investments, and best of all, tax-free withdrawals in retirement. Opening an IRA is fa...
While the calendar has long-since flipped over to 2026, you still have a few more days to contribute to an IRA for 2025. The deadline for 2025 contributions is April 15, the same day taxes are due. A Roth IRA can be a great way to supercharge your retirement savings. You'll benefit from tax-free growth from your investments, and best of all, tax-free withdrawals in retirement. Opening an IRA is fast, easy, and free. Check out our list of the best IRA brokers to get started before Tax Day . But not everyone will qualify to contribute to a Roth IRA. There are important income restrictions imposed on the account that you need to be mindful of. Continue reading