As tensions simmer along the Pakistan-Afghanistan frontier – fuelled by disputes over the contested Durand Line, recurring cross-border strikes and the persistent threat of Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) fighters operating from Afghan soil – a subtle but consequential geopolitical shift is under way. India is quietly but steadily stepping up its engagement with the Taliban. The urgency of this r...
As tensions simmer along the Pakistan-Afghanistan frontier – fuelled by disputes over the contested Durand Line, recurring cross-border strikes and the persistent threat of Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) fighters operating from Afghan soil – a subtle but consequential geopolitical shift is under way. India is quietly but steadily stepping up its engagement with the Taliban. The urgency of this recalibration was underscored on March 16, when Pakistani military forces carried out one of the...
A stock incentive plan can be a great motivator for executives, because if the goals are reached, it's a win-win for both management and investors. And Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META) recently made headlines with a highly ambitious incentive plan that will see its top executives -- excluding Mark Zuckerberg -- max out their stock options if the company's valuation rises to more than $9 trillion by 2...
A stock incentive plan can be a great motivator for executives, because if the goals are reached, it's a win-win for both management and investors. And Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META) recently made headlines with a highly ambitious incentive plan that will see its top executives -- excluding Mark Zuckerberg -- max out their stock options if the company's valuation rises to more than $9 trillion by 2031. To put that into perspective, a $9 trillion market cap would be more than double what Nvidia , the world's most valuable company in the world, is worth today. Just how likely is it that Meta's stock reaches that high a valuation? Image source: Getty Images. Continue reading
Two AH-64 Apache helicopters on training run maneuvered near hillside home of Trump-supporting musician The army has launched an administrative review after two AH-64 Apache helicopters on a training run hovered near the hillside home of Kid Rock as the outspoken supporter of Donald Trump saluted their crews. Kid Rock posted two videos on social media on Saturday. Each shows a helicopter hovering ...
Two AH-64 Apache helicopters on training run maneuvered near hillside home of Trump-supporting musician The army has launched an administrative review after two AH-64 Apache helicopters on a training run hovered near the hillside home of Kid Rock as the outspoken supporter of Donald Trump saluted their crews. Kid Rock posted two videos on social media on Saturday. Each shows a helicopter hovering alongside his swimming pool while the entertainer claps, salutes and raises his fist in the air. The Nashville skyline can be seen in the background. Continue reading...
Hiroshi Watanabe/DigitalVision via Getty Images Introduction To The NEOS MSCI EAFE High Income ETF The past few years have seen the popularization of options-based strategies, and Neos Investments has been at the center of an interesting trend. Neos is famous in the ETF space for using put spreads to enhance returns for a plethora of asset classes, but they also have a number of robust classic buy...
Hiroshi Watanabe/DigitalVision via Getty Images Introduction To The NEOS MSCI EAFE High Income ETF The past few years have seen the popularization of options-based strategies, and Neos Investments has been at the center of an interesting trend. Neos is famous in the ETF space for using put spreads to enhance returns for a plethora of asset classes, but they also have a number of robust classic buy-write funds (covered call ETFs). The NEOS MSCI EAFE High Income ETF ( NIHI ) is such a fund. The ETF is a very useful tool to extract dividends from a portfolio of international equities. In today's article we are going to go through the larger topic of covered call ETFs, the NIHI fund build and structure, and its application in various macro cycles. What Are Covered Call ETFs? Let us start with some basic concepts around covered call ETFs in general: A covered call ETF is an exchange-traded fund that generates potential income by writing call options on the securities the ETF holds. These actively-managed ETFs give investors the opportunity to benefit from covered call writing without having to participate in the options market directly. Covered call ETFs allow investors to earn income in the form of options contract premiums, in addition to any other dividends, and potentially reduce portfolio volatility. One trade-off is that upside potential may be limited if call options are exercised — typically when the underlying security reaches the strike price — which could result in shares being called away from the fund. So the main purpose of a well-run covered call ETF is to extract dividends from a pool of assets or ETFs when the underlying holdings might not have any. The idea is to use options in order to generate said dividends. Writing calls simply allows the fund to use the options market to do that. Despite many misconceptions, covered call ETFs tend to have similar long-term total returns as the underlying assets, and this is for well-run funds. Poorly run covered ca...
On March 30, the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX:^GSPC) fell 0.39% to 6,343.72 in choppy trading. The Nasdaq Composite (NASDAQINDEX:^IXIC) slid 0.73% to 20,794.64 on tech and chip weakness. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES:^DJI) eked out a 0.11% gain to 45,216.14 as defensives outperformed. Energy giant Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) and consumer staple heavyweight PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) advanced as investors ...
On March 30, the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX:^GSPC) fell 0.39% to 6,343.72 in choppy trading. The Nasdaq Composite (NASDAQINDEX:^IXIC) slid 0.73% to 20,794.64 on tech and chip weakness. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES:^DJI) eked out a 0.11% gain to 45,216.14 as defensives outperformed. Energy giant Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM) and consumer staple heavyweight PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) advanced as investors rotated into oil-linked and defensive blue chips. Eli Lilly (NYSE:LLY) gained after it extended its AI drug development partnership with InSilico Medicine. Micron Technology (NASDAQ:MU) and Sandisk (NASDAQ:SNDK) dropped again as the memory chip sell-off deepened. Semiconductor bellwether Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (NYSE:TSM) and megacap tech leaders such as Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) and Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) weighed on the Nasdaq amid renewed artificial intelligence (AI) valuation jitters. Continue reading
onurdongel/iStock via Getty Images The NEOS MLP & Energy Infrastructure High Income ETF ( MLPI ) has recently launched and has generated a wave of positive coverage thus far on Seeking Alpha, with numerous analysts covering the fund and all rating it a buy: Seeking Alpha In fact, several have heralded it as the best ETF for investing in the midstream/energy infrastructure sector. What Is MLPI? MLP...
onurdongel/iStock via Getty Images The NEOS MLP & Energy Infrastructure High Income ETF ( MLPI ) has recently launched and has generated a wave of positive coverage thus far on Seeking Alpha, with numerous analysts covering the fund and all rating it a buy: Seeking Alpha In fact, several have heralded it as the best ETF for investing in the midstream/energy infrastructure sector. What Is MLPI? MLPI is a diversified portfolio of energy infrastructure companies, with the vast majority of the portfolio invested in C corporations like Enbridge ( ENB ), Williams Companies ( WMB ), TC Energy ( TRP ), Kinder Morgan ( KMI ), ONEOK ( OKE ), and other prominent C corporation names, though it does also have some exposure to MLPs like Energy Transfer ( ET ). Seeking Alpha It then overlays a semi-actively managed covered call strategy, similar to what it does in NEOS's other funds, like the NEOS Nasdaq-100 High Income ETF ( QQQI ) and the NEOS S&P 500 High Income ETF ( SPYI ). It uses that strategy to generate covered call premiums to help support outsized monthly distributions and also still preserve some of the upside for the fund. The Bull Case This strategy has worked quite well. As you can see below, since it launched, MLPI has generated very attractive total returns. In fact, many will point to it as a superior fund to the likes of the Alerian MLP ETF ( AMLP ) and the Global X MLP ETF ( MLPA ), because it has generated a higher yield and higher total returns than those funds since it went public (its dividends so far annualized to ~$8, which amounts to a ~14% annualized yield). Data by YCharts Given that, what is there not to like about a fund like this? Is this perhaps the holy grail of the midstream ETFs, with it being able to deliver higher yields and higher total returns than purely passively managed funds do? As a result of its strong performance thus far, I have gotten numerous inquiries from some of my members asking me my thoughts on it. While the fund certainly ha...
Former Senior Advisor to President Obama Puneet Talwar discusses President Trump renewing threats against Iran as US troops arrive in the region. He talks with Katie Greifeld on "The Close." (Source: Bloomberg)
Former Senior Advisor to President Obama Puneet Talwar discusses President Trump renewing threats against Iran as US troops arrive in the region. He talks with Katie Greifeld on "The Close." (Source: Bloomberg)
In this video, Motley Fool contributors Jason Hall and Tyler Crowe make the case for Accelerant Holdings (NYSE: ARX) and Kinsale Capital (NYSE: KNSL) as ideal stocks for smart, savvy investors to buy right now.
In this video, Motley Fool contributors Jason Hall and Tyler Crowe make the case for Accelerant Holdings (NYSE: ARX) and Kinsale Capital (NYSE: KNSL) as ideal stocks for smart, savvy investors to buy right now.
franckreporter/iStock via Getty Images Wall Street’s major market averages closed mostly lower on Monday as investors looked to navigate the holiday-shortened trading week with eyes continuing to focus on the Middle East conflict. The tech-focused Nasdaq Composite ( COMP:IND ) ended lower by 0.7%. At the same time, the benchmark S&P 500 ( SP500 ) handed back -0.3%, and the blue-chip Dow ( DJI ) cl...
franckreporter/iStock via Getty Images Wall Street’s major market averages closed mostly lower on Monday as investors looked to navigate the holiday-shortened trading week with eyes continuing to focus on the Middle East conflict. The tech-focused Nasdaq Composite ( COMP:IND ) ended lower by 0.7%. At the same time, the benchmark S&P 500 ( SP500 ) handed back -0.3%, and the blue-chip Dow ( DJI ) closed higher by +0.1% Here are the 4 stocks to watch after market on Monday: Viridian Therapeutics ( VRDN ) remained under pressure in premarket trade following Monday’s 32% decline after the company released topline results from its Phase 3 REVEAL-1 trial of elegrobart for thyroid eye disease. While the study met its primary endpoint of statistically significant proptosis reduction, investors appeared underwhelmed by the overall efficacy profile, with the four-week dosing cohort showing a 54% proptosis responder rate compared to 18% for placebo. Boston Scientific ( BSX ) traded cautiously in premarket activity after closing down 9% Monday despite the CHAMPION-AF study of its Watchman FLX Left Atrial Appendage Closure device meeting primary and secondary endpoints. The trial showed non-inferiority compared to oral anticoagulants for the primary endpoint of stroke, cardiovascular or unexplained death, or systemic embolism (5.7% vs. 4.8%), though some investors noted that ischemic stroke rates were slightly higher in the Watchman cohort at 3.2% versus 2% for blood thinners. M&T Bank ( MTB ) moved higher in premarket trade after announcing its board authorized a new $5 billion share repurchase program for its common stock. The new authorization replaces and terminates a previous $4 billion buyback program approved in January 2025. The company said the timing, number of shares repurchased, and transaction terms will remain at its discretion and subject to regulatory limits. Air Lease ( AL ) traded near its $65 per share acquisition price in premarket activity after receiving fin...
Shares in Micron Technology, the largest American maker of memory chips, fell 9.9% on Monday, compounding losses after investors digested the memory company’s blowout earnings report earlier this month.
Shares in Micron Technology, the largest American maker of memory chips, fell 9.9% on Monday, compounding losses after investors digested the memory company’s blowout earnings report earlier this month.