PM Images/DigitalVision via Getty Images It is my pleasure today to once again review the Capital Group Core Equity ETF ( CGUS ), a prominent actively managed vehicle that has been enjoying a decent growth in AUM, and defend the bullish stance I expressed in the three previous pieces, namely in February and September 2024 and August 2025. For clarity, this means that I expect it to outperform the ...
PM Images/DigitalVision via Getty Images It is my pleasure today to once again review the Capital Group Core Equity ETF ( CGUS ), a prominent actively managed vehicle that has been enjoying a decent growth in AUM, and defend the bullish stance I expressed in the three previous pieces, namely in February and September 2024 and August 2025. For clarity, this means that I expect it to outperform the iShares Core S&P 500 ETF ( IVV ) in the remaining months of 2026 and into 2027, chiefly thanks to its solid factor mix with a GARP tilt. Of course, this is not an issue at all to model a scenario revolving around a massive market-wide valuation reset, which would be the moment of release of the build-up stress from the Strait of Hormuz crisis, a phenomenon I gave some attention to in the recent article on the Optimize Strategy Index ETF ( OPTZ ). And in the past, there were stressful periods when CGUS was not particularly good at keeping downside capture below 100%; in fact, it captured nearly 123% of IVV's downside in 2025. However, I believe the reopening should be achieved before the commodity markets pass the inflection point, thus avoiding massive damage for the global economy. My today's task is harder though compared to, for example, August 2025, as CGUS has disappointed slightly, deviating a bit from its very robust track record. In other words, it has underperformed the S&P 500 index since my previous coverage. Seeking Alpha My dear readers who have been following my work for some time very likely remember that from ETFs I deem worthy of buying into, I demand consistent outperformance vs. IVV, even if this outperformance is limited to just a few bps. So, CGUS has underdelivered a bit and made me once again take notice of the strategy's limitations. But this is anything but a moment to say, "The strategy has degraded, consider rotating out or otherwise tolerate lackluster performance." In other words, I believe optimism should prevail. CGUS has a sound strategy, it ...
Jakub Zerdzicki/iStock via Getty Images A Google ( GOOG ) ( GOOGL ) software engineer faces federal fraud charges for allegedly using insider information to pocket $1.2M from correct predictions on the betting platform Polymarket ( POLYMARKET ). Prosecutors claim that Michele Spagnuolo, a staff information security engineer at Google, used confidential information to place trades correctly, bettin...
Jakub Zerdzicki/iStock via Getty Images A Google ( GOOG ) ( GOOGL ) software engineer faces federal fraud charges for allegedly using insider information to pocket $1.2M from correct predictions on the betting platform Polymarket ( POLYMARKET ). Prosecutors claim that Michele Spagnuolo, a staff information security engineer at Google, used confidential information to place trades correctly, betting that singer d4vd would be Google’s most searched person in 2025. Spagnuolo has been charged with money laundering, commodities fraud, and wire fraud. The complaint, filed in the Southern District of New York, was unsealed on Wednesday. Spagnuolo was arrested Wednesday morning in New York, ABC reported. “Spagnuolo had access to Google’s internal data systems, including a particular Google internal software tool that provided him access to confidential, nonpublic Year in Search data,” the prosecutors said in their complaint. Some observers of the Polymarket platform flagged the user “AlphaRaccoon” back in December for suspicious trades on the most searched person contracts. The complaint Wednesday said that Spagnuolo was the person behind that account. “Google officially and publicly announced its Year in Search 2025 results on or about December 4, 2025. Soon after it did so, Spagnuolo’s AlphaRaccoon account profited approximately $1.2M on his Google Year in Search 2025-related bets,” the complaint said. Spagnuolo appeared before a federal magistrate judge Wednesday. He did not enter a plea and was released on a $2.25M bond, ABC reported. “We’re working with law enforcement on their investigation,” Google said in a statement to CNBC . “The employee accessed our marketing material using a tool available to all employees, but using such confidential information to place bets is a serious breach of our policies.” More on Alphabet, Polymarket Inc. Wall Street Lunch: First Step To AI Getting An Oscar Alphabet: The Outperformance Opportunity Has Moved To A New Mag 7 Company Alpha...
Jakub Zerdzicki/iStock via Getty Images A Google ( GOOG ) ( GOOGL ) software engineer faces federal fraud charges for allegedly using insider information to pocket $1.2M from correct predictions on the betting platform Polymarket ( POLYMARKET ). Prosecutors claim that Michele Spagnuolo, a staff information security engineer at Google, used confidential information to place trades correctly, bettin...
Jakub Zerdzicki/iStock via Getty Images A Google ( GOOG ) ( GOOGL ) software engineer faces federal fraud charges for allegedly using insider information to pocket $1.2M from correct predictions on the betting platform Polymarket ( POLYMARKET ). Prosecutors claim that Michele Spagnuolo, a staff information security engineer at Google, used confidential information to place trades correctly, betting that singer d4vd would be Google’s most searched person in 2025. Spagnuolo has been charged with money laundering, commodities fraud, and wire fraud. The complaint, filed in the Southern District of New York, was unsealed on Wednesday. Spagnuolo was arrested Wednesday morning in New York, ABC reported. “Spagnuolo had access to Google’s internal data systems, including a particular Google internal software tool that provided him access to confidential, nonpublic Year in Search data,” the prosecutors said in their complaint. Some observers of the Polymarket platform flagged the user “AlphaRaccoon” back in December for suspicious trades on the most searched person contracts. The complaint Wednesday said that Spagnuolo was the person behind that account. “Google officially and publicly announced its Year in Search 2025 results on or about December 4, 2025. Soon after it did so, Spagnuolo’s AlphaRaccoon account profited approximately $1.2M on his Google Year in Search 2025-related bets,” the complaint said. Spagnuolo appeared before a federal magistrate judge Wednesday. He did not enter a plea and was released on a $2.25M bond, ABC reported. “We’re working with law enforcement on their investigation,” Google said in a statement to CNBC . “The employee accessed our marketing material using a tool available to all employees, but using such confidential information to place bets is a serious breach of our policies.” More on Alphabet, Polymarket Inc. Wall Street Lunch: First Step To AI Getting An Oscar Alphabet: The Outperformance Opportunity Has Moved To A New Mag 7 Company Alpha...
Orhan Turan/iStock via Getty Images Investment Thesis I rate ASP Isotopes ( ASPI ) a Sell. The company surely has an attractive strategic narrative and exposure to currently scarce isotopes with interesting medical applications, together with potential businesses in semiconductor materials, HALEU nuclear fuel and helium/LNG production. However, I think the growth narrative behind this company is s...
Orhan Turan/iStock via Getty Images Investment Thesis I rate ASP Isotopes ( ASPI ) a Sell. The company surely has an attractive strategic narrative and exposure to currently scarce isotopes with interesting medical applications, together with potential businesses in semiconductor materials, HALEU nuclear fuel and helium/LNG production. However, I think the growth narrative behind this company is still too premature, too capital-intensive and too execution-dependant to justify a price per share of $6.89. The market is likely already pricing in a successful commercialisation in the company’s multiple business lines. My DCF valuation implies a $2.40 share price and reflects the following narrative: The company has potential but still needs to prove commercial scale, margin conversion, financing capacity and execution. My Sell advice does not imply short-selling the stock; I would just avoid investing in it. Business Overview ASP Isotopes, Inc., with headquarters in the US and primary operations in South Africa, is a company focused on isotope enrichment activities. In Q1 FY2026 Isotopes materially changed its corporate structure, after the completed acquisition of Renergen Limited via share exchange (14.27M ASPI shares). The operation enabled the company to consolidate the Virginia Gas Project as a completely new segment. Moreover, on March 29, 2026, the company deconsolidated Skyline Builders, a South African construction business, obtaining $19.6M on discontinued operations in the first quarter of FY2026. After these structural changes, the company is now operating under three continuing business division: Specialist Isotopes & Related Services, containing ASP technology centrifuges for C-14, Si-28 and QE laser technology for Yb-176 Nuclear Fuels (QLE), which is the Quantum Laser Enrichment subsidiary that is targeting HALEU production Helium & LNG, the segment constituted after the Renergen acquisition, focused on the Phase 1 production of LNG and helium from the Vi...
AMD Stock Reverses Below $500 as Cathie Wood Cuts Holdings, Valuation Concerns Rise As AMD shares fell precipitously below $500, rekindling worries about excessive valuation, semiconductor instability, and geopolitical unpredictability, Cathie Wood kept cutting back on her exposure to Advanced Micro Devices. Written by: Skerdian Meta • • 5 min read • Quick overview Cathie Wood's ARK Invest has red...
AMD Stock Reverses Below $500 as Cathie Wood Cuts Holdings, Valuation Concerns Rise As AMD shares fell precipitously below $500, rekindling worries about excessive valuation, semiconductor instability, and geopolitical unpredictability, Cathie Wood kept cutting back on her exposure to Advanced Micro Devices. Written by: Skerdian Meta • • 5 min read • Quick overview Cathie Wood's ARK Invest has reduced its exposure to Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) by selling approximately 38,529 shares, totaling around $16.2 million. AMD's stock experienced a sharp reversal after initially surging above $510, falling below the critical $500 level amid concerns over valuation and semiconductor volatility. Despite strong operational performance and impressive earnings, investor sentiment remains cautious due to high expectations and geopolitical risks affecting the semiconductor sector. AMD continues to benefit from AI demand, but its elevated valuation multiples leave little room for error, making the stock vulnerable to sentiment shifts. As AMD shares fell precipitously below $500, rekindling worries about excessive valuation, semiconductor instability, and geopolitical unpredictability, Cathie Wood kept cutting back on her exposure to Advanced Micro Devices. AMD Rally Suddenly Loses Momentum Advanced Micro Devices surged to fresh highs above $510 earlier in the session following continued optimism around artificial intelligence infrastructure demand and enterprise computing growth. However, the rally quickly lost momentum as the stock reversed sharply below the psychologically important $500 level, reflecting renewed investor anxiety surrounding sustainability and valuation. The pullback came amid broader weakness across the semiconductor sector, where recent enthusiasm surrounding AI-linked companies has begun showing signs of fatigue after an extended rally. Investors increasingly appear concerned that expectations embedded into many chip stocks may have become excessively aggressi...
Key Points The global oil industry is in a fragile state because of the geopolitical conflict in the Middle East. Supply has fallen well short of demand, leading to higher energy prices, and there is no quick solution to the problem. ExxonMobil's stock has an early lead over the S&P 500 in 2026 that could hold all year. 10 stocks we like better than ExxonMobil › ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM) is one of th...
Key Points The global oil industry is in a fragile state because of the geopolitical conflict in the Middle East. Supply has fallen well short of demand, leading to higher energy prices, and there is no quick solution to the problem. ExxonMobil's stock has an early lead over the S&P 500 in 2026 that could hold all year. 10 stocks we like better than ExxonMobil › ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM) is one of the world's largest oil companies. When oil prices rise, investors tend to buy the stock, pushing its price up along with oil prices. That's exactly what's happened in 2026, with Exxon's shares higher by 24% as of this writing. That's more than twice the gain of the S&P 500 index (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC), which is up "only" 10%. The interesting fact here is that a 10% gain for the S&P 500 is actually pretty impressive, given that the year isn't even half over yet. Historically speaking, 10% is about the return investors expect from the market, on average. So, by comparison, Exxon's advance is shockingly large. This is what's going on and why I believe Exxon will still be ahead of the S&P 500 when 2026 draws to a close. Will AI create the world's first trillionaire? Our team just released a report on the one little-known company, called an "Indispensable Monopoly" providing the critical technology Nvidia and Intel both need. Continue » Emotions are the driving force on Wall Street Over the long term, Wall Street is fairly good at assigning value. In the short term, however, emotions tend to hold sway. That often results in prices that move too far in one direction or the other. This is very clear when you look at NuScale Power's (NYSE: SMR) price chart. The company is a money-losing nuclear power start-up seeking to break into the electricity industry with new technology. It isn't a bad company, and the small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) it wants to build are an exciting development. But it hasn't yet built a single SMR for sale. And yet the stock soared based on nothing more than...